LC Project Days: Aviation Takes Off in Year One!

LC Project Days: Aviation Takes Off in Year One! Year One’s study into Epic Events concluded with a STEAM project where students designed, created and tested a range of aeroplane designs. This STEAM project was a contextualised link between the IC unit ‘Epic Events’ and an English non-fiction unit ‘Creating Fact Files’.

The focus of this unit was to learn about events beyond our living memory and look at how the past influences the present.

Year 1 students studied many epic events from the past. They started to develop their understanding of chronology, putting these events into time order and reflecting on their influences on the modern world.

This led the students to develop their critical thinking skills, comparing and contrasting similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods of history. Children first put themselves into the shoes of the Wright Brothers as they tested their first successful powered flight in 1903. They were able to discuss how this event has influenced the modern world, as well as their own lives.

Next up, students put themselves into the minds of Amelia Earhart and Amy Johnson, two pioneering female aviators who became the first women to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean and from the UK to Australia, respectively. This activity led the students into some deep and thoughtful discussions about equality and diversity in the past, present and future. 

After their studies into aviators of days past, children were then given the same challenge that Orville and Wilbur Wright faced all of those years ago – designing and creating their very own aeroplane! Children worked in pairs to draw up their aeroplane blueprints before cooperating to bring their designs to life using various materials. Finally, students tested their models to see which designs were most effective before reflecting upon things they would change when completing this STEAM project again. Children were able to link the challenges that they faced during this project to the challenges that historical figures had met throughout the history of aviation.

 

Year One’s knowledge was propelled to great heights during this STEAM project as the students piloted their learning to new and incredible destinations!