Sound
TOPIC THREE:
PITCH, LOUDNESS and
SOUND TECHNOLOGY
OBJECTIVES:
§
Students will demonstrate the
ability to rephrase questions regarding pitch and loudness into testable
forms by practicing and examining various questions.
§
Students will state a
prediction and hypothesis about the effect a modification, such as changing
the length or tightening a string, spinning a wheel faster or adding more
water to bottles will have on the pitch and loudness of the sound produced,
based on the pattern of sounds produced by experimenting with different
materials.
§
Students will demonstrate
knowledge of the term “decibel” by using it to describe the volume of
sounds.
§
Students will demonstrate
processes for solving technological problems by designing and constructing a
device that has the ability to create sounds of variable pitch and loudness.
§
Students will demonstrate the
ability to evaluate their instruments by testing them and making necessary
adjustments.
§
Students will demonstrate
knowledge about Canadian contributors/contributions to sound technology by
gathering pertinent information from several sources and presenting the
gathered information.
ACITIVITES:
§
Place students in small
groups and ask them to pose a testable question and experiment with it.
(Example: Will adding water to a bowl make the pitch of the sound it makes
when we hit the side of the bowl with a spin higher?)
§
Have students predict what
will happen before they answer their questions and also hypothesize about
the outcome of their question.
§
Have students experiment with
pitch and loudness trough posing such testable questions. Have students
complete a pre-designed experiment about pitch. (Water levels in bottles
that affect pitch when they blow across the top of the bottles).
§
Have
students make a classroom band. They will construct different instruments
and be sure that they can change the pitch of them to play a simple song.
§
Have a class discussion about
decibels. Ask students how they think sound can be measured. Explain what a
decibel is and play/make some sounds and discuss which decibel level it
would be. Have students complete an activity that defines the decibel level
for common sounds. Get them to classify sounds around the school according
to decibel level. (approximate) How many decibels so they think the sound of
their instrument is? What about all of the class’ instruments played at
once?
§
Ask students if they know of
any Canadians who contributed to sound technology. Divide the class into
groups and make each group responsible for researching a Canadian who made a
contribution (Example: Alexander Graham Bell) to sound technology. Have
students use both library resources and complete a pre-designed web-quest on
the person to create a final dramatization about the individual.
Materials:
·
String
·
Straws
·
Rubber Tubing of various
lengths
·
Paper or Styrofoam Cups
·
Tape
·
Funnels
·
Rubber bands
·
Scissors
·
Glue
·
Sea Shells
·
Paper
·
Paper Towel Tubes
·
Metal Pipes
·
Glasses
·
Tubs
·
Water
·
Library access
·
Internet access
Assessment:
Assess
the students’ success in making a sound louder.
Have
students submit their questions, predictions and hypothesis that they were
instructed to create.
Have
students play their instruments for the class and explain how they made it.
Ask them to tell what adjustment they had to make to get the pitch right.
Follow assessment rubric.
After
completion of research sound contributions by Canadians, have each group
present their findings in the form of a short dramatization.
