Light vs. Sound Waves Lab

$7.00

An engaging lab activity designed to enhance students’ ability to compare and contrast light and sound wave properties.

Description

Light vs Sound Lab Preview

SNAPs Lab Stations Activities require students to use science, math, literacy, problem-solving and engineering skills. They are designed to enhance students’ understanding of scientific concepts and help students apply scientific ideas to the real world. Each station activity promotes skills so to develop students into proficient and competent scientific thinkers.

SNAPs lab activities have five components:
• Science Skills Station to develop science skill proficiency
• Narrative Station to build science literacy
• Assessment Station to evaluate learning and understanding
• Problem-Solving Station to foster engineering design
• Synthesis Station and Project to inspire higher-order learning


DIGITAL LABORATORY – DISTANCE LEARNING & DIGITAL CLASSROOMS
• This lab is offered in a digital format to support digital classrooms & distance learning.
• The digital lab activity is designed to work with Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoint
• The digital lab activity CANNOT be edited. However:
– Students can manipulate text boxes
– Students can create tables, graphs and diagrams
– Students can insert images and drawings

GOOGLE FORM ASSESSMENT STATION
• The assessment station is offered as a self-grading Google Form.
• Questions are all short answer and are 100% editable.
• Suggestions for use are included in the download.

DISTANCE LEARNING COMPATIBILITY
SNAPs lab activities are rated for their ease with distance – independent learning. Refer to the preview for more information about how well this laboratory works in a fully digital classroom and with distance learning.


EDITABLE DOCUMENTS
This download includes an editable word document (docx file) of all lab components:
• Pre-Lab and Post-Lab Activities
• The Lab Overview
• Lab Station Activities and Questions
• Directed Synthesis Project (when applicable)

Important Notes:
• Diagrams, illustrations, tables and graphs essential to lab activities are included
• Illustrative clipart is NOT included
• Editable documents and rubrics are included with the FREE SNAPs Setup Guide

Editable files allow you to:
• Edit the scope of the activities so to suit your students’ needs
• Edit the materials required based on resource availability
• Create single-period “mini-labs” using activities at the individual skills stations


The activities at each station in this lab are detailed below.

Sound vs. Light Waves Lab Stations Activity Learning Objectives
1. Compare and contrast light and sound wave properties.
2. Analyze data so to compare the speed of sound and light waves and how the speed of sound and light waves changes in different mediums.
3. Analyze data so to explain how changes in the properties of a light and sound wave impact the energy carried by the waves.
4. Discuss how changing the amplitude and frequency of light and sound waves impacts observable features of the waves.
5. Evaluate solutions (fiber optic cables) that use light waves to communicate sound waves across long distances.

Science Skills Station
Students will study the speed of light and sound waves at this station. Students will complete a graphing activity to study how the speed of a light wave and sound wave is impacted by the density through which the wave travels. Students will complete a second activity to compare the speed of sound and light waves. They will apply the information in this activity to explain the observation of thunder and lightning.

Narrative Station
Students will read about light and sound waves and use information in the passage to compare the properties of light and sound waves. Students will be provided with graphs to explain how changes in the properties of light and sound waves impact the energy carried by the waves. They will also use graphics to explain how changes in the frequency and amplitude of light and sound waves impact their observable features.

Assessment Station
At this station, students will answer questions about key terms and ideas about sound and light waves. Students must employ lower, mid and higher order thinking skills to answer these questions.

Problem-Solving Station
Students will evaluate the use of light waves (electromagnetic waves) in the communication of sound waves. Specifically, students will study the engineering of telecommunication technologies that allow individuals thousands of miles apart to speak with each other. Students will also consider how modern communication would be impacted without these technologies and the scientific and economic limitations to improving aspects of these technologies.

Synthesis Station
Students will compose a CER (claim-evidence-reasoning) report to summarize the lab. Students are provided the claim statement and must support the claim with observations, data and other information gathered in the lab. Students will explain how the evidence supports the claim using scientific reasoning.

Synthesis Project
Students will have a choice of 11 projects. Refer to the SNAPs Lab Stations Best Practices and Setup Guide for directions and suggestions on how to conduct the project.


This download includes:
• A pre-lab assignment and post-lab reflection
• Directions and questions for each lab station
• Student recording sheets
• Teacher Key

Additional Materials Required:
2 Computers or tablets
Colored pencils

LINKS TO VIDEOS
This laboratory requires internet to access videos. Videos are hosted on SafeShare.TV so to safely watch and share educational YouTube videos without ads, comments and other distractions. Link(s) to SafeShare.TV included. Full link to original YouTube video(s) included.

NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS
This laboratory does not address a specific Next Generation Science Standard, but it complements NGSS concepts. It combines the three dimensions of science learning – science and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas and crosscutting concepts – in order to meet the standard. This laboratory also makes interdisciplinary connections to STEM, Math CCSS and ELA CCSS to build the appropriate skills.

TERMS OF USE
• All rights reserved by Stephanie Elkowitz.
• This product is to be used by the original purchaser only.
• Intended for classroom and personal use only.
• Copying for more than one teacher, classroom, department, school, or school system is prohibited.
• This product may not be distributed or displayed digitally for public view.
• Failure to comply is a copyright infringement and a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).