Understanding Waves

Ride the wave to an understanding of refraction! The first in a series of two inquiry-based lessons challenges learners to create transverse waves with two different types of springs. As their wave hits an object, they observe the change...

Young scientists use Slinkys to better understand waves. After creating and measuring many aspects of waves, they complete a handout and homework questions. The resource also introduces the final project for the chapter, though it does...

Lead your class on a journey to the planet Jupiter and provide them with fun facts in the process. Learners explore radio waves emitted by Jupiter to further understand how this data helps our daily lives. They conclude by discussing...

Tectonic relationships prove when there is too much friction, the fault lies near. This STEM science lesson is designed as a guided inquiry experiment. Scholars know the question but must choose their materials, formulate their...

How does sound travel through different mediums? Scholars explore this question by creating and observing sound waves as they learn the difference between transverse and longitudinal wave motion. Using their new knowledge, class members...

Slinkies® are a great tool for visualizing waves. Pupils work in groups to create both transverse and longitudinal waves before using a polarizer to analyze the ways they are able to travel. 

Does your lesson plan for wave properties have its ups and downs? Get some fresh ideas from an informative video! The narrator discusses PS4A, showing the must-know ideas for each grade level through concept maps and demonstrations.

A colorful and comprehensive PowerPoint highlights this activity on waves. Junior geophysicists pretend that they are hired to analyze seismic waves. A worksheet is provided to go along with an online article about how compact discs work...

Students are introduced to the forces that are responsible for generating waves in the ocean and how these forcesf differ from those that cause currents. They are able to explain how water molecules in a wave do not move in the direction...

"To understand the phenomenon of color, it helps to think about light as a wave." This is a brief and very informative instructional video on what color is and why we are able to see it. Your young scientists will learn such terms as the...