App review by Debbie Gorrell, Common Sense Education | Updated June 2014
Sound Uncovered
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Sound Uncovered

Interactive science tool teaches with virtual experiments, exploration

Get it now
  • Download from App Store
Learning rating
Editorial review by Common Sense Education
Community rating
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Not yet rated Expert evaluation by Common Sense
Grades
3–12 This grade range is based on learning appropriateness and doesn't take into account privacy. It's determined by Common Sense Education, not the product's publisher.
Subjects & Skills
Science, Critical Thinking
Price:  Free
Platforms:  iPad
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Take a look inside

5 images
Fifteen chapters cover a wide range of topics.
Tap to explore sounds and try to identify the highest note.
Pop-up windows explain the science behind the sound.
Identify sounds using verbal clues.
Create and analyze audio recordings.

Pros: Fascinating facts about sound are integrated with fun interactive explorations.

Cons: Kids may be overwhelmed by the amount of information; a glossary of primary concepts and terms could help.

Bottom Line: Fascinating free science resource on sound would be a great addition to any virtual library.

How Can I Teach with This Tool?

You won't find a lot of basic information about sound, so the app is best suited as a supplemental or enrichment tool. Once they learn about sound waves and properties, arrange kids into small groups and assign them a topic. Have each group explore its topic and ask group members to write a summary of what they learn. Ask groups to share their summaries with the class. Assess learning by having groups write a brief quiz about their topic and challenge classmates to answer the questions. How well did they do? Is this an indicator of good summaries or good quiz writing? Kids can explore the rest of the topics at their own pace or as time allows.

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Standards:

Sound Uncovered explores the fun of science. Kids start by choosing any topic from among the 15 listed in the table of contents. Most topics include an interactive experience followed by a "What's Going On?" article. For example, in Find the Highest Note, kids tap keys in a clockwise direction and try to identify the highest note. When they tap the question mark icon at the bottom of the screen, an illustrated article pops up that describes sound phenomena. 

Sound Uncovered is an interactive resource that teaches kids interesting facts about sound. They can learn about acoustic phenomena, auditory illusions, and how the human brain affects the way we process sound. Through virtual experimentation and detailed, illustrated explanations, kids explore beat waves, echolocation, sound engineers, dichotic melody, refraction of sound, and much more. The tool does a fantastic job of engaging kids and sparking interest by discussing fascinating facts and everyday examples that kids can relate to. Keep in mind that many of the topics are somewhat complex, so kids would benefit from background knowledge of the basic properties of sound. An interactive glossary would be a nice addition to help kids build vocabulary skills.

Overall Rating
Engagement Would it motivate students and hold their interest? Is it visually appealing? Would it inspire teachers to try something new or change their instruction?

Interesting science facts are presented, and each page includes an engaging activity or exploration.

Pedagogy Does the tool help teachers promote a more student-centered experience? Will students gain conceptual understanding or think critically? Does it deepen teachers’ pedagogical thinking?

Kids learn through a combination of exploration, investigation, and reading text. Information is clearly presented and scientifically sound.

Support Can students and teachers get assistance when they need it? Is it created with people of different abilities and backgrounds in mind? Is learning reinforced and extended beyond the digital experience?

No formal instructions are provided, but they aren't needed. The developer's website has lots of sound-related activities, webcasts, and videos.

Common Sense reviewer
Debbie Gorrell Educator
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Key Standards Supported

Reading Science/Technical

  • RST.6-8.4

    Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 6–8 texts and topics.

  • RST.6-8.7

    Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text with a version of that information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram, model, graph, or table).

  • RST.6-8.3

    Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks.

  • RST.6-8.10

    By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 6–8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

  • RST.9-10.4

    Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 9–10 texts and topics.

  • RST.9-10.5

    Analyze the structure of the relationships among concepts in a text, including relationships among key terms (e.g., force, friction, reaction force, energy).

  • RST.9-10.7

    Translate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text into visual form (e.g., a table or chart) and translate information expressed visually or mathematically (e.g., in an equation) into words.

  • RST.9-10.3

    Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks, attending to special cases or exceptions defined in the text.

  • RST.9-10.10

    By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 9–10 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

  • RST.11-12.4

    Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 11–12 texts and topics.

  • RST.11-12.7

    Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., quantitative data, video, multimedia) in order to address a question or solve a problem.

  • RST.11-12.3

    Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks; analyze the specific results based on explanations in the text.

  • RST.11-12.10

    By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 11–12 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

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Key Standards Supported

Energy

  • 4-PS3-2

    Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents.

From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes

  • 4-LS1-2

    Use a model to describe that animals’ receive different types of information through their senses, process the information in their brain, and respond to the information in different ways.

Waves and Their Applications in Technologies for Information Transfer

  • HS-PS4-5

    Communicate technical information about how some technological devices use the principles of wave behavior and wave interactions with matter to transmit and capture information and energy.

  • MS-PS4-2

    Develop and use a model to describe that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials.

  • MS-PS4-3

    Integrate qualitative scientific and technical information to support the claim that digitized signals are a more reliable way to encode and transmit information than analog signals.

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