Unit Plan 34 (Grade 1 Science): Patterns in Light, Sound & Motion

Focus: Revisit how patterns help us predict outcomes by using evidence from sound vibrations, light and shadows, and sky observations to explain “what happens and why.”

Grade Level: 1

Subject Area: Science (Physical Science • Earth & Space Science • Engineering/Inquiry Skills)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 45–60 minutes per session

I. Introduction

Students return to three big Grade 1 ideas—sound, light, and the sky—to practice noticing patterns, collecting evidence, and making simple predictions. They investigate how vibrations create sound (and sound can cause vibrations), how objects can be seen only with light, and how different materials change what happens to a beam of light. Then, students connect these ideas to predictable patterns in the sun, moon, and stars and create a final “Patterns Book” that explains patterns with pictures, data, and kid-friendly reasoning.

Essential Questions

• How do patterns help us predict what will happen in nature?
• What evidence shows that vibrations make sound and that sound can make things vibrate?
• How does light help us see, and how do materials change what happens to light?
• What patterns can we observe in the sun, moon, and stars that repeat over time?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Identify and describe a pattern from investigations (repeating, predictable change) and make a simple prediction using that pattern.
2. Plan and conduct a simple sound investigation to collect evidence that vibrating materials make sound and that sound can make materials vibrate (1-PS4-1).
3. Make observations to show that objects can be seen only when illuminated and explain this idea using an example (1-PS4-2).
4. Test different materials in the path of a beam of light and describe the effects (more/less light through, reflection, shadow change) (1-PS4-3).
5. Use observations of the sun, moon, and stars to describe predictable patterns and communicate an evidence-based explanation with drawings and labels (1-ESS1-1).

Standards Alignment — Grade 1 (NGSS-Aligned)

• 1-PS4-1 — Plan and conduct investigations to provide evidence that vibrating materials can make sound and that sound can make materials vibrate.
  • Example: Use a ruler “twang,” a rubber band guitar, or a drum to observe vibration → sound and sound → vibration (rice on a drum).
• 1-PS4-2 — Make observations to construct an evidence-based account that objects can be seen only when illuminated.
  • Example: Compare seeing objects in bright light vs. dim light; use a flashlight test.
• 1-PS4-3 — Plan and conduct an investigation to determine the effect of placing objects made with different materials in the path of a beam of light.
  • Example: Test transparent, translucent, and opaque objects; observe shadows and brightness.
• 1-ESS1-1 — Use observations of the sun, moon, and stars to describe patterns that can be predicted.
  • Example: Track sun position/shadows; observe moon shape changes over days; notice star patterns stay in the same “groups.”

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can find a pattern and use it to make a prediction.
• I can show with evidence that vibrations make sound and sound can make things vibrate.
• I can explain that we can see objects only when there is light on them.
• I can test materials and describe what happens to a beam of light (passes through, blocks, or changes).
• I can describe patterns in the sun, moon, and stars using drawings and labels.