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The Aerodynamics of Frisbee Throwing

Project Details

  • Grade Level
    Grade 2-8
  • Duration
    1 Hour
  • Type
    Foundation
  • Level
    Level 1
  • Topic
    Sports, Science
  • Example Project
    See Example
  • Project ID
    fit-102
  • Devices
    Non-computer

The Aerodynamics of Frisbee Throwing

Understand how aerodynamics affects the flight of a frisbee through hands-on experiments, including an exploration of accuracy vs. precision.

Driving Problem

Tasks

Think about how you throw a frisbee. How do lift and drag affect its flight? Write down your thoughts in your notebook. Then, share your ideas with the class. Test out a few throwing techniques, see which work best.
Divide into small groups. Each group gets a frisbee, measuring tape, and notebook. Set up your cones or markers to create a starting line and target area. Practice measuring distances. Make sure everyone in your group has a chance to measure distances to understand how to collect accurate data.
Take turns throwing the frisbee from the starting line. Measure and record the distance and how close the frisbee lands to the target. Be sure to specify which throwing method you are using as you record your data. Write all your data in your notebooks. Repeat this for several throws to see how consistent you can be. Pair up with another group and compare your data. What differences do you see? Share your observations and discuss how different angles and techniques affected your throws. Let's create a class chart to visualize our findings.
In your Frisbee Flight Journal, write a report about your observations. How did the angle of release and throwing techniques affect your performance? What can you do to improve your accuracy and precision? Write down your ideas and share them with the group.
Let’s create a big class chart! Use different colors or symbols to represent different types of throws. Everyone adds their data to the chart. We’ll compare the results and see how the angle of release and throwing techniques affected performance. What patterns do you notice?
In your groups, prepare a presentation on your findings. Include charts, graphs, and photos of your experiment setup and activities. Explain how the angle of release and throwing techniques impacted your performance and what you can do to improve. Present your findings to the class.

ISTE Learning Standards

Global Collaborator

Students use digital tools to broaden their perspectives and enrich their learning by collaborating with others and working effectively in teams locally and globally.

1.7.a Global Connections
: Students use digital tools to connect with learners from a variety of backgrounds and cultures, engaging with them in ways that broaden mutual understanding and learning.
1.7.b Multiple Viewpoints: Students use collaborative technologies to work with others, including peers, experts and community members, to examine issues and problems from multiple viewpoints.
1.7.c Project Teams: Students contribute constructively to project teams, assuming various roles and responsibilities to work effectively toward a common goal.
1.7.d Local and Global Issues: Students explore local and global issues, and use collaborative technologies to work with others to investigate solutions.

Creative Communicator

Students communicate clearly and express themselves creatively for a variety of purposes using the platforms, tools, styles, formats and digital media appropriate to their goals.

1.6.a Choose Platforms or Tools: Students choose the appropriate platforms and tools for meeting the desired objectives of their creation or communication.
1.6.b Original and Remixed Works: Students create original works or responsibly repurpose or remix digital resources into new creations.
1.6.c Models and Visualizations: Students communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively by creating or using a variety of digital objects such as visualizations, models or simulations.
1.6.d Customize the Message: Students publish or present content that customizes the message and medium for their intended audiences.

Computational Thinker

Students develop and employ strategies for understanding and solving problems in ways that leverage the power of technological methods to develop and test solutions.

1.5.a Problem Definitions: Students formulate problem definitions suited for technology-assisted methods such as data analysis, abstract models and algorithmic thinking in exploring and finding solutions.
1.5.b Data Sets: Students collect data or identify relevant data sets, use digital tools to analyze them and represent data in various ways to facilitate problem-solving and decision-making.
1.5.c Decompose Problems: Students break problems into component parts, extract key information and develop descriptive models to understand complex systems or facilitate problem-solving.
1.5.d Algorithmic Thinking: Students understand how automation works and use algorithmic thinking to develop a sequence of steps to create and test automated solutions.

Innovative Designer

Students use a variety of technologies within a design process to identify and solve problems by creating new, useful or imaginative solutions.

1.4.a Design Process: Students know and use a deliberate design process for generating ideas, testing theories, creating innovative artifacts or solving authentic problems.
1.4.b Design Constraints: Students select and use digital tools to plan and manage a design process that considers design constraints and calculated risks.
1.4.c Prototypes: Students develop, test and refine prototypes as part of a cyclical design process.
1.4.d Open-Ended Problems: Students exhibit a tolerance for ambiguity, perseverance and the capacity to work with open-ended problems

Knowledge Constructor

Students critically curate a variety of resources using digital tools to construct knowledge, produce creative artifacts and make meaningful learning experiences for themselves and others.

1.3.a Effective Research Strategies: Students plan and employ effective research strategies to locate information and other resources for their intellectual or creative pursuits.
1.3.b Evaluate Information: Students evaluate the accuracy, perspective, credibility and relevance of information, media, data or other resources.
1.3.c Curate Information: Students curate information from digital resources using a variety of tools and methods to create collections of artifacts that demonstrate meaningful connections or conclusions.
1.3.d Explore Real-World Issues: Students build knowledge by actively exploring real-world issues and problems, developing ideas and theories, and pursuing answers and solutions.

Empowered Learner

Students leverage technology to take an active role in choosing, achieving and demonstrating competency in their learning goals, informed by the learning sciences.

1.1a Learning Goals: Students articulate and set personal learning goals, develop strategies leveraging technology to achieve them and reflect on the learning process itself to improve learning outcomes.
1.1b Customized Learning Environments: Students build networks and customize their learning environments in ways that support the learning process.
1.1c Feedback to Improve Practice: Students use technology to seek feedback that informs and improves their practice and to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways.
1.1d Technology Operations: Students understand the fundamental concepts of technology operations; demonstrate the ability to choose, use and troubleshoot current technologies; and are able to transfer their knowledge to explore emerging technologies.

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ISTE Learning Standards

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