Lesson Plans for Sound Science

By Amy Cowen on October 11, 2018 12:00 AM

Science Buddies' free Lesson Plans can help you teach students about sound with fun, hands-on activities.

A tissue box, two pencils and rubber band

Explore sound science with rubber band guitars and other hands-on STEM activities! www.sciencebuddies.org

Note: For additional lessons and activities to teach about the science of sound, see 18 Lessons to Teach the Science of Sound, part of our Teaching Science Units collection.

Teaching about sound can be a real challenge. You can't (usually) see sound, so students sometimes struggle to understand the physics of sound waves. Science Buddies has free NGSS-aligned Lesson Plans for elementary and middle school teachers to help students explore (and, in some cases, see) the science of sound.

From making and playing rubber-band guitars to using your voice to send candies dancing across a surface, students can learn more by getting hands-on with sound science activities. Our free STEM Lesson Plans show you how to integrate these activities in the classroom!

Teach about sound:

Sound and Vibrations 1: Rubber Band Guitar (grade 1): See how vibrations cause sound waves.
Sound and Vibrations 2: Make Sprinkles Dance (grade 1): See how sound waves cause vibrations.
Perfect Pitches with a Rubber Band Guitar (grades 6-8): Use Google's Science Journal app to explore and quantify the relationship between the frequency and amplitude of sound waves and what we hear. (Learn more about using the Science Journal app for student STEM.)

Put sound science to use:

Block That Noise! (grades 6-8): Once students understand more about sound, challenge them to find ways to block or absorb sound.
Send That Signal! (grade 4): Investigate ways to transmit information so that it can be picked up across a room by a phone using Google's Science Journal app. Using sound is one approach students can try!
Measuring Heart Rate with Your Own Stethoscope (grade 4): Students use what they know about sound to make and test a simple stethoscope to hear someone's heartbeat.