Museum Lesson Plan for Grades 3-5 Objectives: To introduce students to science, technology and leaders of aviation To introduce students to American Airlines and the aviation industry To introduce students to flight as a mode of transportation To introduce students to forces and motion of flight Students will be introduced to air travel and the basics of flight. They will discover the power of air by exploring how an airplane moves through our atmosphere. This complex machine is an integrated system of pulleys, gears, screws, wheels and axles that allow the airline industry to move people and cargo all over the world. Then take our design challenge where students can create and test flying machines. Pre-Museum Materials: Picture of an airplane with highlighted parts Notable history and fact sheets Scavenger Hunt Museum Map TEKS and Post-Visit Questions Before your visit to the museum, you may want to have a general discussion with your class about your field trip. We encourage you and group leaders to tour the museum to prepare for your museum visit and tour, however we have included a museum map in this packet for you to reference. This guide also includes a copy of the scavenger hunt and workshop activities for your trip. You may want to review and introduce your students to the following terms and questions they will explore at the museum: What is a force? Simple Machines especially wheels, pulleys, gears and screws Properties of Air What helps an airplane fly? What are different ways we travel? What do airplanes carry? What is an airport? What is a museum and what do museums have?
Activities: There will be several stations that students may explore during their visit including our Museum Movie, The Pursuit of Flight, and our Museum Exhibits. Your group may select from additional self-guided and guided program offerings including Scavenger Hunt, DC-3 Plane Tour and Museum Education Classroom Stations. Scavenger hunts and plane tours can be included (with advance notice) in your group tour at no additional cost, however build workshops led by museum staff will have additional costs depending on group size. SCAVENGER HUNT Our Aviators Scavenger Hunt allows students to explore all areas of the museum. Groups may complete in teams, individually or with a group leader. For the scavenger hunt, we have divided the museum into FIVE sections with information about each section. The FIVE sections include: Flight Lab Flagship Knoxville DC-3 Hangar Maintaining the Fleet History Circle Entrance Exhibits/Remembrance Exhibit Flight Lab Our Flight Lab area begins with our LIFT WINDTUNNEL and ends with our DFW AIRPORT MODEL. There are many interactives in this area for students to explore the different forces that affect an airplane, navigation paths and routes, city airport codes, historic and current etching station, jet engines and thrust, an interesting Cargo mural and an airport model for students to explore functions at an airport. We have a flight simulator, however due to our staff, it is not available for large groups. Students are welcome to visit the museum with their families or in smaller groups to enjoy this exhibit. Maintaining the Fleet This section explores what it takes to maintain and keep aircraft safe and functioning. We have three historic engines in this area as well as landing gear from a 727 aircraft. This section also describes the different maintenance checks an airplane must go through to keep it safe to fly. History Circle The history circle is divided into a timeline starting with the beginning of American Airlines in 1934 and ending at present day on the inside of Circle Theater. See historic artifacts, advertisements and stories
through the history of commercial aviation and American Airlines. On the top orange line of the history circle are significant events in world and US history. Throughout the exhibit cases are important artifacts, publications, interviews, and interactive that tell the history of commercial aviation at American Airlines from 1934 to present day. Inside the history circle is the circle theater which feature SIX behind the scenes videos for American Airlines. Flagship Knoxville DC-3 Hangar This historic aircraft, built in the 1940 s, is our largest artifact in the museum. C.R. Smith helped create and mass produce the DC-3 plane that helped make moving people profitable. At the DC-3, you may tour your students around the outside and inside of the aircraft to explore the different parts as well as the beginnings of air travel. The Flagship Knoxville has a label of plane facts in the entrance to the plane that tell its cruising altitude and speed Entrance Exhibits The entrance exhibits in the museum have a GLOBE, CR SMITH MUSEUM EXHIBITS and BOARDING GATE. Our globe exhibit feature lights that show destinations American Airlines travels. Learn about the first president of American Airlines, C.R. Smith, and meet our Museum Volunteers at the Boarding Gate that can answer many questions on AA and aviation. Many of the Museum s Volunteers are retired pilots, aviators and American Airline personnel. Flagship Knoxville DC-3 Man s First People Mover Tour: (Grades K-12) Do you think you have what it takes to fly? Whether it is a small Beechcraft or a NASA Rocket, all pilots need to know the basics! In this program, students will tour inside and out of our DC-3 Flagship Knoxville and perform a maintenance pre-flight check to learn what it takes to fly American Airline s first people mover. Along the way, participants will learn the parts of an airplane, plane controls and the many personnel that work to help an aircraft fly. We will focus on the simple machines that make up this complex aircraft, flight controls and flying in our atmosphere as well as the different jobs of aviation personnel.
Build Workshop (Grades 3-12) his age appropriate, museum staff led workshop will introduce participants to flight. They will explore the different forces at work that affect an object in flight. Our museum staff will review different topics including air and our atmosphere, four forces that affect flight including drag, thrust, weight and lift and what helps things stay in the air. Students will then be challenged to create their own flying machines to test in our flight area and wind tunnels. Please allow for an additional 30-45 minutes, depending on your group s size for workshop activities. Post-Museum Field Trip Questions The following questions are for after your visit with us: What is a museum and what do you find in a museum? What is American Airlines? Who was C.R. Smith? What is an airplane? What are things that an airplane can carry? What helps an airplane fly? Why can t we fly? What is air? What is a force? What are the forces that affect flight? What is something an airplane carries? Who was C.R. Smith? Group Size Up to 30 Up to 60 Time Frame 30-45 minutes 60-75 minutes Cost $60 $120 What are some simple machines that help make an airplane? What are the three directions an airplane can move in the air?