Spring Block 1

Sound

© White Rose Education 2023

Year 4 | Spring term | Block 1 – Sound

Small steps

Step 1 Vibrations

Step 2 The ear

Step 3 Investigate sounds

Step 4 Explore volume

Step 5 Explore pitch

Step 6 Plan – volume experiment

Step 7 Investigate – volume experiment

Step 8 Evaluate – volume experiment

© White Rose Education 2023

 Key resources

Step 1 – Vibrations Step 3 – Investigate sounds

• images of musical instruments such as • decibel meter

guitars and drums

• musical instruments such as a

guitar, drum, violin, recorder and
a tambourine

• plastic or glass bowl

• cling film

• sand or rice

• metal spring toy

Step 2 – The ear Step 4 – Explore volume

• unlabelled diagram of an ear

• drum

• secondary sources for research

• grains of rice

• decibel meter

• alarm clock

• plastic lunch box

• tin foil, cotton wool, bubble wrap

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 Key resources

Step 5 – Explore pitch Step 7 – Investigate – volume experiment

• elastic bands • a source of sound such as an alarm clock or a

recorded sound

• different–sized pans

• guitar or violin
• metre ruler or tape measure

• decibel meter or a decibel meter app on a tablet

Step 8 – Evaluate – volume experiment

Step 6 – Plan – volume experiment • a source of sound such as an alarm clock or a

recorded sound
• a source of sound such as an alarm clock or a recorded
• metre ruler or tape measure
sound

• metre ruler or tape measure • decibel meter or a decibel meter app

on a tablet
• decibel meter or a decibel meter app on a tablet

© White Rose Education 2023

Year 4 | Spring term | Block 1 – Sound | Step 1

Vibrations

Notes and guidance Key questions

In this small step, children learn that sounds are made when • Which organ in our bodies detects sound?
objects vibrate. This is the first time that children have explored
sound and they may have some common misconceptions about
• What does “vibration” mean?

sound and how it is produced. By the end of this step, children • How do we hear sounds?
should understand that we hear sounds because an object • If you hit a drum harder, what does it do to the sound
vibrates. These vibrations then travel through the air (or another produced?
medium) to our ears.
• How does a guitar produce sound when played?
It is important that children are exposed to the different
ways objects vibrate to produce sounds, including musical • How does a drum produce sound when it is hit?

instruments, radios, mobile phones and animals. In the previous • Does sound only travel through air?
block, children explored the concept of solids, liquids and gases. Explain your thinking.
It is important that children are aware that sounds can travel
through air, but they can also travel through any material,
including solids and liquids.

Things to look out for

National curriculum links
• Children may think that sound only travels through
• Identify how sounds are made, associating some of
air. They should be made aware that sound can travel
them with something vibrating.
through other mediums, such as solids, liquids and
gases. Children could have a discussion around whether • Working scientifically − Asking relevant questions and
sound can be heard through walls or under water to using different types of scientific enquiries to answer
address this. them.

© White Rose Education 2023

Year 4 | Spring term | Block 1 – Sound | Step 1

Vibrations

Key vocabulary Practical ideas

• vibration – a quick back-and-forth movement
• Gather some musical instruments such as a guitar, drum, violin,
recorder and tambourine. Ask the children which part of the
instrument produces the sound and how it produces it.

• ear – an organ in humans (and many other animals) that

detects vibrations, allowing hearing

• Stretch cling film over a plastic bowl. Put a thin layer of sand
or rice on the cling film. Produce a loud noise near (but not
touching) the bowl. The sand or rice will move.

• sound – vibrations that travel through the air, or another • Use a metal spring toy to show how sound waves travel. Stretch
medium, and are heard when they reach an ear the spring between two people. Tap one end of the spring to
model a sound wave.

• volume – how loud or quiet a sound is

Factual knowledge
• A vibration is a quick back-and-forth movement.
• pitch – how high or low a sound is
• Sounds are made when objects vibrate.

• The vibrations travel from the object to our ears.

• Sounds can be heard when these vibrations reach our ears.

© White Rose Education 2023
Year 4 | Spring term | Block 1 – Sound | Step 2

The ear

Notes and guidance Key questions

In this small step, children learn how sound reaches the ear and • What is the outer ear?
how the different parts of the ear allow us to hear sounds. This
is the first time that children have explored the ear in detail. It is
• How does the outer ear help us to hear?

important that children are introduced to the main parts of the • What is the inner ear?
inner ear and the roles that they play in how sounds are heard. • How does the inner ear help us to hear?
Children build on their understanding of vibrations to explore • How does sound travel to the ear?
how the ear drum vibrates, which allows us to hear sounds.
They can link this concept to their exploration of how sounds are • What else does the inner ear help us with?

made using musical instruments in the previous step. Within this • What is the function of the ear drum?
step, children learn that as well as detecting sounds, the inner
ear also helps humans with their balance.

Things to look out for

• Children may find it difficult to understand how National curriculum links
vibrations are detected by the ear. Show children how a
drum skin vibrates to produce sound and link this to the • Recognise that vibrations from sounds travel through a
ear drum in the middle ear. medium to the ear.

• Children may find it difficult to understand how sounds • Working scientifically − Recording findings using simple
travel through solids, liquids and gases. This is because scientific language, drawings, labelled diagrams, keys,
vibrations cannot be seen, especially in the air. bar charts and tables.

© White Rose Education 2023

Year 4 | Spring term | Block 1 – Sound | Step 2

The ear

Key vocabulary Practical ideas

outer ear – the visible ear bones – tiny bones that transfer • Provide children with an unlabelled diagram of the ear.
part of the ear vibrations from the ear drum to the
cochlea ear canal outer ear ear drum
inner ear

Ask them to match label cards to the parts of the ear.

cochlea – a
spiral-shaped • Use secondary sources to research the ears of other animals
tube in the and how they are adapted. Ask questions such as:
inner ear
• Do frogs have ears?

• Why do elephants have large ears?

Factual knowledge
• Sound vibrations travel through the air.

• The outer ear funnels the vibrations into the ear canal.

• The vibrations move down the ear canal.

• The vibrations are passed to the ear drum.

• The vibrations from the ear drum are passed along the ear
ear drum – a thin layer bones and into the cochlea.
ear canal – the tube that
runs from the outer ear that can vibrate • Signals are then sent to the brain, where they are processed
to the ear drum and interpreted as sounds we understand.
© White Rose Education 2023
Year 4 | Spring term | Block 1 – Sound | Step 3

Investigate sounds

Notes and guidance Key questions

In this small step, children continue to explore sound and • How is sound measured?
understand how the intensity of sound is measured. They learn
that the intensity, or loudness, of sound is measured in decibels
• What equipment is used to measure sound?

(dB). Within this step, children should record and measure sound • How many decibels is a human talking?
levels over the day to see how the decibel levels increase and • How many decibels is a human shouting?
decrease. This could include recording the sound level in the
classroom in comparison to the playground. Children should • How many decibels is the quietest sound a human can hear?

also be aware that prolonged exposure to loud sounds can • What is the level of sound in the classroom?
potentially cause damage to the ears. How is that different from the level of sound in the lunch
There are opportunities to use data loggers or decibel meters hall/playground?
to record an accurate measure of sound. If data loggers are not
• How does the loudness of sound in the classroom change
available, you can use sound apps as an alternative method for over the day?
measuring sound levels throughout the day.

Things to look out for

National curriculum links
• Children may need support with measuring sound
in decibels. If using data loggers or decibel meters, • Identify how sounds are made, associating some of
children will need to learn how to use them accurately, them with something vibrating.
as this is the first time they have used this equipment.
• Working scientifically − Making systematic and careful
• Children have not yet been introduced to decimals, it is observations and, where appropriate, taking accurate
important that they record data from the decibel meters measurements using standard units, using a range of
as whole numbers. equipment, including thermometers and data loggers.

© White Rose Education 2023

Year 4 | Spring term | Block 1 – Sound | Step 3

Investigate sounds

Key vocabulary Practical ideas

• sound – vibrations that travel through the air, or another
Children should record the intensity or loudness of sound at different
medium, and are heard when they reach an ear
times throughout the day. Examples are highlighted below.

• Record the loudness of sound in the classroom in hourly

intervals throughout the day.

• Record the intensity of sound in each classroom from Reception

• volume – how loud or quiet a sound is to Year 6. Children can identify which classroom had the highest
decibel reading. They may want to identify whether the age of the
children in the classroom has an impact on the intensity of
sound produced.

• decibel (dB) – a measure of the loudness of a sound • Record and compare the volume of sound
in different areas of the school. Suggestions
include the playground at playtime, the
lunch hall, different lessons during the day
• decibel meter – a piece of equipment used to measure the and the office of a senior leadership team
loudness of sound member.

Factual knowledge
• Sound volume is measured in decibels (dB).

• vibration – a quick back-and-forth movement • A decibel is a measure of the loudness of sounds.

• A decibel meter can be used to measure the loudness of sounds.

• If humans are exposed to loud sounds too often, their hearing

can be damaged.
© White Rose Education 2023
Year 4 | Spring term | Block 1 – Sound | Step 4

Explore volume

Notes and guidance Key questions

In this small step, children explore how the strength of • What are vibrations?
the vibrations affects the volume of a sound. They should
understand that, in general, louder sounds have bigger
• What is volume?

vibrations and quieter sounds have smaller vibrations. Children • How can you increase the volume of a sound?
should explore the concept of volume using musical instruments. • How can you decrease the volume of a sound?
Instruments, such as drums and guitars, can be used to • How do wooden blocks produce a louder sound than ice cubes?
demonstrate how the volume of sound can be controlled by
the way they are played. When a drum or guitar is played • Do bigger or smaller vibrations produce louder sounds?

with greater force, the resulting sound is louder because the • How do different materials insulate sound?
vibrations produced by the instrument are bigger.
• Which material would be the best insulator of sound?
Children could also investigate the concept of sound insulation Why?
by experimenting with different materials to measure the
reduction in sound volume using decibel meters. • How will you measure the volume of a sound?

Things to look out for

National curriculum links
• Children may find it difficult to make the link between
the strength of the vibrations and and the volume of a • Find patterns between the volume of a sound and the
strength of the vibrations that produced it.
sound. To clarify this, use rice on top of a drum skin to
allow children to see if it is struck with a greater force, • Working scientifically − Setting up simple practical
there is greater movement of the rice grains. enquiries, comparative and fair tests.

© White Rose Education 2023

Year 4 | Spring term | Block 1 – Sound | Step 4

Explore volume

Key vocabulary Practical ideas

• vibration – a quick back-and-forth movement
• Hit a drum softly, then hit the drum harder. Ask children to
comment on the difference in volume. How is this linked to the
amount of vibration? You can put grains of rice on the drum
skin to show the vibrations.
• volume – how loud or quiet a sound is
• Children can use four different materials to test which is the
best insulator of sound.
Put a loud toy or an alarm clock in a plastic lunch box. Allow

• insulate – to protect something from the transfer of heat, children to wrap the box in a different material each time.
They should measure the loudness of sound with a decibel
sound or electricity
meter before and after the object has been insulated, to see
the difference in volume.

• decibel (dB) – the measurement of the loudness of a sound

• decibel meter – a piece of equipment used to measure the Factual knowledge

loudness of sound
• A vibration is a quick back-and-forth movement.

• Sounds are made when objects vibrate.

• The louder the sound, the bigger the vibration.

• The quieter the sound, the smaller the vibration.

© White Rose Education 2023
Year 4 | Spring term | Block 1 – Sound | Step 5

Explore pitch

Notes and guidance Key questions

In this small step, children explore the term “pitch”. Children • What is “pitch”?
should understand that pitch refers to how high or low a sound
is. They should look at a range of instruments and objects (such
• When you hit different pans, why do they make different
sounds?
as elastic bands or different-sized pans) to explore how the pitch
of the sound made by different objects can be changed. Children • When you pluck the strings on a guitar, which strings have a
may find it difficult to differentiate between pitch and volume. high pitch and which strings have a low pitch?
Practical activities such as using instruments or listening to high- • What happens to the pitch of the string when it is tightened
and low-pitched sounds will help address this. and loosened?
Children also explore the simple shape of some sound waves • When an elastic band is plucked, how can the pitch be
and how they change with the pitch of the sound. They should changed?
understand that a sound with a higher pitch produces vibrations
that are faster or more frequent. In contrast, sounds with a lower • How can the pitch of a musical instrument with no strings,
such as a trumpet, be changed?
pitch have vibrations which are slower or less frequent.

Things to look out for National curriculum links

• Children may think that the pitch of an instrument • Find patterns between the pitch of a sound and features
can only be changed in one way. Demonstrate to of the object that produced it.
children that it can be changed in different ways using • Working scientifically − Identifying differences,
lengthening/shortening strings or using more or fewer similarities or changes related to simple scientific ideas
fingers on holes in the instrument. and processes.

© White Rose Education 2023

Year 4 | Spring term | Block 1 – Sound | Step 5

Explore pitch

Key vocabulary Practical ideas

• pitch – how high or low a sound is
• Ask children to stretch an elastic band between their
fingers. Stretch the elastic band further and notice
any change in pitch when plucked.

• Give children different–sized pans. Allow them to bang the

pans and notice any changes in pitch. Ask questions to help
children to spot patterns between pitch and the features of
• high-pitched – describes a high sound the object.
Do larger pans produce a lower pitch?
Do smaller pans produce a higher pitch?

• low-pitched – describes a low sound

• Pluck different strings on a guitar. Ask the children to describe
the differences in pitch.

Factual knowledge
• Pitch means how high or low a sound is.

• sound – vibrations that travel through the air or another • High-pitched sounds produce faster or more frequent
medium and are heard when they reach an ear vibrations.

• Low-pitched sounds produce slower or less frequent vibrations.

• There are different ways to change the pitch of an instrument.

© White Rose Education 2023
Year 4 | Spring term | Block 1 – Sound | Step 6

Plan – volume experiment

Notes and guidance Key questions

In this small step, children plan a fair test to explore whether • What does “volume” mean when thinking about sound?
distance has an effect on the volume of a sound. Within previous
steps, children have recorded the volume of a sound in decibels
• What measurement is used to record the loudness of
a sound?
(dB) using data loggers or sound apps. They should use this skill
within this experiment. • What measurements are used to record distance?

When undertaking this experiment, there must be a marked • What will you change in this experiment?
difference in the distances from the sound source, so that the • What will you measure in this experiment?
results can show a trend. To produce valid results, the sound
source must be the same volume throughout the investigation. • What will you keep the same?

A set sound, such as a recorded noise or a phone alarm, can • How will you record your results?

be used to ensure consistency. A sound produced, for example,

by hitting a drum may not have the same volume each time Enquiry question
and therefore may provide inaccurate results. Children should
be encouraged to create an experiment plan in small groups, • How does the distance from the sound source affect the
so that they get support in making a prediction and creating a volume of the sound?
logical experiment plan.

National curriculum links

Things to look out for • Recognise that sounds get fainter as the distance from
the sound source increases.

• Children should be aware that background noise can • Working scientifically − Setting up simple practical
affect the investigation. enquiries, comparative and fair tests.

© White Rose Education 2023

Year 4 | Spring term | Block 1 – Sound | Step 6

Plan – volume experiment

Experimental variables Equipment needed

• independent variable (what will change) – the distance from
• consistent sound source (an alarm or a recorded sound)
the sound source
• metre ruler or tape measure

• decibel meter, or a decibel meter app on a tablet

2m 4m 6m 8m Practical activity
• dependent variable (what will be measured) – the volume of
• Put children in small groups.
the sound heard in decibels
Give each group the equipment needed for the experiment.
Children should identify what the equipment is and why it is
used within the experiment.

Planning sentence stems

• controlled variables (what is kept the same) – the volume
of the sound source and the level of background noise • I predict that …
(wherever possible)
I think this will happen because …

• We are changing the …

• We are measuring the …

• We are keeping the the same.

© White Rose Education 2023
Year 4 | Spring term | Block 1 – Sound | Step 7

Investigate – volume experiment

Notes and guidance Key questions

In this small step, children carry out a fair test to explore how • What is your experiment plan?
the distance from a sound source affects the volume. Children
should set up practical equipment and make systematic and
• What are you changing?

careful observations throughout. • What are you measuring?

When undertaking this experiment, it will be difficult to eradicate • What are you keeping the same?
background noise and therefore this may influence the data • Is there any background noise?
they collect. If possible, children could undertake the experiment
What does the background noise measure on the
in a quiet room, such as a hall, to reduce background noise as
decibel meter?
much as possible. The sound source must be of a consistent
volume throughout the investigation, so an alarm or a recorded
sound should be used rather than an instrument such as a drum. Enquiry question
• How does the distance from the sound source affect the
volume of the sound?

Things to look out for National curriculum links

• Children have not yet looked at decimals in maths. As a • Recognise that sounds get fainter as the distance from
result, they should record the volume of sounds using the sound source increases.
integers to avoid confusion with decimals.
• Working scientifically − Making systematic and careful
• Children may need support with measuring distance in observations and, where appropriate, taking accurate
metres. This skill may need modelling to children before measurements using standard units, using a range of
they undertake their investigation. equipment, including thermometers and data loggers.

© White Rose Education 2023

Year 4 | Spring term | Block 1 – Sound | Step 7

Investigate – volume experiment

Key vocabulary Equipment needed

• volume – how loud or quiet a sound is
• consistent sound source (an alarm or a recorded sound)

• metre ruler or tape measure

• decibel (dB) – the measurement of the loudness of a sound

• decibel meter, or a decibel meter app on a tablet

• decibel meter – a piece of equipment used to measure the

loudness of sound

Method
1. Use a sound source with a consistent volume.
2. Place the object on a chair/table. This will be measured as 0 m.
• ear – organ in humans and many other animals that detects
3. Use a metre stick to measure intervals at 2 m, 4 m, 6 m and 8 m.
vibrations, allowing hearing
4. If the classroom is not large enough, then the measurements
can be taken in the hall or outside.
5. Play the sound from 0 m and record the decibel level.
6. Repeat this process at distances of 2 m, 4 m, 6 m and 8 m.

• background noise – any type of noise that is not the sound 7. Discuss with children whether distance from the sound source
that you are listening to or measuring affects the volume of a sound.
© White Rose Education 2023
Year 4 | Spring term | Block 1 – Sound | Step 8

Evaluate – volume experiment

Notes and guidance Key questions

In this small step, children evaluate their volume experiment. • Was there any background noise?
They should work scientifically to analyse data, make
conclusions and evaluate their experiment. Within this step,
• What did the background noise measure on the decibel meter?

children should be given the opportunity to answer the enquiry • Does the sound get louder or fainter as the distance from the
question and discuss how the distance from a sound source sound source increases?
affects the volume. They should conclude that the greater the • What conclusions can you make from your data?
distance from the sound source, the quieter the sound will be.
• If you were to repeat this experiment, how could you improve
Children could compare their data with other groups to allow your results?
them to spot patterns and identify any anomalous results. In
Year 4, children do not need to use the term “anomalous”, but • What questions do you have for further investigation?

they should be encouraged to spot any differences in data and

discuss why this may have occurred. Enquiry question
• How does the distance from the sound source affect the
volume of the sound?
Things to look out for
• Children may think that simply repeating the National curriculum links
experiment will increase the reliability of their results.
This is not the case. If the investigation is inaccurate, • Recognise that sounds get fainter as the distance from
repeating it will just generate more inaccurate results. the sound source increases.

• With support, children need to identify factors that • Working scientifically − Using results to draw simple
could be controlled next time to ensure their results conclusions, make predictions for new values, suggest
are more reliable. improvements and raise further questions.

© White Rose Education 2023

Year 4 | Spring term | Block 1 – Sound | Step 8

Evaluate – volume experiment

Key vocabulary Practical ideas

• conclusion – what has been found out during an
• Children could explore whether doubling the distance from
investigation based on experimental measurements and
the sound source halves the number of decibels of sound
observations
heard.

Distance (metres) Volume of sound (decibels) • Children could repeat the experiment in different areas of the
school to see whether there are trends in data. For example,
0 67 they could complete the experiment in the lunch hall, then
2 60 outside in the playground.

4 56 • Children may want to investigate whether high- or low-

pitched sounds can travel further. Children can choose
6 51 an object that makes a high-pitched sound and take
sound readings at set intervals. They could then repeat
8 47
this investigation with an object that makes a low-pitched
• volume – how loud or quiet a sound is sound. They could then compare their data from the two
investigations.

Evaluation sentence stems

• decibel (dB) – the measurement of the loudness of a sound • I predicted that …

My prediction was correct/incorrect because …

• From looking at our results, I can see that …

This happened because …

• evaluate – to consider the quality of the results recorded and • To make our investigation more accurate, we could …
suggest improvements to the investigation • For future investigation, I would like to find out …
© White Rose Education 2023