Good Vibrations

Teacher Guide

The Cat in the Hat is here to help guide you

and your students on engineering adventures!
In Good Vibrations, the Cat invites your class
along to discover how they can use their
senses to learn about sound and vibration.
Your students will then combine what they
have learned to engineer musical instruments
of their own!

Table of Contents Learning Goals

1. Go, Go, Go on an Adventure
Engage with the Cat in the Hat as you watch the
episode Good Vibrations. Then take your class on
an engineering adventure as they explore sound.
• Utilize multiple senses to make observations
about sound.
• Understand that sound can be observed
through vibration.

• Realize that sound qualities can be changed

2. Learning a Lot About That
With the help of balloons, students will learn
to use their senses to make observations and
explore how sound can be felt in their hands.
by adjusting materials and how they are used.
• Know that engineers engage in a process that
includes improving the initial design.

3. We Can Solve Problems • Communicate reasoning when making

Students will engage in the engineering design
process as they use simple materials to design
a musical instrument. The class will use their
instruments to help the Cat in the Hat wake up
Thing 1 and Thing 2.
decisions.
• Latex allergies? Check with your
students prior to using balloons.
Choose latex-free if needed.

• If using a balloon pump, make sure

4. See What I Know About That
Students will explain their engineering decisions
and how they made their instruments. As a
grand finale, the class will make music with
their instruments to wake up Thing 1 and
Thing 2! They will use the balloons from
“Learning a Lot About That” to feel and
see vibrations while playing their
instruments. The Music Engineering
Station allows the engineering design
to continue.
SAFETY the pump hasn’t touched latex if
FIRST! necessary.
• Some students might be sensitive
to certain noises and loud volume.
Prepare your students by helping
them know what kind of sounds
to expect. You can dampen the
reverberation with rugs, sound-proof
areas, and make earplugs available.
1
 Good Vibrations
Go, Go, Go on an Adventure
Have your students imagine that they
are all getting in the Thinga-ma-jigger to
go on an engineering adventure!
Teacher Callout: Are you ready for an adventure?
Class Response: To the Thinga-ma-jigger!
After the kids get in the Thinga-ma-jigger, play Good
Vibrations. Watching together creates a common
experience to talk about and problem solve together.
Following the episode, use the Discussion Questions
to help your students identify and discuss their sound
and vibration observations. The big idea is that sound
and vibration happen together and can be observed.
The sound vibration
made Fish’s
water move!
Discussion Questions:
• What kinds of sounds did you hear in the video?
• What did you see and hear making sounds in
the Jingly Jungle?
• What happened to Fish’s water when Nick and
Sally played their instruments?
• What did you see vibrate in the Jingly Jungle?
• What was happening when the Great Vibrato
finally played her song?
Resource Tip
Engineering Design Process
Are your students stuck? Use the Engineering
Design Process wheel and the included sentence
stems to help them get back on track!
Creating a Cat in the Hat Classroom
Want to make the best of your learning adventure?
Use this guide to help transform your classroom
using the Thinga-ma-jigger Dashboard and the
Engineering Design Process wheel!
2
 Good Vibrations
Learning a Lot About That
Before Nick and Sally were able to rescue
the Great Vibrato, they did some important
investigating in the Jingly Jungle. Your
students will do the same as they use their
senses to learn about sound, vibration, and
how they go together.
Nick and Sally discovered that the vines vibrate and
make sounds. When Thing 1 and Thing 2 bounced on
the drum, they found out that sound and vibration
go together. Ask your students to think about how
they might investigate sound. After listening to and
discussing their ideas, review what senses they can use
to learn about sound and vibration. Hearing, sight, and
touch might be great choices, while taste and smell
might not give them as much information.
Ask your students if they think they can see or feel a
sound. Do they see sound when you are talking? Have
them gently hold their whole hand on their throat while
they say something. They may not be able to see sound,
but they can feel it. This sounds like something to
explore!
I like
Video Clips: the sound
• Count Your Senses!
of that!
• Sound and Vibrations
Balloon
Management
Tips
Wrangling balloons can be
challenging, especially with younger
children! To minimize hassle:
• Reduce amount needed by
sharing balloons.
• Store balloons in a trash bag, wrap
them in a sheet, or tie them to your
students’ chairs.
• Fill balloons with air, not helium!
Using Balloons to Feel Vibrations:
Students can utilize balloons to help them feel
vibration whenever there is a sound. For example,
if a deaf person went to the Great Vibrato’s concert,
they might choose to feel the music by holding a
balloon, sensing the vibrations on the floor, or by
touching an instrument. There are many ways to
“see” and “feel” sound!
Choose music sources that will connect with your
students, such as a drum or a recorded song. Provide
each student with a balloon to hold in their hands. See
what their hands can tell them about what they feel as
the music plays:
• Can you feel the vibrations more when the
music is soft or loud?
• When we all pound our feet, what do you feel?
• If a person taps one foot softly, how does that
feel?
• Do you feel any vibrations if someone sings
quietly?
• What if you all sing loudly together?
Is there any other way to feel vibrations? This is a great
chance to have students try feeling with hands on the
floor, a table, a window, a wall, or a drum.
3
 Good Vibrations

Music Engineering Station

There are lots of great materials that make
music. See if your students can surprise you
with their innovative ideas!

• Popsicle sticks
• Spoons
• Pots and pans
• Small, non-breakable containers
• Masking tape
• Large plastic beads (careful about
choking size)
• Paper towel rolls
We Can Solve Problems
• String/yarn
Uh-oh! Thing 1 and Thing 2 were so tired • Tin cans (check the edges!)
• Rubber bands
from their adventures in the Jingly Jungle
• Bells
that they took a nap. The Cat is worried
• Shoeboxes
they won’t wake up in time for their next
• Pipe cleaners
engineering adventure. Your students will • Elastic bands
need to think like engineers and make a
musical instrument to wake up the Things!
Share with your students the materials they can work
with. You can set up your stations with small boxes
of supplies at each table or create a stack of possible
instrument materials for students to choose from.
Either way, make sure to have visuals of instruments
handy to help inspire your class.

Teacher Callout: Ready, engineers? Make an

instrument. Test it. Don’t forget that engineers
also improve their ideas!

Once your students have finished their first try

at making instruments, try asking the following
questions to inspire improvement:

• Did it sound the way you wanted? How did

it work?
• What could you change?
Review the steps in the Engineering Design Process • Was the sound loud or soft?
wheel and remind the class that engineers often follow • What else could you try?
these steps more than once. They are always looking for
ways to improve their designs.

4
I can hear
sounds!
Good Vibrations
I can see
and feel Discussion Prompts
• Why did you make your instrument the way
vibration! you did?
• How would you describe the sound it makes?
• Did it sound this way when you started?
• What changes did you make?
• Why did you decide to make changes?
• What senses did you use to make observations
See What I Know About That about sound?

It’s time for your problem-solving engineers

to wake up Thing 1 and Thing 2 with their
instruments. Before they begin, though, have
them turn and talk with a partner and explain
how they made their instrument using the
engineering design process. If your students
get stuck, you can use the Discussion Prompts.
Ready for the grand finale? To see if their musical
instruments can be loud and make lots of vibration,
the class will test them. First, choose two students to
pretend they are Thing 1 and Thing 2. Ask them what
senses will let them know when there is enough sound
to wake them up. Let them know they can only wake up
if their classmates are loud enough. Once the two Things
are “asleep,” invite the rest of the students to sit in pairs,
with their instruments on the floor in front of them. Pass
out a balloon for each pair of students. Have the student
on the right hold the balloon, and the one on the left hold
the instrument.
Before you start, you may want to show them how you
will use your hand to count to three and then make a
sign to tell the class to stop. On the count of three and
after you say go, the class will use their instruments to
make a loud noise. Afterwards, switch and have everyone
on the right hold an instrument and those on the left hold
a balloon.
After the grand finale, ask your students:
• Was that loud enough to wake up Thing 1 and
Thing 2?
• How did the vibration in the balloon feel?
• Ask Thing 1 and Thing 2 what they observed with
their senses.
Extend the Learning
Check in with the class to let them know engineers often
work on problems for a long time! Ask the students if
they have any new ideas for their instruments. This is a
great time to remind them that sharing ideas helps them
work together to come up with even more ideas!
Students can extend the learning by continuing to build
musical instruments at the Music Engineering Station.
Set them up for engineering success by having the
Engineering Design Process wheel, instrument-building
materials from “We Can Solve Problems”, and a test
balloon available.
Connect
Send a Parent Letter home with ideas on how to extend
your budding engineers’ learning even further. Don’t
forget to send their instruments home with them!

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The contents of this document were developed under a cooperative agreement (PR/Award No. U295A150003, CFDA No. 84.295A) from the U.S. Department of Education.
However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
THE CAT IN THE HAT KNOWS A LOT ABOUT THAT! Season 3 © 2017–2018 CITH Productions III Inc. Based on the original television series created by Portfolio Entertainment Inc.
®
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