Mississippi Science P.4.6C.1

Science4th GradePhysical Science

The Standard

P.4.6C: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the properties of sound as a form of energy.

Plan and conduct scientific investigations to test how different variables affect the properties of sound (i.e., pitch and volume).

2026 Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science · Motion, Forces, and Energy

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students change one thing about a vibrating object, such as how far a ruler hangs over a desk or how hard they pluck it. They keep other conditions the same and record changes in pitch or volume.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students can plan a fair test, repeat it, and record results in a table. They use their results to explain that a shorter ruler overhang sounds higher, while a harder pluck sounds louder.
Common Misconceptions: Students may call a louder sound higher pitched. They may change ruler length and plucking force at the same time, making it hard to tell what caused the difference.
How to Assess It: Have students pluck a ruler with 5 cm, then 10 cm, hanging over a desk edge. Ask them to record which sounds higher and name what they kept the same.

Lesson moves

Hold a ruler over a desk edge, change its overhang, pluck it with similar force, and chart the pitch after three trials.
After the ruler test, ask partners, 'What changed, what stayed the same, and which sound was higher?'
Give pairs cards labeled short overhang, long overhang, gentle pluck, and hard pluck; have them predict pitch or volume changes, then test.
Play a song on a phone at two volume settings; ask whether the singer's pitch changes when you turn the sound up.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to P.4.6C.1, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

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