$14.48 SAVE MORE THAN 30% and get THREE SETS of WAVES HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES to cover the properties of waves, sound waves, and light with the electromagnetic spectrum. These HANDS-ON activities are easy to prepare for, rigorous, and most of all… FUN!
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Included Activities:
- Wave Properties Stations: Includes 3 stations. Students will use simple supplies to get some hands-on experience with wave frequency, wavelength, and amplitude. They’ll see the differences between transverse and longitudinal waves and explore how energy relates to wave amplitude.
- Sound Waves Mini-Lab Stations: Includes 8 stations. At each station, students will conduct a mini-investigation related to sound. They’ll follow simple step-by-step directions to observe wave properties and then collect and analyze data. Topics include pitch, amplitude’s effect on volume and movement, wave, how medium properties affect sound, and lots more.
- Light Waves Mini-Lab Stations: Includes 6 stations. At each station, students will conduct a mini-investigation related to light. They’ll follow simple step-by-step directions to observe wave properties and then collect and analyze data. Topics include polarization of light, reflection and mirror angles, laser light properties, refraction of light, color mixing and filtering, prisms, and more.
Please note that while these activities each follow a very similar format, they are meant to be completed separately.
Materials Required:
- Wave Properties Stations: yarn, rope, and Slinky
- Sound Waves Mini-Lab Stations*: plastic cups, rubber bands, water glasses or glass beakers, metal spoon, plastic rulers (metric), plastic wrap, plastic bowl or round food container, salt, tuning forks of 2 different frequencies, plastic drinking straws, metal pie tin, index cards (or pieces of paper cut to the same size), comb, seconds timer (stopwatch, clock with seconds hand, or cell phone)
- Light Waves Mini-Lab Stations*: polarized sunglasses (Dollar Store often has them for cheap), flashlights, mirrors with flat/square edges (makeup section of Wal-Mart/CVS/Dollar Store), masking tape, protractor, laser pointer, empty glass containers or beakers, milk, cooking oil, small bowl, clear plastic straw, color paddles or colored cellophane, glass prism, small piece of cardboard
*Please note that, for the starred* stations, if some of these supplies are not available to you, you can definitely leave out a station or two and still give your students a well-rounded experience with waves.
Teacher Notes:
- NGSS Content Standards: NGSS MS-PS4-1 and MS-PS4-2
- Includes all answer keys.
- Please note that these waves hands-on activities are not editable.
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- Get this resource at a HUGE DISCOUNT in my COMPLETE WAVES UNIT!
Related Standards:
- NGSS MS-PS4-1: Use mathematical representations to describe a simple model for waves that includes how the amplitude of a wave is related to the energy in a wave.
- NGSS MS-PS4-2: Develop and use a model to describe that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials.
