Year 4 - Sound

This Year 4 science unit transforms your class into curious sound investigators through hands-on, outdoor experiments. From exploring vibrations and pitch to testing how sound travels and fades, each lesson blends active discovery with creative activities, making complex science concepts unforgettable.

Lesson Plans

Identifying how sounds are made

Explore the fascinating world of sound, helping children discover that all sounds are made by vibrations through hands-on investigations. With four interactive stations, students will actively observe, hear, and feel vibrations making learning both memorable and exciting.

Learning objective:

To identify that sounds are made by vibrations.

Recognising how sound travels

Uncover the secrets of sound travel with this engaging Year 4 science lesson, where students will investigate how vibrations move through different materials to the ear. Through hands-on experiments making string telephones with various mediums, your class will actively explore the fascinating journey of sound, culminating in a creative chalk diagram of the ear to solidify their understanding.

Learning objective:

To recognise that sound travels through a medium to the ear.

Understanding how pitch is changed

Unlock the secrets of sound and pitch with this hands-on Year 4 science lesson, where your class will investigate how to change the pitch of sounds using everyday objects. Through exciting experiments and pattern-seeking activities, your class will discover the fascinating relationship between vibrations and pitch, culminating in a creative chalk diagram to showcase their learning.

Learning objective:

To understand how pitch is changed.

Understanding how volume changes

Engage your Year 4 class in an exciting exploration of sound volume with this hands-on science lesson, where they’ll discover the direct link between vibration strength and loudness. Through building their own sound shakers and comparative testing, students will actively investigate and present their findings, solidifying their understanding of how vibrations create the sounds we hear.

Learning objective:

To understand how the strength of vibrations affects volume.

Recognising how sound changes over distance

Turn your Year 4 class into sound detectives with this exciting lesson, as they investigate why sounds get fainter the further away you are from the source. Through hands-on experiments on the playground, students will gather evidence to present their findings!

Learning objective:

To recognise how sound changes with distance from the source.

Before you get started

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