1. LI: To recognise that vibrations from sounds travel through a medium to the ear LI: To learn that different materials can reduce sound entering the ear and that we call this sound insulation Working scientifically: LI: To set up simple practical enquiries, comparative and fair tests

2. Pencil drop! What do you notice when I drop a pencil?
What will happen if I drop it from a height?
Place your hands on the table. When I drop the pencil, do you notice anything?
Now place one ear to the table and ask a partner to drop a pencil. What do you notice now?
What other tests could you do?

3. What does sound move through?
Can sound move through any of these?
How do you know?
Can you justify your response?

4. Your task: Can you block out sound
Your task: Can you block out sound? I would like you to design some ear defenders that will block the sound waves from entering your ear. You can use the following materials:
Card and paper
Cotton wool
Plastic cups
foil
Felt and fabric
Bubble wrap

5. Recording your results
Test each material and colour in the face.
Could you hear everything?
Was it muffled?
Did you manage to block out the sound?
Which two would you combine to make the perfect ear defenders?

6. LI: To recognise that vibrations from sounds travel through a medium to the ear LI: To learn that different materials can reduce sound entering the ear and that we call this sound insulation Working scientifically: LI: To set up simple practical enquiries, comparative and fair tests

7. Success Criteria
Must – assess each sound based on a smiley face rating. Could they hear the sound, was it muffled or could the not hear it at all.
Should- As above but use scientific language such as insulation, sound waves and vibrations and to understand that the decibel meter reading will be lower if a sound is insulated.
Could – As above but also think of practical applications for using sound defenders and look at the reason why we may need them.