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On November 5, 2025, STEAM in Action had its third of five sessions with students at Rice Intermediate School in San Carlos, AZ. The STEAM Team spent 45 minutes facilitating inquiry-based learning and hands-on activities with each 3rd-grade class (5 total).
The session was developed to align with Arizona’s 3rd-Grade Science Standard - 3.P2.U1.2: Plan and carry out an investigation to explore how sound waves affect objects at varying distances.
During the in-person sessions with 3rd graders, we began by exploring the five senses and discussing how scientists use them to observe and explore the world around them. Moving into the soundwave investigation, we began by thinking about how we use our eyes to see and ears to hear, but how can we prove soundwaves exist if we can’t see them? Together, students hummed and gently placed their hands on their throats to feel the vibrations that produced the sound. The students were then given supplies - 2 tongue compressors, 3 rubber bands, 2 squares of cardstock, and 4 pieces of scotch tape. Without knowing what they were making, they hypothesized what it might be and then followed step-by-step directions to create their very own kazoo, and some chose to decorate it with waves!