PAPER_HELI

SCIENCE CONCEPT:

Gliding flight requires no energy as the object floats through the air.

STUDENT OBJECTIVE:

The student will demonstrate and observe the flight characteristics of a seed.

OVERVIEW:

The student will make a paper model of seeds with "wings". They will drop the model and observe how a seed travels in a downward spiral motion.

PREPARATION TIME:

15 minutes.

LESSON TIME:

30 minutes.

TEACHER PREP:

Copy the pattern onto paper-one per student.

WORDS TO KNOW:

leaf

float

weight

rotate

wind

breeze

helicopter

seed

spin

nature

TEACHER TEXT:

Gliding Flight

Plant life has been "flying" for millions of years . Leaves seem to take on a life of their own when caught up by the wind and "fly" through the air before falling to the ground. As seeds disperse to find the perfect growing place they too seem to "fly" with the wind.

Some, like dandelion seeds and milkweed pods have parachutes made of fine hairs which let them "fly" many miles through the air. Other seeds, like maple and ash, have helicopter "wings" that enable them to be whirled for long distances. But neither leaves or seeds are considered true flyers. They do not have flapping wings to propel them through the air, nor can they sustain flight for long periods of time. Leaves and seeds are considered gliders--their outstretched "wings" sustain flight with little or no movement.

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Last modified: Tue Mar 24 16:10:39 PST 1998