Flying Kites and Measuring Angles

Students involved in the "Flying Kites and Measuring Angles" project will develop mathematic skills in measurement by measuring the angles of kites in relationship to the ground. The project will begin with an in-class explanation of different types of angles (acute, obtuse, right). Students will practice measuring angles using an in-class hand-out of random angles. The teacher will explain how to use a protractor and how to measure the angle correctly. (45, 90, 120 degree angles). The following class period students will fly kites in the school yard. Students will work in groups of 4. Some students will fly the kite as other students take pictures. The teacher will download and print the images for students to use the following day. The teacher will explain how to use the picture to find the angle of the kite. The teacher will draw on the picture (Elmo, overhead or Smartboard) to show how to draw straight lines on the image (one horizontal line for the ground and then a straight line from the horizontal line to the kite string). Students will find the angles for their individual pictures using their protractors. The lesson will conclude with a bar graph representing the different kite angles represented in the class. Students will complete a teacher created hand-out describing the measurement of their angle and a one paragraph summary of an explanation of the results of their kite project along with a compare/contrast statement of the class results. Students will be assessed over their understanding of correctly measuring angles based on a formal written assessment (measuring and/or identifying 20 different angles).