Materials are the things that objects are made from such as wood, metal or plastic.

A sound insulator does not allow sound to pass through it easily.

The volume of a sound is how loud or quiet the sound is.

Sound insulation

Science

How sounds are made

How vibrations travel

Vibrations and solid materials

Louder and quieter sounds

Measuring the volume of sounds

Noise pollution (non-statutory Climate Change & Sustainability)

Distance from sounds: plan

Distance from sounds: do and review

Higher and lower sounds

Changing the pitch of sounds

Musical instruments and pitch

In this Introduction to sound unit, pupils learn that sounds are made by vibrations and that vibrations travel through a medium to the ear. In the Sound, light and vision unit, they will build on this knowledge to learn more about how sound waves travel through different types of medium and are absorbed and reflected.

Pupils will draw upon exploration of making and listening to different sounds in EYFS and their own everyday experiences. In this Introduction to sound unit, pupils will build on this knowledge to identify how sounds are made, associating some of them with something vibrating

This unit explores how sounds are made through vibrations, how they travel through mediums, and how pitch and volume relate to vibration strength. It also covers why sounds get fainter with distance. The emphasis is on practical enquiries, observations, and using results to draw conclusions.

Introduction to sound

Physical activity and equipment requiring safe use

Use of equipment that may require supervision for safety, e.g. scissors in KS1, needles, paint, knives, cooking.

Activity that requires collection of items from an area (room, building).

Some materials do not let sound pass through them easily. That's because they ...

Materials that are good at absorbing sounds are called sound {{}}.

How do scientists find out if a material is a good sound insulator?

you can hold them better to shout into them.

they have air spaces so sound cannot pass through them as easily.

Sound insulators are often soft materials. This is because ...

Who might use their knowledge of sound to design rooms and buildings to reduce the volume of sounds?

Put these materials in order from the best sound insulator to the worst sound insulator.

Sound needs to travel through a {{}} in order to be heard.

What vibrates when we hear someone playing a piano?

You cannot hear sounds in outer space because ...

You use a sound sensor inside a __________ to measure the volume of sounds accurately.

how you make an object vibrate to make a sound.

Sound insulation

Lesson outcome

Content guidance