| Wings ‘n’ Things/Aviation June 14, 2004 DR. N. H. JONES SCHOOL TAKES AVIATION TO ELEMENTARY LEVEL During the past several years aviation has become a part of the curriculum at Dr. N.H. Jones Elementary School. Since 2000, the faculty has been conducting a flight unit as a school-wide project made possible by a grant funded by the National Science Teachers Association and Toyota Motor Sales, Inc. According to science teacher Vicki Ambrose, the rationale in writing the grant "was that the study of flight and aerodynamics is crucial to the basic understanding of our world. This is particularly true here in Florida, where children have grown up with the space shuttle, yet they have little understanding. This project provides students with an exciting and motivating way to understand the basic concepts of flight and aerodynamics. Ambrose was nice enough to elaborate further on the program, as well as provide me with a list of some of the activities established for the students at each grade level, from kindergarten through the fifth grade. She said, "The objectives of this project are to teach students the fundamentals of flight and aerodynamics, with each grade level focusing on a different concept. This way, by the time a kindergarten student leaves fifth grade, he will have learned about every aspect of flight, its history and development." The following is a very small portion of the list of activities; those selected below are only for the kindergarten and fifth grade classes, just for an idea of the depth of the program. The activities at the kindergarten level include identifying things in nature that fly or don’t fly, dropping different types of leaves and comparing the way they move through the air, examining the wing structure of insects, and observing how air affects objects in motion by making currents. By the fifth grade they learn about Bernoulli’s Law and Newton’s Laws, living and working in space, they study the astronauts, and make and launch model rockets. The school also invites members of the community to share their knowledge and expertise with the students. Members of the Ocala Model Airplane Club have brought their model airplanes, showing the students how to make and then fly them. Engineers from Lockheed-Martin have donated many hours working with the youngsters in the fourth grade, helping them make water rockets, then returning for the grand finale, a Flight Fair Day, to assist with the launching of tissue paper balloons, water rockets, and model rockets. The director of a parachuting school spoke to students and showed a video about parachuting from an airplane, and members of the Civil Air Patrol have gone to speak to the students about flight. There was a really special treat one year when owners of a hot air balloon came and set it up on the school grounds. Each May the school holds its culminating activity for the massive project, a Flight Fair Day. Here students from all classes have the opportunity to observe what the other grade levels have been studying. It’s a chance for parents to share in what their children have learned as well. I have had the pleasure of being invited to participate in the program several times and can vouch for the fact that the kids show an amazing amount of knowledge on and enthusiasm for the subject. This past April I talked with the third graders about my own personal love affair with aviation, how I fly an airplane and get to write about flying. They were a wonderful and receptive audience. I heard some really interesting questions and observations, as well as receiving some very special thank you cards from Ms. Turner’s class. These cards contained amazing aviation artwork, as well as some comments I really treasure. For example Breanna Blair wrote, "Thank you for telling us cool stuff about airplanes. You taught me so much about airplanes I really enjoyed you talking about planes. Josh Gray wrote, "Thanks to you my mom is amazed how much I knew about airplanes. Next time you come I will be prepared because I know a lot about airplanes now." Ashley Snow even wrote, "You taught us a lot about planes. Now I want to be a plane driver. It was interesting and I enjoyed it." Holly McKinnon closed her note with "… I want to be a pilot one day." That’s what it’s all about! |