Aircraft Carrier!

Student Handout

Moving Targets

An enormous amount of skill and teamwork is required to land a jet safely on the deck of an aircraft carrier. In addition to the pilot's ability to fly the plane on a precise course, a successful mission also depends on a significant amount of teamwork. To get a sense of some of the difficulties of landing on a moving deck, try some of these activities.

Procedure

Mission Number 1
Tossers: (This is the low-risk mission.) With the ball in your hand, stand over the wastebasket. Now try to drop the ball into your target.

Mission Number 2
Tossers: Take the ball to the other side of the classroom. Walking quickly toward the wastebasket, try to drop the ball into it without slowing down as you pass.

Mission Number 3
Tossers: Take the ball across the classroom again, and wait for your Target Holder to pick up the wastebasket.

Target Holders: Pick up the wastebasket and slowly walk the length of the classroom, keeping a steady pace. Try not to alter your speed or the way you are holding the target.

Tosser: As the Target Holder is crossing the room, try to toss the ball into the basket.

Mission Number 4
Tossers and Target Holders: Try Mission Number 3 again, but this time Target Holders should try to help Tossers hit their targets. After you've tried this activity a few times, change places—Tossers become Target Holders and vice versa. Change directions and speeds, and try to think of other ways to make the activity more challenging.

Questions
Write your answers on a separate sheet of paper.

1. How accurate a tosser were you?

2. Which mission was the most challenging?

3. What were some of the reasons you missed your target?

4. What did Target Holders do to help Tossers hit the mark?