Exploring Sound

Language

Consider creating a word wall of terminology that students will encounter over the course of this lesson such as, frequency, soundwave, hertz, pitch, etc.

Images and Videos

For students with visual impairments, pause to describe images in the video or book and use closed captioning.

Show students the Properties of Sound interactive presentation [html] [Google slides] [pptx] [PDF].

Properties of sound home page (©2022 Let’s Talk Science.) 

Discussions

Discussion prompts can include:

• “How can you make a sound?”
• “How can you change a sound?”
• "What causes different types of sounds?"

Divide students into groups to do centre activities. Activities could be done concurrently or sequentially.

Provide students with the Predict and Observe reproducible [Google doc] [Word doc] [PDF]. Go over the questions with them and explain that they will need to fill out each section at the corresponding centre.

Language

Review what a prediction is to ensure students understand the concept before beginning the activities. Suggested prompts can include:

• “What do you think a prediction is?”
• “How do we make predictions?”
• “Why is it important to make a prediction?”
• “When do we make predictions?”

Centre Activity 1: Musical Elastic Bands

Students explore sound by wrapping a variety of elastic bands around different sized containers and plucking them to hear the different sounds they make.

Have conversions with students about how they modified sound using the different containers and sizes of elastic bands.

Idea

Students could watch this video of someone plucking elastic bands on various containers in addition to reading the instructions on the activity card.

Centre Activity 2: Musical Straws

Students explore sound by cutting straws into different sizes and blowing over them to hear the differences.

Students independently follow the steps on Centre Activity #2 from the Exploring Sound Activity Cards reproducible [Google doc] [Word doc] [PDF].

Have conversations with students about how the pitch of the sound was related to the length of the straw.

Safety

Students should not share drinking straws.

Discussions

Discussion prompts can include:

• “What happens when you plug one end of the straw and blow over it?”
• “Why does one straw make a higher-pitched sound than another?”
• “Which straw makes the highest-pitch sound? Why do you think this is?”
• “Which straw makes the lowest-pitch sound? Why do you think this is?”

Centre Activity 3: Musical Water Jars

Students explore the sounds jars make when filled with different amounts of water. Prompt students to share their observations.

Set out empty jars, things to tap with, and a pitcher of water at the centre.

Students independently follow the steps on Centre Activity #3 from the Exploring Sound Activity Cards reproducible [Google doc] [Word doc] [PDF].

You can see a similar demonstration in this video.

Have conversations with students about how the pitch of the sound was related to the amount of water in the jar.

Safety

Any spilled water should be cleaned up immediately. Have gloves on hand as well should one of the jars break and require cleanup. 

Encourage students to tap the jars gently and not to hit other things with the tapping tools.

Discussions

Discussion prompts can include:

• “Why do the jars produce different sounds?”
• “Which jar makes the highest-pitched sound? Why do you think this is?”
• “Which jar makes the lowest-pitched sound? Why do you think this is?”

Centre Activity 4: Musical Bowls

Students explore the sounds bowls make when formed into drums. Prompt students to share their observations.

Students independently follow the steps on Centre Activity #4 from the Exploring Sound Activity Cards reproducible [Google doc] [Word doc] [PDF].

Have conversations with students about how the pitch of the sound was related to the type of material and how tightly it was stretched across the bowl. You can also get them to demonstrate for you how they make sounds of different pitch and loudness with the same bowl setup.

Discussions

Discussion prompts can include:

• “Why do the bowls produce different sounds?”
• “What happened to the pitch when you tightened the bowl cover?”
• “Which material makes the lowest-pitched sound? “Which material makes the lowest-pitched sound?Why do you think this is?”
• “How can you make sounds of different loudness?”

You could also collect the completed Predict and Observe reproducible.

As a class, discuss the connection between pitch/loudness and how sound travels through different materials.

You could do this by showing students images of wavelengths as you talk about what happened at the centres.

Below are explanations for your reference.

Elastics: the tighter the elastic band or the thinner the elastic band, the higher the pitch. When the elastic is tighter, the waves can travel faster through the material, which results in shorter wavelengths.

Drums: When the surface of a drum gets stretched, the same thing happens as with the elastics.

Straws: In an open ended tube, what is known as a standing wave is created. The longer the tube, the larger the standing wave. A larger standing wave has a longer frequency.

Jars: When jars are tapped, they vibrate and produce sound. The faster they vibrate, the higher the pitch of the sound. When the jar is empty, it can vibrate easily, since it is only pushing against air. This allows the jar to make a high-pitched sound. As water gets added, it makes it harder for the jar to vibrate since it is pushing against both air and water. This causes the jar to make a sound with a lower pitch.

Discussions

Discussion prompts can include:

• “How did the elastic bands make sounds? How do they make sounds of different pitches? How do they make sounds of different loudness?”
• “How did the straws make sounds? How do they make sounds of different pitches? How did they make sounds of different loudness?”
• “How did the jars make sounds? How do they make sounds of different pitches? How could they make sounds of different loudness?”
• “How did the containers with materials stretched over their openings make sound? How do they make sounds of different pitches? How could they make sounds of different loudness?”

Students could also independently complete this edpuzzle about sound by Peekaboo Kidz (3:54 min.).

If you are unfamiliar with edpuzzles, check out the edpuzzle Getting Started page.

Images and Videos

Encourage students to pause and replay sections before answering the questions.

Students can turn on the closed captioning so that they can see the text while listening to the dialogue.

For students with visual impairments, pause to describe images in the video.

Language

Students can use speech-to-text software to fill out the reflection.