Summary

Title: Airplanes-The Amazing Story of Their Success

Category: Science and Mathematics

Coach: Mrs. Dubrow (our teacher)

Students: Karyn, Jake, Robert, Eric (4^th Graders)

School: Old Bethpage Grade School, Old Bethpage, N.Y.

URL: /J002627F

Contact E mail (coach): Mrs. Dubrow (mrsdabc@aol.com)

Site Summary:

This web site provides a time line of historical events of airplanes, information on private and military planes, how to get a pilots license, famous disasters, how airplanes are designed and a trivia game. Pictures are also included which show various types of Cessna planes

Visitors that come to our web site will learn about Wilbur and Orville Wright's historical flight. You will also learn the role military aircraft such as fighters, cargo, bombers, reconnaissance and tanker aircraft performed every day. Also included in our site are stories about aircraft disasters which occurred in France, the Pacific Ocean and Japan. We included a list of private aircraft and companies that make these aircraft. We also included information about the tests pilots have to take to receive a license. Our web site discusses how airplanes are designed and how lift, drag, thrust and gravity make the airplane fly. We also included a timeline of important dates leading to today's modern airplanes and a trivia game to test your skills.

The team was formed by Mrs. Dubrow in December when she told us about the Think Quest contest. Mrs. Dubrow gave each of us a Think Quest CD which showed us how to look at the Think Quest web site. We decided to pick a subject to research and came up with the subject of flight. Once we started to look at the winning sites however, we found that we had to expand the subject of flight into many sections and decided to make the site about airplanes. Our team met each weekend to talk about how our site would be put together. Each of us agreed to pick 3 or more categories which interested us. We knew we had to blend them into one complete web site in the end. Completion dates were picked and each time a section was done everyone got copies to see what was completed. We meet a few more weekends to see what else had to be done as well as meeting in school to review our material. Mrs. Dubrow gave all of us Microsoft Front Page so we could design the web site.  As the due date came closer and closer, we met more and more and finally our team finished the site.

These children took on the responsibility of working on a project independently and collaboratively and exhibited commitment and maturity.  They sought out a topic that interested them all, and with drive and motivation they set goals and planned ahead.  I supported and encouraged them, but this effort was truly all theirs.  We thank Think Quest for providing such young students an opportunity to combine their interests and knowledge with technology and challenge them to the fullest.  They accomplished their goal.

I observed the best type of quality learning taking place.  Collegial and collaborative, student-directed, problem-solving, shared responsibility, and authentic assessment.

We were amazed at how much information is available about airplanes and how much our team worked together both in school and at our different houses.