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Arizona STEM

Acceleration Project

Wonderful Wave Design

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Wonderful Wave Design

A 4th Grade STEM Lesson

Ana Ramirez

2/7/2024

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Notes for Teachers

This lesson takes place in a classroom for one or more hours.
Students may work in small groups of 2-4.
An emphasis on the target product (a functioning model that demonstrates wave properties).
Creative solutions should be encouraged.
Facilitate student reflection to describe the properties of sound waves, how they move, and the way our ears catch them.

List of Materials:

Wonderful Wave Materials:

• 50 large skewers
• 100 gummy bear candies
• 1 Roll of duct tape
• 1 glass of water
• 1 Ruler
• 1 table

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Arizona Science Standards

Science Standards:

4.P4U1.1: Develop and use a model to demonstrate how a system transfers energy from one object to another even when the objects are not touching.

4.P4U1.2: Develop and use a model that explains how energy is moved from place to place through electric currents.

Science and Engineering Practices

ask questions and define problems
develop and use models
plan and carry out investigations
analyze and interpret data
use mathematical and computational thinking
construct explanations and design solutions
engage in argument from evidence
obtain, evaluate and communicate information

Arizona ELA Standards

4.RL.1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

4.RL.3 Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character’s thoughts, words, or actions).

4.W.7 Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.

4.SL.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly

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Objectives:

Today we will explain how energy is moved from place to place through waves.

Today we will describe the properties of sound waves, how they move, and the way our ears catch them.

Today we will collaborate and communicate effectively with our peers to complete an engineering design challenge.

Today students will be able to design and engineer a gummy bear model that demonstrates wave properties.

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Agenda (60 minutes)

How do sound waves move from one place to another?
The Science of Sound Waves
Engineering a model that demonstrates wave properties
Share or present

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How does sound move from one place to another?

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Sound Waves

Waves are regular patterns of motion that transfer energy from place to place without transferring matter. Waves exhibit repeating patterns.

Sound is not visible, but it travels as a longitudinal wave that causes air particles to vibrate. The particles vibrate in the form of a wave as the sound travels through the air.

Vocabulary introduction so students can use academic content in their discussions.

Amplitude

The height of a wave. Usually measured from the wave's resting point to the peak of the wave.

Wavelength

The distance between wave peaks. Usually measured from the peak of one wave to the peak of the wave next to it.

Energy

It makes things happen! (the ability to do work)

Wave Peak

The highest point on a wave. Also called the crest.

Sound Waves

Vibrations of air particles that transmit sound. Sound waves are a type of longitudinal wave.

Transverse Wave

When the disturbance moves perpendicular to the direction of the wave. Put simply: When a wave moves up and down.

Longitudinal Wave

When the disturbance moves parallel to the direction of the wave. Put simply: When a wave moves forward and back.

Particle

The smallest possible unit of matter.

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Read-Aloud

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Hands-On Activity Instructions

In a group of 2-4, engineer a model that demonstrates wave properties using gummy bears.

Constraints:

50 large skewers
100 gummy bear candies
1 Roll of duct tape
1 glass of water
1 ruler
15 minutes

The premise of this activity is two-fold.

Students experience the design process of creating and recreating (iterating) a model that demonstrates wave properties.
Students experience an integrated STEAM lesson with combined content from Science (physics), Technology (model that demonstrates wave properties using candy), Engineering (making the model, assembling the wave with gummy bears) Arts (creative design), and Math (measuring and data).

The instructions in this activity are only a fraction of what is possible when working with wind sound waves.

Gummy Bear Wave Machine Instructions

Instructions

Carefully place one gummy candy on each end of each skewer.
Lay down a 5-foot-long piece of tape (sticky side up) across a table.
Find the center of the skewer and tape it down starting at one end.
Use a ruler to place additional skewers 2 inches apart along the tape.
When done, carefully put another piece of duct tape on top of the skewers to seal them in.
Anchor the ends of the model to structures so the wave model is suspended between them.
Experiment with waves by tapping the skewer on one side.

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How do we assess our work?

We field test our invention
We seek feedback
We iterate and repeat

We evaluate our final iteration’s ability to meet requirements and stay within constraints.

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Assessment

Test your gummy bear sound wave machine:

Does the model demonstrate sound wave properties?
Is the skewer exactly centered?
Were you able to improve your wave sound machine?
If yes, how much?
What happens to the speed, wavelength and frequency if you take the gummy bears off both ends of the skewers on one half of the wave machine?

ELA Assessment

How is what you are doing similar to the facts from the book, The Science of Sound Waves?

How is it different?

After reading the book The Science of Sound Waves, describe in detail how the concept of energy is transferred through waves without the need to transfer matter itself.

Assessment: Throughout the activity, which may take multiple days, you should check in with each group to see how they are progressing. Ask probing questions

and see if they understand the process of making their gummy bear sound wave machine. Also, engage students in reflection about how their process compares

to The Science of Sound Waves. The final assessment could be a demonstration of their models working, a video of their models working, photos of their models,

a Venn diagram of their work, a short paragraph comparing their work with the facts described in The Science of the Sounds Waves. One of these activities can also work as an exit ticket to wrap up the lesson.

You may want to show parts of the Basics video depending on your assessment of your students’ abilities. It is important not to give the students the impression they need to copy what is done in the video. They should be creative when creating their gummy bear wave machines.

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Differentiation

One way to differentiate in this lesson is to allow some groups to work with an upper-level partner to label the structure of the waves.

Give students a modified version of the worksheet that requires less data recording.
Provide a word bank as a paper handout to assist them in labeling the waves.

Remediation

Extension/Enrichment

Students who are successful right away could plan how to explore additional sound & waves simulations.

Students could create a model of longitudinal waves.