Sound & Light Unit

This unit was designed to enhance our preexisting Foss based program and the 

Michigan Curriculum by incorporating technology into the classroom.  The lessons 
provided the students with an opportunity to use scientific thinking processes by 
conducting investigations and building explanations, observing, communicating, 
comparing, and organizing their new findings.  Students discovered that sound 
originates from a vibrating source; that individual sounds can be discriminated 
and matched; that sound is energy that can travel through solids, liquids, and 
gases; that the pitch of a sound is related to physical properties of the sound 
source; and more. Technology integration aided in the students' ability to create 
graphic organizers, reading and writing, research on the internet, 
and integrating a variety of technology software and hardware into the curriculum.  

Lesson One:  Sounds All Around

The students created a web displaying all of the sounds that they heard on the 
school playground using Kidspiration software. This lesson aided in the student 
discovery that sound sources can be found anywhere.  In order to capture the 
sound sources the students took pictures with the digital cameras. 

Lesson Two:  The Detroit Science Center Presentation

On October 1, 2004, the students visited The Detroit Science Center where they
attended the sound lab, as well as the sound exhibits.  In order to prepare the
students for the fieldtrip, earlier that week they viewed a PowerPoint
presentation that described the different exhibits.

Upon their return they created a classroom PowerPoint presentation describing
their new knowledge.  They inserted digital pictures of themselves into a
PowerPoint slide and described the picture in 2-3 sentences.  The students also
had the option to insert clipart as well as audio onto their slides.  The creation of
a PowerPoint presentation introduced the students to sharing information
electronically.  They learned how to cue the file and shared their final product
with the principal and their parents.

 Lesson Three:  The Detroit Science Center Compositions

Upon returning from The Detroit Science Center, the children were invited to
take a few moments and write about their experiences.  Upon completion of their
written documentation, the students utilized Microsoft Word in order to edit and
revise their piece.  This software allowed the students to revise by deleting
unwanted text, moving text to new places, and including more descriptive words
through the use of the thesaurus.  The software also aided in the editing process
by using the spelling and grammar check.  This lesson concluded with  the students
publishing their piece.  By utilizing Microsoft Word, the students discovered
another method for bringing writing samples to publication, but also reflected
deeper about what they learned at the science center.

Lesson Four:  Our World Without the Sun a WebQuest

The purpose of the WebQuest was for the students to work in cooperative groups
in order to solve a problem.  The students became scientists from within different
fields to discover why the Sun is so important to their lives on Earth.  The
different scientists included botanists, family doctors, meteorologists, and
zoologists.  The students thoroughly examined the Sun’s importance through the
use of the scientific method and a variety internet resources.  Upon the conclusion
of the WebQuest, the students participated in the Sun Summit and shared all
that was learned about the importance of the Sun from the different scientists
point of view.

Lesson Five:  Stretching Shadows

 In order to teach the concept that as the Earth rotates, our shadows change, the
students measured their own shadows over the course of one day.  With a partner
the students measured the length of their shadows and completed a chart
numerous times during the day.  Then they created a graph using Microsoft Excel
to display the changes.  This lesson allowed the visual learners to see a depiction
of how their shadows changed.  It also fostered both data collection and  cooperative learning skills.