Children's Literature

NGSS Science Standards:

1-PS4-1 Plan and conduct investigations to provide evidence that vibrating materials can make sound and that sound can make materials vibrate.

4-PS3-2 Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents.

The Magic School Bus

In The Haunted Museum: A Book about Sound

Author: Linda Ward Beech
Illustrator: Joel Schick

Summary:

This children's book follows Ms. Frizzles class as they prepare for their concert at the Sound Museum. They discover all sorts of different sounds and how instruments use various ways of producing them. They learn about vibrations, echos and even use special glasses to see soundwaves!

Focus Questions:

What did Carlos's instrument need to create sound?
Are the soundwaves close together or farther apart when Ms. Frizzle sings a low note?
Can soundwaves bounce off walls?
How do vibrations create sound?

Posted by Peyton Saunders

NGSS Science Standards:

1-PS4-1 Plan and conduct investigations to provide evidence that vibrating materials can make sound and that sound can make materials vibrate.

4-PS3-2 Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents.

Sounds All Around

Author: Wendy Pfeffer
Illustrator: Holly Keller

Summary:

This children's book focuses on all the sounds we hear and can make! It talks about what sounds children, animals and machines can make and the different messages that can be sent by sound. This book explores how useful sound can be and how to use it for communication between different things. It talks about vibrations, decibels and even teaches readers about echolocation!

Focus Questions:

What is echolocation?
Can soundwaves be used under water?
Does yelling use more decibels than whispering?
How can we use sound to convey messages?

Posted by: Peyton Saunders

Sound

Author: Steffi Cavell-Clarke

Summary:

This book is great for younger elementary students. It dives into what sound is, where it comes from, and how we hear it. This book it easy to read, filled with engaging pictures, and even a few experiments at the back of the book. I would use this book as a hook! It covers the basics of sounds very well and effectively.

Focus Questions:

How do we hear sounds?
What are the different types of sounds?
Where do sounds come from?
What allows us to actually hear sounds?
What are som ways we make sounds?

Posted by: Aubrey Jones

Investigating Sound

Author: Sally M. Walker

Summary:

This book discusses all things sound. It talks about what sound is, how it is made, what makes sounds, sound waves, as well as sounds we cant hear. I would say that it would be a great book to use as a hook, or supplementary to a lesson because it does go into more detail over the different elements of sounds. It is a very engaging book because of its relatable pictures of other students, as well as small activities as you are reading to further explain the phenomena.

Focus Questions:

What do we call sounds that bother us?
What causes sound?
What are sound waves?
How fast do sound waves move?
What is an example of sounds we can't hear?

Posted by: Aubrey Jones

Sounds All Around: The Science of How Sound Works

Author: Susan Hughes

Illustrator: Ellen Rooney

Summary:

This book explains the physics of sound in kid friendly language. From describing how sounds are made by the vibrations of air, to identifying and considering the different sources of sound and its properties (pitch, tone, volume), this book is an excellent tool for physical science that strongly supports the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for kindergarten and first grade.

Focus Questions:

What is sound? What are its properties?
How does sound travel?
Where do you hear different sounds?
Have you ever felt a sound?

Posted by: Lauren Pio

The How and Why Wonder Book of Sound

Author: Martin L. Keen
Illustrator: George J. Zaffo

Summary:

This book talks about everythings sound, from the nature of sound, measuring sound, reflected sound, musical sounds, living sound organisms, sound and communication, ultrasonics and supersonics, and interesting facts about sound. Not only does the book give more than enough information about sound, but it provides many inquiry projects that demonstrate the basic ideas about sound. While experimenting, inquiring, investigating, and exploring to answer questions about sound, students will be able to cultivate the skills needed to become a scientist.

Focus Questions:

What is sound?
How does sound travel?
What is an echo?
What is musical sound?
What is ultrasonics?

Posted by: Jayla Johnson

The Magic School Bus

In the Haunted Museum: A Book About Sound

AUTHOR:

Joanna Cole

SUMMARY:

This book is about Ms. Frizzle taking students to the Haunted Museum. In this book, students learn about many different sounds.

FOCUS QUESTIONS:

What are some of the sounds that were talked about in the book?
What does vibrating have to do with sound? Why is vibrating an important part of sound?

Posted by: Kaitlyn Sennett-Heims

Sound Waves

AUTHOR:

Ian F. Mahaney

SUMMARY:

This book talks about atoms and molecules (about the difference and some examples). It also talks about sound (what it is and what causes sound to happen). "Sound Waves" also talks about how we as humans make sounds (talks about our vocal cords and the larynx). The book talks about waves (connecting sound waves and waves in water & how we hear sound waves). It talks about what sounds we can hear depending on the frequency. "Sound Waves" also discusses ultrasound and infrasound (what they are and what they can be used for). Finally the book discusses the speed of sound.

FOCUS QUESTIONS:

What is the difference between an atom and a molecule?
What is sound?
How do waves move? Do all sound waves move the same?
What are frequencies? Why is it important to know this term?
How fast does sound travel? Does it matter how far or close you are to the place where sound came from?

Posted by: Kaitlyn Sennett-Heims

Standards:

1-PS4-1 Plan and conduct investigations to provide evidence that vibrating materials can make sound and that sound can make materials vibrate.
1-PS4-4 Use tools and materials to design and build a device that uses light or sound to solve the problem of communicating over a distance.
4-PS3-2 Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents.

Clang! Ernst Chladni's Sound Experiments

Author: Darcy Pattison

Illustrator: Peter Willis

Description: This story follows the science experiments of Ernst Chladni, a scientist in the early 1800s who is considered the "Father of Acoustics". We read through Chladni's experience has he travels the world and meets world leaders who were impressed by his experiments. This book focuses on how scientists may collaborate with others to improve their work, and how Chladni popularized this kind of science.

Focus Questions:

What kind of scientist is Ernst Chladni
What kind of materials did he use to conduct his experiments?
What are acoustics?

Posted by: Samantha Coleman

Sounds All Around

Author: Wendy Pfeffer

Illustrator: Holly Keller

Summary: In this book, children get to learn about sounds and how they are mad from people and animals. They also get to learn about how they use different sounds to communicate.

Focus Questions:

How do people use sounds to communicate?
Can we see sounds waves?
How do animals use sounds to communicate?
What are echos?
How do sounds waves work?

Posted by: Vanessa Turner

The How and Why Book of Science Experiments

Author: Wendy Pfeffer
Illustrator: Holly Keller

Summary:

This book provides suggested investigations in three important areas of exploration: air and water, sound, and astronomy. By carrying out these investigations, each young explorer will be rediscovering some of the principles of science. However, in some of the activities, new knowledge will be rediscovered. This book will help young scientists develop skills of investigation through using the methods of discovery that experienced scientists use.

Focus Questions:

What is sound?
How does sound travel?
What is the best medium for sound to travel through?
What are sound waves?
What is an echo?
How can you measure distance with sound?
How do stringed instruments produce sound?
How do wind instruments produce sound?
How do percussion instruments produce sound?

Posted by: Jayla Johnson

Cross Cutting Concepts

Scale, Proportion and Quantity
Energy and Matter
Cause and Effect

Sound: Loud, Soft, High, and Low

Author: Natalie M. Rosinsky

Summary:

This children's book focuses on sound, primarily pitch. Readers will learn about how sounds are created through vibrations, and how those sounds can also vary in pitch and volume.

Focus Questions:

What is pitch?
What is volume?
How are sounds made?
How can we control pitch and volume?

Posted by: Peyton Saunders

NGSS Science Standards:

1-PS4-1 Plan and conduct investigations to provide evidence that vibrating materials can make sound and that sound can make materials vibrate.

4-PS3-2 Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents.

How Sounds Move

Author: Sharon Coan

Summary:

This children's book talks about the wonders of sound all around us. Readers will learn about what sound waves are and how they are used for us to hear through our ears. This book comes with a glossary, index, captions and bold font to keep readers engaged.

Focus Questions:

How is sound made?
How are we able to hear sound?
What is pitch?
What is volume?

Posted by; Peyton Saunders

NGSS

PS4.A: Wave Properties

Sound can make matter vibrate, and vibrating matter can make a sound.

1-PS4-1

- Plan and conduct investigations to provide evidence that vibrating materials can make sound and that sound can make materials vibrate.

Oscar and the Bat: A Book about Sound

By Geof Waring

Description:

Oscar the cat and his friend Bat explore sound together in this book! Join these two friends as they learn about the different sounds animals and environments make. This book shows young learners that sound is all around us and is constantly happening! This book would be fantastic as an engage step in order to get students thinking about sound and how it works.

Focus Questions:

When a cat purrs, what can you feel, if anything?
When you place your hand to your throat and hum, what do you feel?
What happened when the thunder got closer to Oscar? What did he hear?
- Did he feel anything?

Posted by Gracie Bostwick

Cross-cutting concepts:

Patterns
Cause and effect
Systems and system models
Interdependence of science, engineering, and technology

The Science of Sound

Author: Steve Parker

Description:

This book introduces students to the basic principles of sound and sound waves in fun ways. There are vocabulary words used in the beginning to help explain the concepts and help students coorelate the concepts with new vocab. Along with the explanation of the principles the book offers experiments to put those ideas into practice in the classroom. There is also a a history of sound and the discovery of it in the back of the book, as well as a glossary. This is not a read-aloud book, simply a book that offers

Focus Questions:

What is sound?
What are some things we use every day that make sound?
Can sound waves travel at different speeds?
What affects the rate in which sound waves travels?

Posted by: Samantha Coleman

Standards:

PS4.A Wave Properties
PS4.C Information Technologies and Instrumentation

Sound Waves (Waves in Motion)

Author: Michael Dahl

Description:

This book introduces students to different types of sounds waves they might hear in their everyday life. Examples will be given from different places around the country. The reasoning will be explained so students can go home looking for what they might hear as a sound wave.

Focus Questions:

What is sound wave?
What are some things we use every day that make sound?
Where might you hear different sound waves and why?

Posted by: Shannon Kelley

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