What Makes Sound? - 1st Grade Science

SECTION 1

What's Happening?

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🔍 LOOK AT THIS!

When the rubber band stops shaking, the sound stops too. Isn't that interesting?

A rubber band stretched over a box, vibrating and making sound waves.

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💭 THINK ABOUT IT

SECTION 2

Big Ideas About Sound

Sound is something we hear every day. But where does sound come from? Let's learn two big ideas!

Sound Comes from Vibrations

Vibrate means to shake back and forth very fast. When something vibrates, it makes a sound. You can sometimes see it shaking. You can sometimes feel it shaking!

No Shaking = No Sound

When the shaking stops, the sound stops too. If nothing is vibrating, there is no sound. The vibration and the sound go together!

SECTION 3

Let's Try It!

Scientists learn by trying things out and watching what happens. That means you can be a scientist! Let's do a simple test to see if vibrating things really do make sound.

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🔬 LET'S TRY THIS!

What you need: a rubber band, a ruler, and your hands

Worked example

1
Step 1

Stretch a rubber band between your fingers. Pluck it. Look at it and listen. What do you see? What do you hear?
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Step 2

Hold the end of a ruler on a table. Let part of the ruler hang off the edge. Push the hanging end down and let go. Look and listen!
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Step 3

Put your fingers gently on your throat. Hum a song. What do you feel?

Three investigation steps: pluck a rubber band, twang a ruler, and hum while touching your throat.

SECTION 4

What We Found Out

In every test we tried, we found the same thing. When something was vibrating (shaking fast), it made a sound.

When you plucked the rubber band, it shook and you heard a sound. When you pressed the ruler and let go, it shook and you heard a sound. When you hummed, your throat was shaking and you could feel it!

What We Tested	Did It Vibrate?	Did It Make Sound?
🎸 Rubber band (plucked)	Yes! We saw it shake.	Yes! We heard a twang.
📏 Ruler (pressed down)	Yes! We saw it wobble.	Yes! We heard a boing.
🎤 Throat (humming)	Yes! We felt the buzz.	Yes! We heard our hum.
🤫 Rubber band (still)	No. It was still.	No sound.

Investigation Results

Every time something vibrated, there was sound. Every time the vibrating stopped, the sound stopped. This tells us something important!

SECTION 5

Do You See the Pattern?

Scientists always look for patterns. That means they look for things that happen the same way again and again.

We found a pattern! Every time something vibrated, there was sound. Let's see this pattern in more places.

A Drum 🥁

When you hit a drum, the top shakes. You hear a boom! When the shaking stops, the boom stops.

A Guitar String 🎸

When you pluck a guitar string, it vibrates. You hear music! When the string stops, the music stops.

A Bell 🔔

When you ring a bell, the metal shakes. You hear a ring! When the bell stops, the ring stops.

A Bee's Wings 🐝

A bee's wings vibrate super fast. That is why you hear a buzz!

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Key takeaway

THE PATTERN

SECTION 6

Sound in Our World

People use what we know about vibrations and sound to solve problems and make cool things!

🎵 Musical Instruments

People build instruments like drums, guitars, and pianos. Each one has parts that vibrate in different ways to make different sounds. A big drum vibrates slowly and makes a deep sound. A tiny bell vibrates fast and makes a high sound.

📱 Speakers and Phones

When you hear your mom or dad's voice on a phone, a tiny part inside the phone is vibrating! It shakes the air, and you hear the sound.

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🛠️ DESIGN CHALLENGE

SECTION 7

Word Bank

Word	What It Means
Sound	Something you hear with your ears.
Vibrate	To shake back and forth very fast.
Vibration	The fast shaking that makes sound.
Investigate	To try something out and watch what happens, like a scientist.
Pattern	Something that happens the same way again and again.

Key Vocabulary

SECTION 8

Show What You Know!

Question 1: Warm-Up

Maya holds a comb and runs her finger across the teeth. She hears a buzzing noise. What is happening to the comb's teeth when she hears the sound?

A. The teeth are vibrating back and forth.
B. The teeth are changing color.
C. The teeth are getting bigger.

Show answer

The correct answer is A. When Maya runs her finger across the comb's teeth, they vibrate back and forth quickly. This vibration makes the buzzing sound she hears. Choice B is wrong because making sound does not cause materials to change color. Choice C is wrong because the teeth do not grow bigger — they move back and forth in place.

Question 2: Building Skills

Leo wants to investigate how a tissue box with a rubber band stretched over the hole makes sound. What should he do first to plan his investigation?

A. Write down what he wants to find out and what steps he will follow.
B. Throw the tissue box in the recycling bin.
C. Cover his ears so he cannot hear anything.

Show answer

The correct answer is A. When scientists plan an investigation, they first decide on a question they want to answer and write down the steps they will take. This helps them know what to do and what to observe. Choice B is wrong because throwing away materials would end the investigation before it starts. Choice C is wrong because covering his ears would stop him from observing the sound, which is what he needs to investigate.

Question 3: Building Skills

Sophia taps a metal spoon on the edge of a glass of water. She sees tiny ripples in the water and hears a ringing sound. What does this investigation show?

A. The water made the glass disappear.
B. The glass vibrated, which made the sound and caused ripples in the water.
C. The spoon melted when it touched the glass.

Show answer

The correct answer is B. When the spoon taps the glass, the glass vibrates. Those vibrations make the ringing sound and also cause the water inside to ripple. The ripples are evidence that the glass is vibrating. Choice A is wrong because the water does not make the glass disappear — the glass is still there. Choice C is wrong because a metal spoon does not melt from tapping a glass; nothing about this investigation involves melting.

Question 4: Challenge

Kai places small grains of rice on top of a drum. He hits the drum and the rice grains jump up. Then he stops hitting the drum and the rice stops jumping. What can Kai conclude from this investigation?

A. The rice jumped because it was hungry.
B. The rice jumped because the wind blew it.
C. The drum's vibrations made the sound and caused the rice to jump, and when the vibrations stopped, the sound and jumping stopped too.

Show answer

The correct answer is C. When Kai hits the drum, the drum skin vibrates. These vibrations produce sound and also push the rice grains into the air. When he stops hitting the drum, the vibrations stop, the sound stops, and the rice stops jumping. This is strong evidence that vibrations cause sound. Choice A is wrong because rice is not alive and cannot be hungry. Choice B is wrong because the rice only jumped when the drum was hit — if wind were the cause, the rice would have moved even without hitting the drum.

SECTION 9

What's Next?

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🔮 WHAT'S NEXT?