Science.2.8.C
The student is expected to
design and build a device using tools and materials that uses sound to solve the problem of communicating over a distance.
Knowledge and Skills Statement
Force, motion, and energy. The student knows that energy is everywhere and can be observed in everyday life.
Demonstrated Proficiency
Present a scenario-based problem about communicating with someone across a large park. Provide students with a set of materials that could be used to design and build a device that uses sound to communicate over distances. Allow students time to individually brainstorm ways to make sounds that could be heard at a distance. Have students share their ideas with group members and come up with a group plan to complete the task. Examples of devices students might build could include a string/tin can telephone or drums made with a balloon stretched over a coffee tub. Students should be responsible for designing and building these devices. It is more important that students engage in the engineering design process than it is to have a device that meets every design criteria. Students should engage in conversations about what worked and what did not work as well as what they might do to improve their devices. Students are successful at this standard if they engage in the engineering design process and demonstrate that they understand that there are multiple ways to make sound carry over long distances effectively.
Further Explanation
Students should build a communication device for an intended purpose. It can be used for one-way or two-way communication. Distance can be relative dependent on the purpose of the communication. This is an opportunity for students to experience the engineering design process.
Supporting Information
Research
Ansberry, Karen, and Emily Morgan. “Teaching through Trade Books: Imaginative Inventions.” Science and Children 43, no. 8 (2006): 12–14. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43173986.
Summary: In this article, the author explains the importance of inventions in meeting human needs and solving problems. These can be either new inventions or improvements to existing designs. This article gives ideas for children's books that can be used to introduce the concept of inventing new ideas to students and the process involved in creating them. Students should identify a problem they want their invention to solve and start by drawing their ideas. Students can use common household or classroom items to create or improve inventions. These inventions should be tested after creation to see if their design meets the need or solves the problem they were trying to solve and if changes can be made.