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Science lesson plan · 1st grade (Year 2 in England) · 60 minutes

Sound can make things vibrate

Light, sound and waves

CCSS NGSS.1-PS4-1England: KS2 Y4 Sound

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Sound can make things vibrate.

  • I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
  • I can explain each step and say why it works.
  • I can check my answer and spot a mistake.

Before and after

Needs first: Find the part that vibrates to make the sound

Leads to: the next skill in this area.

Materials: Slinky or rope, Mirrors and torches, Mini whiteboards, A diagram or short video clip of the idea, Printed student sheet (below).

Warm-up · 6 min

  • Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Find the part that vibrates to make the sound). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. What vibrates to make the sound of a triangle? (the metal triangle / the stretched skin on top / your vocal cords in your throat / the strings) → the metal trianglePrompt: Which part moves back and forth when the sound is made?
  2. You pluck a guitar string and then touch it to stop it moving. What happens to the sound? (It gets louder. / Nothing changes. / It gets higher. / It stops.) → It stops.Prompt: What makes the sound in the first place?
  3. True or false? A drum makes sound even when nothing hits it. (True / False) → FalsePrompt: What is happening to the object when a sound is made?

Hook · 6 min

  • Ask the class to make a wave with a rope or slinky and describe what moves and what doesn't.
  • Share the objective: Sound can make things vibrate. Read the success criteria together.

I do: model it · 12 min

  • Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
  • Example: A tuning fork is struck and then dipped into a bowl of water. What do you see?
  • Step 1: The vibrating fork shakes the water, showing that sound is vibration.
  • Step 2: So the answer is: The water splashes and ripples.
  • Answer: The water splashes and ripples.
  • Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

We do: guided practice · 12 min

  • Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
  • Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
  1. You stretch cling film over a bowl and put salt on it. How can you make the salt dance without touching the bowl? (Make a loud sound close to it. / Turn off the lights. / Cool the bowl in the fridge. / Whisper far away.) → Make a loud sound close to it.Prompt: Which would send the biggest vibrations through the air?
  2. True or false? We hear because sound makes parts inside our ears vibrate. (True / False) → TruePrompt: How does sound get from one place to another?

You do: independent practice · 17 min

  • Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
  • Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

Exit ticket · 7 min

  • Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
  1. True or false? Only things you touch can be made to vibrate. (True / False) → FalsePrompt: How does sound get from one place to another?
  2. You stretch cling film over a bowl and put salt on it. How can you make the salt dance without touching the bowl? (Cool the bowl in the fridge. / Turn off the lights. / Whisper far away. / Make a loud sound close to it.) → Make a loud sound close to it.Prompt: Which would send the biggest vibrations through the air?

Watch out for

  • Everyday meanings of words getting in the way of the science meaning: define key words explicitly.
  • Remembering facts without the reason: ask "why?" and "what is the evidence?"

Support and stretch

Support

  • Review first: Find the part that vibrates to make the sound.
  • Use concrete materials: slinky or rope.
  • Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
  • Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.

Stretch

  • Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
  • Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.

Homework and more practice

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/grade-1.

Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder

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Sound can make things vibrate

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  1. Question 1

    You stretch cling film over a bowl and put salt on it. How can you make the salt dance without touching the bowl?

    • A. Make a loud sound close to it.
    • B. Turn off the lights.
    • C. Cool the bowl in the fridge.
    • D. Whisper far away.

  2. Question 2

    True or false? Sound travels from its source as vibrations.

    • A. True
    • B. False

  3. Question 3

    Sound and vibration: which statement is true?

    • A. Rice on a drum jumps because of the light in the room.
    • B. Sound can only travel through air.
    • C. Whales can hear each other's calls from far away under the sea.
    • D. A string telephone works best with the string loose and floppy.

  4. Question 4

    Rice grains are sprinkled on a drum. Someone bangs a big pan next to it. Why do the grains jump?

    • A. The rice is hungry.
    • B. The rice makes its own sound.
    • C. The sound from the pan makes the drum skin vibrate.
    • D. The pan blew air at the rice.

  5. Question 5

    True or false? Loud sounds can make objects nearby vibrate.

    • A. True
    • B. False

  6. Question 6

    True or false? Sound is a kind of light.

    • A. True
    • B. False

  7. Question 7

    True or false? We hear because sound makes parts inside our ears vibrate.

    • A. True
    • B. False

  8. Question 8

    When a very loud lorry (truck) goes past, the windows rattle. Why?

    • A. The loud sound makes the glass vibrate.
    • B. The windows are making the noise first.
    • C. The lorry touches the windows.
    • D. The windows are scared.

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Answer key: Sound can make things vibrate

  1. 1. A. Make a loud sound close to it.

  2. 2. A. True

  3. 3. C. Whales can hear each other's calls from far away under the sea.

  4. 4. C. The sound from the pan makes the drum skin vibrate.

  5. 5. A. True

  6. 6. B. False

  7. 7. A. True

  8. 8. A. The loud sound makes the glass vibrate.