Unit 8 — Waves and Information
Description
Students investigate wave properties and patterns through hands-on experimentation with water waves and other wave phenomena. They develop models to describe waves in terms of amplitude and wavelength and understand that waves can cause objects to move. Students explore how patterns are used to communicate information and design solutions for transmitting information over a distance using patterns of sound, light, or other methods. Through the engineering design process, students research historical and modern communication methods, design and build devices or processes for communication, test their solutions under various conditions, and refine their designs based on performance data. Students learn that engineers improve technologies to increase benefits, decrease risks, and meet societal demands.
Essential Questions
- If a beach ball lands in the surf beyond the breakers, what will happen to it?
- Which team can design a way to use patterns to communicate with someone across the room?
- How can we use scientific understanding of waves to solve communication problems?
Learning Objectives
- Develop a model of waves to describe patterns in terms of amplitude and wavelength and that waves can cause objects to move
- Sort and classify natural phenomena using similarities and differences in patterns
- Generate and compare multiple solutions that use patterns to transfer information
- Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved
- Understand that digitized information can be transmitted over long distances without significant degradation
- Understand that engineers improve existing technologies or develop new ones to meet societal demands
Supplemental Resources
- Water in pans and buckets for wave observation experiments
- Printed images showing wave properties and patterns
- Chart paper for brainstorming communication methods and design criteria
- Graphic organizers for organizing research and design planning
- Materials for building communication devices (string, cups, drums, flashlights, boxes, rubber bands)
Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science
Physical Sciences
Crosscutting Concepts
Disciplinary Core Ideas
Science and Engineering Practices
Students read informational texts and conduct short research projects to gather evidence supporting science explanations across all units. They write informative and opinion pieces, take notes from print and digital sources, draw evidence from texts, and use audio recordings and visual displays in presentations to communicate understanding of science concepts including weathering, erosion, earth processes, structures and functions, energy transfer, force and motion, and waves.
Students apply mathematical reasoning and measurement skills across science units. They use measurement units to collect and analyze quantitative data, model with mathematics when drawing diagrams of light and waves, solve multistep word problems involving distances and quantities related to energy and earth processes, interpret multiplication equations as comparisons when analyzing environmental data, and apply geometric concepts such as points, lines, angles, and lines of symmetry when studying wave properties and organism structures.
Formative Assessments
- Observations and descriptions of wave patterns created by disturbing water
- Models of waves using drawings, diagrams, or physical representations
- Small group research on historical and modern communication methods
- Design sketches showing proposed communication devices or processes
- Testing data from communication solution trials under various conditions
Summative Assessment
develop an electrical warning system to alert astronauts on a spaceship of potential asteroid collisions
Benchmark Assessment
Use evidence from an investigation to describe the relationship between force and speed
Alternative Assessment
Students may demonstrate understanding through a teacher-led interview where they describe wave properties using visual supports such as labeled diagrams or physical models. Responses may be given orally, and students may use gesture or pointing to identify amplitude, wavelength, and wave movement instead of written explanations.
IEP (Individualized Education Program)
Students may benefit from graphic organizers or partially completed diagrams to support the development of wave models, reducing the cognitive load of recording observations while keeping the focus on scientific thinking. Providing physical, manipulative materials for representing amplitude and wavelength can support students who find abstract representation challenging, and allowing oral or drawn explanations in place of written responses ensures that understanding of wave properties and communication design is not obscured by output demands. Breaking the engineering design process into clearly sequenced, visually supported steps with frequent check-ins will help students track progress and make meaningful contributions to testing and revision.
Section 504
Students should be given extended time during wave investigation observations and design-testing phases, where precise recording and sustained focus are required. Preferential seating during demonstrations of wave phenomena and reduced-distraction workspaces during data collection and design sketching will support consistent access to the unit's hands-on and investigative components.
ELL / MLL
Visual supports such as labeled diagrams of wave properties, picture-supported vocabulary cards for key terms like amplitude, wavelength, and frequency, and illustrated examples of historical and modern communication methods will help students access the unit's core concepts. Directions for investigations and engineering design steps should be simplified and delivered in short segments, and pairing students with a home-language peer or providing bilingual reference materials for content vocabulary will allow fuller participation in research and design discussions.
At Risk (RTI)
Connecting wave concepts to familiar, everyday experiences — such as sound traveling across a room or ripples spreading in a puddle — can provide accessible entry points before introducing more formal models and terminology. Reducing the complexity of the design challenge by focusing on a single variable at a time during testing supports meaningful engagement with the engineering process, and providing structured research templates with sentence starters can help students organize and communicate findings without becoming overwhelmed by open-ended tasks.
Gifted & Talented
Students who demonstrate early mastery of wave properties can be challenged to investigate the mathematical relationship between amplitude, wavelength, and energy, or to compare analog and digital signal transmission at a conceptual level beyond the standard scope. For the engineering design challenge, these students might be encouraged to explore real-world constraints such as signal interference, power limitations, or redundancy in warning systems, and to evaluate their designs against historical engineering failures or successes in space communication technology.