Go Fly A Kite By Linda Nethero, Tiki Peterson, Kristi Weisenstein Introduction   Tasks   Resources   Evaluation      Introduction Welcome to the world of kites.  Soar with us as we explore the history, people, and designs that make up these fantastic flying objects.  This webquest was written for 4th and 5th grade students using language arts, social studies, and math skills.  Let's begin with some fascinating facts.  Did you know that....   1. In 1866 the first kite was granted a patent in the United States.  This was for a hexagon-shaped flat kite with two inwardly bent (curved) masts. 2. In 1894 Lawrence Hargraves was lifted above the beach at Stanwell Park Beach (Sydney) by four of his box kites.  These experiments ultimately led to air travel, through Hargraves received little credit for his contributions. 3. Today's largest kite is the Megaray.  It measures 38 meters across and 66 meters long.  It has approximately 1,500 square meters of fabric and 500 hours of work in the design and construction of this truly awesome creature!     Tasks 1. First, you'll explore the history of kites.  You will need the "5 Famous Flyers" worksheet.  You will find the answers you need to complete this portion of the flight plan by clicking on this website: http://www.kitetrade.org/NationalKiteMonth/dg/hist2.html       2. Next, you will develop a time line describing historic kite events.  Your time line will cover the years 1749-1989.  Each year listed at your next website will have an important event.  You will want to write each event on a separate kite pattern sheet.  Fly to the facts at: http://www.kitetrade.org/NationalKiteMonth/dg/hist3.html   3. Finally, your artistic and creativity skills are needed.  You will be participating in a "Design A Kite" contest.  For this activity, you will need the worksheet  "Kite Design Specifications".  Be creative and have fun!  http://plans.kitez.com/     Resources Interesting kite websites you may want to check out: http://www.edhelper.com/ http://www.kitetrade.org/NationalKiteMonth/dg/hist2.html http://www.kitetrade.org/NationalKiteMonth/dg/hist3.html http://www.kitetrade.org/NationalKiteMonth/ http://www.intellicast.com/KITEcast/DrDew/ http://fly.to/megsworld http://www.aloha.net/~bigwind/20kidskites.html http://www.sound.net/~kiteguy/kidspage/kidspage.htm http://www.alphalink.com.au/~kitekid http://www.kitecast.com/ http://cyberfair.gsn.org/gprep/kites.html http://www.gwtw-kites.com/kitepage.html http://www.kites4kids.com.au/ktrivia.html Visit the Wright Brothers' Virtual Museum! http://www.wright-brothers.org/History/biograph.htm   Evaluation You will be evaluated on the completed worksheets and your kite design.        Teacher Ideas for Additional Kite Projects:   Word Find Worksheet Weather Parts of a kite Research kite materials Design a brochure about types of kites Using Kidpix or Powerpoint, be creative and design your own kite! Write letters to kite clubs (http://www.aka.kite.org/clubs.html) Kite safety