Parachute

This lesson will enforce the scientific method through inquiry based learning.

1 plastic sheet

2 100cm pieces of string

1 washer

scissors

1 ruler (cm)

Requested materials from students

Butcher paper for target

Art supplies to decorate target

2 Timers

Name the steps of the scientific method.

 Introduce the lesson:

1. Has anybody ever jumped out of a plane?  Has anybody ever seen someone jump out of a plane?  Why would someone jump out of a perfectly good plane? (sight see, military, to have fun...) What happens after they jump? Do fall to the ground with out anything to slow them down?  What is the thing called that slows them down?  Show students pictures of a people using parachutes and explain to them that we are going to build our very own today.  Explain to them that this parachute will be used on a top secret mission.  Our mission is to build a parachute that flies slow and straight.  The reason is because we are going behind enemy lines to get back a stolen item.  It is extremely important to land as close to the target at possible so that we do not get caught, and to fall as slow as we can in order to survey possible enemy locations.

 Creating

 2. Give students a plastic sheet and explain to them to cut it 50cm by 25 cm.  Make sure they know that exact is necessary. (you can draw on a white board what the parachute size should look like.

3. Have them cut out two 100cm pieces of string, and obtain one washer.

4.  Tell them to construct a parachute with the given materials.

5. Walk around and guide them in the right direction. (string should make a X from corner to corner)

6. While some students are working on the parachute others can be designing the target.

7. Explain to the ones designing the target that they want their parachute to land in the center.  Tell them that as the parachute gets further and further away from the center that the parachute gets further and further off target.  Meaning the enemy could have planted traps.

 Activity

8. Designate one child as a dropper, one as a timer (maybe another as a back up), another as the retriever of the parachute, two to be the measurers and the rest are recorders of the data.

9. Have the dropper drop the parachute from a designated height. (make sure to note that how they drop it matters if they are not figuring it out)

10. While the parachute is being dropped make sure the timer is timing it.

11.  Have the measurers measure how far from the target the parachute landed.

12. Have the recorder record all the information on a supplied data table.

13.  Have the students do steps 9-12 three times

 Discussion

14. Bring the group back together and chart out on the white board the parachute parts.  Have them list what can be changed to each part.  Also have them discuss if they change parts what they think will happen to the parachute.

15.  After some things have been listed on the board have the children write down what they would change to the parachute, and what type of affect this would have.