Real Glass Xylophone

Add to list Go to activity
In this activity, learners create a xylophone by filling glasses with different amounts of water and tapping them with a metal spoon. This classic instrument is embedded in a training course for science educators, so it's not just for students! Formal science ideas include sound and vibration, and predicting how sounds will change as variables change. [Activity is publicly available through a web crawler capture on Archive.org.]

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
Under 5 minutes
Learning Time:
10 to 30 minutes
Estimated Materials Cost:
$1 - $5 per student
Age Range:
Ages 8 - 11
Resource Types:
Activity, Lesson/Lesson Plan
Language:
English

Materials List (per student)

  • 8 drinking glasses of the same size and shape
  • container of water
  • metal spoon

Keywords

Subjects

  • Life Sciences
    • Human Senses and Perception
      • Hearing
  • Physical Sciences
    • Vibration and Waves
      • Sound
  • The Nature of Science
    • The Scientific Process
      • The Scientific Worldview
      • About Inquiry
      • Asking Questions
      • Conducting Investigations
      • Gathering Data
      • Formulating Explanations

Informal Categories

  • Music

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • hear
  • touch

Learning styles supported:

  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Other

Components that are part of this resource:

Includes alignment to state and/or national standards:

This resource is part of:

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

Rights:

Funding Sources:

  • National Science Foundation, 0229796
  • Corporation for Public Broadcasting
  • Arthur Vining Davis Foundations
  • Public television viewers