Starter quiz
- Which of the following is a solid?
wood ✓
water
oil
- Which of the following are examples of a gas?
air ✓
water vapour ✓
plastic
- Which of the following are examples of a liquid?
- apple juice ✓
- milk ✓
- rain ✓
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- How are sounds made?
- When an object vibrates ✓
- When an object stays still
- Only by a musical instrument
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What part of the body do we use to hear with?- 'ears' ✓
- Which of the following ways can we make a sound?
- standing still
- tapping something ✓
- speaking ✓
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Exit quiz
- Match the medium to the example.
- solid⇔paper for drawing ✓
- liquid⇔oil for cooking ✓
- gas⇔helium for a balloon ✓
- Our eardrums ______ to allow us to hear sounds.
- 'vibrate' ✓
- Vibrations create sound waves which travel to our ears. How can we explain what sound waves are to other people?
- we can see sound waves in the air.
- we can feel sound waves in the air.
- we can draw a diagram of sound waves in the air. ✓
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Why can sound not be heard in outer space?- There is no air in outer space for sound waves to travel through. ✓
- It's too far away for sounds to travel.
- An astronaut's helmet blocks out the sound waves.
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- How do we know vibrations exist if we can't see them?
- We can sometimes taste the vibrations.
- We can sometimes feel the vibrations. ✓
- We can sometimes see their effect on something. ✓
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- How do sounds travel through different mediums?
- Sounds travel in dotted lines.
- Sounds travel on clouds.
- Sounds travel in sound waves. ✓
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Worksheet
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Presentation
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Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Sounds are heard when vibrations travel from the object through a medium to our ear.
- Vibrations create sound waves which are not visible in the air, but we can use diagrams to show how they travel.
- A medium can be a solid, a liquid, or a gas, such as a wall, water, or the air.
- Sound cannot be heard in outer space as there is no air, therefore no medium for sound to travel through.
Common misconception
Children may think that sound travels only to the person that hear it, directly from the sound source to their ear.
Ensure opportunities for children to draw diagrams of how they think sound travels, and then revisit the diagrams to make improvements or amendments with further learning.
Keywords
Vibrations - Vibrations are when an object moves very fast from side to side.
Medium - Vibrations need a medium to travel, such as a solid, liquid or gas.
Diagram - A diagram is a simplified drawing of information.
Sound waves - Vibrations travel in sound waves which spread out in all directions.
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