Wright Brothers Mini Unit Study (and an Intentional Mom)
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Looking for a new read-aloud, we headed to our home library.
Majority vote determined The Wright Brothers (from the Landmark series) by Quentin Reynolds would be our next read.
From the very first page, we were captivated—science, geography, life application. My mom heart also received needed encouragement. BONUS.
Susan Wright encouraged her boys to ask questions, to remain curious, to love learning. This thread wove through the book. Pages four through six impacted me greatly; in fact, I often quote from this passage when I speak to parents on the topic of little learners.
Susan Wright inspired her children with her ability to encourage questions and cultivate wonder. She gave them time to explore and discover. Her efforts changed history.
Susan Wright changed history with her intentionally.
I want to be an intentional mom. I’ve learned doing so can be hard. It takes courage to be different, to do things in ways that meet the needs of my children and fosters their development—their bodies, minds, and hearts.
“ What makes a bird fly, Mother?” Wilbur asked.
“Their wings, Will,” she said. “You notice they move their wings and that makes them go faster.”
“But Mother, “ Will said, not quite satisfied, “that bird that just swooped down didn’t even move his wings. He swooped down and grabbed a fish, and then went right up again. He never moved his wings at all.”
“The wind doesn’t just blow toward you or away from you,” she said. “It blows up and down too. When a current of air blows up, it takes the bird up. This wings support him in the air.”
The story continues as the brothers ask their mother questions about what they were observing. Wilbur insists he could fly if he had wings; if he could make wings. The narrator invites the reader into the conclusion of the chapter.
“She knew that even an eleven-year-old boy can have ideas of his own, and just because they happened to come from an eleven-year-old head—well, that didn’t make them foolish. She never treated her children as if they were babies, and perhaps that’s why they liked to go fishing with her or on picnics with her. And that’s why they kept asking her questions.”
We finished the book and our children wanted to learn more about the Wright Brothers and flight (thanks to the engaging plot). My children dug in and their interests led to asking the local butcher for Styrofoam meat trays from which we cut glider wings. Gliders led to creating a Science Fair project which hypothesized the effect of paper weight on the flight of paper airplanes. We folded, flew, measured, and compared. What a journey!
It all started with a trip to our home library.
I hadn’t planned on this mini unit study, it blossomed from a read-aloud. It was a welcomed treat, one fueled by the learner’s next question or idea. One thing led to another.
You may experience something similar, an interest that takes off. Ride the wave and embrace the moments. You will be surprised where the interests and questions lead.
It may be better than you could have imagined.
Let’s get started…
Books
Who Were the Wright Brothers, James Buckley, Jr.
Charles Lindbergh: Hero Pilot, David R. Collins
A is for Aviation: The ABCs of Airplanes, Spaceships, Rockets, and More!, J. H. Heitsch
The Wright Brothers by Elizabeth MacLeod
To Fly: The Story of the Wright Brothers by Wendie C. Old
The Airplane Alphabet Book, Jerry Pallotta
The Jet Alphabet Book, Jerry Pallotta
The Glorious Flight: Across the Channel with Louis Bleriot, Alice Provensen
The Story of Flight, Mary Lee Settle
First Flight: The Story of Tom Tate and the Wright Brothers by George Shea
The Story of the Wright Brothers: A Biography Book for New Readers, Annette Whipple
Learning Resources
Wright Brothers unit study (includes instructions for making gliders
Another tutorial for making gliders
Smithsonian: The Wright Brothers and the Aerial Age
National Park Service Wright Brothers curriculum
Scholastic teacher activity guide
Search for online video clips about the Wright Brothers, the history of flight, or men and women who changed flight
Keep in mind, this study may launch interests to birds, rockets, engineering and more!
Have a high school learner interested in flight? Check out David McCullough’s excellent, The Wright Brothers, published in 2016.
