NGSS 1-PS4-4
The Standard
Use tools and materials to design and build a device that uses light or sound to solve the problem of communicating over a distance.
Next Generation Science Standards
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students choose light or sound to send an agreed message to someone far away. They build a simple device with classroom materials. They test whether a partner can receive and understand the message.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can build a simple device that sends an agreed message across the room. The student can test it, describe what happened, and make one useful change if needed.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think any light or sound counts, even when it carries no agreed message. They may assume louder or brighter always works better. They may also overlook setup details, such as keeping a cup telephone string tight.
How to Assess It
- Give an exit ticket asking students to draw a device, show the signal it sends, and explain how a partner would know the message.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs cups, string, tape, and paper clips to build and test a cup telephone across the classroom.
Ask, “Which signal worked best across the room, and what evidence from your test supports your answer?”
Play a signal game where students send agreed flashlight flashes or drumbeat patterns, and partners decode each message.
Compare classroom signals with a doorbell, school bell, traffic light, or emergency siren, then name the message each sends.
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Printable 1-PS4-4 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 1-PS4-4, 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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