Unit Plan 11 (Grade 4 Science): Waves Cause Motion

Focus: Demonstrate how waves can cause objects to move, using models with water, rope/slinky, and sound vibrations.

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 investigate how waves cause motion in objects they touch or travel through. Through hands-on stations with water waves, ropes/slinkies, and sound vibrations, they observe objects bobbing, bouncing, or shifting position. Students then create models and diagrams that show how a wave travels and how it can transfer motion to objects without permanently transporting the material itself.

Essential Questions

• How can waves make objects move in water, along a rope, or through air?
• What is the relationship between a wave and the motion of objects it interacts with?
• How can we use models to explain and communicate how waves cause motion?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Describe a wave as a repeating pattern that can travel through materials (water, rope, air).
2. Observe and record how objects move when a wave passes by (e.g., bobbing, bouncing, shifting).
3. Use water trays, ropes/slinkies, or sound vibration setups to model how waves cause motion.
4. Draw and label wave-motion models showing the wave, the medium, and the moving object.
5. Create a short Wave Causes Motion Explanation that uses evidence from at least two investigations.

Standards Alignment — 4th Grade (NGSS-Aligned)

• 4-PS4-2 — Develop a model to describe that waves can cause objects to move.

Success Criteria — Student-Friendly Language

• I can show how a wave moves through water, rope, or air.
• I can observe and describe how an object moves when a wave passes it.
• I can draw a model that shows both the wave and the moving object.
• I can explain, in my own words, how waves cause motion using evidence from my investigations.