Use this sound energy experiment to help your students create elastic band instruments and visualise sound using everyday items.
🔍 Discovering Sound Energy with Elastic Band Musical Instruments
This Elastic Band Musical Instruments sound investigation is designed by our teacher team for individual students, pairs, or small groups, making it adaptable to a variety of classroom settings. You could even use this Elastic band musical instrument activity as a rotation, or demonstrate it yourself as a whole-group lesson.
How to Conduct Your Sound Energy Lesson
All you’ll need for this project is the resource template, which you can download as a printable PDF or Google Slides file, and an elastic band and a paper cup for each student, group, or pair. Before you begin, it is a good idea to emphasise the importance of securely attaching the elastic bands to the cup before flicking to ensure a safe and controlled experiment.
From there, just follow these simple steps (which are also outlined on the project page for your students to read and follow):
-
- Place the elastic band around the cup, ensuring it goes underneath the base and across the top opening.
- Pull and release (or flick) the elastic band. Observe and listen keenly – what sounds do you hear? What visual effects can you detect?
- Experiment with different methods of pulling or flicking the elastic band. Document your observations through writing or drawing.
- If resources permit, try using elastic bands of different sizes or experimenting with various cups. Remember, change only one variable at a time to observe the impact.
Encourage Students to Make and Record Their Observations
We have included two variations of the experiment recording sheet depending on your students’ needs.
- Version 1 is a very simple observation sheet in which students draw their instrument and record what they see/hear during the experiment.
- Version 2 is more advanced and includes additional prompting, summarising questions, written responses, etc., for more advanced students.
This resource not only engages students in a fascinating exploration of sound but also encourages scientific inquiry and critical thinking. Dive into the world of elastic-band resonance and empower your students to unravel the mysteries of sound waves in a fun, interactive way!
This resource was created by Brittany Kellogg, a teacher and Teach Starter collaborator.
On the Lookout For More Great Sound Energy Lesson Ideas?
0 Comments
Write a review to help other teachers and parents like yourself. If you'd like to request a change to this resource, or report an error, select the corresponding tab above.