Los Angeles Charter Science Partnership
Model Base Inquiry Lesson Plan
Lesson Title: Energy and how it moves
Topic/ Focus Area: Physical Sciences
Subject or Grade Level: 3rd
Cadre:
1 Names of Teachers: Gaylen May, Michelle Flam, Stephanie Content,
Charlotte Perryman, Nychelle Toussaint, Pam Conder, Sam Taylor, Jr., Ashley
McCraw-Harrison
Major Concept of Lesson: Sound is a form of energy and it travels in waves.
Model – How will students demonstrate their understanding of the major concept:
Verbal; Physical
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•
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Verbal: students explain process of sound waves and how they travel
Diagrammatic: students draw diagram or flowchart that shows how sound travels
Physical Representation - Assessment: make a musical instrument (e.g., rubber
band guitar)
California Standard(s) to be addressed: (Grade, Strand, Standard, Substandard)
Physical Sciences 1d: Students know energy can be carried from one place to another by
waves, such as water waves and sound waves, and by moving objects.
Student Objectives: Student will be able to…… collect and analyze data; discuss in
groups meaning of data; propose model; predict based on model; test and refine model;
present model to class.
Students will demonstrate understanding by stating that sound is a form of energy that
travels in waves:
• Sound travels through different types of matter (solid, gas, water)
• Sound waves travel differently through different materials
• Vibration is sound traveling, which can be heard, seen, and felt
Materials and Resources: (references; web sites; science equipment and supplies, etc.)
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Science Experiments with Sound Music, by Shar Levine & Leslie Johnstone
Sound Science, by Etta Kaner
Wave Energy, by Macmillan, McGraw, and Hill
Supplies (see each activity)
Lesson Implementation Logistics: Unit is organized into 3 lessons. The timing of each
lesson is flexible and based on teacher preference.
Vocabulary: compression wave; transfer; vibration; transverse wave; medium; states of
matter
Steps of the Lesson
Learning Activities
which lead to Model:
Inquiry-Based; ELL and
or Literacy Strategies;
Scaffolding
Lesson 1
Engage: Tap prior
knowledge: T-Chart – ask
students how they think
sound travels?
Activity 1: slinky
(see appendix A)
Teacher Questions
for Activity:
Key questions that
show progression
from lower to
higher order
thinking.
1) What does this
pattern look like?
What is my arm
doing?
2) Have you seen
this before?
Where?
What am I doing
that relates to
energy model?
Anticipated
Student
Responses,
Questions and
Errors:
Teacher Response to
Students and Teacher
Intervention Activities
or Strategies
A snake, a worm,
a wave.
Jump rope, the
zoo, the beach.
Activity 2: Tuning Fork –
bang a tuning fork against
various objects.
What do you
observe?
Sound travels
Explore: Activity 3:
Good Vibrations
(Appendix B) – attach a
marker to a yardstick.
Extend the yardstick over
the edge of a desk by 12
inches. Hold the
remainder firmly on the
desktop. Pluck the
extended yardstick so that
it vibrates, and run
1) What do you
anticipate seeing?
Hearing?
A scribble, a line.
2) What did the
shorter extension
sound like? The
longer?
A high sound.
A lower sound.
3) What does the
drawn wave of the
A shorter wave.
A longer wave.
This motion illustrates a
wave.
Sounds travel as waves.
Higher pitched sounds
travel as shorter waves.
Lower pitched sounds
cardstock paper past the
pen, illustrating the sound
wave created by the
vibrating portion of the
yardstick. Extend the
yardstick over the edge of
the desk by 18 inches and
repeat.
Explore: Revisit tuning
fork with water
Explain: the waves that
the yardstick/pen made
represent waves, just like
the rope. Different length
waves will create different
sounds.
Students explain
connection to
yardstick/tuning fork.
Lesson 2
Engage:
Activity: Rope Trick –
teacher takes a rope and
creates an illustration of a
wave by moving one end.
A ripple effect happens
from the end that the
teacher moves along the
rope to the far end.
Extend: Telephone in
steps:
1. Speak into cup with no
string. How does
sound travel? Through
what medium? Air
2. Add string to cups.
Speak into cup with
loose string and tight
string as written in
lesson.
Students attach string to 2
cups. One person speaks
into cup and the other
shorter extension
look like? The
longer?
travel as longer waves.
What will happen
You can see the
to the fork when
waves
you put it in water?
Students explain.
Ask students to
explain how this is
related to jump rope
activity.
let’s make a wave
with our bodies.
Class makes
“wave.”
Activity 2: Do the
Wave: as a class
1) What happens
when the string is
loose?
Can’t hear as
well.
2) What happens
when the string is
tight?
Can hear better.
3) How does the
sound travel (which
medium)?
Along the string
(solid) and air
(gas).
4) How was the
sound different
listens. Students explore
the best way to hear their
partner. What medium is
sound traveling through?
Solid.
Experiment with cans,
fishing line, and wires.
3. Coat hangers
(Observation
Activity) – materials
per student: 36” pieces
of string, wire hangers,
paper cups, tape,
Ahead of time, have
hangers with string hung
up/separated Strings preattached to hangers and
paper clips.
Tap prior knowledge –
yardstick activity;
vocabulary
Explorations:
a. Swing hanger
against objects in
classroom holding
strings
b. Select 3 items in
classroom to bang
hanger on
i. Record items
on data sheet
(see Appendix
C)
ii. Record
predictions for
what will
happen
iii. Hold string to
ears and swing
hangar again
on the 3
selected
classroom
when using cans?
Fishing line? Wire?
Q&A (step e)
Focus Question:
How does the
sound reach your
ears?
1) What do you
hear?
2) What do you
feel?
3) How do you
think the sound
reached your
ears?
4) Which
transmitted the
sound better –
the air or the
solid string?
5) How was the
sound different
through the
cups?
Repeat questions
after exploration
with cup
Noise, banging,
ringing
This is happening
because sound travels in
waves. It vibrates.
vibrations
Evidence is it vibrates.
The sound went
through the air;
string
Sounds travels through
air and solid mass.
Air/string
Sound is
amplified/clearer when
transmitted through a
solid container
objects
iv. Record
findings on
data sheet
c. Teacher break – Q
& A discuss
findings
d. Attach paper clips
to cups.
i. Make
predictions as
to what will
happen with
cups
ii. Hold cups to
ears and repeat
swinging
hanger against
same 3
classroom
objects.
iii. Record data
e. In groups, draw
representation of
how sound travels
Extend Activity
4. Students attach various
items to string/fishing
line/yarn (spoon, wisk,
wooden spoon, etc…)
a. Repeat process
using other
materials
5. Have students bang
hangers with fishing
line, wire, or yarn
around classroom
Lesson 3
Culminating Activity:
Tissue Box Guitar
(see Appendix D)
Evaluate: How does a
tissue box guitar work?
Refer to Appendix
E (Culminating
Activity Criteria)
How does the guitar
box work
differently than a
rubber band being
plucked by itself?
Extend/Apply: Strike up
the band – students create
musical instrument (guitar
box, soda can with
objects, etc.)
Explain: Explain Extend
Activity. Fill in
Investigation Form
(Appendix F)
Extend/Apply: Student
Centers (suggestions)
• Tissue Box Guitar
• Clap Your Hands
(see below)
• Water/cork (and
other objects)
• Water/mug – add
water to objects in
mug as you stir.
Listen for how the
sound changes.
• Drop penny/other
objects
• Memory game –
fill soda cans with
objects (rice,
macaroni, popcorn
seeds, paper clips,
beans, buttons,
dried peas, barley,
salt, M&Ms). Seal
with tape.
Students shake and
listen for matching
sounds.
What did we do?
What did we see?
What did we learn?
Formal and Informal Assessment and Methods of Evaluation: (analysis of student
learning; evidence of student learning)
Students given 3 questions. Provide options on how they will present answers (writing,
drawing, acting out). Guitar box used as model assessment. How does the guitar work?
See rubric for assessment based on students’ responses. (Appendix E)
1) How does sound travel?
2) What can sound travel through?
3) Does the sound travel better through air, liquid, or solid?
How does the sound travel through their musical instrument?
Reflection on Lesson and Logistics: (what went well; what would you revise, etc.)