Flying Through Time

The invention of the airplane has made a big change in our society and how we travel. Students will walk through the very beginnings of flight history up to the present and observe the developments that continue to improve flight.

Standards & Objectives

Academic standards
2.35
Select major events from texts to place sequentially on a timeline to show the sequence and main ideas of events in history.
2.40
Analyze primary and secondary source maps, photographs, and artifacts for contradictions, supporting evidence, and historical details.
2.ETS1.1
Define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool by asking questions, making observations, and gather accurate...
2.ETS1.2
Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model that communicates solutions to others.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.1
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.2
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.3
Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.2.4
Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.1
Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.5
Know and use various text features (e.g., captions, bold print, subheadings, glossaries, indexes, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or...
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.7
Explain how specific images (e.g., a diagram showing how a machine works) contribute to and clarify a text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.1
Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.2
Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.3
Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.4
Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.5
Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.7
Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.2.1
Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.2.2
Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.2.3
Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to clarify comprehension, gather additional information, or deepen understanding of a...
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.2.4
Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.2.6
Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification. (See grade 2 Language...
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.5
With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.7
Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations).
GLE 0201.1.1
Demonstrate control of basic English usage, mechanics, spelling, and sentence structure.
GLE 0201.1.2
Employ a variety of strategies to decode words and expand vocabulary.
GLE 0201.2.1
Develop critical listening skills essential for comprehension, problem solving, and task completion.
GLE 0201.2.2
Develop critical speaking skills essential for effective communication.
GLE 0201.3.4
Revise first drafts for clearer meaning, correct capitalization, and punctuation.
GLE 0201.6.3
Interpret the graphics that support informational texts.
GLE 0201.8.2
Employ a variety of basic reading comprehension strategies.
GLE 0201.8.3
Develop reading fluency and accuracy.
TSS.ELA.1.RL.CS.6
Identify who is telling the story at various points in a text.
TSS.ELA.2.FL.F.5
Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
TSS.ELA.2.FL.SC.6
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when speaking and conventions of standard English grammar and usage, including...
TSS.ELA.2.FL.WC.4
Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills when encoding words; write legibly.
TSS.ELA.2.RI.CS.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 2 topic or subject area.
TSS.ELA.2.RI.CS.5
Know and use various text features to locate key facts or information in a text efficiently.
TSS.ELA.2.RI.IKI.7
Identify and explain how illustrations and words contribute to and clarify a text.
TSS.ELA.2.RI.IKI.8
Describe how reasons support specific points an author makes in a text.
TSS.ELA.2.RI.KID.1
Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
TSS.ELA.2.RI.KID.2
Identify the main topic of a multiparagraph text as well as the focus of specific paragraphs within a text.
TSS.ELA.2.RI.KID.3
Describe the connections between a series of historical events, scientific ideas, or steps in a process in a text.
TSS.ELA.2.RL.CS.4
Describe how words and phrases supply meaning in a story, poem, or song.
TSS.ELA.2.RL.CS.5
Describe the overall structure of a story, including how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.
TSS.ELA.2.RL.IKI.7
Use information gained from illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.
TSS.ELA.2.RL.KID.1
Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
TSS.ELA.2.RL.KID.2
Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.
TSS.ELA.2.RL.KID.3
Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.
TSS.ELA.2.SL.CC.1
Participate with varied peers and adults in collaborative conversations in small or large groups about appropriate 2nd grade topics and texts.
TSS.ELA.2.SL.CC.2
Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
TSS.ELA.2.SL.CC.3
Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to gather information or clarify something that is not understood.
TSS.ELA.2.SL.PKI.4
Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences.
TSS.ELA.2.SL.PKI.6
Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification.
TSS.ELA.2.W.PDW.5
With guidance and support from adults, focus on a topic, respond to questions and suggestions from peers, and strengthen writing as needed by revising and...
TSS.ELA.2.W.RBPK.7
Participate in shared research and writing projects, such exploring a number of books on a single topic or engaging in science experiments to produce a report.
 
Alignment of this item to academic standards is based on recommendations from content creators, resource curators, and visitors to this website. It is the responsibility of each educator to verify that the materials are appropriate for your content area, aligned to current academic standards, and will be beneficial to your specific students.
 
Learning objectives: 

Upon completion of this lesson, students will be introduced to the beginnings of flight and be able to understand key changes in flight. They will be able to recognize the changes of flying machines and identify machines from past to present by using primary source images and identifying the changes. They will be able to identify basic parts of an aircraft. They will also use their new knowledge to imagine and design what flying machines will be like in the future. Students will also learn to analyze different types of primary sources. 

Essential and guiding questions: 

How has flight changed over time?

Lesson Variations

Blooms taxonomy level: 
Applying
Extension suggestions: 

Make books available for students to take home and read about the history of flying machines as well as books on how planes are used today. Students will chose a time period they liked and write a paragraph about the advancements in flight in that time period or about an inventor and their achievements.

Helpful Hints

Library of Congress Primary Sources:

  • American Airlines "Flagship" passenger plane
  • First Flight
  • Expérience du globe aerostatique du MM. Charles et Robert
  • Airplane
  • The U.S. Space & Rocket Center, Huntsville, Alabama

Other Resources:

  • Timeline of Flight from The Dream of
  • Flight exhibition
  • Analyzing Sources from Multiple Perspectives

Web sites:

  • Sites4Teachers Timeline Template

Books:

  • Hodgkins, Fran. How People Learned to Fly. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 2007.
  • Hunter, Ryan A. Into the Air: An Illustrated Timeline of Flight. Des Moines: National Geographic Children's Books