Unit Plan 12 (Grade 4 Science): Sound & Vibrations

Focus: Connect vibrations to sound waves, showing how amplitude and wavelength relate to volume, pitch, and object motion.

Grade Level: 4

Subject Area: Science (Physical Science — Waves & Energy)

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

I. Introduction

Students explore how sound is produced by vibrations and can be modeled as waves with patterns of amplitude (height) and wavelength (spacing). Through hands-on activities with rubber bands, strings, tuning forks, and simple instruments, they observe how changing vibrations affects volume and pitch, and how sound waves can make objects move. Students then create models of sound waves that connect patterns to what they see and hear.

Essential Questions

• How do vibrations create sound, and how does sound travel as a wave?
• What do amplitude and wavelength tell us about the loudness and pitch of a sound?
• How can sound waves cause objects to move, and how can we model this motion?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Explain that sound is caused by vibrating objects and travels as waves through materials (air, solids, liquids).
2. Develop and interpret wave models that show amplitude and wavelength for different sounds.
3. Relate amplitude to volume (loud/soft) and wavelength to pitch (high/low) using examples from investigations.
4. Use simple setups (e.g., drum and rice, tuning fork in water) to show that sound waves can cause objects to move.
5. Create a Sound & Vibrations Model Poster that combines diagrams and explanations linking vibrations, wave patterns, and object motion.

Standards Alignment — 4th Grade (NGSS-Aligned)

• 4-PS4-1 — Develop a model of waves to describe patterns in terms of amplitude and wavelength.
• 4-PS4-2 — Develop a model to describe that waves can cause objects to move.

Success Criteria — Student-Friendly Language

• I can show that sound comes from something that is vibrating.
• I can draw and label a sound wave with amplitude and wavelength.
• I can tell how loudness and pitch relate to wave patterns.
• I can give at least one example of sound waves making an object move and explain it with a model.