Blog 6

Think, Think, Think Blog Jennifer Giambrone University of South Florida EDE 4301 February 11, 2014

Blog 6 Think Think Think Focusing on Big Ideas to Frame Essential Questions 1. What is my content and full standard? The standard for this unit plan is: SC.K.P.10.1, which is observe that things that make sounds vibrate. This is a big idea in Physical Science. All sounds are caused by vibrations. A vibration is a fast back and forth motion. When there is no movement, there is no sound to be heard. Sound is a form of energy. Energy, meaning an action taking place, is needed to make a sound, such as striking a drum or blowing a flute. Vibrations make sound waves that are sent in all directions. Vibrations can also cause other things to vibrate, if they are close enough.

2. Answer one of the following questions: So what if I never learned _____ (whats the impact of not knowing your unit)? If my unit on ______ were a story, what would the moral of the story be?

So what if I never learned sound comes from vibration? Students wouldnt have the conceptual understanding of movement contributing to the sounds they hear. All sounds emitted are a by-product of the rate of vibration. Students would believe that sound just occurs and is not a process. The varying amounts of each of these put together, form various shapes or energies which determine form, or rates of vibration. It is due to the rate of vibration that people are able to pick up audible cues. Without the movement of atomic particles, there would be not sound for people to hear. For instance the sound a guitar makes as it is being strummed comes from the vibration of the strings against the guitar structure. The guitar does not just produce the music. An action must be taken to ignite vibrations which cause the melody to be heard by listeners. To provide a real world example of the importance of vibrations in relation to sounds are for people who are hard of hearing rely on the vibrations to know when someone is talking, sounds in the environment, and when music is playing. Some animals, such as bats, depend solely on sound vibrations to hunt their food. This is a process called sonar. A sounds vibration ricochets off surfaces and disburses in waves. Bats feel the vibrations from the waves and know there are creatures in the direction where the vibration waves originated. 3. If this is why its important to really understand your content, which of the six facets of understanding do you believe are appropriate for your unit? (Typically, teachers identify 2-4 facets.) Given that this is a difficult standard to teach verbally, I believe that apply would be the most appropriate facet for my unit. Students will be applying the scientific principles of sound being the result of vibration by working kinesthetically with different musical

Blog 6 instruments and materials. The drum, in stance, could model the frequency or amount of moving atomic particles that are causing the vibrations which produce the sound. The teacher could have students model different sound frequencies based on the action performed on the drum (meaning how hard or gently the drum is struck). Students can apply the acquired information to the lives of animals and people (as mentioned in question 1).

An interesting comprehension activity for this standard would be to ask the students to talk without causes a vibrational wave. The students will undoubtedly try to talk softly to avoid this. When in fact, producing any type of sound is a result of vocal chord vibrations. As the teacher, it would be ideal for the students to apply their newly acquired knowledge to their background knowledge on this subject and respond that it was impossible to complete the task the teacher asked of them.

4. Based on the facets you have chosen, what are the essential questions your students will be able to answer at the end of the unit? At the end of the unit, my students will be able to answer the following essential questions: How do things move? How does movement create sound?

5. Put yourself in the shoes of students in your class. Craft 4-5 answers you would expect the children to give for each of your questions. (Use more paper if you need it.) How do things move? A1: You can push it. A2: You can pull it. A3: They can go to the front. A4:They can go to the side. A5: They can go the back. A6: They can go to the other side. A7: They can turn around. How does movement create sound? A1: vibrations A2: When you it something, it moves it and makes a sound. A3:Sometimes my daddy gets really mad and slams his drink down on the table. It makes a really loud noise and scares me sometimes. A4: When I am playing with my toys, mommy tells me to be quiet, because the baby is sleeping. I think thats silly because not all my toys make sounds. I think mommy means she wants me to be careful and not drop them so they dont hit to floor hard and make a sound. A5: Things move and hit each other. When they come together, theres a sound. Kind of like when you clap your hands. *claps*

Blog 6

Application Question: What do you think will happen if I pluck the rubber band thats on the cup? A1: You pulled the rubber band back. A2: Yes, it would make a pop sound. A3: The cup would move when the rubber band hit it. A4: Its going to hurt. A5: I think if you pull the rubber band really far back, then it will make a really loud sound and make the whole cup move. 6. Now step back and look for patterns or themes embedded in those answers your crafted. If they give these answers to your essential questions, what are the understandings they are demonstrating? For examples of how things move, the answers illustrate that they understand that movement can be widespread in any direction. This is the premise of understanding the sound waves being distributed in an area. Unlike light, it does not only go in one direction. Sound expands and can be heard in any directions of the point of origin. As long as the sound waves are strong enough, the noise will be heard. With further prompting, I believe the students would be able to make the connections when this principle while working kinesthetically with the activities during the unit plan. I believe the second essential questions will be more difficult for the students to grasp. They will have seen and practiced scenarios where the impact of atomic particles on a surface causes vibrations and subsequent noises. If those were actually responses from the students in my class, I would be eager to prompt the student referring to playing with toys into a deeper thought process. By doing this, I will be fostering assimilation between his or her prior knowledge and their recently acquired knowledge. The ideal result would be the student makes the connection between playing with his or her toys without dropping them and how vibrations can produce sounds.