Sound Waves
Learning objectives:
Learning Objective
Assessment
To identify that sound waves have different wavelength and frequency, and this results in different pitch.
Cymatic disc activity, The student-lead demonstration and crystal glass demonstration
(Questions that go with the activities)
To identify that waves in general have different wavelength and frequency, and this gives waves different properties.
Cymatic disc activity
(Questions that go with the activity)
To determine what factors influence wavelength and frequency
Student-lead demonstration and crystal glass demonstration (Questions that go with the activity)
To make reasonable conclusion based on observation and logic
Student-lead demonstration (the post-activity questions)
How will you know or assess student learning? Make certain that the assessment aligns with the learning objectives and with the standards that you identify.
This is the description of the criteria that you will use to look for understanding of the concepts that are in the learning objective (what conditions will you look for in order to see if students understand what is addressed in the learning objective).
This is not meant to be a description of the actual assessment (i.e. students will complete a quiz or a lab report). That description goes into the lesson plan (see below). You should have assessment criteria for each of your learning objectives.
Benchmark/Standard
Relationship to the driving question
Instructional resources used
Cautions
1. Introducing the lesson
The lesson will start with asking students to identify different properties of wave (label on a picture) – what is wavelength? What is frequency? After the questions, the demonstration using a speaker and oobleck. The instructor will put the speaker that’s connected to the sound source and put oobleck (non-Newtonian fluid) on top of the speaker. After the first demonstration, the instructor will start with a demonstration using a crystal glass and water. Fill up a crystal glass half way with water, get some water on your fingers (just enough to wet them) and press and swirl the edge of the glass gently. After the demonstration, ask the students what they think would change the pitch higher and why. Students will write it down. Show them the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKRj-T4l-e8&feature=relmfu
Additional video for fun (optional): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ik4rl5b3THE&feature=related
2. Body of the lesson
From the video, students should get an idea of what will change the pitch of sound (size of the cup and amount of water.) Students will be asked to guess the reason why those factors will change the pitch in a certain way in terms of wavelength and frequency. For example, the statement could be like “big glass makes the pitch lower because wavelength must be bigger.”
Another demonstration will be shown for students to see what they guessed is right. Instructor will pour sugar on a cymatic disc and distribute it equally on the plate. Then, using the violin bow, the instructor slide it down on the edge of the disc with one finger on the disc (just like playing the violin). If it makes no sense, press it harder. From this activity, students will see that the sugar grains will rearrange and make the sound waves. Paly the disc one more time, but this time, tell the students to remember the pitch. Right after, play the disc the same way, but instead of one finger, put two fingers on the disc. Sugar grains will rearrange themselves again to make smaller waves, and the pitch will be higher. At this point, students should know the relationship between wavelength and pitch. Then, students will be asked “Higher frequency makes higher pitch. What is the relationship between frequency and wavelength?”
The next demonstration will be student-led. There will be enough cups (different sizes) for each student to get two cups, and each table will get a pitch filled with water. Also, each table will get a tuner that plays every note on a scale. Each student will be assigned two different notes, and they will be asked to make “instruments” that play those two notes using the cups and water. Students can choose whatever size cup they want to choose, and they will fill them up with water. To check if it’s the right note, they will use the tuner. After they are done making the instruments, as a class, we will play a scale, and couple simple songs, such as “Mary had a Little Lamb” or “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” Then they will be asked to give the reason why they chose the cups they chose, and how the amount of water changed their instrument. Also, how will they change things to make a note higher? Why do they think such changes will make the pitch higher in terms of wavelength?
3. Wrapping up the lesson
The instructor will ask the students to make a T-chart, and put what the conceptions they knew before on the left, and what they newly learned on the right.
4. Evaluating learning: The instructor will be able to determine if students met the learning objectives from the questions asked throughout the lesson. There will be a worksheet with all the questions and space provided for students to answer the questions. This will help the instructor to check later how much students have understood, but this will also help the students to remember the concepts for longer, by having something they can keep to go back and see what they have learned.
Design Rationale
The lesson started with asking students to define few terms as a formative assessment. This is to make sure that the students are on the same page, and this will help the instructor to know what prior knowledge students have. This will also help the students to know what the lesson will be about and get the context. The second demonstration might be familiar to some students, and students will be able to find the lesson more relatable. Even if it is not familiar, the demonstration is very simple (just using water and a cup), and most students will find it relatable. The videos are used to grab students’ attention and to help them to think about how the size of the cup and the amount of water change the pitch of the sound.
The third demonstration will help students visualize sound waves and understand the waves with smaller wavelength makes higher pitch sound. This demonstration will help the visual learners to understand the material more effectively. The body of the lesson is the repeat of showing students demonstration, then giving questions for them to think about what the demonstration means, and how it is connected to the concept we are learning. The guiding questions will help students to identify what they are expected to learn from the demonstrations.
The fourth demonstration which is student-lead is for them to apply what they learned, and with the hands-on activity, kinesthetic learners will learn the material effectively. This activity will also help auditory learners to learn effectively because they will learn through music. This activity will also help the instructor to gauge how much students learned because students will show how they will apply the concepts to the activity.
Learning objectives:
- To identify that sound waves have different wavelength and frequency, and this results in different pitch.
- To identify that waves in general have different wavelength and frequency, and they give waves different properties.
- To determine what factors influence wavelength and frequency
- To make reasonable conclusion based on observation and logic
Learning Objective
Assessment
To identify that sound waves have different wavelength and frequency, and this results in different pitch.
Cymatic disc activity, The student-lead demonstration and crystal glass demonstration
(Questions that go with the activities)
To identify that waves in general have different wavelength and frequency, and this gives waves different properties.
Cymatic disc activity
(Questions that go with the activity)
To determine what factors influence wavelength and frequency
Student-lead demonstration and crystal glass demonstration (Questions that go with the activity)
To make reasonable conclusion based on observation and logic
Student-lead demonstration (the post-activity questions)
How will you know or assess student learning? Make certain that the assessment aligns with the learning objectives and with the standards that you identify.
This is the description of the criteria that you will use to look for understanding of the concepts that are in the learning objective (what conditions will you look for in order to see if students understand what is addressed in the learning objective).
This is not meant to be a description of the actual assessment (i.e. students will complete a quiz or a lab report). That description goes into the lesson plan (see below). You should have assessment criteria for each of your learning objectives.
Benchmark/Standard
- Wave behavior can be described in terms of how fast the disturbance spreads, and in terms of the distance between successive peaks of the disturbance (the wavelength). 4F/M7
- Something that can be “seen” when light waves emitted or reflected by it enter the eye-just as something can be “heard” when sound waves from it enter the ear. 4F/M2
Relationship to the driving question
- This section will be completed when we have all the lesson plans completed for the unit.
- Sound waves travel through matters.
Instructional resources used
- Engineering Open House
- http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/experiments/makemusic.html
- Cymatic disc
- A stand that can hold the cymatic disc
- Violin bow
- Sugar
- Used (flat) speakers
- Oobleck
- One crystal glass
- Glasses
- Water
Cautions
- Broken glass
1. Introducing the lesson
The lesson will start with asking students to identify different properties of wave (label on a picture) – what is wavelength? What is frequency? After the questions, the demonstration using a speaker and oobleck. The instructor will put the speaker that’s connected to the sound source and put oobleck (non-Newtonian fluid) on top of the speaker. After the first demonstration, the instructor will start with a demonstration using a crystal glass and water. Fill up a crystal glass half way with water, get some water on your fingers (just enough to wet them) and press and swirl the edge of the glass gently. After the demonstration, ask the students what they think would change the pitch higher and why. Students will write it down. Show them the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKRj-T4l-e8&feature=relmfu
Additional video for fun (optional): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ik4rl5b3THE&feature=related
2. Body of the lesson
From the video, students should get an idea of what will change the pitch of sound (size of the cup and amount of water.) Students will be asked to guess the reason why those factors will change the pitch in a certain way in terms of wavelength and frequency. For example, the statement could be like “big glass makes the pitch lower because wavelength must be bigger.”
Another demonstration will be shown for students to see what they guessed is right. Instructor will pour sugar on a cymatic disc and distribute it equally on the plate. Then, using the violin bow, the instructor slide it down on the edge of the disc with one finger on the disc (just like playing the violin). If it makes no sense, press it harder. From this activity, students will see that the sugar grains will rearrange and make the sound waves. Paly the disc one more time, but this time, tell the students to remember the pitch. Right after, play the disc the same way, but instead of one finger, put two fingers on the disc. Sugar grains will rearrange themselves again to make smaller waves, and the pitch will be higher. At this point, students should know the relationship between wavelength and pitch. Then, students will be asked “Higher frequency makes higher pitch. What is the relationship between frequency and wavelength?”
The next demonstration will be student-led. There will be enough cups (different sizes) for each student to get two cups, and each table will get a pitch filled with water. Also, each table will get a tuner that plays every note on a scale. Each student will be assigned two different notes, and they will be asked to make “instruments” that play those two notes using the cups and water. Students can choose whatever size cup they want to choose, and they will fill them up with water. To check if it’s the right note, they will use the tuner. After they are done making the instruments, as a class, we will play a scale, and couple simple songs, such as “Mary had a Little Lamb” or “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” Then they will be asked to give the reason why they chose the cups they chose, and how the amount of water changed their instrument. Also, how will they change things to make a note higher? Why do they think such changes will make the pitch higher in terms of wavelength?
3. Wrapping up the lesson
The instructor will ask the students to make a T-chart, and put what the conceptions they knew before on the left, and what they newly learned on the right.
4. Evaluating learning: The instructor will be able to determine if students met the learning objectives from the questions asked throughout the lesson. There will be a worksheet with all the questions and space provided for students to answer the questions. This will help the instructor to check later how much students have understood, but this will also help the students to remember the concepts for longer, by having something they can keep to go back and see what they have learned.
Design Rationale
The lesson started with asking students to define few terms as a formative assessment. This is to make sure that the students are on the same page, and this will help the instructor to know what prior knowledge students have. This will also help the students to know what the lesson will be about and get the context. The second demonstration might be familiar to some students, and students will be able to find the lesson more relatable. Even if it is not familiar, the demonstration is very simple (just using water and a cup), and most students will find it relatable. The videos are used to grab students’ attention and to help them to think about how the size of the cup and the amount of water change the pitch of the sound.
The third demonstration will help students visualize sound waves and understand the waves with smaller wavelength makes higher pitch sound. This demonstration will help the visual learners to understand the material more effectively. The body of the lesson is the repeat of showing students demonstration, then giving questions for them to think about what the demonstration means, and how it is connected to the concept we are learning. The guiding questions will help students to identify what they are expected to learn from the demonstrations.
The fourth demonstration which is student-lead is for them to apply what they learned, and with the hands-on activity, kinesthetic learners will learn the material effectively. This activity will also help auditory learners to learn effectively because they will learn through music. This activity will also help the instructor to gauge how much students learned because students will show how they will apply the concepts to the activity.