Echolocation (MS-HS)
We need to know where things are, and many times we need to be able to "see" something even when it's dark outside, if something is far away, or obstructed by mountains, the ocean, or clouds. Many animals, or blind people, can’t rely on their vision to move around and hunt. In this lesson, students will investigate how sound can be used to navigate, communicate, locate objects, and find food in these types of surroundings.
objectives
After this lesson, students should be able to:
• Discuss soundwaves, amplitude and frequency, absorption and reflection, and echolocation.
• Explain how soundwaves waves require a media, such as water or air, in order to move.
• Discover how echolocation is used by some animals to survive in nature.
• Perform activities to stimulate thought and answer critical thinking questions.
• Understand that engineers developed SONAR based on natural echolocation.
• Compare sonar to echolocation.
Topic(s)
Echolocation, sound waves
type
Middle and high school lesson
6-12
Grade(s):
time needed
6 hours
author
NATURE
national next gen standards
north dakota standards
wavelength, and speed of waves traveling in various media.
• HS-PS3-2 Develop and use models to illustrate that energy is associated with motion and relative position of particles (objects).
• HS-PS3-3 Design, build, and refine a device that works within given constraints to convert one form of energy into another form of energy.
• HS-PS3-2 Develop and use models to illustrate that energy is associated with motion and relative position of particles (objects).
• MS-PS4-2 Develop and use a model to describe that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials.
• MS-ETS1-2 Evaluate competing design solutions using systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.