Preview · the opening missionRead this to the class:
Sam lives in an apartment. His best friend Ava lives right next door, but their windows are too far apart to whisper. "If only we had our own telephone," said Sam. Ava's grandma laughed. "When I was little, we made telephones out of cups and string." Sam didn't believe her. How could a string carry your voice? Your job: build a string telephone and find out what makes it work best.
Teams of three, with three jobs that swap each round: the Talker speaks into the cup, the Listener puts the other cup over their ear, and the String Checker makes sure the string is tight and isn't touching anything.
Look inside the PDF
Sample pages, stamped “preview”. The download is the clean, full lesson.
In the full lesson PDF
- Predict (5 min)
- Hunt (25 min)
- Reveal (10 min)
- Act (5 min)
- Background for the teacher
- Assessment
- Student sheet
On the student sheet
- My prediction
- What we heard
- Which string?
- A phone for Sam and Ava
- I think…
US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white. The student sheet is on its own page, ready to photocopy.
Free with an account (any 3 lessons), or US$19 / C$25 for all 3 lessons in this unit.
What students show by the end
- Builds and tests
- Explains the phone
- Claim and evidence
From the lesson’s rubric, which scores each one as not yet, getting there or got it.
Questions teachers ask
How long does “Can a string carry your voice?” take?
45 min. Group size: teams of 3.
How much prep does it need?
20 minutes: poke a small hole in the bottom of each paper cup with a pencil tip or pushpin. Cut string about 3 m (10 ft) long: one cotton string per team, plus a few pieces of yarn and fishing line for the comparison. Thread one phone yourself and try it, so you can show the paper-clip knot.
What materials do I need?
Paper cups (not waxed if you can choose), 250 to 350 mL (8 to 12 oz); cotton kitchen string, about 3 m (10 ft); thick yarn, about 3 m (10 ft); fishing line, about 3 m (10 ft); paper clips; tape. Cost: about $10 for a class of 30.
Which curriculum standards does it cover?
NGSS (US): 1-PS4-1, 1-PS4-4 and K-2-ETS1-3. It also matches BC Science, Grade 1.
What’s in the lesson PDF?
A teacher guide that walks you through predict, hunt, reveal, act, background for the teacher and assessment, then a student sheet (“My prediction”, “What we heard”, “Which string?”, “A phone for Sam and Ava” and “I think…”) on its own page, ready to photocopy. It’s US Letter and prints cleanly in black and white.
Can I try it for free?
Yes. A free account includes any 3 full lessons of your choice, and this can be one of them. After that, this unit is US$19 (C$25) for all 3 lessons, yours to keep, or every lesson is US$79 (C$109) a year.