Kerri+Smith's+lesson+plan

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Wright Brothers Failure and Success Special Education Language Arts 4th grade focus

The first part of this lesson entails viewing a picture of a crumpled glider of the Wright Brothers that has crashed. I would show this to my students and discuss the many times the Wright Brothers had things go wrong with their flying experiments like the one pictured. I would ask the students about times that they had when things didn't go their way or they failed at something like the Wright Brothers with this Glider. This would lead to a journal entry for the day on a time the students have failed or tried to do something and couldn't. Did they give up and quit or try again later?

The second part of the lesson focuses on the positives and the success of the Wright Brothers. Students would look at a telegram sent from Orville Wright to his father. Students would use the SEA method to scan, examine, and analyze the telegram. A discussion would follow on the contents of the telegram as well as the differences between telegrams, email. letters, etc. today. A KWL would be done to determine what they know and want to know about the Wright Brothers and the history of airplanes.

Assignment- Write a friendly letter back to Orville discussing the success of the flight and Orville and Wilbur's plans to return home for Christmas.

To diffirentiate instruction I could have another group of students write about what could have happened if the Wright Brothers decided to quit trying after failed attempts at flight. How would the world be different now because of it.

http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classmaterials/primarysourcesets/flight/ The picture and telegram are both located at this site.

This lesson could be used at the beginning of a unit of the Wright Brothers and the history of flight. 4th Graders at my school now visit a museum (I think Wright Pat Air Force Museum) and get to do a kite making activity while there. This would be a great ending to this unit. You have designed an interesting lesson that helps the students connect their prior knowledge to the new information, this will help them to retain and learn the new information! Great job connecting the two! Having students write/think about what might have happened if the Wright Brothers had quit trying is a great critical thinking activity. I hate to be the bearer of bad news..the link appears to be broken :o( Jeanine.**
 * Kerri,