What do you think of when spending a day in the desert? How about a day in the desert with a group of 8th graders hopping into the front seat of gliders and actually being able to apply their past six weeks of studies into flights reaching for zero gravity and catching a thermal?
During this project, learners dove deeply into all the elements of flight, starting with some of the basic elements (parts, instruments, functions) and ending with extremely in-depth discussions on wing design, fluid dynamics, and atmospheric principles.
For weeks, learners have been getting simulator time, atmospheric measures, and flight history. They knew that getting to soar on fly day depended on not only completing missions in class but also their overall studies, which tied into the experience as well. Talk about knowing how to motivate a bunch of 8th graders and improve study skills before they embark upon their high school year!
A big thank you to SCVi, especially, Mr. L, Mr. F. , Mr. S, Mrs. Guire, Mrs. Kaufman, and Julie Bennett and the team at The Soaring Academy.