Sound

Focus Question: If a tree falls in the forest when no one is around, does it make a sound?

Objectives:

Students learn about sound in science and music class through hands-on activities.
Students learn terms and concepts that apply to sound: pitch, volume, frequency, and resonance.
Students review the characteristics of the instrument families: percussion, string, and wind.
Students gather materials and create a musical instrument.
Students create a list of materials they use and the steps used to make the instrument.
Students write an essay describing how they made the instrument and how it produces sound.
Students will present their musical instruments to the class.
Students will play in a band in front of their peers led by the music teacher.

Grade Level: 4

National Science Education Standards Alignment

Grades K-4

Science as Inquiry:

Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry

Understandings about scientific inquiry

Science and Technology:

Abilities of technological design

Understandings about science and technology

Physical Science

Properties of objects and materials

South Carolina Standards:

Observe and describe sounds produced by vibrating objects.
Investigate and examine how various media (liquids, solids, and gases) transmit sound.
Research and describe the development and use of musical instruments.
Plan, design, and create a communication tool.
Investigate and compare the different pitches of sound produced by changing the size, tension, or amount of the vibrating material.
Compare different types of sounds based on characteristics such as pitch and volume.

Time Required: 8 class periods (50 minutes)

Materials:

Alcohol, Boomwackers, towels

Film canisters with various materials inside

Cups, rubber bands, rulers, small comb, waxed paper

Clear pie plate, droppers

Slinky, blindfold, cotton balls, mirrors, tissue, radio

Various musical instruments, homemade drums

6 tall glasses

Procedures:

Day 1: Begin unit with a large web of the question. Students will ask questions that can be investigated or researched. Make a chart of the 2 types of questions. Explain directions for the making of the instrument.

Day 2: Do Worksheet on What is Sound? What is needed to make sounds of varying kinds? (lips, tongue, teeth) Provide mirrors for students. Have them watch their faces as they say the alphabet, sing, count, etc. Have them say specific letters and record what their mouth shape was like, feel their tongue move as they speak, and notice different pronunciation when teeth are missing, etc. Look at people’s faces and necks to see if shape has anything to do with the sound. Explain the Adam’s apple. Feel it in the throat. Hold a partially shredded tissue ( long cuts or tears two thirds of the way across) in front of your mouth. Speak and observe the movement as sound travels through the air.

Day 3 & 4: Set up 7 stations to explore sound. Make predictions about what they may find out. Write questions and explanations as to what is going on.

Day 5: Write about instrument.

Day 6-7: Present instruments to the class

Day 8: Perform a song for the school.

ACTIVITY 1: Vibrations Make Sounds

1. Commit to an Outcome

For each of the following situations, predict what you will feel and hear when you play the following instruments. Give reasons for your predictions.

a. Fold the waxed paper in half and insert the comb inside the paper. Play your instrument by pressing your lips lightly against the paper and sing dos and das.

b. Wrap a rubber band around a plastic cup. Pluck the rubber band.

c. Hold a ruler with one end sticking out beyond the edge of the table. Push down on it with the other hand and let your thumb slip off the end.

2. Expose Beliefs

In your group, share with others your predictions and the explanations as to what is happening. Have the speaker share the predictions and explanations with the rest of the class.

3. Confront Beliefs

Get the necessary materials and test your predictions. Discuss your observations with others in your group.

4. Accommodate the Concept

Based on your observations and group discussion, what statement can you make about what you felt and heard.

5. Extend the Concept

Try a different sized comb and rubber band to see if the sound changes. What determines the sound?

6. Go Beyond

What other questions or activities would you like to pursue related to sound vibrations?

ACTIVITY 2: Exploring Pitch

1. Commit to an Outcome

For the following activities, predict how many different pitches you can hear. Investigate sounds produced by lengths of the ruler. Give reasons for your predictions.

a. Make 1 ruler vibrate at lengths of 10 cm, 15 cm, 20 cm, and 25 cm

b. Then try 8 cm, 12 cm, 16 cm, and 20 cm.

c. Now use 2 rulers. Hold them down firmly with a heavy book. Make different lengths extend over the edge of the table and pluck one right after the other. Can you see and hear a difference?

d. Try this with 4 rulers. Put them in ascending and descending order. What do you hear?

2. Expose Beliefs

In your group, share with others your predictions and the explanations as to what is happening. Have the speaker share the predictions and explanations with the rest of the class.

3. Confront Beliefs

Get the necessary materials and test your predictions. Discuss your observations with others in your group.

4. Accommodate the Concept

Based on your observations and group discussion, what statement can you make about what you saw and heard.

5. Extend the Concept

Play a guessing game with your partner. Pluck the ruler while your partner looks the other way and predicts the length of the ruler. Then switch roles. See if your group can play a tune with ruler lengths. Start with the one below.

Song: 14 14 10 10 9 9 10 11 11 12 12 13 13 14 cm Did you recognize that tune?

6. Go Beyond

What other questions or activities would you like to pursue related to pitch?

ACTIVITY 3: Making Water Waves

1. Commit to an Outcome

Predict what would happen if you threw a stone into a calm pond. Give reasons for your predictions.

a. Half fill the bowl with water.

b. Wait for the surface to be calm.

c. Tap the water’s surface at regular intervals. What happens?

d. Tap the surface of the water harder. What happens to the waves?

e. Tap rapidly. What happens?

f. Now place the bowl on top of the overhead projector. Be careful not to spill any.

g. Wait for the water to settle down.

h. Drop water into the middle of this bowl, using the dropper.

i. On the screen, watch the waves form as the drop hits the water.

j. Draw what you see.

k. Change the speed of the drops, then the height of the dropper.

l. Draw what you see in each case.

2. Expose Beliefs

In your group, share with others your predictions and the explanations as to what is happening. Have the speaker share the predictions and explanations with the rest of the class.

3. Confront Beliefs

Get the necessary materials and test your predictions. Discuss your observations with others in your group.

4. Accommodate the Concept

Based on your observations and group discussion, what statement can you make about what you saw.

5. Extend the Concept

Work with a partner. Lay the Slinky on the floor, stretching it between you. Using a quick motion, push your end of the Slinky toward your partner. Describe what is happening?

6. Go Beyond

What other questions or activities would you like to pursue related to sound waves?

ACTIVITY 4: Boomwackers

1. Commit to an Outcome

For each of the following situations, predict what you will hear when you play the following percussion tubes. Give reasons for your predictions.

a. Strike tube on floor without end covers.

b. Strike on floor with 1 end cover and 1 not, then flip.

c. Cover both ends and strike the floor.

d. Whack the table.

e. Whack 2 together

f. Raise and lower the volume of the sound by whacking with more or less force.

g. Cover it with a towel. Vary number of layers of towel and then whack

2. Expose Beliefs

In your group, share with others your predictions and the explanations as to what is happening. Have the speaker share the predictions and explanations with the rest of the class.

3. Confront Beliefs

Get the necessary materials and test your predictions. Discuss your observations with others in your group.

4. Accommodate the Concept

Based on your observations and group discussion, what statement can you make about what you heard.

5. Extend the Concept

Try a different sized tube to see if the sound changes. What determines the pitch?

6. Go Beyond

What other questions or activities would you like to pursue related to volume?

ACTIVITY 5: Sound Movement Through Air

1. Commit to an Outcome

a. Get 6 glasses. Fill each glass as follows, measuring from the bottom of the glass:

Glass 1: 5 ¾ inches

Glass 2: 5 ½ inches

Glass 3: 4 ¾ inches

Glass 4: 4 ½ inches

Glass 5: 3 ¾ inches

Glass 6: 3 ¼ inches

Which glass makes a sound that is high in pitch? Which glass makes a sound that is low in pitch? Arrange them in order from lowest to highest pitch? Draw a picture of the glasses, showing the amount of water in each glass.

2. Expose Beliefs

In your group, share with others your predictions and the explanations as to what is happening. Have the speaker share the predictions and explanations with the rest of the class.

3. Confront Beliefs

Get the necessary materials and test your predictions. Discuss your observations with others in your group.

4. Accommodate the Concept

Based on your observations and group discussion, what statement can you make about what you saw and heard.

5. Extend the Concept

Place glasses in a row with 1 on the left. Water levels will be lower on the left. Number the glasses from 1-6. Place numbers in front of glasses. See if you can play “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” by tapping the glasses. Try playing ”Mary Had a Little Lamb:”

6. Go Beyond

What other questions or activities would you like to pursue related to movement through air?

ACTIVITY 6: Seeing With Sound

1. Commit to an Outcome

There are 3 main listening skills that a blind person learns to use: localizing sound, discriminating sound, and echolocation. Investigate the following situations:

a. In a quiet room, blindfold your partner. Drop keys somewhere on the table. Have your partner try to find them. Do this several times changing the places on the table. Write your observations.

b. Now have your partner sit in the middle of the room. Jingle the keys somewhere in the room. Can he point in the direction of the sound? Repeat several times in different places in the room.

c. Why does a blind person need to accurately locate sounds?

d. Turn a radio on. While you are blindfolded with the radio on, have your partner tell you a story. Turn off the radio and repeat the story to your partner. Was it harder to pay attention with or without the radio on? Why is it important for a blind person to concentrate on sounds?

e. While you are blindfolded, have your partner lead you into a closet and smaller room. Stand in the middle of the room and clap your hands twice. Can you tell from the sound if you are in a small, medium or large room?

f. Clap your hands as you walk toward the wall. Listen for differences in sound as you approach the wall? Explain what is happening.

g. How can a blind person tell how far an object is?

2. Expose Beliefs

In your group, share with others your predictions and the explanations as to what is happening. Have the speaker share the predictions and explanations with the rest of the class.

3. Confront Beliefs

Get the necessary materials and test your predictions. Discuss your observations with others in your group.

4. Accommodate the Concept

Based on your observations and group discussion, what statement can you make about your observations?

Extend the Concept

Identify objects in film canisters by shaking them. How were you able to distinguish the objects?

5. Go Beyond

What other questions or activities would you like to pursue related to sound?

ACTIVITY 7: Air Cannon

1. Commit to an Outcome

For each of the following activities, predict what you will feel and hear when you hit the various drums. Give reasons for your predictions.

a. Put the drum down with the hole against the floor, hit it with the stick, and listen to the sound it makes.

b. Lift the drum off the floor and beat it again. Explain what is happening.

c. Repeat this again with the other drums.

2. Expose Beliefs

In your group, share with others your predictions and the explanations as to what is happening. Have the speaker share the predictions and explanations with the rest of the class.

3. Confront Beliefs

Get the necessary materials and test your predictions. Discuss your observations with others in your group.

4. Accommodate the Concept

Based on your observations and group discussion, what statement can you make about what you felt and heard.

5. Extend the Concept

Have your partner stand in the back of the room. Direct the hole towards the person and give the drum a good whack. If your aim is good, what reaction does your partner give you? Try it with the other drums? Do you get the same reaction? Explain what is happening.

6. Go Beyond

What other questions or activities would you like to pursue related to pitch?