This is one of my favorite all time lesson plans, I have updated it for this year’s class and plan to use it on Tuesday.  I was also wondering if anyone had any constructive criticisms or suggestions that I can use to make it even better.

Also if you see that it fits under any other of the English Common Core Standards (I could probably add a math one in if I really wanted to – measurement, mean, mode, etc).
Paper Airplane Lesson Plan

Author: Harold Shaw, Special Education Teacher Suggested Grade Level: 6-12 Subject Area:  English Language Arts Time Required:

(a): This exercise is to promote the idea that the students can follow instructions and that teachers can help them to do something better than they can by themselves, but most of all that they can learn.

This is an introductory narrative writing assignment to help determine the student’s ability to  describe the classroom and their personal activities while making and flying paper airplanes in the classroom using the appropriate sequence, descriptive details and effective narrative writing techniques. This lesson can be used as a stand alone icebreaker lesson and/or as a precursor to the Introduction to Google Doc Lesson plan to introduce that tool to the students. Hook:  Who ever heard of making and then flying paper airplanes in class with the teacher’s permission? Preparation Required/Preliminary Discussion:
The teacher will introduce to the students that they are going to create paper airplanes in the classroom individually without any help from other students or teaching staff.  Remind the students that this is supposed to be a fun activity, the teacher should be upbeat and positive about the activity. Modeled Lesson (to):

Not applicable – this is a “cold” start lesson for the students. Guided Practice (with):

Task #1
Do not allow students to make fun of each other’s planes – the students should remain quiet and respectful of each other’s work.  Teacher should intervene immediately if any students do this.

Each student will construct 2 paper airplanes independently (should be done in 5-10 min), they can only use the paper given them (no tape, staples, paper clips).  The work needs to be completed independently, teachers should not help students with this initial activity.   While the students are making their planes, the teacher(s) should be making at least one paper airplane as well. Keep reminding students that this is supposed to be a fun activity, some students may complain or get frustrated and have to be kept on task to complete their plane.  Students should write their name under the wing on their planes.

• Take a picture of each student and their airplane (just the airplanes are okay if student doesn’t want picture taken).
• Students will fly their paper airplanes (irregardless of how complete it is – even if it is a crumpled up piece of paper) to see how far they go.
• Students will keep track of how far their plane flew.

Task #2
Students will individually write the following information in paragraph form either in long hand or using a word processor :

• Have you made paper airplanes before, how do you think it looked and why did it look that way?
• How did your plane fly today?
• What were the other students doing while you were trying to fly your plane?
• What did you think of this activity?

While students are doing their reflection, teacher is writing down quick points that they observed during the activity.

Note:  If a word processor is used – the teacher should download the photos to a thumb drive and allow the students to insert the pictures of their paper airplane into the document. TASK  #3

After students have written their reflection on their first airplanes and its flight, pass out two more pieces of paper and ask the students to just sit there.  Tell students we are going to build the next airplane as a step-by-step process and that no one can go ahead and that we have to do it together and wait for each person to complete that part of the process.  The teacher will go around and help each student to complete each step in the process. Below is a picture series of how to build one type of paper airplane.

1.  Fold the paper in half

2.  Fold back one corner

3.  Fold back the other corner

4.  Fold the turned in corner parallel to center.

5.  Fold the other side parralel to the center line.

6.  Fold paper once more to create the wing.

7.  Fold the other side to complete the other wing

8.  On each wing tip fold about one inch of paper to form stabilizers.

Each student will have a completed airplane that looks similar to the last one above. Independent Practice (by)

After the students have built the airplane using the above steps together, allow students to build the second plane independently, but with help from the teachers if they run into difficulty.

• Take a picture of each student and their airplane (just airplane okay if student doesn’t want picture taken).
• Students will fly their paper airplanes to see how far they go.
• Students will keep track of how far their plane flew

Fly the new set of planes (hopefully they look better and fly further than the original).
Using the same piece of paper or word processing document as their original reflection, students will individually write the following information in paragraph form and insert their photographs into their document:

• How your original paper airplane looks compared the other two you made, please explain the difference(s) between the two.
• How did the second set of planes fly compared to the first set?
• What were the other students doing while you were learning how to make the second set of planes.  Did everyone pull together and help each other out, did everyone wait for the instructions?
• What did you think of this activity?
• What did you learn from this activity besides how to make a paper airplane?

Note:  If a word processor is used – the teacher should download the photos to a thumb drive and allow the students to insert the pictures of their paper airplane into the document. After student complete their reflection on the paper airplane activity Write on the whiteboard  “WHO CAN LEARN?”  Then go on to discuss your observations of the activity, solicitating the students views and opinions about what happened.  Focus on the students ability to learn how to do something new or how they learned how do something differently than they had in the past in the classroom.   Extension:

Ask the students if this is the only way a paper airplane can be constructed, discuss the various other ways to build paper airplanes and ask the students to try it at home and write about their experience with other types of paper airplanes and bring their results back into class in the morning.  This is a voluntary assignment to create more independent writing opportunities. Closure:

Discuss with students that learning can be fun and that they all showed that they can learn during this activity.  Grading of this lesson is optional.  It is more important for the students to learn that teachers are there to help them do things that they didn’t do as well prior to the activity.  The biggest accomplishment that students should have at the end of this lesson is to know that they can learn something new or how to do something better than they could previously. If grading the students during this activity is desired, teachers can use a locally or classroom holistic participation rubric and Writing rubric to score the student reflections. Vocabulary:  paper airplane, reflection, instructions, step-by-step, narrative writing, fun, learning, individual, Materials and Resources Required:

• 2 pieces of blank paper
• If writing reflection in long hand paper/pencil or pen
• If using word processor – Computer & word processing software
• Digital Camera
• Thumb Drive
• Masking tape – to create a line for students to stand behind when throwing their paper airplane

Accommodations/Modifications:

• Extra help for students for whom folding paper is difficult
  Extra Time for completion of assignments
  Use of Word Processor to complete writing assignment
  Multiple re-learning opportunities
  Review student IEP (if applicable) for further Accommodations/Modifications

If you can use any portion of this lesson plan in your classroom please do, all I ask is that you attribute my work and not try to sell it.  – Harold Shaw

“There is no try, only do.” – Yoda