Can sound make materials vibrate?  

Marisol Ruvalcaba, ​Grade 1: Lesson 2 of 6 
I expect this lesson to take 1 session. I will begin by having students start brainstorming with 
placing a piece of paper in front of speaker playing music. Then students will investigate to find 
out if sound makes materials vibrate by visiting two different each stations. In each station, they 
will gather information by filling out their experiment guide and observation worksheet. Lastly, 
after they came to a conclusion, they will apply their new knowledge to plan a way to make paint 
move on a drum. 
 
NGSS targets:  
DCI: Plan and conduct investigations to provide evidence that vibrating materials can
1-PS4-1 make sound and that sound can make materials vibrate. ​[Clarification Statement:
Examples of vibrating materials that make sound could include tuning forks and plucking a
stretched string. Examples of how sound can make matter vibrate could include holding a
piece of paper near a speaker making sound and holding an object near a vibrating tuning
 
fork.]
 
CCC: Cause and Effect
● Simple tests can be designed to gather evidence to support or refute student
ideas about causes. (1-PS4-1)  
 
SEP: Planning and Carrying Out Investigations

Student Learning Objectives 

1. Students will carry out investigations to understand that sound makes materials vibrate. 
2. Students will identify factors that indicate that sound makes materials vibrate, by 
collecting observations. 
3. Students will plan to create an investigation, in which it supports that sound makes 
material vibrate.  

Engage 
A piece paper will be placed in front of the speaker that is playing music. Have the students 
observe for a couple of seconds. Ask the students, “What is making the paper move?” 

1 
 

Allow students to brainstorm but guide them towards the idea that the plant that something is 
making the paper move. This leads to the question of does sound make materials move or 
vibrate? Ask the students,  

“Is the music making the paper move?” 

Explore 
Allow students to work in teams of 4 to investigate different stations to determine if sound can 
make materials vibrate. For this investigation there will be two different stations. If possible have 
the investigation take place outside.  

Station #1:​ You will need three bowls covered tightly with plastic wrap and four spoons. Place 
sugar, salt, rice, and sand on top of the bow. Have the students use spoons and their voice to 
determine what makes the materials on top of the bowl bounce. Make sure students are not 
hitting the bowl with the spoon. 

Station #2:​ You will need one tube filled with water and four forks. Have each students hit the 
table with the fork and then place the fork on top on the tube to determine what vibrations made 
the water move. Make sure students are not hitting the tube with the fork. 

The class will be divided in half and then both halves of the class will be broken down in groups 
of 4. Half of the class will start the investigation in station #1 and the other half in station #2. 
Explain clearly what they will be doing in each station. Also explain the expectations for using 
each material. Ask them to gather evidence while they are conducting the investigation by filling 
out their experiment guide and observation worksheet. After everyone had a turn to try the 
experiment at each station, give the students a couple of minutes to draw the materials used and 
write two sentences on their final conclusion. (attached) As students complete their drawing and 
sentences, they will need to get a stamp of approval from the teacher, before they move on to 
the next station. (formative assessment) Have students switch stations after they are done.  

Explain 
After the investigation: Have students go back inside the classroom. Ask each student to 
compare the result with their elbow partner. Also, encourage for the students to answer the 
question, “Can sound make materials vibrate?” with their partner. Give each students a couple 
minutes to share with their partner.  

2 
 

Once they are done, guide students to a whole class discussion. Ask, “can someone tell me what 
happened or what they noticed in Station #1? What made the sugar, salt, rice, and sand move?” 
Allow students to share out loud. Then ask, can someone tell me what happened or what they 
noticed in Station #2? What made water move?” Also have students share out loud. 

They should have enough evidence that allows them to come up with a conclusion that sound 
makes materials vibrate. Those students that are struggling, the teacher will guide them to a 
conclusion by asking them additional questions, “what else did you notice during investigation?” 
then “can we say that the materials were moving?” Then the teacher will wrap up the 
investigation by confirming their final conclusions. 

Elaborate 
Once the investigation is complete, the students will connect what they learned to plan a way to 
make the paint on top of a drum move or vibrate by making sounds. This can be done in the 
small groups of 4.   

“Wow! You all did great! Now it's time to move on to our next activity. With our groups of 4, you 
guys are going to plan a way to make the paint move on top of the drum. Remember we are 
going to use what we learned from the stations we did earlier. Also please do not use any of the 
ideas we did for the two stations. All our ideas must be original. Once everyone has a chance to 
plan their idea, I will try all the groups ideas on this drum right here.” 

Allow students to work in their groups for a couple minutes. Walk around and help those groups 
that need guidance. Once they are done, have them share their idea and try it on the drum. For 
those ideas that do not work, encourage students to fix it by asking them question, “what if we 
change this…?” 

Evaluate 
Formative: Student’s observation worksheet containing drawings, questions and results will be 
assessed throughout the exercise. Their drawing and sentences will be stamped before the 
students move on the next station.  

Summative: Students will write a cause and effect sentence based on their data that supports 
their final conclusion. They will give at least 1 pieces of evidence that support their claim. 
(observation worksheet) 

3 
 

Experiment Guide: Can sound make material vibrate?  

 
Station #1 

1. What do you think will happen?  

________________________________________________________ 

2. What do you see?  

________________________________________________________ 

Station #2  

3. What do you think will happen?  

________________________________________________________ 

4. What do you see?  

________________________________________________________ 

4 
 

Station #1: Drawing  Station #2: Drawing 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Two Sentences:  Two Sentences: 

   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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