What Is The Relationship Between Pitch and Amplitude?

Teacher: Christine I. Gleason School: Greenhills School City/State:  Ann Arbor, Michigan Curriculum Area: Physical Science  Unit: Sound  Driving Question “How is it possible that when I speak, you can hear my voice?” Grade-Level: 8  Video Number: 055mims

PURPOSE:

For students to:
-continue to ask good questions, researching pertinent background information using a variety of resources (library and Internet, experts in the community, their science books and teacher handouts).  

-design and carry out investigations that they design based on their own questions that are centered around a driving question and sub-questions for the unit we study that are real-life situated.

The basic unit plan for our Sound unit is:
-to introduce students to the basic concepts of sound by addressing four questions.

-for students to explore the answers to these questions by searching for information in books, through Internet sources and through class lab activities.

-to have students use a new search engine developed by the University of  Michigan among other search engines as well as books, to research information regarding sound as assigned in class to prepare for class discussion.

-to have students engage in various lab experiences to discover answers to the questions we propose to study in our sound unit.

-to introduce students to software called Sound Edit. This software will allow students to set pitch and amplitude and measure if amplitude effects pitch.

-to have students explore the capabilities of Sound Edit as a tool to record and measure data of the student designed sound experiments

-to have students engage in the pre-search, search process to develop an additional  question they are curious about centered around sound.

-to present their proposed question and experimental design for peer review.

-to have students carry out their student-designed experiment to answer their individual question.

-to complete a written lab and present their experimental results to the class.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION:  
The objectives of this lesson are to:
-have students use a new search engine developed by the University of Michigan to research information on sound waves and types of sound waves to prepare for a class discussion.
-have students recall the results of the “ button Lab” they performed to determine  the relationship between pitch and amplitude.
 -introduce students to software called Sound Edit. This software will allow students to set pitch and amplitude and measure if amplitude effects pitch.
-have students explore the capabilities of Sound Edit as a tool to record and measure data of the student designed sound experiments.

***Indicates the activities that were videotaped

ACTIVITIES:  
(Note:  This is a unit plan that may cover several days to several weeks. Not all of the following activities/ standards will appear in the video clips used.)

TOOLS & RESOURCES:
Software:  
eProbe Calibrate.  Apple.  Available: http://www.apple.com.
Model-It software version 3.0 developed by the University of Michigan
Microsoft Word. Microsoft Corp. Available: http://www.microsoft.com.
Excel.  Microsoft Corp.  Available: http://www.microsoft.com. 
Netscape Communicator to construct web pages.  Netscape. Available: http://www.netscape.com.
Sound Edit 16 version 2.  Macromedia.  Available: http://www.macromedia.com/software/sound/

Hardware:  
5 Olympus Camedia Digital Cameras.  Olympus. Available: http://www.olympusamerica.com.
eProbe.  Apple.  Available: http://www.apple.com.
8 eMates.  Apple. Available:  http://www.apple.com.
8 iMacs in our classroom.  Apple.  Available: http://www.apple.com.
8 sets of Vernier Probes.  Vernier.  Available: http://www.vernier.com.

Our middle school science classrooms are also wired for direct Internet access.

Web Sites:  
Merit.  Available: http://www.merit.edu/about/fullrecord.html

Student Online Learning Center.  Available: http://www.mhhe.com/biosci/genbio/maderhuman6/
student/olc/vrl_animation-quizzes.html

Student Online Learning Center.  Available: http://www.mhhe.com/biosci/genbio/maderhuman6/student/olc/
chap08tips.html

Artemis.  Available: http://www.webartemis.com  

Google Search Engine. Available: http://www.google.com/search

HotBot.  Available: http://www.hotbot.com

Explore Science.Com.  Available: http://www.explorescience.com/

Teacher Workroom.  Available: http://www.hi-ce.org/teacherworkroom/software/modelit

On our Greenhills School Web site, www.greenhillsschool.org, students can click on Library and go to the listing of search engines that the Librarian has research and found most effective for the searches our students do.  There are listings of General Search Engines, Meta Search Engines and General Directories of Internet Sources.

Text Book:  
Morrison, E. S. & Moore, A., (1993). Science Plus. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc. and University of New Brunswick, Orlando, Florida.

Teacher-Created Materials:
-Multimedia /Lab Document
-Sound Edit Basic Instructions/Wave Lab
-Sound Project and handout
-Informal Individual Sound Proposal

ASSESSMENT:  
We use a variety of methods to assess student’s progress.

1. We have students take a pre-test to determine their initial knowledge of the content we will be learning.  In the case of sound, we ask the students to answer each of the 4 questions we will address through out our unit.  We have a post-test and have the students compare their results. This often results in many laughs and affirms the student’s progress.

2. All of our students have a quadrille composition notebook.  They date and record notes from class discussions and class Internet searches. Students also record mini-class lab write-ups.  Each class lab write-up needs to include; Question, Prediction, Data, Analysis and conclusion. -For the Internet search, the level of engagement in the class discussion allows me to determine if students have been actively involved in the pre-search process. 

3. Students are also given tests to assess assimilation of content knowledge.

4. As students prepare to present their proposal for an experimental design before the class, they complete a proposal. (Sample is included)  Before partners come together to prepare presentation of proposal for peer review, each partner prepares an experimental design.  This is to ensure that each partner is invested in the design of the experiment. We check before class begins to be sure that each student has filled out their proposal.  We hope to develop each student's responsibility and commitment to the collaborative process and interaction with their partners.

5. During student-designed experiments, students are assessed based on their class engagement during class.  Are students working with their partners or are they concerned with other experiments?

6. Each student-designed experiment requires a written report that follows guidelines. (Students are given a handout with specific expectations for completing this exercise. A sample is included) Each of these student designed experimental write-ups contains specific expectations for components that are group generated and individually generated.

7. Presentations are expected to be dynamic and engage the audience with the results of their experiment.

Very little of the students grade is based on tests.  Most of the grade is based on class work that stresses the process we hope each of our students internalizes.  This begins with a driving question, supported by the construction of background information.  This process continues with a project design and is supported by the collection of data, facts and ends in a final presentation to the class so we can all be enriched.  This empowers students to go beyond the content presented in class.

CREDITS:  
Chris Gleason, Greenhills School, Ann Arbor, Michigan Cgleason@greenhillsschool.org

Ann Novak, Greenhills School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Anovak@greenhillsschool.org

TIMELINE & COURSE OUTLINE:  
Our Sound Unit is one of five units we cover in the 8^th grade science curriculum.  The others are Weather, Photosynthesis, Digestion and Electricity.

ACTIVITY:
Our sound unit takes about 3-4 weeks. Students are NOT reenacting this activity.  At the time of the taping, we just completed a lab exercise were students were determining if amplitude effected the pitch.  They used a button hung at various lengths of string and placed at various distances from the resting point to collect data and analyze if increasing or decreasing amplitude affected pitch. 

We introduced our students to a software program called Sound Edit Pro for two reasons. 

1.      We wanted to present our students with a visual that emphasized the findings of their pitch-amplitude lab.

2.      We wanted our students to be introduced to a technology tool they can use to ask questions they may not have thought about to help design better sound experiments and to collect more accurate data for them to analyze if their design incorporated the capabilities of this program. 

Before we did this, students were given the task to search for background information that would explain sound waves.  They had to research how sound travels.  It was expected that through their search students would find information on longitudinal waves and transverse waves.  Students found simulations of longitudinal waves work, which is how sound travels.  Students would also find transverse waves which is how sound is typically displayed on oscilloscopes and in the Sound Edit Pro software.  Information would also be gathered on how one might determine if one looked at a wave produced on Sound Edit if it were of high/low frequency or if it was of a loud or soft sound.

After the search for information, we shared this information as a class.  When we learn content in our class, it is a result of students and teachers interacting to exchange and share information they researched the night before.  In this way students are actively involved in the class and have the power to make this class their own.

Sound Edit was then introduced and students were given directions on how to complete the requirements of this activity, recording their findings as accurately as possible in their science composition books. Students were encouraged to explore the possibilities of the program to wet their appetite for further exploration into the possibilities it could provide for them, in collecting data for their student designed sound experiments.

COMMENTS:  
In the past we explored the sound unit and used the class laboratory experiences to engage our students in learning several sound concepts.  For example, how sound travels and to simulate longitudinal sound waves with a slinky.  With the addition of 8 iMacs in our classes and direct connection to the Internet, our students can search on a variety of search engines for a site where students are engaged in an interactive lesson and observe how changes in pitch and amplitude affect a longitudinal wave.  Until now they only had a visual of how sound waves are displayed on an oscilloscope, as transverse waves.  The addition of iMacs also provided an interactive opportunity for students to visualize what a transverse looks like when pitch is high or low, and if amplitude is loud or soft.   A “button Lab” from their Science Plus textbook, allows students to discover that changes in amplitude do not cause changes in pitch.  However, the software Sound Edit provides students with measurable data displayed on their computer screen for students to see that there is no relationship between amplitude and pitch.  These opportunities to work with technology tools that can measure data more accurately and provide a visual representation of that data is very powerful and enhance student learning.

Technology Resources:
Software:  
-Sound Edit Pro 16 version 2 The latest version of the Sound Edit Pro that would also work on the Mac.  A wonderful tool that allows students to visualize sound waves, manipulate components to use as a tool to collect data in their student-designed sound experiments.  

Hardware: 
- 8 iMacs in our classroom
-Our middle school science classrooms are wired for direct Internet access.

One of our goals as teachers was to incorporate technology into our project-based curriculum. Because we had a water quality curriculum in place, our project-based approach, had a stream behind our school and wanted to incorporate technology into our curriculum, we were very fortunate to have been invited to participate in a National Science Foundation grant that the Concord Consortium, in Concord Massachusetts and the University of Michigan received.  The SLiC grant (Science Learning in Context) provided us with the opportunity to allow our 7^th grade students to study and learn about water quality at the stream.  Our 8^th graders are able to collect weather data and compare it with the data gathered by professionals and reported on the web, as well as design better student designed experiments now that they have equipment to collect data in real time.  It allows us to study science where the science is and in a similar manner that it is conducted.  As a result of this grant we received, eMates and a variety of Vernier probes (dissolved, oxygen, pH, conductivity, light, barometric pressure and temperature).  In addition our two middle school science classrooms are networked together and we each have our own 16 port hubs that tap into our schools T1 line for Internet access.  

We work hard to ensure that our equipment remains in good working order.  Our students are careful when handling the equipment, however as the equipment ages we are faced with replacement issues.  As a result, we try to keep informed of new learning technologies, which would allow our students to enjoy the benefits that our current technology has afforded them. We do this by attending conferences and talking with people in education and in technology that are aware of new learning technologies.  Currently we are in such a position and as we search for equipment to replace our current portable technology, we will consider price, durability, dependability and versatility among other criteria. 

Technology Support:  
Joe Krajcik, Professor of Education at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan Krajcik@umich.edu

Elliott Soloway, Professor of Engineering, Technology at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan Soloway@umich.edu

Bob Tinker, President of Concord Consortium (Educational Technology Lab) Concord, Massachusetts Bob@concord.org

Teaching Strategy:
As students gain experience in the process of inquiry there is a transition from mainly teacher-designed investigations to a combination of teacher- and student-designed investigations.  By the end of 7th grade students are comfortable and confident with science inquiry which includes a combination of teacher-designed activities, labs and direct instruction, as well as student-designed long-term investigations, all of which center around a driving question.  They also are introduced to several technological tools used for data collection and analysis, written reports with tables and graphs, concept development, and presentation purposes. 

The 8th grade program builds on the 7th grade program expanding upon many of the science concepts and using the same general approach.  However, expectations for 8th graders are higher.  Students improve their ability to conduct background research and design and carry out investigations, while working collaboratively and efficiently.  Data collection techniques also are expanded.  Greater emphasis is placed on helping students to look for patterns and relationships as they analyze data.  Just as with 7th grade, the 8th grade program includes several units that are centered around driving questions which are investigated through a combination of teacher designed activities, labs and direct instruction and student designed long term investigations. 

IN THIS ACTIVITY:  
It would be so easy to lecture to the students but it is much better for students to be at the center of their learning and that they are actively involved in imparting information to others on the topics we discuss.  We give students terms to research for homework or questions to ponder so that they are ready to be involved in the discussion. Students are invited to look through books, have discussions with family, as many have parents who are scientists in their home, or students may choose to search on the internet for information.  For this activity the 8^th grade was introduced to a new search engine, Artemis that the University of Michigan has developed.  Sound waves are captured as transverse waves and displayed on oscilloscopes. However, on Artemis students were able to capture wonderful simulations of the longitudinal wave to gain a better understanding of how sound travels.  Students were also asked to recall how amplitude and pitch are measured on waves and understand how to determine the differences among levels of amplitude and frequencies of pitch. This will help students understand the relationship between amplitude and pitch, and to determine if amplitude effects pitch.

As students learn to use the software program Sound Edit, they can begin to analyze the waves they have recorded and see how this program can used as a data collection tool, providing opportunities to design better student-designed sound experiments.

Technology as Facilitator of Quality Education Model Components Highlighted in This Activity http://www.intime.uni.edu/model/modelimage.html  
(Note:  This is a unit plan that may cover several days to several weeks. Not all of the elements from the Technology as Facilitator of Quality Education Model that are described below will appear in the video clips used.) 

Our curriculum and the video highlight most of the components of Technology as Facilitator of Quality Education Model.  If you refer to the section above I discuss why I choose to use this particular teaching strategy, the following components are highlighted.

Principles of Learning:  
Students are actively involved in what they are doing.  In this video the setting is in the classroom. Students are using learning technology tools to research background information and to collect data for an activity that would supply a visual for them that answers the question “What is the relationship between pitch and amplitude?”

However, depending on the unit and the activities the students are engaged in, you can find students outside the rooms and the school on many occasions.  All settings are relaxed, informal yet very productive.  An important component in the process of student-designed experiments is that they receive Frequent Feedback both from their peers and us as teaches.  When students initially ask their questions they present a design proposal, which they present to the class. We set clear guidelines for this forum and in a non-threatening and kind manner, students affirm and offer suggestions for improvement.  This allows students to re-evaluate their design and consider options they did not initially consider.  All exchanges are positive and empowering for all participants.  Students are excited about the experiments their peers design.  Students also peer edit each others background information.  The ground rules are for each student to have their partner and one other student check their background information.  They determine if enough information exists for them to evaluate the data they hope to collect.   Another opportunity for feedback comes as students collect data.  Together with their partners students reflect and make judgements to determine the accuracy of the data and try to determine what are the possible activities that could lead to the results they gathered.  Students are encouraged to look for patterns as they analyze their data. This process encourages students to make connections and reference their background information for support. What could be a more compelling, motivating experience than to be empowered to ask your own question that is real life situated and then design and carry out the experiment to answer it?. 

Information Processing:
At the start of each unit we take a look at what concepts would be most important for our students to learn.  Then we engage the students through various homework assignments and class lab activities, to develop an Appreciation for the content they are learning.  Students are actively involved in presenting material and analyzing information during our class discussions.  This approach gives students an appreciation for what they are studying because they have been involved in constructing background information that also allows students to evaluate their data in a more meaningful and accurate manner.  As students collect their data they interpret their findings based on the background information they have constructed from class notes and from the research they have conducted.  Therefore it is very important that students are given time to Search for information regarding their questions and then time to design their experiment.  The Presearch and Search processes are important and taking the time to do so, results in a more thorough experimental design.  When the experiments are complete, students prepare presentations to share their results with the class.  Students are given guidelines for a written report or multimedia presentation and are assessed on both the group and individual components of the report.  Self-reflection is important in the conclusion of their reports. Students are asked to explain what went well and what would they change if they were to do the same experiment again. It is exciting when students are lead to ask other questions as a result of their search process and/or experimental designs.  Sometimes it is hard for them to decide what question they want to address.

Communication continues as students construct Web pages. You are able to connect and view them by connecting to http://www.greenhillsschool.org and follow the link to academics that will allow you to link to the middle school science page and view our students’ work. 

Content Standards:
We address many of the Content Standards.  Refer to the table at the beginning of this learning activity template. 

Democracy:  
Our students demonstrate Tolerance in a variety of ways. They tolerate equipment problems that occur and do not get frustrated, working to solve them instead.  This could be due to hardware or software problems that could cause inaccurate data readings. They accept collaborating with their partners, demonstrating how they work together to think critically about their work.  Together they make decisions to either accept their data or retake it.   Together they look for information and clues that would validate the data they collect. If students determine there is a problem with either their experimental design or with the technology tools they are using, they decide what actions to take to make the appropriate adjustments.  Our students don’t give up instead they embrace the challenges students designed experiments can present.  Learning takes place regardless if an experiment is successful or if students encounter problems.

Because our students work collaboratively with partners, it is important that they feel the responsibility to be actively involved in the entire process.   All of our students are called on to be responsible in their data collection techniques so that they collect the most accurate data they can and share it.  When student’s partners are absent, the data collection continues and partners need to be sure that all the collected information is shared with them upon their return.  This is possible because students have collaborated with their partners on the experimental design.

Technology:  
When we look at our curriculum we see that the all of the technology competencies are addressed with the exception of Video Conferencing and Adaptive Assistive
Devices.   In this activity we addressed Operating Computer Systems, Equipment Operation, Trouble-Shooting, Equipment Operation, WWW Information Sources, and Instructional Software. It is always expected that students use the equipment and sources or information in a responsible manner.

Teacher Knowledge and Teacher Behavior:  
I LOVE TEACHING!  I can’t imagine another career that would be more rewarding.  I have an undergraduate degree in Biology with a Chemistry/General Science minor.  This degree has provided me with a wonderful knowledge base from which I continue to read and learn all that I can about the various fields of science.  I am confident in my abilities as a scientist and I impart to my students the love and joy of teaching them science. My Masters is in Learning Disabilities. This degree has helped me identify students that are bright, motivated and those that have great potential but have a different learning style, or see no reason for learning.  Because there are a variety of learning styles in our classes, I am always searching for ways to develop the talents of all of my students.  I look for ways to develop their appreciation for the importance of studying science and its pertinence in their lives, as well as learning that science is empowering and great fun! I have been teaching for 27 years. During this time I reflect daily on my teaching to determine what worked, what didn’t and improve on both.  I am a risk taker.  I always look for opportunities to learn something new and improve what I am doing.  I am a life long learner and want my students to understand and appreciate the benefits of not only learning science but also becoming life long learners themselves.  I am aware of the talents my students bring to class.  I know that our curriculum brings out the best in our students and allows them to be successful.  I also know that our program is challenges and empowers our students to be at the center of their learning.

I feel that my love for teaching, my desire to learn and grow and my experiences over the past 27 years allows me to understand and address my students and their needs.

Student Characteristics:
Our students are terrific.  They are motivated, curious and conscientious learners.  Because our students are risk takers it is so easy to introduce new ideas and challenges into the curriculum.  Because they are risk takers we have engaged in studies with the University of Michigan to test and be involved in the revision of the software program Model-It.  Our students have effective in testing the software experiencing the challenges of wishing that the program would allow them to perform a variety of tasks, and then seeing that programmers have rewritten the program so that their wishes were incorporated.  This is very motivating and empowering.  Our students understood that they were helping to make this program better so that other students could use it more easily.   Because of this I need to say that our students are patient.  Working with technology as a tool to advance student learning is wonderful but it does present some challenges.  It is because of their commitment that they took look at these challenges as opportunities to problem solve and help to effect change for the better to benefit others.   Their wonderful natural abilities make it easy for us to look for opportunities to challenge them and ourselves.  Together we engage in activities that enhance our student’s learning.  We acknowledge that there are a variety of learning styles within our motivated and talented group of students.  Because of the hand on approach to our curriculum we are successful at providing opportunities for students where they can develop their strengths. For some students that might be experimental design centered around their own real-life-situated questions.  For others it is working with the technology to collect and analyze data. Still others are able to create representations of their knowledge in written lab reports and construction of models, which represent their understanding of the cause and effect relationships of the concepts we study.

Evolution of the Activity:
In the past we explored the sound unit and used the class laboratory experiences to engage our students in learning several sound concepts.  For example, how sound travels and to simulate longitudinal sound waves with a slinky.  With the addition of 8 iMacs in our classes and direct connection to the Internet, our students can search on a variety of search engines for a site where students are engaged in an interactive lesson and observe how changes in pitch and amplitude affect a longitudinal wave.  Until know they only had a visual of how sound waves are displayed on an oscilloscope, as transverse waves.  The addition of iMacs also provided an interactive opportunity for students to visualize what a transverse looks like when pitch is high or low, and if amplitude is loud or soft.   A “button Lab” found in their Science Plus textbook, allows students to discover that changes in amplitude do not cause changes in pitch.  However, the software Sound Edit provides students with measurable data displayed on their computer screen for students to see that there is no relationship between amplitude and pitch.  These opportunities to work with technology tools that can measure data more accurately and provide a visual representation of that data is very powerful and enhances student learning.

In addition, students design experiments around their own real life situated questions.  The computers along with the Sound Edit software are tools that provide a way to design more thoughtfully designed experiments because students are able to collect more accurate data.

(Learning activity format adapted from National Educational Technology Standards for Students Connecting Curriculum & Technology  http://cnets.iste.org/students )  

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