Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program

TITLE: THE SCIENCE OF SOUND MUSIC/SCIENCE INTEGRATION LESSON FOR

6TH GRADE
Author: Rebecca Penerosa
Year: 2015
Artform: Music
Grade: 6th
Duration: 45 minute lesson (or two
30 minutes with extension plan)

OVERVIEW

This is a music/science integration lesson for 6th grade in which the

students will learn about the science of sound. Sound waves are
what we all hear and they move at various speeds producing
different pitches and timbres. In this lesson, students will create a
rondo with homemade water glass pentatonic scales. They will also
work in small groups to experiment with creating a homemade
record player to produce sound waves from a few small household
items.

Integrated Arts Lesson

Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program

SUPPLIES, EQUIPMENT
AND RESOURCES
Book: The Science of Sound Projects and experiments with
music and sound waves, Steve
Parker.
ISBN 13: 978-0-486-49263-6
10-15 Records (LPs) that may be
scratched
10-15 thin pins (sewing pins)
10-15 rolls of tape
10-15 pencils
10-15 pieces of paper
6 glasses full of water pitched to
the pentatonic scale including
high "do".
(May choose to also include a set
for each team pair in the
classroom)

FINE ART STANDARDS

Standard 2 :
Playing The student will play
instruments as a means of
musical expression.
Objective 1
Discover and demonstrate
sounds on simple instruments of
the classroom and various
cultures.
a. Demonstrate various tone
colors and effects of simple
instruments.
Standard 3:
Creating The student will create
music through improvising,
arranging, and composing.
Objective 1
Create original music and add
expression and style to existing
music.
a. Improvise simple rhythm
and/or melody patterns to echo
back and forth and manipulate
in a variety of ways to create
various styles, first with the
voice and then with found
sounds or instruments.

INTEGRATED STANDARDS
Standard 6
Students will understand
properties and behavior of heat,
light, and sound.
Objective 3
Describe the production of
sound in terms of vibration of
objects that create vibrations in
other materials.
Integrated Arts Lesson

Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program

a. Describe how sound is

made from vibration and moves
in all directions from the source
in waves.
b. Explain the relationship of
the size and shape of a vibrating
object to the pitch of the sound
produced.
c.
Relate the volume of a
sound to the amount of energy
used to create the vibration of
the object producing the sound.
d. Make a musical instrument
and report on how it produces
sound.

OBJECTIVES
Students will learn the basic principles of acoustics including the
elements of sound waves. They will also be able to create sound
waves and describe why there are different pitches and timbres
produced.
Students will be able to produce spoken rhythm patterns and layer
them to make polyrhythms. They will then be able to create a rondo
with a self-composed melody on pentatonic water glasses.
Students will be able to complete a scientific experiment with the
goal of producing sound waves from a record (LP) given a few
household items (pencil, pin, tape, and piece of paper).

TEACHING AND TIMELINE

INTRODUCTION
Show the class the bottles of water. Hypothesize with your students
about why the sound is different. What changes the pitch? How does
the sound move? Do you see the water move?
DEMONSTRATION
Use the text to read facts about sound waves. Teach each of the
following lines one at a time. Layer them adding, two parts, then
three, and finally four. Keep groups divided. Depending on the skill of
the class, mix students into groups of 4 where each person in the
group has his/her own part and repeat. Create a rondo with these
Integrated Arts Lesson

Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program

chants and a solo on the pitched glass bottles. Allow the student to
compose a short 4 or 8 beat melody. If you have more than one set of
glass bottles, allow for two or more solos, or create a small ensemble.
Science of sound is acoustics: tiri-ti, ti-tiri, ta,ta
These are the soundwaves: ta, titi, titi, rest
Atoms, Molecules: rest, titi, rest, tiri-ti (or tripolet depending on skill of
class)
We cannot see them, sometimes we can feel them: ti-tiri, titi, tiritiri,
titi
WORK PERIOD
Using the Scientific Method explained during 6th grade core science
class time, complete the science worksheet answering this question:
How can we produce soundwaves off of a record (LP) given these
items; a pencil, a pin, a roll of tape, and one piece of paper.
Allow the students to hypothesize and record their hyphotheses.
Give the students approximately 5-10 minutes to carry out the first
hypotheses. If time permits, allow them to create another hypohteses
and test this theory. Record the information on the worksheet
including the results and conclusion.
If there was a successful group or more than one successful group.
Have them instruct the class on the proper way to attain sound waves
from the record. If no group was successful, demonstrate for the
class the correct way to produce sound. It may be that the groups will
need additional supplies if the first supplies are no longer useable.
Here are the steps towards making the homemade record player:
Tape the pin on the very center edge of your paper with the needle
sticking out.
Roll the paper to make a cone shape with the needle portion at the
smallest point of the cone.
Use the tape roll to steady the record.
Place the pencil in the small hole in the middle of the record to rotate it
as smoothly as possible.
Lightly drag the needle across the record with the large side of the
cone facing outward.
Listen for the sound!
CLOSURE/SUMMARY

Review with your students the elements of acoustics and sound

waves. Review the successes and challenges of the science
Integrated Arts Lesson

Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program

experiment. Perform one last time a short rendition of the rondo to
help students practice layering the sound and remembering the
information.

INTEGRATION INFORMATION
This science lesson lends itself easily to music because it is
essentially about that very subject. All music is sound and there are
reasons behind why sound waves appear the way they do to us
aurally. This lesson serves both the music curriculum and the
science curriculum of 6th grade in an exciting and cooperative way.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

What is the science of sound?

How are sound waves made and
how do they travel?
Can humans hear all sound?
What makes different pitches in
music?
What are polyrhythms?
How can I create a rondo?

DIFFERENTIATION
Be sure to place students with
special needs with students who
will be helpful, compassionate,
and who have a strong work
ethic.
Accomodations may be made
with a wrist strap for the wooden
handle that is to be used to play
the glass bottles.
If the need presents itself, use
assistive technology that may
help the student in completing
the science worksheet.
http://www.iser.com/specialneeds-software.html

Integrated Arts Lesson

Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program

HISTORICAL ELEMENT
Pg. 16 of text: 1880 patented
device to help ships' captains
decipher the direction of a ship's
horn in thick fog.
There is rich history in flight
advancements towards traveling
faster than sound waves - being
supersonic. 1947 Chuck Yeager
was the first person to fly a
plane supersonic. It was the Bell
X-1 plane.

VOCABULARY
Acoustics
Atoms
Molecules
Sound waves
Vibrations
Pitch
Supersonic
Timbre
Polyrhythm
Rondo

ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES
Aurally assess students during
the rondo to hear if they are
accurate in their rhythms. If time
permits, have each student recite
their part for the class. Mixing
the class is also a great way to
see if students can keep their
part while another student is
performing a different rhythm
next to them.
Allow students to compose short
pentatonic melodies on the
glasses. Assess if the melodies
fit into 4 or 8 beats as instructed.
Mark on the grading sheet to
keep track and allow other
students throughout the course
of the year to compose so that
you might moniter the entire
class.
Review the experiment sheets
and final product of the
homemade record player. Have
students peer assess their
teammate with verbal or written
questions concerning their input.

Integrated Arts Lesson

Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program

OTHER INFORMATION

Online Resources:
http://www.sciencemadesimple.co.uk/activity-blogs/sound
http://www.dosits.org/science/sciencesummary/
Youtube clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ovMh2A3P5k
Created by: Rebecca Penerosa for BTSALP Professional Development
9/11/15

Integrated Arts Lesson