Travelling sound

Travelling sound

Auto-markingPencil and paperOnline interactive
Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Working with Students
Further Resources
This task is about choosing evidence to support a science idea.
ear-md.png

Scientists often start with an idea and then observe carefully to find evidence that their idea might be  right. Danny's group collected some scientists' ideas about sound. They then wrote down some things they knew or had noticed about sound.  In the boxes beside each piece of evidence select the letter of the science idea that it relates to.

Scientists' ideas

A

Sound travels through solids.

B

Sound travels through water.

C

Sound travels through air.

D

Sound cannot travel through a vacuum.

Question

i)  Dolphins call to each other while travelling through the water.

    • A

    • B

    • C

    • D

Question

ii)  We can hear people talking in the room next to us.  (Select two)

    • A

    • B

    • C

    • D

Question

iii)  There is no sound in Space.

    • A

    • B

    • C

    • D

Question

iv)  We can feel the vibrations if a metal pipe is struck by something hard.

    • A

    • B

    • C

    • D

Question

v)  We hear echoes in caves.

    • A

    • B

    • C

    • D

Question

vi)  From a distance we can see an axe hit a piece of wood before we hear the chopping noise.

    • A

    • B

    • C

    • D

Task administration: 

This task can be completed with pencil and paper or online (with auto-marking displayed to students).

This task was trialled as a pen and paper individual assessment. Other approaches could be:

  • to use statements as discussion starters;
  • to work in small groups, justifying choices;
  • to precede the activity with related practical experiences.
Level:
4
Curriculum info: 
Science, Understanding about science, Physical World
Keywords: 
physics concepts, sound, science capabilities, matching
Description of task: 
Task: Match statements about materials that sound travels through, with corresponding science idea. Assessment focus: choosing evidence to support a science idea.
Curriculum Links: 
Science capabilities
The capabilities focus is brought about by the conversations you have and the questions you ask.
 
Capability: Use evidence
This resource provides opportunities to discuss:
  • scientists support their explanations with evidence.
  • the interactions of science knowledge and observation skills in recognising what provides evidence to answer a question.
Science capabilities: 
Use evidence
Making Better Sense: 
Sound
Answers/responses: 
 

Y5 (03/2003)
i) B very easy
ii) A and C -
iii) D moderate
iv) A difficult
v) C difficult
vi) C moderate

 

Diagnostic and formative information: 
  • Looking for evidence to support science ideas is a feature of the Nature of Science strand. For more information about the science capability related to this, go to Use evidence.
  • The last piece of evidence introduces another related idea, that not only does sound travel through air, but it travels more slowly than light.

Overall, this task was very difficult for the students in our trial. Data collected indicated that students were often guessing. However, some interesting trends were identified, and these are useful to consider when using the resource for formative assessment.

The three pieces of evidence that trial students found difficult to link to the appropriate science idea were:

Evidence

Relevant science ideas

Considerations for teaching

We can hear people talking in the room next to us.

Sound travels through solids.
Sound travels through air.

Students were more likely to link to 'sound travels through solids' than 'sound travels through air'. The observation provides evidence for both science ideas.

We hear echoes in caves.

Sound travels through air.

Some students linked to 'sound travels through solids'. Activities that explore that echoes are caused by sound bouncing off a surface, rather than travelling through the material, would be useful for this group.

We can feel the vibrations if a metal pipe is struck by something hard.

Sound travels through solids.

Students can experience feeling the vibrations. They may also be able to talk about similar experiences, e.g., feeling the vibrations from loud music travelling through their chairs.

Approximately one quarter of trial students linked 'we can feel the vibrations if a metal pipe is struck by something hard' to 'sound cannot travel through a vacuum'. Students giving this response may not understand the term 'vacuum', or may think the air space in the middle of a pipe is a vacuum.

  • Ministry of Education (2001). Properties of Sound. Building Science Concepts, Book 19. Wellington: Learning Media.
  • Ministry of Education (1999). Making Better Sense of the Physical World, Sound: Activity 1: Moving Water, Activity 6: Sounds under water.
  • School Journal, 1988, Part 2, Number 4. Sounds in space.
For further ideas about this science capability go to Use evidence.