Grade 3 Science

Optional Unit: Sound

• To promote both intuitive, imaginative thought and the ability to evaluate ideas, processes, experiences and objects in the context of understanding sound. (CCT)
• To use a wide range of activities to develop students' understanding of sound. (COM)

Science foundational and learning objectives

1. Explain the nature and properties of sound.
   1. Compare transmission of sound through air, water, and some solids.
   2. Demonstrate that sound is produced by vibrations.
   3. Investigate changing the pitch and the quality of a sound.
   4. Discover a place where strong echoes are produced.
2. Describe some uses of sound.
   1. Observe and describe some uses of sound.
   2. Propose some new uses for sound.
   3. Devise, or modify, devices which produce sound, in order to produce a sound for particular purpose.

1. Begin this unit by having students share what they already know about "Sound". Chart this information. Prepare a large web of the objectives to be covered in this unit. Allow student input into the activities which might be tried in order to cover the material. Add to the web as suggestions are made. By doing this students have a vested interest in the activities which will become part of the unit. Assessment might also be discussed at this time. Try to include research, teacher-led discussions, paired and small group work, individual tasks, and some whole class activities.
   1. Motivate students to learn about sound by using a stereo tape recorder with movable speakers (Record, CD, or tape all work well). Play the tape with the speakers close together at first, then farther apart. What do students notice? If possible, change the sound to only one speaker or the other. Have students cover one ear and listen. Does the sound heard vary in each case?

   2. Investigate voice sounds. 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; notice different pronunciation when teeth are missing, etc.

   3. Provide balloons for students. Have them blow the balloon up and release the air first without constricting the neck of the balloon; when the neck is elongated by stretching it; when it is partially restricted by two fingers. Listen to the differing sounds. Discuss. [This might be a gym or outdoor activity so each student can listen for his/her own balloon sounds.]

   4. 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.

   5. Bring into the classroom fiction and non-fiction books on Sound. Encourage students to browse through the books.

   Factors: A4, B2, B5, C2, C3, C6, C12, F1, G1

   Objectives: 2.1

   Assessment Techniques: 1

   Common Essential Learnings: Communication, Critical and Creative Thinking, Personal and Social Values and Skills. Students become involved in designing their own learning experiences, and possibly their own assessment.

2. Set up a series of stations or activity centres with task cards so that students may have hands-on experiences with sound. Have students make predictions whenever possible about what they may find out. Record findings. Activities to examine sound movement through air might include:
   1. Use different sized jars and a pitcher of water. Students may pour water into each of the jars and listen to the sound as the water is poured. What conclusions might students draw? Have them record their observations. (The pitch should get higher as the container gets filled.)

   2. Set up a series of test tubes with differing amounts of water in each. Blow across the tops of the tubes in turn. What observations are made? Record. (The tube with the shortest column of air should have the highest pitch; the tube with the least water and longest column of air will have the lowest pitch.)

   3. As in (a), use different sized and shaped bottles and jars, preferably with narrow necks. Blow across the top of each. What do you hear? Record. (Lowest pitch should occur with the tallest bottles; highest pitch with shorter bottles.)

   4. Use a tuning fork. Strike it and listen to the sound. If different sizes of tuning forks are available, listen to the different sounds. Record your observations.

   5. Have students work in pairs. With one partner blindfolded and sitting in a chair, have the second person shake a musical instrument behind, to the side, in front, etc. while the blindfolded person identifies where the sound is coming from. Repeat the activity with the blindfolded person tightly covering one ear with a hand. Is the accuracy as good as with both ears listening? Why? Discuss. Repeat the activities with roles reversed.

   Factors: A4, B2, B5, B10, C2, C3, C6, C10, C12, D1, E3, E7, F1, G1

   Objectives: 1.1, 1.3

   Assessment Techniques: 1, 4, 8

   Common Essential Learnings: Communication, Critical and Creative Thinking, Personal and Social Values and Skills. Students become involved in learning through hands-on experiences and by drawing their own conclusions.

3. Activities to demonstrate that sound travels through air, water, and solids might include:
   1. Use any activities in 2. above.

   2. Use a watch or clock that has a distinct ticking sound and a variety of materials of approximately the same length--metre stick, pointer, thin and thicker wood, metal rod, plastic, glass, cardboard, desktop, paper tube, etc. Place the watch at one end of each of the solid materials. Listen at the opposite end for the sound of the watch ticking. Record which of the materials transmits the sound. (Wood and metal are better transmitters of sound than paper.)

   3. Use a plastic bag (ziploc) filled with water. Place it against your ear. Have someone hold the watch against the bag of water. Can you hear the ticking? An activity to try at home may include having someone make a certain number of taps with two objects (blocks) below the water surface of the bathtub. Plug one ear, and place your other ear below the water surface at the other end of the tub. Can you hear the sounds? At the pool you might have someone bang two objects together underwater at one end while you listen with your head underwater to receive the sound. Does water transmit the sound? (Water is a good transmitter of sound. It may be of interest to note that both air and water transmit sound faster when they are warmer.)

   Factors: A4, B2, B5, B10, B13, C2, C3, C6, C10, C12, D1, E7, F1, G1

   Objectives: 1.1

   Assessment Techniques: 1, 4, 8

   Common Essential Learnings: Communication, Critical and Creative Thinking, Independent Learning, Personal and Social Values and Skills. Students become involved in learning through investigation which include many hands-on experiences.

4. Use a small, sturdy cardboard box. Cut away one side of the box almost to the edges but leaving a small triangular area near each corner to preserve the strength of the box. Using different widths and lengths of elastics, stretch them around the box and across the cut-out section. Pluck the elastics. What observations can you make? (If the elastics will not stretch around the whole box, they may be cut and fastened with thumbtacks to the sides of the box.) (Thicker elastics give lower pitch as they vibrate slower.) Vary the tautness of the elastics. What observations do you make? (The more taut the elastic, the faster it will vibrate.)

   Factors: A4, B2, B5, B7, B10, C2, C3, C6, C10, C12, D1, E7, F1, G1

   Objectives: 1.2, 1.3

   Assessment Techniques: 1, 4, 8

   Common Essential Learnings: Communication, Critical and Creative Thinking, Independent Learning, Personal and Social Values and Skills. Students become actively involved in their learning as they discover for themselves.

5. Experiment with one or more of the following activities to discover what causes sound. Caution students to think about safety when working with materials.
   1. Strike a tuning fork and then gently touch its prongs against the side of a glass. What happens?

   2. Strike a tuning fork. Hold it near your ear. Touch the tuning fork. What did you hear? What did you feel?

   3. Strike a tuning fork. Dip its prongs into a glass of water. What do you observe?

   4. Hold one end of a ruler firmly near the edge of a desk. Suspended about 25 cm over the edge press down on the end and then release. What do you observe? What do you hear? Vary the length of the ruler extended beyond the edge of the desk. How does this affect the sound produced?

   5. Place several grains of rice or seeds on the surface of a can, drum, or box. Strike the container with a ruler. What do you observe? Use different sizes of cans, drums or boxes. Do the sounds vary?

   6. Suspend a cork on a string so that it can move freely. Strike the tuning fork and hold the prongs against the cork. What happens?

   7. Place your finger against your throat as you speak or sing. Feel the vibration?

   8. Tie several eating utensils (spoons, forks) onto a string fairly close together. Hold the two ends of the string to your ears. Have someone tap the utensils so they bump together. What do you hear? Encourage students to keep a log of the activities they undertake and their findings. (If a stethoscope is available, try listening to various sounds using it. This is a useful item to add to an activity centre.) Encourage students to experiment with "sound" beyond the classroom.

   Factors: A4, B2, B5, B7, B10, C2, C3, C6, C10, C12, D1, E3, E7, F1, G1

   Objectives: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3

   Assessment Techniques: 1, 4, 6, 8, 9

   Common Essential Learnings: Communication, Critical and Creative Thinking, Independent Learning, Personal and Social Values and Skills. Hands-on experiences involve students in their own learning.

6. Other experiments and activities may be used to demonstrate that vibrations produce sound and that pitch and quality change by changing the vibrations.
   1. Use several glasses of differing sizes to hold varying amounts of water are needed. Moisten your finger and rotate it slowly around the top edge of each glass in turn. What do you hear?

   2. Place a cork on an inverted box. As the box is tapped with a stick or pencil, listen to the sound and observe the cork. Vary the strength of the taps.

   3. With students working in pairs, move a watch or clock away from the ear of one of the partners until it cannot be heard or you lose the sound. Measure the distance. Use a long tube to transfer the ticking of a clock or watch to the ear. Hold one end of the tube to your ear while your partner holds the watch at the other end. If you can hear the ticking, measure the length of the tube. If you cannot hear it, shorten the tube a little until you can hear the sound. Record activities and results.

   Factors: A4, B2, B5, B10, C2, C3, C6, C10, C12, D1, E3, E7, F1, G1

   Objectives: 1.2

   Assessment Techniques: 1, 4, 6, 8

   Common Essential Learnings: Communication, Critical and Creative Thinking, Personal and Social Values and Skills. Hands-on experiences and drawing conclusions help promote learning.

7. Musical instruments can be made in a number of ways. Try one or more of the following:
   1. Find different sizes of clay flowerpots. Use heavy cord and large buttons to suspend the clay pots upside down from a broom handle. Use a ruler or pencil to "play" the pots. Which of the pots makes a higher or lower note?

   2. Cover used light bulbs with paper mache so that there are several layers of paper and paste over the bulb. After drying, give the light bulb a sharp tap to break the glass inside. Paint and decorate. Give the painted surface a coat of shellac or thinned white paste to produce a shiny, enduring surface. Your marachas are ready to play.

   3. Create your own band! Other musical instruments can be built using blocks, sand paper, bottle caps, sand in sealed tubes, etc.

   Factors: A4, B1, B2, B5, B10, C2, C3, C6, C10, C12, D1, E3, E7, F1, G1

   Objectives: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.3

   Assessment Techniques: 1, 4, 8

   Common Essential Learnings: Communication, Critical and Creative Thinking, Personal and Social Values and Skills. Students become involved in learning through hands-on experiences, and integrating science into other areas of study such as Arts Education.

8. Transmitting devices can be made by students. Have students build their own private telephone line. Using two cans punch a hole in the end of each just large enough to poke a string through. (Two styrofoam cups could be used instead.) Push one end of a long string (it can be several metres long) through the bottom of the can and knot it inside. Repeat with the other end and the second can. Stretch the string tight and have a conversation with a friend by talking into your can while your friend receives at her/his ear. If the string is not taut, does it transmit sound as well?

   Factors: A4, B1, B2, B5, B6, B10, C2, C3, C10, D1, E7, F1, G1

   Objectives: 1.1, 1.3, 2.3

   Assessment Techniques: 1, 4, 8

   Common Essential Learnings: Communication, Critical and Creative Thinking, Personal and Social Values and Skills. Students become involved in learning through involvement in the study of how sound travels.

9. Divide the class into working groups assigning each group a different task. Provide large chart paper, markers, possibly old magazines and scissors, etc. Topics and tasks to be brainstormed and discussed in groups prior to sharing with the entire class might be:
   1. Uses of Sound and/or Proposed New Uses of Sound

   2. Sounds in Everyday Life (loud, soft; pleasant, unpleasant; high-pitched, low-pitched; etc.) This could be done by more than one group using differing comparatives.

   3. Jobs Requiring Sound

   4. Devices We Use That Require Sound

   5. Ways to Help Others With Hearing Problems

   When groups share and display their work, other class members can be encouraged to add to the lists.

   Factors: A4, B2, B5, B10, C2, C3, C6, C12, D1, F1, G1

   Objectives: 2.1, 2.2

   Assessment Techniques: 1, 4, 8

   Common Essential Learnings: Communication, Critical and Creative Thinking, Personal and Social Values and Skills. Students become involved in learning through working together.

10. Have students experiment with megaphones by rolling paper. Speak to a partner in a whisper with and without a megaphone. Is there a difference in level of sound heard? How far apart can students be and still hear? You may want to work on the playground for this. Use different voice levels. Outside, experiment with sound. Does it travel around the corners of buildings? Try speaking in a small confined area--closet or appliance box? What do you notice? Repeat the experiment in a large room such as the gym. What happens? Do you get echoes?

    Factors: A4, B2, B5, B10, C2, C3, C6, C12, D1, E3, E7, F1, G1

    Objectives: 1.3, 1.4

    Assessment Techniques: 1, 4, 8

    Common Essential Learnings: Communication, Critical and Creative Thinking, Personal and Social Values and Skills. Experimentation allows students to be involved in learning new concepts and finding out for themselves.

11. Experiment further with sound vibrations.
    1. Inflate a balloon. Hold it lightly near your lips as you speak. Speak loudly. Speak more softly. Repeat this activity while speaking through a tube loudly and softly. What happens?

    2. Set an alarm clock. Let it ring while it is sitting on a solid surface such as a table. Describe the sound. Let it ring while sitting on a soft rug or pillow. How has the sound changed? Describe it.

    Factors: A4, B2, B5, B10, C2, C3, C6, C12, D1, E3, E7, F1, G1

    Objectives: 1.2, 1.3

    Assessment Techniques: 1, 4, 8

    Common Essential Learnings: Communication, Critical and Creative Thinking, Personal and Social Values and Skills. Students become involved in learning through hands-on experiences, and drawing their own conclusions.

12. Prior to wrap-up of this unit, have students work in pairs or small groups providing each group with a key word from the unit: sound, volume, pitch, vibration, reflected, frequency, noise, music, echo, etc. Have students prepare a poster which might contain a definition, and/or an activity to demonstrate their word. Take time to share with the entire class. Display the posters.

    Factors: A4, B2, B5, C2, C3, C12, D1, G1

    Objectives: 2.1

    Assessment Techniques: 1, 4, 8

    Common Essential Learnings: Communication, Critical and Creative Thinking, Personal and Social Values and Skills. Students become involved in learning by extending vocabulary.

13. As independent projects, students might each make their own musical instrument and demonstrate it for the class. Students may be able to accompany their class during singing or as accompaniment to "rap". Creative individuals may be able to write their own raps using terminology from the unit or material learned in another theme, and keep a steady beat with their instrument as they share.

    Factors: A4, B10, C2, D1, E7, F1, G1

    Objectives: 2.3

    Assessment Techniques: 1, 4, 8

    Common Essential Learnings: Communication, Critical and Creative Thinking, Independent Learning, Personal and Social Values and Skills. Students are provided the opportunity to extend their learning beyond prescribed activities.

14. Remove the top of a milk carton. In the bottom poke a small hole just large enough to put the end of the string through. Using about 30 cm of string, wet it. Hold one end while you quickly pull down with two fingers along the length of the string. Listen to the sound. Now thread one end through the hole in the bottom of the milk carton. Knot it inside. Again wet the string and repeat the sliding of two fingers down the length of the string. What do you hear? Is the sound the same as before? Discuss. (The sound should be amplified by the milk carton.)

    Factors: A4, B5, B10, C2, C3, D1, E7, F1, G1

    Objectives: 1.3, 2.3

    Assessment Techniques: 1, 4, 8

    Common Essential Learnings: Communication, Critical and Creative Thinking, Independent Learning, Personal and Social Values and Skills. Students are able to learn through hands-on activities.

15. Brainstorm terms and vocabulary used during the study of Sound. Encourage students to attempt one or more of the following:
    1. Create a word search on grid paper using Sound vocabulary.

    2. Prepare a game to be played with a die or spinner, but which has task cards with questions to be answered should a player land on certain spaces along the pathway.

    3. Prepare a matching game of definitions and vocabulary.

    4. Have students prepare activities of their choice to reinforce vocabulary and concepts learned.

    Factors: B2, C2, C4, C6, F1, G1, G2

    Objectives:

    Assessment Techniques: 1, 4,

    Common Essential Learnings: Communication, Critical and Creative Thinking, Technological Literacy, Independent Learning, Personal and Social Values and Skills. Students learn through hands-on experiences, and are provided with the opportunity to discuss and enjoy their learning.