7-step lesson plan

aerospace engineering  week 1 lesson plan

I.

Identification

  • Module: Aerospace Engineering
  • Lesson Title: Introduction to aerospace engineering, history and careers
  • Summary: Students are introduced to aviation history and aerospace engineering achievements. Students will assemble a class aviation history timeline from individual student research on people and events.
  • Duration: Five hours
  • Author: John R. Hull
  • Date: Feb 1, 2001
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II.

Academic Content Standards

  • CA Language Arts Reading 1,2,3; Writing 1,2; Oral 1; Listening/Speaking 1,2
  • CA Engineering Technology 1,2,4,5,6
  • CA Physics 1
  • SCANS 1,2,3,6,7,8
III.

Preparation

  • Select from the menu of activities for the introduction day. Videos, guest speakers
  • Do long lead planning (e.g., field trip reservations, guest speaker invitations, film rental)
  • Collect materials for projects
  • Set up book reservations in library
  • Bookmark web sites (see resource links)
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IV.

Lesson Objectives

  • Introduce people and events that contributed to international aviation accomplishments
  • Define aerospace engineering and how it relates to the fields of aeronautics, aerodynamics, fluid dynamics and aeronautical engineering
  • Learn the variety of [aerospace] engineering careers and how to prepare
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V.

Delivery (Teaching Strategies)

  • Choose from among the motivational films, activities and icebreakers suggested on the web site. Videos of historical significance are appropriate. Check resource links for suggestions.
  • Use the PowerPoint presentation for a guided discussion on Aerospace History and Introduction to Aerospace Engineering.
  • Explain how student research will proceed, define the rubric, and give class time to research
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VI.

Guided Practice

  • Each student or small student team will research a famous aviation pioneer or significant achievement in modern aerospace history. Use web and library resources. Each student report should answer the "who, what, why, where, when, how questions," and include a three sentence synopsis and illustration.
  •  Alternatively, you may have each student create a post card sized summary.
  • Alternatively, have students produce a video or play act an historical event.
  • The research, written report, or presentation summaries reinforce language arts standards.
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  • Create a very large semi-permanent time line on the wall. Make the timeline two dimensional by having rows for scientific discovery and technologies, next row for scientist, engineers and aviation pioneers, and third row for aerospace systems and achievement in the air and space. 
  • Rather than do this from scratch every year (and to encourage creativity and high quality decoration) Keep the timeline up for several semesters or school years. Each year, students must add missing events, not repeat the same ones every year.
  • Instructor should use research to expand and enhance the history presentation.
VII.

Evaluation

  • Students will present two-minute summary of his or her research, hand in a report (if you required one) and place their post card summary on the timeline in the appropriate row.

  • Use rubrics for writing, speaking, student presentations