Activity Introduction
Design a Paper Flying Machine – Year 5 & 6 Design and Technology
Lesson summary
Have you ever wondered how aeroplanes get off the ground and rocket through the sky? In this lesson, students learn about Taylah Griffin, the first indigenous Australian woman to become an Electrical and Aerospace Engineer! Get ready for this hands on STEM lesson, where students engineer a paper flight machine that really goes the distance.
This is a standalone lesson within the Bridging the Digital Divide Unit. For more practical activities that enhance the digital literacy of primary school students and to learn more about other First Nations Australian Leaders in Digital Technology, head to the rest of the Unit!
Learning intentions:
Students will:
- learn about Taylah Griffin and her STEM journey
- examine everyday tools and equipment to better understand design features and functions
- follow the Design Thinking process to design a flight machine.
Success Criteria:
Students can:
- explain the work that Taylah Griffin does
- explain the function of particular design features
- demonstrate their ability to use the Design Thinking process to design a flight machine.
Lesson details
- Collaboration
- Problem-Solving
- Prototyping
- Curiosity
- Leadership
- Initiative
- Adaptability
- Digital Literacy
- Cultural Understanding
- Creativity
- Communication
- Reflection.
Target 4.6: By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy.
Australian Curriculum (v9.0) content descriptions – Design and technology
Students learn to:
explain how characteristics and properties of materials, systems, components, tools and equipment affect their use when producing designed solutions (AC9TDE6K05)
investigate needs or opportunities for designing, and the materials, components, tools, equipment and processes needed to create designed solutions (AC9TDE6P01).
General capabilities: Critical and Creative Thinking, Literacy
Syllabus outcomes: ST3-2DP-T, ST3-3DP-T
Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures.
Relevant parts of Year 5 achievement standards:
Students share and communicate ideas or content to an audience using technical terms, graphical representation techniques and appropriate digital tools. They develop project plans, including production processes, and select technologies and techniques to safely produce designed or digital solutions.
Level of teacher scaffolding: High – facilitate group organisation, class discussions, digital content, assist with paper aeroplane building and experimentation.
- device capable of playing audiovisual recordings, such as an iPad or laptop.
- digital resources: Design maker squad App by PBS (optional & teacher preference)
- everyday objects for demonstration (tongs, fork, scissors, stapler etc)
- masking tape
- paper A4 ( combination of recycled or coloured)
- paper straws
- recycled materials (cardboard, paper wrapping)
- tin foil
- wax paper.
Special thanks to:
Cool Australia would like to thank and acknowledge the support of the auDA Foundation enabling us to create these lessons.
Cool Australia’s curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum.
We don’t have any related professional courses for this lesson at the moment, but we do have heaps of other Cool professional learning here.
