Unit

Topic: How is sound made?

Grade Level: First grade
Anchoring Phenomenon and Driving Question:

Anchoring Phenomenon: Objects make noise when they come into contact with another object

Driving Question: How is sound made?

NGSS Performance Expectation:

List performance expectations here. Be sure to include the identifying source and code (letters and numbers) as well as the text of each
standard.

1-PS4-1: Plan and conduct investigations to provide evidence that vibrating materials can make sound and that sound can make materials
vibrate.

Assessment Plan:

Mid-Unit FORMATIVE Assessment Objective:

Exemplary Assessment Response Features:

I can explain how a tuning fork creates sound using vibrations

NGSS Performance Expectation this task addresses:

1-PS4-1: Plan and conduct investigations to provide evidence that vibrating materials can
make sound and that sound can make materials vibrate.

Type a list of features (phrases, ideas, principles, patterns, etc.) you

expect to see in exemplary student responses to this assessment task.
1. When you hit the tuning fork on a hard surface, it vibrates and
creates sound.
2. While vibrating, if it comes into contact with another object, it
stops vibrating and the sound stops.
3. Pattern noticed: when objects come into contact with other
objects, they vibrate and create sound.

Task Detailed Description:

Divide children into six groups. Before handing out the tuning forks, tell the groups that each child must
get a turn to use the tuning fork. As you hand out a tuning fork to each group, instruct them to explore
how the tuning fork works. Hit it on the side of the table. Observe what happens, if/how it moves, if it
makes sound and what it sounds like. Tell children after listening to the tuning forks a few times, hit it
one more time against the table, hold it up to their ear, and this time, grab the tuning fork with the other
hand. Observe what happened. If theyre unsure, instruct them to try this method a couple of times until
they have an idea of whats going on.
When children are done, collect the tuning forks and tell them to quietly have a seat at their table.
Hand each child an observation seat. Instruct children to first draw a picture of what they observed while
exploring the tuning forks. How do they think the tuning forks worked? What happened when they hit
them on the table? When they are finished drawing the picture, the children must write at least three
sentences describing what they think happened, how they think the sound was created.
When all children are finished, instruct them to join on the front carpet with their observation paper.
Once on the carpet, ask children to volunteer to show their observation paper and explain their thinking.
As children are sharing, ask the group to compare and contrast the ideas that theyve heard. What things
are the same? What is different?
Tell me about your experiences. What did you do with the tuning fork? Explain what you observed
happen. Did the sound change when you touched the tuning fork with
Collect the observation sheets at the end to create an observations book for students to refer back to.

End-Unit SUMMATIVE Assessment Objective:

Exemplary Assessment Response Features:

I can create instruments with provided materials that will produce sound.

NGSS Performance Expectation this task addresses:

1-PS4-1: Plan and conduct investigations to provide evidence that vibrating materials can
make sound and that sound can make materials vibrate.

Type a list of features (phrases, ideas, principles, patterns, etc.) you

expect to see in exemplary student responses to this assessment task.
1. Instrument successfully produces sound
2. This is where my instrument vibrates to make the sound
3. Child can show and explain how to create sound with his/her
instrument

Task Detailed Description:

Children will be taking everything they have learned about sound and starting a band by creating
instruments out of the following supplies: rubber bands, cardboard box, foil bowl, plastic ruler, tuning
fork, balloons, and plastic jars.
Review with children how sound is created. As they give their ideas on how sound is created, record them
on chart paper. If they need help, guide children toward the idea that vibrations create sound.
Think back to the different experiences we had: The paper cups and string, the tuning forks, all of the
materials we used at Impression 5. What created the sound for each of those things? The tuning fork was
creating a sound until you hold it still with your other hand. Why did the sound stop? What happened?
Inform children they will be working in groups of 4 (one group of 5) to create their own instruments and
start their own band. They will be performing on their instruments for the whole class tomorrow. Today,
they will be taking different materials and making their very own instruments. Each child will create
his/her own instrument and each person in the group MUST have a different instrument!
The materials on your desks are rubber bands, cardboard box, foil bowl, plastic ruler, tuning fork,
balloons, and plastic jars. Work together to create a functioning instrument for each child in your group.
A functioning instrument means it creates some type of sound. How is sound created?
Begin creating your instruments. When you are done making your instruments, practice using them.
While you practice, think about how your instrument is making sound. Which part is creating the sound?
How do you play it?

Instructional Sequence:
Date or
Lesson
Number
Lesson 1

Lesson 1

Activity Description

Function

Activity Modifications

Phenomena: Objects make noise when they come into contact with other objects.

Ask children to think about sound. What types of things make sound?

Were going to be learning how sound is made. Im interested to hear your thoughts.
How is sound made?

Record the childrens ideas about how sound is made on chart paper to be used later.

Were going to watch a video of a guitar being played. While youre watching the
video, be thinking about how that sound might be being made.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_8u_sWKqYg

What did you notice in the video? How do you think a guitar makes sound?

Record the childrens answers on the chart with the heading: How a guitar makes
sound

**Idea slow motion video of someone strumming a rubber band to allow children to
actually see the vibrations**
Group children into five groups. Cover the top of five large bowls with plastic cling wrap
and place in the center of each of the groups. Have children take turns putting their
faces close to the bowl and talking. What do you notice happening?
Place sugar on the top of the plastic. Instruct children to try talking close to the bowl
again. Did you notice the same things? Something different? What did you notice
happened when you talked close to the bowl?
Instruct children to step back from the bowl and observe the bowl. What do you notice
the sugar is doing?
Children step back up to the bowl and talk close to the bowl one more time. What do

Anchoring phenomena/
driving question

Experience

I added this experience to the

curriculum. There were minimal
experiences included in the curriculum
and I wanted the children to have as
many hands on experiences as they
could with the phenomena.

you notice is happening to the plastic wrap? The sugar?

Lesson 1

Hand out an observation paper to each of the children. Instruct them to first draw what
they saw happen to the sugar. When they are done drawing, instruct children to write
at least three sentences describing what they think happened. When everyone is done,
select 5 children with varying ideas to present their drawing and explanation to the
group on the doc cam.
What do you notice is different? What do you notice that is the same in their
thinking?

E -> P

Collect the observation sheets at the end to create an observations book for students to
refer back to.
Lesson 2

Lesson taking place on Impression 5 but taught by me

See attached document for lesson plan

Lesson 2

Lesson 3

When children return from Impression 5, they will be writing about their experience at
Impression 5 that day, specifically the sound investigation they completed. Instruct
children to choose one of the materials they experienced and describe how the way
that material/instrument made sound. Also make sure children draw a picture of the
experience (i.e. how the instrument/material was used, what happened to make it
make sound, etc.)
Review with children the sound experiences they had while they were at Impression 5,
specifically with the tuning forks. If they need help remembering, pass out their science
journals so they can refresh their memory. Review how the tuning forks created a
sound. Tell children they will be exploring tuning forks a further today.
Divide children into six groups. Before handing out the tuning forks, tell the groups that
each child must get a turn to use the tuning fork. As you hand out a tuning fork to each
group, instruct them to explore how the tuning fork works. Hit it on the side of the

Experience

E -> P

Experience

All observation sheets will have an area

to draw the experience and an area to
write about the experience. I have a
child that is an ELL student and still
learning his letters and letter sounds.
Giving him the ability to draw his
observation will give him the
opportunity to be just as successful as
his peers.
This lesson was added to the curriculum
through the 4-day Big Science Lesson at
Impression 5. This lesson will give them
hands on experience with many
different types of noise makes, most of
which they can physically see the
vibrations happening to help them
better understand how sound is made.

table. Observe what happens, if/how it moves, if it makes sound and what it sounds
like. Tell children after listening to the tuning forks a few times, hit it one more time
against the table, hold it up to their ear, and this time, grab the tuning fork with the
other hand. Observe what happened. If theyre unsure, instruct them to try this method
a couple of times until they have an idea of whats going on.
When children are done, collect the tuning forks and tell them to quietly have a seat at
their table.

Lesson 3

Hand each child an observation seat. Instruct children to first draw a picture of what
they observed while exploring the tuning forks. How do they think the tuning forks
worked? What happened when they hit them on the table? When they are finished
drawing the picture, the children must write at least three sentences describing what
they think happened, how they think the sound was created.
When all children are finished, instruct them to join on the front carpet with their
observation paper. Once on the carpet, ask children to volunteer to show their
observation paper and explain their thinking. As children are sharing, ask the group to
compare and contrast the ideas that theyve heard. What things are the same? What is
different?

E -> P

Tell me about your experiences. What did you do with the tuning fork? Explain what
you observed happen. Did the sound change when you touched the tuning fork with
Collect the observation sheets at the end to create an observations book for students to
refer back to.
Lesson 4

Now that the children have had some hands on experiences with various objects
making sound, it is time for oobleck.
Gather children at the circle carpet and have them sit along the edge of the carpet.
Place the subwoofer along the edge of the carpet as part of the childrens circle. Place
the cookie sheet onto the speaker of the sub, and pour in the oobleck. Before turning on
the speaker, ask children to observe what the oobleck is doing.
What do you notice? Tell me more about why you think that is/isnt happening?
Before you play the sound through the subwoofer, you will need to place your fingers
on the edge of the cookie sheet with gentle pressure to hold it in place. Remind children

Experience

I added this experience to the

curriculum to give children a hands on
experience that shows how one object
vibrating can cause another object to
vibrate. The curriculum talks about the
idea, but does not have anything for
children to actually see it happening.

it is important to sit back and quietly watch so everyone is able to see what happens
when the sound is on. Turn on the sound and allow it to play for about a minute before
turning it off.

Lesson 4

When the music is turned off, have the supply helper help pass out a white board and
an observation sheet to each child. Instruct children to first draw a picture of what they
observed while observing the oobleck. When did the oobleck move? How did it move?
What do they think made it move? When they are finished drawing the picture, the
children must write at least three sentences describing what they think happened, how
they think the movement in the oobleck was created.
When all children are finished, instruct them to join on the front carpet with their
observation paper. Once on the carpet, ask children to volunteer to show their
observation paper and explain their thinking. As children are sharing, ask the group to
compare and contrast the ideas that theyve heard. What things are the same? What is
different?

What did you notice? Did the oobleck act/move the same as it did when there was no
sound? What was different? Why do you think it acted/moved differently? What do you
think made the oobleck move?
Guide children towards the explanation when one object vibrates, it can make another
object vibrate

Lesson 5

Review with children what happened with the oobleck experiment and what made the
oobleck move. Tell children they will be completing one last experience to see how
sound is created and how it affects the objects near it/touching it.
Introduce the cups and strings. Ask students if they think when one person talks into
one cup, if the person on the other end holding the other cup to his/her ear will be able
hear what was said.
Tell me more. Why do you think you will/wont be able to hear the person talking into
the cup. What do you think will happen? How can we find out?
Split children into pairs. Give each pair a cup and string telephone and tell them to
explore how to use it and if it works. Talk in different volumes, stand close, move far

Experience

Again, I added this experience to the

unit because I want children to have as
many hands on activities as they can to
help them understand how sound is
made. Through my conversations with
four advanced students in the class, I
learned that thinking about and
understanding how sound is made is
very difficult for a 6-7 year old. The
more experience they have, the better
understanding they can build about the
concept.

away, try both ears, etc.

Once the children have explored, instruct children to have a seat quietly at their seat.
Lesson 5

Hand each child an observation seat. Instruct children to first draw a picture of what
they observed while exploring the cup and string telephones. How do they think the
telephones worked? What happened when someone talked into one end? When they
are finished drawing the picture, the children must write at least three sentences
describing what they think happened, how they think the sound was created.
When all children are finished, instruct them to join on the front carpet with their
observation paper. Once on the carpet, ask children to volunteer to show their
observation paper and explain their thinking. As children are sharing, ask the group to
compare and contrast the ideas that theyve heard. What things are the same? What is
different?

E -> P

Again, guide children towards the explanation when one object vibrates, it can make
another object vibrate
Collect the observation sheets at the end to create an observations book for students to
refer back to.
Lesson 6

Already prepped for each group: 6 jars with different amounts of water in them and a
spoon
Review the idea that sound is made from vibrations. Ask children to think about high
sounds and low sounds. What are some things that make high sounds? What are some
things that make low sounds? How do you think those difference types of sounds are
made? How high or how low a sound is, is called the pitch.
Inform children they will be experimenting with sound and pitch. Taking turns in
groups, each child will get the chance to gently hit the side of some jars, all with
different amounts of water in the jar. Instruct them to listen carefully as they hit each
glass. What do they hear? Which glass made the highest pitch sound? Which made the
lowest? Why do you think this is happening? What do you notice about the water levels
and which pitch that jar is creating?

Experience

Pitch is an important part of sound that

is not covered within this section of the
curriculum. I added this experience to
give the children a chance to hear and
create an understanding about what
makes the pitch of a sound change.

Divide children into 5 groups and let them explore the water jars and the sounds they
create.

Lesson 6

Hand each child an observation seat. Instruct children to first draw a picture of what
they observed while exploring the water jars. What pitch of sound was created when
there was only a little water? What about when there was a lot of water? When they
are finished drawing the picture, the children must write at least three sentences
describing what they think happened, how they think the pitch of sound was created.
When all children are finished, instruct them to join on the front carpet with their
observation paper. Once on the carpet, ask children to volunteer to show their
observation paper and explain their thinking. As children are sharing, ask the group to
compare and contrast the ideas that theyve heard. What things are the same? What is
different?

E -> P

Again, guide children towards the explanation when there was less water, the pitch of
the sound was higher and when there was more water, the pitch was lower.
* This happens because the sound vibrations you can hear come from the jar, and as
you add water it takes on greater vibrating mass. The less water thats in the bottle
means there is less weight that vibrates making the vibrations faster. It makes the pitch
higher.
Collect the observation sheets at the end to create an observations book for students to
refer back to.
Lesson 7:
Day 1

Children will be taking everything they have learned about sound and starting a band
by creating instruments out of the following supplies: rubber bands, cardboard box, foil
bowl, plastic ruler, tuning fork, balloons, and plastic jars.
Review with children how sound is created. As they give their ideas on how sound is
created, record them on chart paper. If they need help, guide children toward the idea
that vibrations create sound.
Think back to the different experiences we had: The paper cups and string, the tuning
forks, all of the materials we used at Impression 5. What created the sound for each of
those things? The tuning fork was creating a sound until you hold it still with your other
hand. Why did the sound stop? What happened?
Inform children they will be working in groups of 4 (one group of 5) to create their own
instruments and start their own band. They will be performing on their instruments for
the whole class tomorrow. Today, they will be taking different materials and making
their very own instruments. Each child will create his/her own instrument and each

P -> E

person in the group MUST have a different instrument!

The materials on your desks are rubber bands, cardboard box, foil bowl, plastic ruler,
tuning fork, balloons, and plastic jars. Work together to create a functioning instrument
for each child in your group. A functioning instrument means it creates some type of
sound. How is sound created?
Begin creating your instruments. When you are done making your instruments, practice
using them. While you practice, think about how your instrument is making sound.
Which part is creating the sound? How do you play it? You will be presenting and
playing your instruments for the class tomorrow!
Lesson 7:
Day 2

Today children will be presenting and playing their instruments. Allow children 5
minutes to practice their instruments and gather their thoughts about how their
instrument works to create sound.
Before each group presents, pass out a paper containing a picture of each instrument
created. Children will use this paper to record which instrument was the loudest, which
made the highest sound, if any of them sounded the same, etc.
Call each group one by one to present and play their instruments. After the children
play their instruments, ask a series of questions:
Tell me about how your instrument works.

P -> E

Weve been talking about how vibrations create sounds. Explain how your instrument
uses vibrations to create sound.
What part of your instrument creates the sound? How does it work? What makes that
part of the instrument create a sound?
Continue until all of the groups have performed. Make sure all children are being
respectful and clapping for each band group!
Collect all observation sheets to use tomorrow.
Lesson 7:
Day 3

Pass out the childrens observation sheets from yesterday. Begin a conversation about
the instruments they created and the ones they saw their classmates created.
Were there some that were the same? Which ones were different? What types of
sounds did each one make? Which one made the loudest sound? Which made the
highest sound? Why do you think it made the highest sound? What part of each of the

P -> E

instruments produced the sound? How was each one played?

As children are answering questions, record their answers on the SmartBoard. Read the
results of from the conversation to determine which the class thought was the loudest,
the highest pitched, etc. Bring out and play each of the instruments to determine if the
class was correct in their observations. Show which parts of the instrument is creating
the sound and why. Compare to the childrens ideas of how each instrument worked.
Lesson 8

Display the chart with childrens ideas of how sound is created from the beginning of
the unit and the one created at the end of the unit. Lead children in reading through
the ideas from each, starting with the chart from the beginning. Is their thinking the
same now or different? What is different? What ideas stayed the same?
Ask children to give a detailed description of what they learned. How is sound made? Is
that always how sound is made? Why or why not? What did our experiences tell us?
Was vibration always the way the sound was created? Can the vibration from one
object make another object vibrate and create a sound? Give an example to help
explain.
End with the last thought being: Sound is made when objects vibrate. Objects can
vibrate in different ways, creating different sounds. Sound can also make other
objects vibrate.

Explanation

Sound!
Materials needed:
Sound tub (which includes):

Tuning forks
Rock
Pitcher
Thunder tubes
Whirly tubes (5-tone pipe)
Boom whackers
Boom whackers music book

What to do:
1. What do you know about sound? What is sound? How does it travel? How fast is it?
2. Discuss how sound is a form of energy expressed through vibrations and how it travels in waves and spreads out until it runs out of
energy. Without vibrations, there is no sound. When there is a sound it creates vibrations that begin to vibrate the tiny particles in air
(or any medium), when those particles stop vibrating it stops the sound from traveling.
3. Introduce the class to tuning forks. Explain that they are used to help tune musical instruments. What is the difference between the
two forks? Length! The length of the forks allows for them to have different vibrations. Play both forks separately.
4. Choose one fork to strike against the rock. Walk around and show the vibrating tuning fork to the class. Let some children grab the
tuning fork while its playing. What happens to the vibration? Sound?
5. Since your hand is a solid it has the ability to completely slow down the vibrations and stop them.
6. Now ask students to predict what happens when you play the tuning fork and then put it in the pitcher full of water. The water is a liquid
so it slows down the vibrations enough to change the pitch. Pitch is a result of frequency. The more frequent the vibrations of the object
are, the higher the pitch will be.
7. What is amplitude? Amplitude is how loud a sound is. Amplitude is a result of the length of a sound wave.

Revised: 2/14

Sound

8. Demonstrate the thunder tube. It is an amplifier, which increases the volume of a sound. It also uses echoes (when sound reflects off of
a surface and comes back to your ears until it runs out of energy) to help amplify the sound.
9. Allow some volunteers to come up and play it. What happens when you hold the black spring? It stops the vibration, which stops the
sound.
10. Next introduce the whirly tube. When you swing the tube faster, the pitch gets higher. When you swing the tube slower, the pitch gets
lower. The speed that you are swinging the whirly tube is going to change the frequency of the sound waves that are inside of the
skinny tube.
11. Allow some volunteers to come up and play it. What happens when you cover an end with your hand?
12. Finally introduce the boom whackers. Each whacker is a different length and plays a different musical note.
13. Pick 8 volunteers to come up and grab a boom whacker. Ask them to arrange themselves in order (either by length or colors of ROY G
BIV), without giving them hints. Maybe get the class to offer suggestions.
14. What is musical scale? Scale is a set of musical notes that are arranged in order by fundamental frequency or pitch. Once they have put
themselves in the correct order, have them play an ascending scale (increasing pitch) and then a descending scale (decreasing pitch).
15. If there is time, allow a different set of 8 volunteers to play a song from the music book.

More Information:
Like light, sound travels through the air in waves, but unlike light, sound is not made of lots of tiny particles. When something makes a sound,
like you clapping your hands, it's because when you clapped your hands that shook the air molecules around your hands and made them vibrate
(that means they shake quickly back and forth). This vibration, in turn, shook the air molecules a little further away from your hands, and they
shook the air molecules next to them, and so on, until the air molecules inside your ear were vibrating too (and inside the ears of the people
sitting near you too).

When the air molecules inside your ear begin to shake, they wobble tiny hairs inside your ear that are connected to nerves under your skin. If
your ears are working, these nerves then send messages to your brain to tell you that you heard a noise.

Revised: 2/14

Sound

Because sound has to move molecules in order to travel, it's impossible for sound to move through space, where there are very few molecules.
Space is a very quiet place. But sound doesn't have to move through air - it can just as easily move through water, or through metal wires. In
fact, sound moves faster through water than it does through air.

But whether in air or in water, sound moves much more slowly than light does. While light travels at 186,000 miles per second, sound only goes
0.2 miles per second (343 meters per second, or about 770 miles per hour). A fast airplane can go faster than the speed of sound. Because of
this, you often hear things long after you saw them. For instance, you have to wait several seconds to hear the thunder after you see the
lightning in a storm, even though they are the same thing.

When two things hit against each other, they set up a vibration that reaches your ear as a sound. Different things make different vibrations when
they hit, and that's why you hear high notes and low notes. Things that vibrate quickly make small waves in the air, and that sounds to you like a
high-pitched note. Things that vibrate slowly make longer waves in the air, that sound to you like a low-pitched note. Your ear can only hear a
limited range of sounds: if the sound waves are too short or too long, you won't hear them at all. (Dogs can hear shorter waves than people can).

Things that are tighter, shorter, thinner, and less dense make shorter sound waves and higher sounds, while things that are looser, longer,
thicker and denser make longer sound waves and lower sounds. On a guitar, all the strings are the same length, but the thicker strings make
lower sounds and the thinner strings make higher sounds. Also, the thicker strings are made of a different, denser metal. You can also change
the pitch (how high the sounds are) of the strings by tightening them or loosening them using the pegs at the end of the neck.


Source: http://scienceforkids.kidipede.com/physics/sound/#sthash.4ZTRAMs0.dpuf

Revised: 2/14

Sound