Sound studio
View Sequence overviewStudents will:
- explore and describe the different sounds that a ruler and box guitar can make.
- predict how changes to the box guitar will affect pitch and provide reasoning.
- record box guitar observations and attempt to explain their observations scientifically.
- compare guitar strings to vocal cords (optional).
Students will represent their understanding as they:
- demonstrate and describe ruler sounds produced.
- complete the Box guitar PROE chart.
- draw a labelled diagram of a box guitar producing a high and low pitch.
In this lesson assessment is formative.
Feedback might focus on:
- can students recognise the correlation between vibration speed and pitch with different materials?
- are students using the terms ‘high pitch,’ ‘low pitch,’ fast vibrations’ and ‘slow vibration’ appropriately?
- can students apply their prior learning about rubber band or hex nut vibration speed, to explain their observations with the ruler and box guitar?
- can students demonstrate their understanding with a labelled diagram?
Whole class
Class science journal (digital or hard-copy)
Optional: Video of a balloon deflating, for example Deflation balloon sound effect
Optional: Video explanation of how tones of different heights are created
Demonstration copy of the Sample box guitar image Resource sheet
Demonstration copy of the Box guitar Resource sheet
Each group
1 x ruler—wooden, plastic or metal. Plastic rulers should be of the non-flexible kind. Each group might have a different type of ruler to enable discussion about the different tones made by different materials.
Items from sound table to strike with ruler (buckets, jars, paper, leaves etc.)
1 x small empty box (tissue box, muesli bar/snack box, small packaging box). Alternatively any rectangular prism, such as a book or pack of cards, will suffice as long as an elastic band can fit around it.
2-3 elastic bands of different sizes but the same width
2 x textas/pencils
Blu-tac, sticky tape or masking tape
Optional: Additional elastic bands of varying length/thickness
Each student
Individual science journal (digital or hard-copy)
Box guitar Resource sheet
Lesson
The Inquire phase allows students to cycle progressively and with increasing complexity through the key science ideas related to the core concepts. Each Inquire cycle is divided into three teaching and learning routines that allow students to systematically build their knowledge and skills in science and incorporate this into their current understanding of the world.
When designing a teaching sequence, it is important to consider the knowledge and skills that students will need in the final Act phase. Consider what the students already know and identify the steps that need to be taken to reach the level required. How could you facilitate students’ understanding at each step? What investigations could be designed to build the skills at each step?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkRe-orient
Recall the previous lesson, focusing on:
- the meaning of pitch (whether a sound is higher/squeakier or lower/deeper), and its difference to the meaning of loudness.
- how higher and lower-pitched sounds were created.
The Inquire phase allows students to cycle progressively and with increasing complexity through the key science ideas related to the core concepts. Each Inquire cycle is divided into three teaching and learning routines that allow students to systematically build their knowledge and skills in science and incorporate this into their current understanding of the world.
When designing a teaching sequence, it is important to consider the knowledge and skills that students will need in the final Act phase. Consider what the students already know and identify the steps that need to be taken to reach the level required. How could you facilitate students’ understanding at each step? What investigations could be designed to build the skills at each step?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkIdentifying and constructing questions is the creative driver of the inquiry process. It allows students to explore what they know and how they know it. During the Inquire phase of the LIA Framework, the Question routine allows for past activities to be reviewed and to set the scene for the investigation that students will undertake. The use of effective questioning techniques can influence students’ view and interpretation of upcoming content, open them to exploration and link to their current interests and science capital.
When designing a teaching sequence, it is important to spend some time considering the mindset of students at the start of each Inquire phase. What do you want students to be thinking about, what do they already know and what is the best way for them to approach the task? What might tap into their curiosity?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkMaking sounds
Ask: What different sounds could we make using a balloon?
Optional: View video footage of a balloon deflating, or blow a balloon up and release the air in different ways—letting the air out fast and slow etc.
Pose the question: How many different sounds can an everyday object make?
Link this to the Foley artists making sounds for movies, referring back to the objects students saw in the Disney sound effects video and how they were used to make sounds.
The Inquire phase allows students to cycle progressively and with increasing complexity through the key science ideas related to the core concepts. Each Inquire cycle is divided into three teaching and learning routines that allow students to systematically build their knowledge and skills in science and incorporate this into their current understanding of the world.
When designing a teaching sequence, it is important to consider the knowledge and skills that students will need in the final Act phase. Consider what the students already know and identify the steps that need to be taken to reach the level required. How could you facilitate students’ understanding at each step? What investigations could be designed to build the skills at each step?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkThe Investigate routine provides students with an opportunity to explore the key ideas of science, to plan and conduct an investigation, and to gather and record data. The investigations are designed to systematically develop content knowledge and skills through increasingly complex processes of structured inquiry, guided inquiry and open inquiry approaches. Students are encouraged to process data to identify trends and patterns and link them to the real-world context of the teaching sequence.
When designing a teaching sequence, consider the diagnostic assessment (Launch phase) that identified the alternative conceptions that students held. Are there activities that challenge these ideas and provide openings for discussion? What content knowledge and skills do students need to be able to complete the final (Act phase) task? How could you systematically build these through the investigation routines? Are there opportunities to build students’ understanding and skills in the science inquiry processes through the successive investigations?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkRuler sounds
Students work in pairs to investigate how to make different sounds with common, everyday items, in this case a ruler.
Ask students to name the different materials rulers are typically made of (wood, plastic—sometime flexible and sometimes hard—and metal).
Brainstorm different ways of making sounds with a ruler and ask students to model. For example:
- waving the ruler through the air.
- gently tapping the ruler against the table.
- holding the ruler on a desk with its end protruding over the edge and flick it. Varying the length of the ruler protruding over the edge of the desk and listen to the different sounds (the greater length of ruler that is hanging over the desk, the lower the sound).
Discuss if the sounds were high or low-pitched.
Allow time for them to explore making different sounds with the ruler. Encourage students to ask their partner questions, such as: How did you make that sound? Do you think it would make a sound if you…? Why?
Remind students that rulers can break and leave sharp edges. Encourage them to start with gentle taps and gradually increase the force they use.
Students select another item in the classroom to explore the sounds it can make in combination with the ruler. For example, tapping a plastic bucket up the right way and upside down with the ruler.
The Inquire phase allows students to cycle progressively and with increasing complexity through the key science ideas related to the core concepts. Each Inquire cycle is divided into three teaching and learning routines that allow students to systematically build their knowledge and skills in science and incorporate this into their current understanding of the world.
When designing a teaching sequence, it is important to consider the knowledge and skills that students will need in the final Act phase. Consider what the students already know and identify the steps that need to be taken to reach the level required. How could you facilitate students’ understanding at each step? What investigations could be designed to build the skills at each step?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkFollowing an investigation, the Integrate routine provides time and space for data to be evaluated and insights to be synthesized. It reveals new insights, consolidates and refines representations, generalises context and broadens students’ perspectives. It allows student thinking to become visible and opens formative feedback opportunities. It may also lead to further questions being asked, allowing the Inquire phase to start again.
When designing a teaching sequence, consider the diagnostic assessment that was undertaken during the Launch phase. Consider if alternative conceptions could be used as a jumping off point to discussions. How could students represent their learning in a way that would support formative feedback opportunities? Could small summative assessment occur at different stages in the teaching sequence?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkMaking sense
Invite pairs to demonstrate and describe two different sounds they produced with their ruler.
As each pair shares their sounds, in the class science journal record any of the words they use to describe how the sound was made or the sound itself. Also include the material the items were made of. For example "tapping wooden ruler on plastic tub sitting on desk—sounded like thunk."
Further discuss the investigation with a focus on encouraging students to use the scientific vocabulary learned so far in their responses. Refer to the word wall if you have been building one throughout the sequence.
- What is happening to the ruler when it makes a sound?
- The ruler is vibrating.
- If groups used rulers made of different materials, How would you describe the sound your ruler made? Do you think the rulers made of different materials made different sounds? Why? Why not?
- What must be done to a ruler to make a louder sound?
- Use more energy when you hit, tap or twang it.
- Can you describe what happens when the sound is louder?
- When you tap the ruler with more energy it causes bigger vibrations, which mean the sound is louder.
- When you held the ruler on the desk, with some of it overhanging, what did you find changed the pitch of the sound?
- When less of the ruler was overhanging the side of the desk the pitch was higher. When more was overhanging, the pitch was lower.
- Why do you think this happened?
- When less ruler is hanging off the desk it vibrates faster. Faster vibrations make higher pitched sounds. Just like the hex nut was moving faster inside the balloon when it was making a high-pitched noise.
- This is a good opportunity to demonstrate that faster vibrations create higher pitched sounds. Students will be able to physically see the ruler vibrating faster when less of it is hanging over the desk. Start with as much ruler hanging over the desk as possible, before sliding more of the ruler onto the desk, leaving less overhang. After demonstrating a few times ask students to describe the speed of the vibrations.
Optional: View this video explanation of how tones of different heights are created (2:25) to support students to understand how the vibrating ruler makes a high pitch and a low pitch.
The Inquire phase allows students to cycle progressively and with increasing complexity through the key science ideas related to the core concepts. Each Inquire cycle is divided into three teaching and learning routines that allow students to systematically build their knowledge and skills in science and incorporate this into their current understanding of the world.
When designing a teaching sequence, it is important to consider the knowledge and skills that students will need in the final Act phase. Consider what the students already know and identify the steps that need to be taken to reach the level required. How could you facilitate students’ understanding at each step? What investigations could be designed to build the skills at each step?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkThe Investigate routine provides students with an opportunity to explore the key ideas of science, to plan and conduct an investigation, and to gather and record data. The investigations are designed to systematically develop content knowledge and skills through increasingly complex processes of structured inquiry, guided inquiry and open inquiry approaches. Students are encouraged to process data to identify trends and patterns and link them to the real-world context of the teaching sequence.
When designing a teaching sequence, consider the diagnostic assessment (Launch phase) that identified the alternative conceptions that students held. Are there activities that challenge these ideas and provide openings for discussion? What content knowledge and skills do students need to be able to complete the final (Act phase) task? How could you systematically build these through the investigation routines? Are there opportunities to build students’ understanding and skills in the science inquiry processes through the successive investigations?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkBox guitar
Remind students what they discovered in the previous lesson when they plucked an elastic band with different levels of energy, and when it was stretched out to different lengths.
Discuss how humans have used this idea for centuries to create music, and if they can think of how. Give students an opportunity to identify string instruments as a way humans do this, then ask students to name any string instruments they know (guitar, ukulele banjo, sitar, violin, cello, harp, or even a piano). Consider showing images of these instruments.
Explain that students will be using the idea to make their own simple string instrument—a box guitar.
Review the Playing the band activity from the previous lesson, noting that students tested two different types of rubber bands. Discuss the strings on a guitar—it may be helpful to have a guitar available for students to look at, or to show a large image of one. Guide students to notice that all the strings are the same size/thickness.
Introduce the word ‘tension’ (the amount something is stretched) and relate it back to the Playing the band activity: when the elastic was stretched tight it was under a lot of tension, when it was only stretched a little it was looser and more floppy—under less tension. Discuss what this means in relation to how much the elastic is able to move when it is stretched tightly versus stretched lightly.
Using the Sample box guitar image Resource sheet, show students an image of a box guitar. Alternatively, make a show your own box guitar. Provide teams with the equipment they need to build a box guitar, providing guidance and assistance where required.
Raising the elastic bands from the surface of the rectangular prism is essential for demonstrating the different levels of tension in the bands, and also makes the differences in pitch more noticeable. If using a tissue box, using the existing hole instead will not work effectively.
After they have built their box guitars, students complete the first three columns of the Box guitar Resource sheet, describing the tension in the bands by seeing how much further they will stretch (little, more, the most, or stretches a little, stretches a lot), and completing the P and R sections of the PROE chart, predicting what sounds they think it will make when plucked, and giving a reason for their predictions.
They then 'play' their box guitar, completing the O section of the PROE chart, making their observations. Encourage them to describe the sound they heard in as much detail as possible, as well as what they notice about the movement speed of the elastic band.
The Inquire phase allows students to cycle progressively and with increasing complexity through the key science ideas related to the core concepts. Each Inquire cycle is divided into three teaching and learning routines that allow students to systematically build their knowledge and skills in science and incorporate this into their current understanding of the world.
When designing a teaching sequence, it is important to consider the knowledge and skills that students will need in the final Act phase. Consider what the students already know and identify the steps that need to be taken to reach the level required. How could you facilitate students’ understanding at each step? What investigations could be designed to build the skills at each step?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkFollowing an investigation, the Integrate routine provides time and space for data to be evaluated and insights to be synthesized. It reveals new insights, consolidates and refines representations, generalises context and broadens students’ perspectives. It allows student thinking to become visible and opens formative feedback opportunities. It may also lead to further questions being asked, allowing the Inquire phase to start again.
When designing a teaching sequence, consider the diagnostic assessment that was undertaken during the Launch phase. Consider if alternative conceptions could be used as a jumping off point to discussions. How could students represent their learning in a way that would support formative feedback opportunities? Could small summative assessment occur at different stages in the teaching sequence?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkWhat did we learn?
Students share and discuss the results of the box guitar investigation.
- What kind of sound did the elastic band under more tension make?
- What kind of sound did the elastic band under less tension make?
- Did you notice any difference in how the rubber bands moved when you plucked them? What did you notice?
- The elastic band under more tension vibrates faster, making a higher pitched sound. The one under less tension is more floppy, so it vibrates slower and makes a lower pitched sound.
- You might need or wish to demonstrate to students again during the discussion. You might also note that because the elastic band under less tension is looser, it can move further, so each vibration is bigger, and therefore slower.
- How might you make sounds of even higher or lower pitch?
- What do you think this tells us about instruments that use strings, such as a guitar?
- Did you notice any similarities between what happened when you plucked the guitar strings and when you twanged the ruler over the edge of the desk?
- When less ruler was hanging over the desk, it couldn't move as far, so it vibrated faster and made a higher-pitched sound.
- When more of it was hanging over the desk it could move further, so it vibrated slower and made a lower-pitched sound.
Using the display copy of Box guitar Resource sheet, students complete the E section of the PROE chart, explaining what they think happened.
Students represent their understanding by drawing labelled diagrams of the box guitar producing a high pitch and a low pitch.
Undertake a gallery walk to share/discuss students’ labelled diagrams.
Reflect on learning
You might:
- add a box guitar to the sound table.
- invite students to group the items on the sound table as ‘high’ and low’ pitch.
- use the virtual keyboard, and invite students to match the pitch on the keyboard to the pitch produced by some items on the sound table.(This is difficult to do. Emphasise finding a ‘similar’ pitch rather than a perfect pitch.)
- view how a guitar can be used to create city sound effects (1:37).
- invite students to strum/pluck a guitar, ukulele or other string instrument
- view * Operation Ouch- Vocal Cords (3:33) to see how we use our vocal cords to change the pitch of our voice. *Stop at 2:20 to discourage breathing helium