The International Literacy Association estimates that in our adult lives, 85-90% of our reading is informational.

Informational texts help us understand the world around us, including our natural and social surroundings. Our success in schooling, the workplace and society depends on our ability to understand informational stories. 

Reading informational texts’ benefits include:
•	Making authentic, real-life connections to information you want or need to know.
•	Demonstrating higher growth in reading comprehension and writing.
•	Transferring reading confidence across many genres.
•	Understanding text features, including captions, pictures and subheadings.

These aviation stories highlight the power of perseverance despite inevitable setbacks in life. They also emphasize that a pioneer in any field faced (or will face) challenges en route to becoming a success. For example, the Wright brothers experienced initial rejection from the U.S. government in spite of their flying feat. Bessie Coleman confronted racism and prejudice for being a woman; and Cornelia Fort incurred ridicule from male pilots, believing she was not their equal.  


The goal of this four-lesson camp is to engage learners in reading informational stories about aviation pioneers, while understanding informational text structure and gamifying reading comprehension.


***Class Structure***

•	Establish baseline knowledge and understanding of the day’s aviation pioneer discussion by using a KWL chart: What do I already know about the topic? What do I want to know? What did I learn after reading this story?).
•	Collaboratively read aviation pioneer informational text.
•	Engage in critical thinking-asking “I wonder…,” I notice…,” and I think…” questions.
•	Analyze and apply informational text comprehension strategies when appropriate:  
   *Cause and Effect
   *Compare and Contrast
   *Description
   *Problem/Solution
   *Sequence
•	Summarize the day’s informational aviation story.
•	Examine captivating aviation pioneer-related video.
•	Gamify lesson review (Blooket and Quizziz)

***Featured Aviation Pioneers

First in Flight: The Wright Brothers. History recognizes Orville and Wilbur Wright as the fathers of modern aviation. On December 17, 1903 the Wright brothers achieved a monumental first successful airplane flight. It lasted 59 seconds and traveled a distance of 852 feet. The Wright brothers’ father was a preacher who traveled often and brought his sons toys. A small helicopter made of cork, wood and paper, along with rubber band-propelled blades inspired the boys’ lifelong interest in flying. Having never finished high school, the Wright brothers opened a bicycle shop while pursuing their love for flying. Their Midwest roots migrated to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, where more favorable heavy winds complemented their aviation research and design. Initially the U.S. government shunned the Wright brothers’ accomplishments, having already funded a number of failed flying experiments. Wilbur moved to Europe hoping to gain interest in their aviation success, while Orville remained in the U.S. to convince the government. Orville died 36 years after Wilbur and helped establish the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the iconic organization representing U.S. space exploration.


Breaking Barriers: Bessie Coleman. Bessie “Queen Bess” Coleman, broke barriers as the first African American female to become a pilot. Born on January 26, 1892 in Atlanta, Texas, World War I stories and the Wright Brothers inspired Coleman’s interest in aviation. In 1921, Coleman moved to Paris, France to earn her pilot’s license, because no U.S. aviation school would accept her based on her race and gender. Seven months later, Coleman returned to the U.S. as a licensed pilot; and still faced discrimination. Coleman performed attention-getting flying stunts and became known for “barnstorming.” Here, Coleman flew mostly over rural areas in Texas performing aerial stunts for a paying audience. On April 30, 1926, Coleman died while practicing for an air show. The investigation determined her mechanic accidentally left a wrench in the controls, which Coleman could not release. The plane crashed and Coleman died at age 34, doing what she loved to do-fly.


Wings of Courage: Amelia Earhart. Born on July 24, 1897, in Atchison, Kansas, Amelia Earhart developed her passion for flying after graduating from high school and volunteering with the American Red Cross. There she met hurt pilots for whom she developed deep respect. Earhart took flying lessons and bought a bright yellow biplane, which initiated her self-determination to set aviation records. Her accomplishments included being the first person to fly both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. On July 2, 1937, Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan took flight in Earhart’s Lockheed Electra L-10 plane, never to be heard from again. In 2023, Deep Sea Vision, an oceanic exploring company, discovered sonar images suggesting a plane in 16,000 feet of water in the Pacific ocean (deeper than the resting place for the Titanic). An unmanned submersible will explore the wreckage later this year to determine if it is indeed Earhart’s lost plane. Beyond aviation, Earhart inspired millions of young girls and women to persevere and follow their dreams.


Wartime Wingwoman: Cornelia Fort. Considered “ a great rebel of her time,” Tennessean, Cornelia Fort was born into a life of privilege, including living in a 24-room mansion and being chauffeured to her private school. Fort followed her passion after college and at age 21 took her first flying lessons. Fort became the first female flight instructor in Nashville and in 1941, taught military men to be pilots in Honolulu, Hawaii. On December 7, 1941, Fort took off from John Rodgers Airport in Honolulu, unknowingly flying into American history. While in flight, Fort had a near collision with a Japanese airplane who had just bombed Pearl Harbor. Fort witnessed the United States’ entry in World War II. Fort joined the Women’s Auxillary Ferry Squadron (WAFS) during the war and after only several months with the squadron, died (doing what she loved), when another plane clipped the wing of her plane, causing her to crash. Today, the Cornelia Fort Airpark stands in her memory in Nashville, Tennessee.