CURRPD Science Unit/Lesson Planner

Topic: Tin Can Telephones Context: Sound

Year/s: 3/4 Level/s: 1/2 Duration: 19 minutes

Science Concept(s) Contextual Strands (Knowledge/Understanding)

Physical World
Achievement Objective(s): Level: 1/2
Sound travels as a wave, producing vibration.

Physical World – Physical inquiry and physics concepts

Nature of Science
Exploring simple models to extend experiences and explanations. Students will: Explore everyday examples of physical phenomena, such as movement, forces, electricity and magnetism, light,
sound, waves, and heat.

Nature of Science Strand (Overarching strand)

Achievement Objective(s): Level: 1/2
Key Competencies Investigating in science
Thinking Extend their experiences and personal explanations of the natural world through exploration, play, asking questions, and
Completing these activities and discussions with their discussing simple models.
teacher and peers will enable students to think about and
reflect on their learning experiences with how sound travels
so they are able to move towards more scientific ideas.
Values
Innovation, inquiry, and curiosity
The activities in this lesson provide students with
opportunities to explore how sound travels with practical
means. They are able to explore their curiosity around how
it works, and what may prevent sound from travelling. This
will promote student’s curiosity about science concepts in
everyday life.
Digital tools
Resources/Reminders
- https://science.howstuffworks.com/question4
- Tin can telephone (empty tin cans with holes in 10.htm
the bottom and string) - BSC 18: Exploring Sound (Activity 1, pp. 11)
- Spare string - BSC 18: Exploring Sound (Activity 2, pp. 12)
- “19th Century Tin Can Telephone” picture - “Science A-Z Experiments: String
Telephones” pdf file (https://www.sciencea-
z.com/main/UnitResource/unit/4/physical-
science/grades-3-4/sound)

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 Learning Intentions or Intended Learning
Outcomes
(What should the students achieve?)
Identify how sound travels through the air by
vibrating.
Explain how sound travels from one tin can to the
other as vibrations along the string.
Explain the connection between the size of the
vibration and the volume of the sound.
Predict and demonstrate ways that prevent the
sound from travelling along the string.
Learning Experiences
(What are the students to do?)
1. Assessing prior knowledge and setting the scene: Provide
students with the “19th Century Tin Can Telephone” picture.
Ask: “How do you think the sound travels from Person B to
Person A?”
So sound travels, let’s explore how it travels.
Consider how I could set the scene better or introduce the
content/topic better that would be more intriguing for
students.
2. Activity 1: Get the students to buddy up and whisper a
sentence to each other.
Ask:
- When your partner whispered in your ear, what
happened to the sound? (It travels).
- How does the sound travel to get to your ears so that
you can hear it? (By vibrating air).
- What did the sound travel through to reach your ear?
(The air).
3. Activity 2: Using the pre-made tin can telephones, get a
pair of students to demonstrate using it. The students hold
the tin cans up to their ears. Get a third student to “twang”
the string connecting the tin cans.
Ask:
- What did the connecting string do when it was
twanged? (It moved up and down – it vibrated)
Ask the students holding the tin can telephone:
- What did you hear when it was twanged? (A sound)
Ask:
- How do you think the sound travelled from where the
string was twanged to the ears of those holding the tin
can telephone? (The sound travelled as a vibration
along the string)
Assessment Tasks
Diagnostic, Formative & Summative tasks
(How can their achievement be measured and
recorded)
Diagnostic
Can students explain how the sound travels from
Person B to Person A in the “19th Century Tin Can
Telephone” picture?
Formative
Activity 1: Can students identify what happens to
sound? Can students identify how sound travels?
Can students identify what sound travels through?
Activity 2: Can students explain what the
connecting string does when it was twanged? Can
students explain how the sound travelled from
where the string was twanged to the ears of those
holding the tin cans? Can students explain how
they are able to hear the whispered messages
through the tin can telephone?
Summative
Are students able to make the sound louder using
their tin can telephones? Are students able to
explain the connection between the size of the
vibration and the volume of the sound? Are
students able to predict and demonstrate ways
that would prevent sound from travelling along the
string?
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 4. Get all students try out the tin can telephone.
Get the students to predict, with reasons, what would
happen if one student whispered into one end of the tin can
telephone while the other student listened at the other end.
Have the students carry this out and compare their results
with their predictions.
Ask:
- Can you hear the whispered message? Why?
- How is the sound getting from one end of the tin can
telephone to the other? (As vibrations along the string)

Provide the students with various sentences/phrases to say

through the tin can telephone as they may just resort to just
saying “hello” which other students may anticipate.

5. Summative Assessment: Ask students to make the sound

louder using their tin can telephones. Get them to discuss
with their peer, how to make the sound louder and is there a
connection between the size of the vibration and the volume
of the sound. Get the students to discuss, predict and test
out ways that would stop the sound from travelling along the
string.
If students are unable to think of ways that would possibly
prevent the sound from travelling, suggest pinching of the
string, letting the string go limp, going around a doorway,
length of the string, etc.

What insight have you gained into your teaching of science that you will take with you when you teach science as part of completing
Assignment 2?

I gained a lot of insight into teaching science following the completion of Assignment 2, however, the most interesting insight I gained was in
regard to the nature of science aspect. I believed I had understood what the overarching strand was about, but I did not really understand how to
purposefully implement the teaching of it. After teaching my peers this science lesson, and discussing with them, I realised that the nature of
science is taught to students through how you structure the science lesson. My memories of science education in primary school is zero.
However, if I had of been taught science and been taught the nature of science, I believe that I would not have dropped out of science in high
school. “…teaching about the nature of science has been shown to enhance students’ understanding of science content…teaching students
about the nature of science has also been related to increased student interest…incorporating the nature of science in your instruction helps
students see the human side of science and portrays science as an adventure, rather than the memorization of disconnected facts” (Bell, 2008).
After completing Assignment 2, teaching my peers and being taught by them, I can absolutely agree with these statements.

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References

Bell, R. L. (2008). Teaching the nature of science through process skills: activities for grades 3-8. Boston, MA: Pearson Allyn and Bacon

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