Loudness and Pitch
Secondary foci: Peer Assessment, Literacy Skills,
How was it used?
The aim of this unit of work was to increase the pupil’s awareness/knowledge of the concepts of loudness and pitch.
There were several thinking skill activities for class/group/partner discussions. There were also activities where the children had the opportunity to test the sound and loudness of instruments. This is useful when musical instruments are not available to the children. There are also activities which developed language skills and investigational skills.
The resource was used when looking at how things work – how different sounds are produced and the way that sound travels.
An interactive whiteboard was needed to deliver the different tasks within the resource. There were opportunities to work away from the board where the children were encouraged to discuss with a partner or within a group. Children also used the resource when working with a partner at a computer.
Impact and Outcomes
- The pupils will encouraged to think/pair/share their ideas which led to a far greater scientific understanding of what was happening as evidenced by the pupils’ responses.
- I found that by varying the approach to my lessons by using ICT as a tool, more pupils were actively involved in the lessons via a number of challenging thinking/practical activities in the resource. I discovered the children were engaged and enthusiastic during the lesson and were keen to research the topic studied.
- As well as increased enthusiasm, I felt that pupils were involved in a number of individual/partner and class tasks that challenged their initial thoughts and knowledge of how loudness and pitch is produced. By looking at the resource Sound-Loudness and Pitch in more detail and completing the various tasks within the resource I feel the children have developed their knowledge and understanding further.
The pupils gained a deeper knowledge through peer assessment – their ideas were challenged by other members of the group and individuals were able to modify or build on their initial ideas
Lesson Learnt
I feel that the pupils gained a deeper understanding of loudness and pitch by working on the problems in groups.