Year 4 Sound

Knowledge and Understanding

Statutory Requirements

4d1: identify how sounds are made, associating some of them with something vibrating

4d2: recognise that vibrations from sounds travel through a medium to the ear

4d3: find patterns between the pitch of a sound and features of the object that produced it

4d4: find patterns between the volume of a sound and the strength of the vibrations that produced it

4d5: recognise that sounds get fainter as the distance from the sound source increases.

Knowledge and Understanding

Notes and Guidance

Pupils should explore and identify the way sound is made through vibration in a range of different musical instruments from around the world; and find out how the pitch and volume of sounds can be changed in a variety of ways.

Pupils might work scientifically by: finding patterns in the sounds that are made by different objects such as saucepan lids of different sizes or elastic bands of different thicknesses. They might make earmuffs from a variety of different materials to investigate which provides the best insulation against sound. They could make and play their own instruments by using what they have found out about pitch and volume.

Lower KS2 - Working Scientifically

Statutory Requirements

lks2w1: asking relevant questions and using different types of scientific enquiries to answer them

lks2w2: setting up simple practical enquiries, comparative and fair tests

lks2w3: making systematic and careful observations and, where appropriate, taking accurate measurements using standard units, using a range of equipment, including thermometers and data loggers

lks2w4: gathering, recording, classifying and presenting data in a variety of ways to help in answering questions

lks2w5: recording findings using simple scientific language, drawings, labelled diagrams, keys, bar charts, and tables

lks2w6: reporting on findings from enquiries, including oral and written explanations, displays or presentations of results and conclusions

lks2w7: using results to draw simple conclusions, make predictions for new values, suggest improvements and raise further questions

lks2w8: identifying differences, similarities or changes related to simple scientific ideas and processes

lks2w9: using straightforward scientific evidence to answer questions or to support their findings.

Lower KS2 - Working Scientifically

Notes and Guidance

Pupils in years 3 and 4 should be given a range of scientific experiences to enable them to raise their own questions about the world around them. They should start to make their own decisions about the most appropriate type of scientific enquiry they might use to answer questions; recognise when a simple fair test is necessary and help to decide how to set it up; talk about criteria for grouping, sorting and classifying; and use simple keys. They should begin to look for naturally occurring patterns and relationships and decide what data to collect to identify them. They should help to make decisions about what observations to make, how long to make them for and the type of simple equipment that might be used.

They should learn how to use new equipment, such as data loggers, appropriately. They should collect data from their own observations and measurements, using notes, simple tables and standard units, and help to make decisions about how to record and analyse this data. With help, pupils should look for changes, patterns, similarities and differences in their data in order to draw simple conclusions and answer questions. With support, they should identify new questions arising from the data, making predictions for new values within or beyond the data they have collected and finding ways of improving what they have already done. They should also recognise when and how secondary sources might help them to answer questions that cannot be answered through practical investigations. Pupils should use relevant scientific language to discuss their ideas and communicate their findings in ways that are appropriate for different audiences.

These opportunities for working scientifically should be provided across years 3 and 4 so that the expectations in the programme of study can be met by the end of year 4. Pupils are not expected to cover each aspect for every area of study.

How we hear things Worksheet Free!

Outstanding Science Year 4 | Sound | OS4D001

Learning objective

I can explain how sounds are made and how we hear things.

Children learn that sounds are caused by vibrations. They learn that sounds travel from an object, through a medium (usually the air), travel into the ear where they are carried down the ear canal and processed by the brain. Children complete an explanation text explaining how we hear things, by cutting and pasting or writing their own descriptions.

4d1: identify how sounds are made, associating some of them with something vibrating

Sounds are caused by vibrations.

A vibration is a rapid movement back and forth.

We hear sound because sound waves travel through the air to our ear.

The outer ear funnels the sound down the ear canal.

The middle ear contains the hammer, anvil and stirrup bones which vibrate and transmit the sound to the inner ear.

The cochlea in the inner ear creates electrical signals based on the sound.

The signals travel down the auditory nerve to the brain, which experiences the sound.

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Sound insulation Investigation

Outstanding Science Year 4 | Sound | OS4D002

Learning objective

I can investigate how well sound travels through different materials.

Children investigate how effective 5 different materials are at blocking sound. Recognising the difficulty of accurately measuring the loudness of a sound, they make each measurement 3 times and choose the median. Children use their results to create a bar chart and place the materials in order of effectiveness as sound insulators.

4d2: recognise that vibrations from sounds travel through a medium to the ear

A material that is good at blocking sound is called a sound insulator.

Some materials are better sound insulators than others.

It is difficult for a person to measure the loudness of a sound without special equipment.

2 pages

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Investigating pitch Investigation

Outstanding Science Year 4 | Sound | OS4D003

Learning objective

I can place different sounds in order of pitch.

Children learn about the difference between pitch and volume. They carry out an investigation where they place 5 different water containers in order, depending on the pitch made when air is gently blown across the top of each. They attempt to find a pattern and explain their results.

4d3: find patterns between the pitch of a sound and features of the object that produced it

Pitch and volume are independent properties of a sound.

1 page

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Making a string instrument Investigation

Outstanding Science Year 4 | Sound | OS4D004

Learning objective

I can make a tuned string instrument.

Children explore how a string instrument makes a sound. Using an ice cream tub, elastic bands, and Lego blocks, they create their own string instrument. They explore how adding more Lego blocks affects the pitch of each string (band).

4d3: find patterns between the pitch of a sound and features of the object that produced it

Increasing the tension of a string increases the pitch of the sound it produces when plucked.

1 page

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Pitch and volume Investigation

Outstanding Science Year 4 | Sound | OS4D005

Learning objective

I can place sounds in order of pitch and volume.

Children learn that pitch and volume are two different properties of sounds. Children investigate the pitch and volume of the sound made when 5 different balls are dropped. Recognising the difficulty of measuring pitch and volume without equipment, children make 5 measurements and then choose the modal value. Children transfer their results to a scatter graph showing both pitch and volume.

4d4: find patterns between the volume of a sound and the strength of the vibrations that produced it

Sounds can have different combinations of pitch and volume.

The result that appears most often in a set is called the mode.

2 pages

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Investigating volume Investigation

Outstanding Science Year 4 | Sound | OS4D006

Learning objective

I can investigate how to affect the volume of a percussion instrument.

Children investigate how dropping a weight from different heights ont a drum affects the volume of the sound produced. Recognising the difficulty of measuring volume without equipment, children take each measurement 5 times and find the mean. Children create a line graph showing their results and attempt to explain the relationship between the height of the weight and the volume of the sound made.

4d4: find patterns between the volume of a sound and the strength of the vibrations that produced it

The volume of the sound produced by a percussion instrument is affected by how hard it is struck.

The mean is a form of average and can be calculated by dividing the sum of all results in a set by the number of results.

A line graph can be used to show the relationship between two continuous properties.

2 pages

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Sound and distance Investigation

Outstanding Science Year 4 | Sound | OS4D007

Learning objective

I can investigate how distance affects how well we can hear a sound.

Working on the yard or in the school hall, children investigate the maximum distance at which somebody can hear one of 5 body sounds (hand clap, sniff, cough, foot stamp and thigh slap). They place each sound in order of loudness and create a bar chart showing their results. They discuss the difficulty of getting accurate results without measuring equipment and ways of improving the investigation.

4d5: recognise that sounds get fainter as the distance from the sound source increases.

The perceived volume of a sound is affected by its distance.

2 pages

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Distance and volume Investigation

Outstanding Science Year 4 | Sound | OS4D008

Learning objective

I can investigate the relationship between distance and volume.

Working on the school yard, children investigate the height a ball needs to be dropped from in order to be heard at different distances. Children predict and then measure the minimum height required, recording their results in a table. They create a line graph and explore the link between the distance and the miniumum height (and therefore volume) required.