sound homework ideas ks2

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Primary Science Resources for the National Curriculum

Year 4 sound.

• Outstanding Science Year 4

Knowledge and Understanding

Statutory requirements, notes and guidance, lower ks2 - working scientifically, how we hear things worksheet free, outstanding science year 4 | sound | os4d001.

• Description
• National Curriculum
• Key learning

Learning objective

I can explain how sounds are made and how we hear things.

Children learn that sounds are caused by vibrations. They learn that sounds travel from an object, through a medium (usually the air), travel into the ear where they are carried down the ear canal and processed by the brain. Children complete an explanation text explaining how we hear things, by cutting and pasting or writing their own descriptions.

• 4d1 : identify how sounds are made, associating some of them with something vibrating

Sound insulation Investigation

Outstanding science year 4 | sound | os4d002.

I can investigate how well sound travels through different materials.

Children investigate how effective 5 different materials are at blocking sound. Recognising the difficulty of accurately measuring the loudness of a sound, they make each measurement 3 times and choose the median. Children use their results to create a bar chart and place the materials in order of effectiveness as sound insulators.

• 4d2 : recognise that vibrations from sounds travel through a medium to the ear

Investigating pitch Investigation

Outstanding science year 4 | sound | os4d003.

I can place different sounds in order of pitch.

Children learn about the difference between pitch and volume. They carry out an investigation where they place 5 different water containers in order, depending on the pitch made when air is gently blown across the top of each. They attempt to find a pattern and explain their results.

• 4d3 : find patterns between the pitch of a sound and features of the object that produced it

Making a string instrument Investigation

Outstanding science year 4 | sound | os4d004.

I can make a tuned string instrument.

Children explore how a string instrument makes a sound. Using an ice cream tub, elastic bands, and Lego blocks, they create their own string instrument. They explore how adding more Lego blocks affects the pitch of each string (band).

Pitch and volume Investigation

Outstanding science year 4 | sound | os4d005.

I can place sounds in order of pitch and volume.

Children learn that pitch and volume are two different properties of sounds. Children investigate the pitch and volume of the sound made when 5 different balls are dropped. Recognising the difficulty of measuring pitch and volume without equipment, children make 5 measurements and then choose the modal value. Children transfer their results to a scatter graph showing both pitch and volume.

• 4d4 : find patterns between the volume of a sound and the strength of the vibrations that produced it

Investigating volume Investigation

Outstanding science year 4 | sound | os4d006.

I can investigate how to affect the volume of a percussion instrument.

Children investigate how dropping a weight from different heights ont a drum affects the volume of the sound produced. Recognising the difficulty of measuring volume without equipment, children take each measurement 5 times and find the mean. Children create a line graph showing their results and attempt to explain the relationship between the height of the weight and the volume of the sound made.

Sound and distance Investigation

Outstanding science year 4 | sound | os4d007.

I can investigate how distance affects how well we can hear a sound.

Working on the yard or in the school hall, children investigate the maximum distance at which somebody can hear one of 5 body sounds (hand clap, sniff, cough, foot stamp and thigh slap). They place each sound in order of loudness and create a bar chart showing their results. They discuss the difficulty of getting accurate results without measuring equipment and ways of improving the investigation.

• 4d5 : recognise that sounds get fainter as the distance from the sound source increases.

Distance and volume Investigation

Outstanding science year 4 | sound | os4d008.

I can investigate the relationship between distance and volume.

Working on the school yard, children investigate the height a ball needs to be dropped from in order to be heard at different distances. Children predict and then measure the minimum height required, recording their results in a table. They create a line graph and explore the link between the distance and the miniumum height (and therefore volume) required.

Get instant access to all of our Year 4 resources.

Outstanding science - year 4 contains all of the following units:.

Unit 4A - Living Things And Their Habitats

Unit 4B - Animals, Including Humans

Unit 4C - States Of Matter

Unit 4D - Sound

Unit 4E - Electricity

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How Are Sounds Made? (Year 4)

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Teach children about how sounds are made with this PowerPoint. It also explains how sound travels and provides examples of different sound sources, both natural and man-made.

Test children's knowledge of what they have learnt with the recap quiz at the end. Answers are provided.

• Key Stage: Key Stage 2
• Subject: Science
• Topic: Sound
• Topic Group: Physical Processes
• Year(s): Year 4
• Media Type: PowerPoint
• Resource Type: PowerPoint
• Last Updated: 29/09/2022
• Resource Code: S2PAC1478

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Sound teaching resources

Worksheets and lesson ideas to challenge students aged 11 to 16 to think hard about sound and the structure of the ear (gcse and key stage 3).

Why does closing the door keep the sound out?

Key Stage 3 worksheet on how sound travels . Students work in pairs to discuss why closing the door prevents sound from travelling into the next room. Ideas are then discussed as a class. Many students will struggle with the idea that the door stops the sound because they know sound travels faster through solids than liquids and gases. This will provide some cognitive conflict that hopefully will be resolved throughout these discussions. This resource was contributed by Terry Baylis. ( PDF )

The structure of the ear

Key Stage 3 worksheet on function of the ear . Students select and justify their choice of analogous objects to explain what different parts of the ear do. ( PDF )

Year 2: Sound

This list consists of lesson plans, activities and video clips to support the teaching of sound at Year Two. It contains tips on using the resources, suggestions for further use and background subject knowledge. Possible misconceptions are highlighted so that teachers may plan lessons to facilitate correct conceptual understanding. Designed to support the new curriculum programme of study it aims to cover many of the requirements for knowledge and understanding and working scientifically. The statutory requirements are that children are taught to:

• identify how sounds are made, associating some of them with something vibrating

•  recognise that vibrations from sounds travel through a medium to the ear

•  find patterns between the pitch of a sound and features of the object that produced it

•  find patterns between the volume of a sound and the strength of the vibrations that produced it

•  recognise that sounds get fainter as the distance from the sound source increases.

Visit the primary science webpage to access all lists:  www.nationalstemcentre.org.uk/primaryscience

Listening to Sounds

Quality Assured Category: Science Publisher: Teachers TV

This short video is a lovely little clip to show at the start of a lesson on observing and naming sources of sound. Try asking children to close their eyes and then identify the sounds.This encourages children to think about their auditory surroundings.  The sounds include: a doorbell, car horn, opening a can of drink, sawing a log, drilling a hole and cracking walnuts.

Have fun at the end identifying the 10 mystery sounds in a listening quiz!

This could be further developed by asking children in groups to create their own sounds from around school, record them and play them back for the class to guess what they are.

Nocturnal Animals (Age 5 to 7)

Quality Assured Category: Science Publisher: Wildscreen ARK (previously ARKive)

Children listen to sound recordings of different animals and try to match the sounds to the images of animals on the worksheet provided. Ask children have their eyes shut to encourage them to rely solely on their sense of hearing to identify the sounds.

Assembly on Sound

Quality Assured Category: Science Publisher: Association for Science Education (ASE)

Carrying out a class survey on sounds is a great way of working scientifically to find out about the world. Try out the ideas on page 4.

Another idea is to play some different sounds and talk about children's favourite sounds. Choose six then ask the class to vote on them and to create a living bar chart with children as the bars, showing which is the most popular. This could be repeated for the least favourite sound. This is a good way of representing data without having to write it down.

Linking to music - children could listen to various instruments and decide which ones they prefer. Discuss higher and lower pitch sounds and ask children in groups to expore the instruments and order them from low to high.

Describing Sounds

This starter shows the emotional responses to various sounds. A sound is played by a professor and his assistant holds up a sad, smiley or neutral face.

It could lead to a discussion about why they like certain sounds and the feelings sounds can create in people. This could be followed by a lesson where children create sounds for each other and show their responses.

A short clip of an alarm bell ringing. It shows that when standing close to the alarm it seems quite loud. As you move away from the clock the alarm sounds quieter. This helps show that the distance from the source of a sound will affect how loud it seems. Children could investigate different sources of sound and see how far away they can go and still be able to hear it. They could then compare the sources to see which creates the loudest sound.

Children could work in pairs with one child whispering a word and the other with their back to them repeats the word. Repeat after moving one step away from the child who whispered the word. See how far away they can get and still hear the word. This could lead into a discussion about how we can talk to people who aren't close to us and the use of telephones.

Explore, Discover, Inspire: Practical Work in Primary Science

Quality Assured Category: Science Publisher: SCORE

The lesson idea on pages 15 -16 on the pdf uses a story 'Peace at Last' to introduce a problem for the children to solve. Children identify loud and quiet sounds and then investigate ways to stop sounds from entering their ears. This provides an opportunity for children to carry out a simple investigation with some independence.

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Sound investigation ideas

Subject: Primary science

Age range: 7-11

Resource type: Worksheet/Activity

Last updated

29 April 2014

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Great ideas! Thank you for sharing:-)

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missannapea

This is utterly brilliant and has given me some great ideas for simple investigative activities for Year 1, thank you

Great ideas. Thanks

judywaitumbi

This is simple to do at home and great for this time when school is closed due to Corona virus

These are great practical ideas - engaging and not too difficult to resource. Many thanks.

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Balestra Primary Science Workshops

Brilliantly inspiring science workshops in the comfort of your school!

Year 4 Sound workshop

(can be taught to other year groups), learn about the science and history of sound, listen to a, real edison phonograph and make brilliant music box songs , this science workshop, at a glance.

National Curriculum suggested year group:

Duration (for single class, multiple classes normally share a day with one or two sessions each):

Half day or a single session as part of a science day

NC objectives covered:

identify how sounds are made, associating some of them with something vibrating /Recognise that vibrations from sounds travel through a medium to the ear /  find patterns between the volume of a sound and the strength of the vibrations that produced it

Our year 4 'Wonder of Sound' science workshop makes the most of the amazing properties of sound to not only teach the basics of the physics behind the sounds we hear, but also to extend pupils' knowledge about the history of recorded sound which led to the recording of the songs that they listen to today.

This story is told via an interactive presentation, filled with factual science and historical examples of the development of sound and its essential uses through the ages, such as a demonstration of a bell inside a vacuum chamber to show how sound travels through air and many more fun front of class activities.

The workshop then continues with pupils listening to a real 1898 Thomas Edison phonograph before making their own paper strip music box songs, to listen to in the workshop and to keep as a memento for home or your topic books.

Demonstrating the phonograph

Activities in this key stage 2 sound workshop, (this can be for one class, several classes in turn, or choose one activity as part of a multi science day with other classes), 1) presentation on the science, and history of sound.

This timeline-based presentation takes pupils through the core science of how sound is produced from it's creation at it's source via vibrations to a detailed explanation of the way it interacts with the human ear. 

This covers ALL the National Curriculum topic objectives with fun front of class demonstrations and mini experiments for pupils to take part in. 

We then move on to the history of recorded sound with a look at the development of the phonograph leading into the music making task later on.

2) Making music with magnificent music boxes!

One of the most popular musical instruments for hundreds of years, music boxes have a unique sound that are familiar to many people throughout the world.

Pupils look at how a music box produces sound with its unique arrangement of vibrating 'combs' before cutting their own paper music strips to play in the bespoke music boxes provided.  

Whilst these are only playable in the workshop on our special machines you are free to record 'performances' of their music for later viewing and listening and keep the sheets to take home or paste into topic books as a memento of their learning.