Great Glider Share

Three guided enquires supporting teachers to inspire young people to ask, investigate and share scientific questions. Designed around the 2023 theme, Science Around Us, the Great Glider Share results from partnership with aerospace engineer, Dr Ben Parslew and Artful Fox Creatives to bring you a series of science guided enquiries inspired by the story book ‘Gary Vity’ by Jules Pottle & Rufus Cooper.

Each enquiry provides teachers notes, teaching slides, a video and links to GSSfS resources guiding pupils to work scientifically.

Age: 5-7, 7-11, 11-14 years

Curriculum topics: everyday materials, forces

Start with an inspiring reading of ‘Gary Vity’ by the author, Jules Pottle, to put the enquires into context, particularly for 5-11 year-olds. Duration: 7 mins

What is the best material for the wing of a glider?

Working scientifically: carrying out a simple comparative test

This guided enquiry will engage your pupils in considering properties of materials and their suitability for use in the wings of a glider. They undertake and draw conclusions from a simple comparative test, gathering evidence to decide which material is ‘best’ for the wings, by measuring how far their gliders travel. All inspired by Rosa, a young engineer in the story ‘Gary Vity’ who explores the effects of gravity on objects around her.

Great Glider Share Enquiry for 5-7 years. Duration 2 mins

Does the way we make the glider affect how far it travels?

Working scientifically: pattern seeking by taking measurements and presenting findings

This guided enquiry will engage your pupils in considering how the Earth’s force of gravity acts on a glider and how different forces affect its flight. They discover that even when effort has been made to ensure variables are constant, there will be differences in results, and although scientists and engineers try to limit human impact on results, there will always be a degree to which this can't be controlled. All inspired by Rosa, a young engineer in the story ‘Gary Vity’ who explores the effects of gravity on objects around her.

Great Glider Share enquiry for 7-11 year-olds. Duration: 3 mins

What difference does the position of the ballast weight have on the distance a glider travels?

Working scientifically: planning and setting up comparative and fair tests

This guided enquiry will engage your pupils in gathering data to answer this question, what difference does the position of the ballast weight have on the distance a glider travels? They will be informed and inspired by aerospace engineer, Dr Ben Parslew who introduces key physics ideas relater to the glider which are linked to the curriculum, and his own research.

Great Glider Share enquiry for 11-14 year-olds. Duration: 3 mins

Is flying the right choice for a sustainable world?

Tough choices need to be made if we are to lower the global carbon footprint in time to tackle global warming.

What’s aerospace engineering doing to help?

Extension video, particularly recommended for 11-14 year-olds. Duration: 2 mins

Extend with Explorify…

Explorify have provided a range of activities linked to the Great Glider Share to inspire pupils to ask and investigate their own scientific questions, whilst encouraging and developing good speaking and listening skills. PLUS find more activities from Explorify, for your age range, in Great Science Ideas.

Context

These three guided enquiries have been inspired by professional aerospace engineers at The University of Manchester. When they talked to the GSSfS team about the gliders they made and tested, we thought it was an ideal opportunity to take this enquiry out to young people across the world. What enhances this enquiry is the fabulous use of story - a medium that we know inspires young people to learn science in informal ways, enhancing their scientific understanding about the world around them.

 

Jules Pottle and Rufus Cooper are inspirational science communicators, using story and art to bring science to life for so many young people. Read more stories like Gary Vity from Artful Fox Creatives.

Supported by The Ogden Trust

Find out more about Great Guided Enquireis and how they can enhance your GSSfS at the blog here

Plus find the full set of Great Guided Enquiries for 2023, and additional enquiry resources at these links: