I am super excited to announce that my second playful science unit, Hear the Wind, is now available on Teachers Pay Teachers. These units have been really fun to do with my own kids! I base them on the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) produced by the National Science Teacher's Association. All the units use materials that are easily accessible to the average teacher. No expensive equipment required!
The main physics principle that I hope teachers and students will grasp from this unit is the connection between physical movement and sound. Sound waves are classified as physical waves, though that term is not used in the early grades.
Hear the Wind starts with a fun demonstration experiment that uses sprinkles and standard computer speakers.
Sprinkles Demonstration
Hear the Wind starts with a fun demonstration experiment that uses sprinkles and standard computer speakers.
This activity ties in with a study of grammar. My own kids spent most of a Saturday morning playing with the set up.
Pin wheel project
I was nervous about this one. The standards dictated that students should be able to do this type of project independently, but I wasn't sure. I should not have worried, my first grader was able to do the modified version without any help and guided his sister as well.
My children used the template to make their pin wheels, but more advanced students could be challenged to follow written directions.
The templates for this project are my current TPT freeby.
Wind Instruments
The major project for this unit requires the students to develop an instrument that can be played by the wind, and write directions for their instrument.
Readers of this blog will not be surprised that we raided our recycle bin for supplies!
One of my children chose to use metal brads and containers from the recycling bin to make a maraca-like instrument. He got some excellent practice in revising his design as he discovered that metal cans were too heavy, and that the instrument needed to hot something else in order to sound.
My other child used a glass bottle for her instrument. Googly eyes are critical, although not part of the prototype.
When they were finished, they recorded directions and used their instruments to signal each other without seeing one another.
This unit also includes a chart to help teachers quickly reference which science, language and math objectives are being covered, printable for the activities, and a PowerPoint that gives a simple explanation of sound and hearing. Again, the key concept is that sound is a result of physical movement. This is in contrast to vision which depends on electromagnetic waves. More important than any particular science fact are the skills of inquiry and engineering that the students build. As a bonus, science fuels interest in language and math.
I have been excited by the positive response from followers and newsletter subscribers who took advantage of the freeby week. Normally, these units sell for $3, but just for this week, Hear the Wind is on sale for $1.50. Or, you can try just the pinwheel project for free.
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I can't wait to hear what you have to say! Thanks for sharing.