Apr 19, 2025

History of Aviation

Additional Info

  • Name: The History of Aviation

  • OVERVIEW

  • Linguistic dimension

  • CEFR Level: B1, B2
  • Linguistic dimension - Skill(s): Reading / Writing / Speaking / Listening
  • Duration: 90 minutes
  • Target language: English or any other language

  • ICT dimension

  • ICT resources:

     

    mp4 video file (or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLAreFQ3G5k)

    PowerPoint or any other similar programme (Prezi, Keynote, Google slides, Emaze, Sway, etc.)

    http://www.bitstrips.com  

    http://www.joomag.com/ 
  • ICT competences: Searching the Internet for specific information Making a video clip, comics, blog, interactive video file Using mobile phones/androids for educational purposes

  • Detailed description of the task

  • Situation / theme(s): The history of aviation
  • I can...:

     

    I can take an active part in discussion in contexts of aviation.

    I can present clear, detailed descriptions on a specific set of subjects related to aviation history.

     I can read articles and reports concerned with events in the past in terms of aviation history.
  • Product: A multimedia presentation of interesting facts and events from the history of aviation
  • Product requirements or prerequisites:

     

     

     

    Internet access, KM player or Windows Media Player, Windows Movie Maker, http://goanimate.com/ or similar software for making video clips or movies, http://www.pixton.com/, http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/Comix/ or similar for making comics
  • Process:

     

    INTRODUCTION:

    Students discuss the significance of aviation. Teacher elicits their answers by giving them the following prompts:

    Why has flying been so important to people?

    How did the aviation help people improve their quality of life?

    How have these achievements in the field of aviation helped scientists make important discoveries?

    How has aviation changed the world?

    NOTE: all these questions should be written on the board or projected on a screen if possible. (5- min approx)

    WARM-UP:

    Teacher presents a slide with just five of the following sentences about aviation. Students have to decide whether they’re true or false. Be careful! Sentences have to be both tempting and inspiring! Here are some sentences for the teacher to choose from in advance:

    1. The first flight lasted only for a few seconds. (12 sec) F
    2. In 1910 the first aircraft took off from water. T
    3. The Blackbird’s fuel could extinguish cigarettes. T
    4. The Antonov An-225 is the biggest aircraft ever built. T
    5. Amelia Earhart designed the first pilot suit for women. F
    6. Pilotless aircraft are called drops. (drones) F
    7. Aircraft and airplane mean the same. F

    At the end of the activity the teacher gives the right answers, which should be illustrated by the photographs of these people or events (also to be prepared in advance). (10- min approx).

    VIDEO

    Students are given a timeline of the history of aviation (a printed hand-out). As they watch the video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLAreFQ3G5k), they fill in the timeline with the events or years that are missing. (10 min approx)  

    In groups of four or five, students use their android phones to discover additional information about the events on the timeline. Then the teacher assigns another event for the timeline to each group they need to search for and write down a few sentences about it. Finally, the groups present these new facts to the rest of the classroom while their colleagues add this new information to the timeline. (15 min approx)

    HOMEWORK: Groups choose one important event from the timeline and prepare a multimedia presentation for the next session. They can make comics, short video clips, on-line books or magazines, blogs or they can make their own interactive museum of history of aviation.

     THE SECOND SESSION

    WARM-UP AND REVISION:  The teacher plays a PowerPoint of an interactive quiz on aviation to review the aviation timeline from the previous session. The quiz should test not only their knowledge of aviation history but also their language skills so it should include a few listening sections, video clips, etc. (15 min approx)

    STUDENTS PRESENT THEIR WORK

    While each group makes a presentation of their products, the other students watch and complete an evaluation sheet of 5-10 question for each presentation. Note that the teacher must prepare and make copies in advance. (20 min approx) 
  • Division of roles (optional): Group work
  • Consolidating activities suggested or follow up plan:

     

    Students may search, find and watch video clips or films or read an article or a book referring to some events from history of aviation. Then, students write a film / video clip / book review individually to be read to the class and discussed as a group
  • Success factors or evaluation criteria:

     

    Students will get their marks according to these criteria:

        Linguistic competence: (They have used vocabulary, grammar and textual devices correctly).

    Digital competence: (They have used ICTs properly)
  • Authors: Jelena Jelenić Marinović, Mirjana Kovačević, Danijela Manić, Julijana Vučo

  • Didactic added value of the task and other information

  • Practical hints for teachers:

     

    Before class, the teacher must

    • Select and be prepared to discuss 5 true/false questions to be presented to the class in the warm up.
    • Set up the download of the video indicated in the task (Note: be sure to include the link in the ICT resources)
    • Prepare and be prepared to explain a timeline of the history of aviation
    • Discover some extra events to assign to students
    • Make enough copies for each student
    • Create and prepare an evaluation sheet and then make enough copies for students to evaluate each of their classmates. In a class of 24, that would be 24x24.

    The teacher should prepare additional information for the timeline in case students do not find enough facts about their assigned events

    Verify that students are already familiar with online programs for making animations, interactive books, etc. It is very important they have worked on it so as not to waste time and avoid problems when doing their homework.
  • Additional methodological or didactic comments:

     

    Instead of playing the video clip, the teacher may prepare posters, photos or flashcards with names, years and planes that can support the history on the timeline. 
  • Reasons why this task is a model of best practices:

     

     

    This task requires students to process language pragmatically, focusing on content not language 
  • Impact that it is expected to have on the teaching practices and attitudes:

     

     

    Encourage teachers to adopt TBLT and the CEFR in their practice and implement ICT in their teaching approaches
  • Reasons why this task travels well:

     

     

    This task may be implemented in areas unrelated to language. Students are encouraged to have an insight into the history of aviation not only in the context of national history but worldwide. Students may become interested either in aviation as a science or in terms of history. 
  • Rationale and/or theoretical underpinnings of the task: ICT & TBLT CEFR level B1, B2
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