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Title: Up, Up, and Away

Topics: Hot air balloons, ballooning, flight, pilot, paper mache

Subject: Science, Social Sciences, Mathematics, Language Arts, Fine Arts

Grades: PreK-2, 3-5

URL: http://www.vciconnectandlearn.com/vcimpk12/Samplewebs/
svcimpk5/webquests/Piwko/hotairballoonwebquest.htm

Overview: Primary and elementary students work together to research information about hot air balloons. Each team uses its investigation to complete several writing and hands-on activities. Projects include taking a Hot Air Balloon Pilot Test; building and flying a small Hot Air Balloon; studying weather conditions in different cities to determine the direction in which the balloons might travel; and creating A Paper Maché Hot Air Balloon. To conclude the project, students imagine what a real hot air balloon flight might be like and write their thoughts in their journals.

Notes: Please note the following comments and changes for the sections noted below.

The Process: The links for Hot Air Balloon Pilot Test, table, directions, paper mache, and journal entry are Word documents. You can download those resources directly from the WebQuest or save them on a disk.

Resources

• The original information for the facts link is accessible via an archived version of this resource at http://web.archive.org/web/20010202203200/
  www.skywalker.at/faq.htm. The revised site provides a shorter account in the link Ballooning FAQ. You may want to have students also check How Hot Air Balloons Work for additional facts about the flying machines.
  
  
• The current version of the WebQuest does not provide the links for virtual flight and quiz. However, an archived version of the project at http://web.archive.org/web/20010222215344/
  http://www.mpark.net/Masters/Piwko/hotairballoonwebquest.htm does give the links for those resources. Click the words virtual flight to experience a balloon flight online. Unfortunately, the link for quiz is no longer available. Use the information from the sites provided in the quest to develop a quiz for your students.

Article by Lois Lewis
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