Wright Brothers Discussion Prompts and Pause Points

Before the Movie

What do you know about the Wright Brothers? (Tap prior knowledge)

Imagine flying in the first airplane. How do you think you’d have felt? ? (Reflect)

During the Movie (Pause Points)

Stop at the following times in the movie and ask questions or prompt a discussion to keep students focused and to assess their understanding before moving on:

Timecode 0:53: Why do you think people were skeptical about the Wright brothers’ first aircraft? (Draw Conclusions)

Timecode 3:20: How did studying birds’ stability help the Wrights design their plane? (Compare/contrast)

Timecode 4:12: How is the basic control system of a modern airplane similar to that of the Wrights’ Flyer? (Compare/contrast)

Timecode 6:03: What was the purpose of the Wright brothers’ exhibitions? How can you tell that they were successful? (Draw conclusions)

After the Movie

Look at the four related movies at the bottom of the page. Explain how each is connected to the Wright Brothers topic. (Make connections)

In what ways did the Wright brothers show perseverance? (Make inferences)

How were the Wrights ahead of their time? (Draw conclusions)

BrainPOP recommends reading the movie description that appears on the Wright Brothers Topic Page to your class or have students read independently. Then have them watch the movie once through without pausing. Then, watch it again as class, this time using the discussion prompts. 

*BrainPOP’s Discussion Questions and Prompts align to CCSS Speaking and Listening Standards.