By DONNA BURROUGHS, EdS
Superintendent, Triton Community School Corporation

Third grade Triton Elementary students moved into their second unit of sound where they have tested various types of materials such as cloth, cardboard, plastic, newspaper, and paper to determine how those materials affect the volume of sound.

Students used specially constructed boxes with sound generators to test and record data about the various materials that could be used in buildings. After testing, students applied their understanding of these materials to solve a real world problem on how to design walls for classrooms that would make noise from the hallways less bothersome in the classroom.

Students tested the decibel levels in a model classroom with their prototypes and then reflected on their results. Everyone created amazing sound absorbing walls. They realized that how the materials were organized and used produced very different results than they had expected.