Description

Sound comes from vibrating objects. Sounds travel from a source to a receiver. Light also has sources and receivers.

Students explore how to change sound volume and develop simple models for how a sound travels from a source to a receiver. They find out what happens when materials are placed near a sound source. With light, students find out what happens when materials with different properties are placed in a beam of light and explore how to create and change shadows and reflections. Students explore how to use sound and light devices to communicate information and compare the ways that animals use their senses (ears and eyes) to gather information about their environment. Students use their knowledge to investigate these phenomena:

• Anchor phenomenon 1—Hearing a bell ringing
• A problem to solve 2—Designing a string phone
• Anchor phenomenon 3—A shadow appears
• A problem to solve 4—Use light to get information and communicate

Students engage in science and engineering practices by collecting data and by designing and using tools to solve problems and answer questions. Students gain experiences that contribute to their understanding of these crosscutting concepts: patterns; cause and effect; systems and system models; and structure and function.