Lesson 41 of 57 in this sequence

72%

Not completed yet

Saved on this device only — not synced to an account yet.

Learning path

Step 41 of 57

Continue the sequence

ResumeReturn to this step ReviewRevisit the core idea RemediateGet repair practice Next stepChoose the next lesson manually

Completion

Review objectives and instruction
Complete the activity with manual learner confirmation
Answer every understanding-check item
Show completion feedback and reward only after the learner finishes the check

Progress

Step 41/57
15 content types
AI help source context available
Auto-advance blocked

Review objectives and instruction

AI help

Available only with source grounding, privacy limits, age controls, and measurement.

AI source context

Sound Is Made by Things Vibrating · Energy, Light, and Sound · 1-PS4-1 · 4-PS4-1

Evidence: local lesson AI-help metadata only; source-grounding, privacy, age-safety, and measurement hooks do not prove real model quality, production telemetry, child AI approval, or AI tutor production readiness

Production AI readiness not claimed

AI source context

Assessment shape

Local lesson assessment shape is complete.

Local shape only; production answer-attempt telemetry, live ownership/RLS evidence, mastery interpretation, release, and production readiness are not claimed here.

Objectives: 4
Activity: Prompt ready
Quiz items: 3 items, 3 answer keys, 3 explanations
Reward: Completion reward ready

Assessment progress stays manual: do not auto-advance through uncertain answers, failed writes, consent, media, payment, learner choice, or AI-assisted checks.

Learning-loop evidence: Content-map contract only; persistence and production learner-progress writes require route/API evidence.

Manual policy: assessment, media, consent, payment, learner choice, failed writes, and AI-uncertain help stay under learner control.

Prerequisite: Complete or review Simple Machines: Levers, Pulleys, and Wheels; Use with parent or guardian controls for child learners

AI guardrails

Privacy

Do not send raw child free text without consent
Use source excerpts and non-identifying progress state only
Asset is not registry-gated

Age safety

Apply kids audience controls before AI-help claims
Keep child learner AI paths behind guardian/product review evidence before readiness claims

Measurement

Log AI help usage by surface and asset slug
Evaluate answer quality against source-grounded rubric before production-readiness claims
Tie remediation prompts to completion, retry, or review outcomes

Local AI-help guardrails only; they do not prove guardian approval, production telemetry, model evaluation, release, deployment, or AI tutor production readiness.

Source and rights

Source path: koydo-app/scripts/curriculum-authoring
License: ai-generated-koydo
Attribution: Attribution decision needs owner review
AI provenance: claude-opus-4-8

Source review gates: attribution_missing

Local source evidence only; this does not prove publication rights, attribution approval, AI provenance clearance, release, deployment, or production readiness.

Route review

Current route: /library/kids/physics/en/lesson/sound-comes-from-vibrations
Route source: Fallback route needs owner canonical review
Candidate route: /library/kids/physics/en/lesson/sound-comes-from-vibrations

Local route evidence only; fallback candidates need owner-approved canonical route policy before route writes, production discoverability, or readiness claims.

Content gates: canonical_target_web_missing_uses_library_fallback

lessonslessonslesson objectivesmedia scenesdrillspractice setsquizzesfeedbackcharacterscitationsconcept mapsprogressresumereviewremediationnext steps

Sound Is Made by Things Vibrating

with Atlas

Atlas stands in a school music room, plucking a guitar string with one finger while the string visibly wobbles back and forth, his other hand held near the string to feel the tiny movements in the air

Explain that sound is made when an object vibrates back and forth quickly
Identify vibrations in everyday objects that make sound, such as a drum, a guitar string, and a speaker
Predict whether a stretched rubber band will make a sound when plucked and explain why
Compare a loud sound to a quiet sound in terms of how much the object is vibrating

Key terms

vibration: a fast back-and-forth movement
sound: what you hear when something vibrates
eardrum: a thin flap inside your ear that vibrates
loud: a strong sound from big vibrations

Sound Starts With Shaking

Every sound in the world is made when something vibrates, which means it moves back and forth very fast. Put your fingers on your throat and hum, and you can feel your voice box shaking. When you pluck a guitar string, it wobbles so fast that it looks blurry. Those quick back-and-forth movements push and squeeze the air around them. If nothing is vibrating, there is no sound at all to hear.

Sound Travels to Your Ear

The squeezes in the air travel like tiny invisible ripples all the way to your ear. Inside your ear, a thin flap called the eardrum starts to vibrate too. Your brain turns that shaking into the sound you hear. Big, strong vibrations make a loud sound, and small, gentle vibrations make a quiet sound. Sound can travel through solids, liquids, and air, which is why you can sometimes hear music right through a wall.

Worked examples

You pluck a guitar string, then press it to stop it moving. What happens to the sound?

The plucked string vibrates back and forth to make sound.
Pressing the string stops it from vibrating.
With no vibration, the air is no longer pushed.

Answer: The sound stops because the vibration stops.

You tap a table lightly, then tap it much harder. Which tap is louder?

Tapping makes the table vibrate back and forth.
A harder tap makes the table vibrate more strongly.
Bigger, stronger vibrations make a louder sound.

Answer: The harder tap is louder because it makes bigger vibrations.

Hey there, explorer! I am Atlas, and today we are going to discover something amazing about every sound you have ever heard. Place your fingers gently on your throat and hum. Do you feel that shaking feeling? That shaking is called a vibration — it is a very fast back-and-forth movement. Your voice box is vibrating, and that is what makes the sound! Here is the big idea: every sound in the world is made by something vibrating. When you pluck a guitar string, the string moves back and forth super fast — you can even see it blur! Those back-and-forth movements push and squeeze the air around them. The squeezes travel through the air like tiny invisible ripples, all the way to your ear. Inside your ear, a thin flap called your eardrum also starts to vibrate, and your brain turns that into what you hear as sound. When the vibrations are big and strong, the sound is loud. When vibrations are small and gentle, the sound is quiet. And when the vibrations stop — the sound stops too! Try this: tap a table lightly, then tap it harder. The harder tap makes the table vibrate more, and the sound is louder. Vibrations travel through solids, liquids, and air — that is why you can sometimes hear music through a wall! Remember: no vibration, no sound. Every sound you hear started with something moving back and forth.

Activity

Sort each object into the correct bin — does it make sound by vibrating?

Practice

Name two things that make sound by vibrating back and forth.

Explain why a louder drum tap makes the drum skin vibrate more.

Common mistakes to avoid

air makes sound on its ownA vibrating object pushes the air first; air does not move alone.
a still rock can make soundSomething must vibrate to make sound, so a still rock stays silent.

Check your understanding

What must happen to an object for it to make a sound?

You pluck a guitar string and hear a note. Then you press the string to stop it from moving. What happens to the sound?

A student says, 'Sound is made by air moving on its own, not by the object.' What is wrong with this idea?

Recap

Sound is made when something vibrates, moving back and forth very fast. Those vibrations push the air into ripples that travel to your ear and shake your eardrum. Big vibrations make loud sounds, small ones make quiet sounds, and no vibration means no sound.

Reflect

What sound did you hear today, and what was vibrating to make it?