Stage 3 – STEM Activity 9
Box kite
Description of activity
Students investigate how moving air causes a kite to fly. They will construct a box kite using a variety of materials to investigate weight and lift. They will have opportunities to use different materials and change elements of the kite to determine what achieves the best flight model. Students will design, build and fly the model, collect data and record observations.
This activity takes approximately 2 hours and may be done outside if there is wind or inside with the use of a fan.
Context
This activity can be done in conjunction with research on Lawrence Hargrave and his impact on flight.
Outcomes
Skills
ST3-4WS investigates by posing questions, including testable questions, making predictions and gathering data to draw evidence-based conclusions and develop explanations
ST3-5WT plans and implements a design process, selecting a range of tools, equipment, materials and techniques to produce solutions to address the design criteria and identified constraints
MA3-3WM gives a valid reason for supporting one possible solution over another
Knowledge and understanding
HT3-1 describes and explains the significance of people, groups, places and events to the development of Australia
MA3-14MG identifies three-dimensional objects, including prisms and pyramids, on the basis of their properties, and visualises, sketches and constructs them given drawings of different views
MA3-15MG manipulates, classifies and draws two-dimensional shapes, including equilateral, isosceles and scalene triangles and describes their properties
MA3-18SP uses appropriate methods to collect data and constructs, interprets and evaluates data displays, including dot plots, line graphs and two-way tables
ST3-13MW describes how the properties of materials determine their use for specific purposes
Resources
- Images of different types of kites, particularly box kites
- Different types of paper, plastic garbage bags, thread/string, dowel/skewers/straws, craft glue
- Scissors, electric fan (optional)
Work, health and safety
- Check relevant Work, health and safety guidelines.
Evidence of work for assessment purposes
- Design plan for the kite including justification for the materials used
- Digital image of the constructed kite that complies with the design plan
- Flight record
STEM teaching and learning activities
- Students discuss how air can make an object lift from the ground and note their ideas.
- Recall that air is matter and that it exerts a force on objects.
- Students carry out simple activities to demonstrate how air can:
- provide resistance on falling objects
- change the motion of objects
- lift objects into the air.
- Recall that:
- gravity is the force that pulls objects towards the Earth
- weight is the effect of gravity on an object
- for flight to be possible, the object’s weight must be overcome by a stronger force.
- Students find various images of box kites.
- Students identify the key elements of a successful box kite, describing them in terms of their two- and three-dimensional characteristics. Encourage the use of the following terms:
- faces
- vertices
- edges
- prisms
- top, front and side views.
- Discuss:
- features of kites
- the materials that can be used to construct kites
- how to build a box kite.
- Students are challenged to construct their own box kite.
- Students are to use any materials they choose to build their kite and justify their choice.
- Students draw their design, indicate the dimensions and label various materials used. They describe their design plan by connecting three-dimensional objects with their nets and other two-dimensional representations.
- Students construct their box kite, by following their design plan.
- The box kite can be flown indoors with the use of a fan or outside in a gentle wind.
- Once students have tested their box kite, they can make changes and fly the kite again. These changes should be noted on their design.
- Students record how the box kite behaves by recording time spent in flight over several trials and possibly in different wind conditions.
- Students may film each other’s kite movements for further discussion and observation.
- Students compare notes to consider how the modifications to their box kite changed the flight patterns.
- Pose the following questions:
- What does the flight data/information tell us?
- How did making your box kite help you understand how things fly?
- Compare your flight experience with that of Lawrence Hargrave.
- What do you think would be needed to make a heavier kite fly?
Vocabulary list
Area – the amount of space inside a boundary
Bridle point – line attachment point on the kite
Force - a push or pull upon an object resulting from the object's interaction with another object. Whenever there is an interaction between two objects, there is a force exerted upon each of the objects
Gravity – is the force that pulls objects toward the Earth
Material – the matter from which something is made, eg fabric, metal, wood
Model – a small object, usually built to scale, that represents another, often larger object
Motion – the changing of location or position
Property – a quality or characteristic of something [not a possession or house] Words used to identify properties: flexible, inflexible, elastic, protective, waterproof, shiny
Surface – the outside layer of an object
Weight – is the effect of gravity on an object. The weight of an object is the effect of the gravitational force between the object and the Earth. The greater the mass the object, the greater its weight
Key inquiry questions
Teacher Tip: If the box kite does not fly, try shortening the tail. If the box kite bobs up and down, try extending the tail.
What materials will you use to construct your kite?
Students will have various materials available to them and will need to make decisions on what to use. They should consider the properties of materials chosen. Encourage discussion regarding what students already know about the materials being used and the research needed to understand more about the materials they are not familiar with.
Additional information
The following statements outline some common preconceived ideas that many students hold, which are scientifically inaccurate and may impede student understanding.
The word ‘material’ has a specific meaning in the context of clothing, to mean the fabric (or other substance) used in the clothing. More generally, ‘material’ means any substance which can be used in a product. For example, the materials used in windows can include: glass, wood, aluminium, zinc-coated steel, paint, etc.
The word ‘property’ is often taken as someone’s possession, house or land. In terms of science, ‘property’ refers to a characteristic of a substance. For example, glass is hard, transparent and brittle.
Weight and mass are the same thing
The force of gravity acting upon an object or person is referred to as the weight of the object or person. The mass of an object or person refers to the amount of matter that is contained by the person or object. A good activity to address this misconception is to have students calculate their weight and mass on the Moon. For example, Joe Average weighs himself on the Earth’s surface and then on the Moon’s surface. His weight on the Moon will be about one-sixth of his weight on the Earth but the number of particles in his body has not changed so his mass is the same in both places.Support materials
- Beginner’s guide to kites: NASA site that explains the basic maths and physics that govern the design and flight of kites
- How to make a box kite: step-by-step guide using bamboo skewers and plastic garbage bag
Diversity of learners
For additional support
- Some students may need to follow a template to build a box kite. Many can be found on Google.
For extension
- Students make a more complex kite, eg YouTube video: How to make a tetrahedral kite.
- Students may link box kites together to simulate Lawrence Hargrave’s experiment in making a suitable flying machine for passengers – Lego figures, plastic figurines.
- Investigate variations by:
- changing where the tail is connected to the box kite
- adding an additional tail
- changing the length of the tail
- flying under different wind conditions or change the speed of the fan
- changing the length of the kite
- making a larger box.
Review
By completing this STEM activity your students have been provided with the opportunity to plan and carry out an investigation, gather data and draw conclusions based on that data. Although much of the investigation was centred on the concept of forces, students have been introduced to the practical application of Newton’s three Laws of Motion:
- An object at rest is likely to stay at rest, and an object in motion tends to stay in motion
- The acceleration of an object is proportional to the force applied on that object
- For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Newton’s Laws of Motion are studied in Science Stage 5 and Physics. This investigation also focused student experience on the fact that the properties of materials determine the characteristics and uses of the products made with those materials.
Students have gained practical experience in designing, making and modifying a design plan. The use of a design plan and justification of changes to that plan develop critical-thinking skills. Providing and receiving constructive feedback and making modifications to address issues raised develops student’s resilience and a culture of being able to learn from one’s mistakes.
NSW Government