Light and Sound | Vibrations, Materials, Shadows & Signals | Grade 1

Light and Sound is a science unit for Grade 1: a 33-page classroom material set and a 14-page teacher guide. In ten lessons, students investigate how sound is made, how we see and how light passes through different materials. At the end they send their own messages with light and with sound. In every lesson students test something themselves and explain with what they observed.

The sound lessons start with what students can feel. First they notice a gentle vibration. Then they make a ruler sound and see that vibration and sound go together. In Lesson 3, sound moves a light object, so students can see that sound has an effect. The light lessons begin with a dark box. Students find that they can only see inside when light gets in. Next they test materials. Light passes through clear material, only partly through cloudy material and not at all through opaque material. The shadow investigation builds on this. The last two lessons are small design tasks, where students send a message across a distance with light and then with sound. Each lesson uses the same learning routine, introduced on the opening page, and students track their work in a learning record.

What's Included

• Classroom Material: 33 pages (PDF)
• Teacher Guide: 14 pages (PDF)
• 47 pages in total
• Editable DOCX text version (pagination may differ)
• Editable PowerPoint presentation (PPTX, editable text)
• Print-ready A4 PDF that prints on US Letter with fit-to-page

The 10 Investigations

• Sound and vibration (Lessons 1–3). Feel a gentle vibration; A ruler makes sound; Sound moves a light object.
• Light and seeing (Lesson 4). Seeing in a dark box.
• Light and materials (Lessons 5–8). Clear material; Cloudy material; Opaque material; Shadow investigation.
• Communicate over distance (Lessons 9–10). Send a light message; Send a sound message.
• Also included. An opening page on the learning routine and a student learning record.

Students Will Learn To

• Show that vibrating materials make sound and that sound can make materials vibrate
• Explain that objects can be seen only when light is present
• Sort materials as clear, cloudy or opaque by testing how light passes through
• Explain how a shadow forms
• Use light or sound to send a message across a distance

Perfect For

• Grade 1 physical science units
• Science stations with simple classroom materials
• STEM time with a small design challenge
• Grade 2 students who need a review of light and sound
• Homeschool science with household items
• UK and Australia: roughly maps to Year 2 in England and Year 1 in Australia

Why Teachers Choose This Unit

• The teacher guide includes an NGSS mapping and notes on assessment.
• Each investigation has its own answers and teaching decisions page.
• The guide sets out the teaching concept and planning for the whole unit.
• An observation and responsive support section helps you respond to student ideas during investigations.
• Students explain with evidence from their own tests, not from a reading passage.

Created with AI assistance. Texts and illustrations were generated with AI support and edited for classroom use; sources and production notes are at the end of the teacher guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

What grade and standards does this fit?

It is written for Grade 1. The unit sits closest to NGSS 1-PS4-1 (vibration and sound), 1-PS4-2 (seeing when light is present), 1-PS4-3 (light and different materials) and 1-PS4-4 (using light or sound to communicate over a distance). The teacher guide includes a mapping to these expectations. No alignment or endorsement is claimed.

What materials do I need?

Simple classroom items. The lessons use things like a ruler, a box for the dark-box test, clear, cloudy and opaque materials and a light object for the sound test. Check the teacher guide for each lesson before you set up.

Is this a reading-heavy unit?

No. Students spend most of the time testing and observing. The written parts ask them to record and explain what they saw, and you can read the prompts aloud.

How do I assess the unit?

The teacher guide has a section on NGSS mapping and assessment, answers for each lesson and notes on observation. Students also keep a learning record.