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  • The Nonfiction Minute
    • Minutes to Browse July 1
    • Minutes to Browse
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        • Social Studies
        • STEM
        • Art
        • FCS/ Nutrition
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Take the Helicopter Pilot Challenge
Vicki Cobb

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What kids doesn't dream of being a pilot at some point during their childhood?  Keep them dreaming with this Minute!
English/Language Arts
Explore procedural writing
Author Cobb gives the reader step-by-step instructions for taking a balance test.  See if your students can follow the instructions.  Following instructions only works when the instructions are well-written.  Challenge your students to write some procedural instructions on how to do something, then pair students together so one can try to follow the other’s instructions.  Have students edit instructions as needed until they can be followed easily.  Be forewarned - this is trickier than it seems at first glance!

​Social Studies
Explore the role of the military
The military as an occupation is a profession older than written history.  Have students explore the different roles that a military can play within a society.  Ask them to define and then rank the functions of a military from most to least important.  Investigate the role of the military in government and compare that role in different countries of the world.


​STEM
Explore the nature of balance
What makes one person able to pass the helicopter test and the next person fail?  What bodily systems are involved in balance, and what kind of training can be done to improve balance?  Once students have a better understanding of balance, challenge them to design a different test that could assess a person’s ability to balance.


Health & Wellness
Explore the benefits of balance
Good balance reduces the risk of falls and injury, but students are not likely to be too impressed by that fact.  The possibility of becoming a helicopter pilot is far more exciting!  Explore with your students the different methods and exercises they can use to improve their balance.


Research Skills
Explore searching by domain
The domain extension .mil is reserved for the agencies of the US Department of Defense.  Explore domain extensions with your students.  See how many they can identify.  Discuss the potential biases in .org, .edu. .gov and more.  Look at geographical domain extensions.  Have students table talk to discuss why a domain extension might matter when looking for information.  Teach students to search Google using site:.domain to limit searches to a specific domain.
© Karen Sterling, 2017 - May be used for educational purposes without written permission
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  • The Nonfiction Minute
    • Minutes to Browse July 1
    • Minutes to Browse
      • by Subject
        • English/Language Arts
        • Social Studies
        • STEM
        • Art
        • FCS/ Nutrition
        • Health & Wellness
        • Music
        • Research Skills
  • For Teachers
    • T2T Tutorial
  • AOC/Authors on Call
    • Class ACTS-Authors Collaborating with Teachers and Students
  • Print Collection
  • Contact Us
  • Help Us Out
  • Vicki Cobb's Blog
  • iNK Home
  • iNK Thinkers
  • Links for Nonfiction Minutes for the iNK Think Tank presentation
    • About
  • iNK Fall Launch books
  • Holiday