New
New
Lesson 10 of 12
New
New
- Year 4
Higher and lower sounds
I can identify high and low pitched sounds.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Pitch and volume are different things.
- Pitch describes how high or low a sound is.
- Amusia, or tone deafness, is the inability to detect pitch, and only affects around 4% of the population.
- Sound is made when an object vibrates. Different objects produce different pitch sounds when they vibrate.
- Some objects vibrate to produce more than one pitched sound.
Keywords
Sound - We hear sound with our ears.
Pitch - Pitch is a measure of how high or how low a sound is.
Detect - To detect something is to find it or discover that it is present.
Vibrations - Vibrations are when an object moves very fast from side to side.
Common misconception
Children may think that the volume of sound and the pitch of sound is the same thing, or that high sounds are loud and low sounds are quiet.
It is important to expose children to a wide range of high and low pitched sounds. Continue to make the distinction between volume and pitch throughout the lesson.
Use a shatterproof plastic ruler for the final P task, but make sure it has some flexibility. You could video the ruler in slow motion to observe the vibrations.
Teacher tip
Equipment
Reusable plastic bottle and glass bottle (of similar sizes), 30 cm ruler made of quite flexible plastic.
Content guidance
- Exploration of objects
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.How does sound travel?
How does sound travel?
in waves only to the listener
in dotted lines from the sound source to the ear
in zigzag lines in all directions
Q2.What is a vibration?
What is a vibration?
a type of sound produced by an object
a way to measure sound
Q3.How do we hear sounds?
How do we hear sounds?
Sounds travel to our ears like a vibrating laser beam.
Our ears vibrate and the vibrations travel to the object which makes a sound.
Q4.A medium can be a solid, liquid or a ...
A medium can be a solid, liquid or a ...
Q5.Starting with a crowd at a stadium, put these sounds in order of loudest volume to quietest volume.
Starting with a crowd at a stadium, put these sounds in order of loudest volume to quietest volume.
Q6.What do we use to measure how loud or quiet a sound is?
What do we use to measure how loud or quiet a sound is?
a ruler
a model of an ear
a thermometer
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Pitch describes how high or a sound is.
Pitch describes how high or a sound is.
Q2.Which statement about sounds do you agree with.
Which statement about sounds do you agree with.
Pitch and volume are the same thing.
High volume sounds have a high pitch.
Low volume sounds have a low pitch.
Q3.Which of the following produces a high pitched sound?
Which of the following produces a high pitched sound?
thunder
lightning
a lion roaring
Q4.Sounds are made when an object ...
Sounds are made when an object ...
Q5.What is the name given to someone who can not detect the pitch of sounds.
What is the name given to someone who can not detect the pitch of sounds.
pitchia
pitch blindness
a musical
Q6.Which statements about vibrations and pitch are true?
Which statements about vibrations and pitch are true?
Different objects produce the same pitch sounds when they vibrate.
All objects can only produce one pitch sound when they vibrate.
