Investigation 1: Dropping In

Day 1PHYSICS OF SOUND

I can use adjectives to describe properties of sounds.

I can identify objects by the sounds they make.

I can discriminate sounds by their characteristics.

I can complete analogies using vocabulary words.

OBJECTIVES

Close your eyes and listen carefully. (teacher drops object)

What object made the sound? How do you know?

LISTEN

Objects have many properties or characteristics.One property is the sound it makes when it hits a

surface.What other objects make a distinctive (unique)

sound when it hits a hard surface?

This property is not the same as the property you own!

SOUND IS A PROPERTY

You will be investigating the sounds that objects make when they are dropped onto the desk surface. You will be dropping them in a chamber (container) so they don’t bounce all over.

Assemble the drop chamber: Make the rectangle into a cylinder using fasteners. Slide the vision barrier on top of the chamber. Put the chamber on a stable desk. Two students will be on each

side of the chamber.

WAIT!

DROP CHAMBER

Split your group into two teams.

The GETTER will get One drop chamber One vision barrier Three fasteners

Go! Assemble your drop chambers.

DROP CHAMBER

All-quiet signal

Your first challenge is to become familiar with the sounds made by each of the objects in the set.

How to drop: Remove the objects from their bag. Drop one object into the drop chamber and listen. Retrieve the object and put it back in the bag.

GETTERS get two bags of drop objects.You have 3-4 minutes to explore the sound made by

each object when it drops.

OBJECTS AND SOUNDS

The rules: One team selects an object and drops it into the drop

chamber. Do not let the other team see the object! The other team tries to identify the object by its sound. Do

not say what you think it is! They find the matching object in their set and respond by dropping it into the chamber.

The teams will say if the objects made the same sound. They lift the chamber, compare, and put the objects back.

The teams change roles and play again. 5-10 minutes.

DROP CHALLENGE

Tell one or two properties of the sounds of each drop object.

List properties:

PROPERTIES OF SOUND

SOUND DISCRIMINATION

Which sounds were the easiest to discriminate?

Which sounds were the hardest to discriminate?

Carefully take the chambers apart.Make sure all of the drop objects are back in their

bags.GETTERS return the materials.

DISASSEMBLE THE DROP CHAMBER

I can use adjectives to describe properties of sounds.

I can identify objects by the sounds they make.

I can discriminate sounds by their characteristics.

I can complete analogies using vocabulary words.

OBJECTIVES

SOURCE

RECEIVER

CODE

Analogies

On is to off as black is to white.

Little is to small and big is to large.

VOCABULARY PRACTICE