The Nature of STEM: Wings in Air

This inquiry-based STEM unit aligned with standards takes students of all abilities into natural and/or virtual settings to observe flight. Watching butterflies, an albatross, and a dragonfly, students learn the science of flight and apply it to engineering designs for paper airplanes. Formative assessment is used to assess prior knowledge and what students learn from experiential learning and inquiry. After completing the unit, typical and gifted students are challenged to design a paper airplane unlike any previously designed. Gifted students are also encouraged to investigate how observing flight in nature is being used to create robotics and drones