Next Generation Science Standards

Performance Expectation

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.*

• Clarification Statement: Examples could include solar cells capturing light and converting it to electricity; medical imaging; and communications technology.
• Assessment Boundary: Assesments are limited to qualitative information. Assessments do not include band theory.

R U rdy 2 lrn abt waves?

This is how students usually communicate with each other. Apparently vowels are, like, so old school…Don't worry, by the end of this performance expectation, they'll not only include vowels in their words, they'll be able to make those words sound like they came from a scientist.

Students will use their knowledge of waves and their interactions with matter to communicate information of the technical variety (not the gossip variety) to their peers. This information should include how we humans can use what we know about waves to develop technology ranging from solar cells and MRI machines to selfies and cell phone texts.

We all talk real good like with these activity ideas:

• Have students complete an independent study project on a type of technology that utilizes wave interactions. They'll conduct their own research, create a visual aide, and then present their findings to the class.
• Students will partner up with another student to write a letter to a famous person that lived before 1900. In their letter, they'll need to explain the details of how a specific type of wave technology, such as radio, X-rays, or solar panels, works.
• Set up stations around the room with descriptions of different technologies that benefit from wave behavior or wave interactions. Have students visit each station in small groups and gather information. When they're finished, assign each group to describe how one type of technology works in the form of a tweet—meaning they'll have to keep it to one hundred forty characters or less.
• Divide students into expert groups, where they'll each learn about one type of wave-based technology. They will then break apart into jigsaw groups where they will meet with other students who are experts in different types of technology. Communication and sharing of information will ensue.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

PS3.D – Energy in Chemical Processes: Solar cells are human-made devices that likewise capture the sun's energy and produce electrical energy. (Secondary to HS-PS4-5)

You've seen them. They're out there. On the roofs of homes, covering parking lots, decorating the desert, even in your calculator. They're solar panels, and they capture sunlight and turn it into electrical energy.

Students should probably have at least a down-and-dirty understanding of how solar cells work. They should know that they are made up of a semiconductor (silicon is the current semiconductor of choice for most solar cells) that absorbs sunlight.

When the energy from the sunlight hits the semiconductor, it knocks some of the electrons loose. We then use an electrical field created by sandwiching the semiconductor between sheets of metal to make those loose electrons flow in a specific direction, which creates an electrical current. Voila! The sun can now charge your cell phone.

Your students aren't going to be shocked to hear about the existence of solar panels. But they may come down with a case of the "uhs" and "ums" when you ask them how a solar panel works. Don't worry, that's what you're here for.

Students should pick up on the logistics pretty quickly, but a good visual aid or simulation never hurt anyone. You also don't need to get into anything involving numbers. A simple qualitative understanding is all they need to know here.

PS4.A – Wave Properties: Information can be digitized (e.g., a picture stored as the values of an array of pixels); in this form, it can be stored reliably in computer memory and sent over long distances as a series of wave pulses.

We can turn pretty much any information, like sounds, pictures, or text, into a series of zeros and ones. Computers can then store those zeros and ones indefinitely and, much to the delight of blackmailers, can also send them easily over long distances as a series of wave pulses.

Most modern pieces of technology are digital, so hit students with examples, whether it's mp3s, jpegs, or how they're emojies get sent through the ether from one mobile phone to another. If they're still trying to wrap their brains around the fact that their selfies are really just a bunch of zeros and ones, pair them up with a student expert who can explain it in, like, a better way.

Don't forget, the only numbers they need to worry about are zeros and ones, no need for quantitative understanding here.

PS4.B – Electromagnetic Radiation: Photoelectric materials emit electrons when they absorb light of a high-enough frequency.

We could probably spend a semester talking about the photoelectric effect, but we're guessing you have other topics in your curriculum to cover. Thus, here are the bare bones of what students need to know to survive this performance expectation. It's up to you if you want to spend an extra two months teaching them all of the details.

Students should know that when light shines on certain types of metals, those metals give off electrons. We call these rogue electrons "photoelectrons." So, why does this happen? Basically, energy from the light gets passed to the electron, which in turn gives the electron energy to burst free from its atomic Azkaban.

Students should also know that this process doesn't just happen to any material. It requires the right frequency of light to hit the right type of material. When the conditions are right, we can use these materials for all sorts of fun things, from automatic faucets, to solar panels, to night vision goggles.

Students may need to really warm up their imaginations, because it can be tricky to visualize light as energy, and even trickier to visualize that energy knocking an electron out of its atomic orbit.

Remember to keep it qualitative and allow students to work in small groups to help each other solidify their understanding. And do not, under any circumstances, even if they beg, bring band theory into it. Let's just say this performance expectation has nothing to do with tubas and stiff uniforms.

PS4.C – Information Technologies and Instrumentation: Multiple technologies based on the understanding of waves and their interactions with matter are part of everyday experiences in the modern world (e.g., medical imaging, communications, scanners) and in scientific research. They are essential tools for producing, transmitting, and capturing signals and for storing and interpreting the information contained in them.

Waves surround us with a warm Snuggie of technological advancements. Most of the things we enjoy, from a chat with a friend, to a warm meal, to a Netflix marathon, are the result of some form of wave technology.

Students should know that we have been able to use what we know about waves, how they behave, and how they interact with other materials to develop a smorgasbord of technologies. This can include things like X-ray machines and MRI's, cell phones and satellite radio, automatic towel dispensers and night vision goggles.

Wave technology doesn't just help us check the weather and practice our renditions of Aretha Franklin's greatest hits. Improved technology helps scientists perform even more accurate research that could perhaps lead to even better advancements in wave technology. It's like the circle of life.

Wave technology has also revolutionized the process of storing and sharing information. If you've ever looked in an encyclopedia that had actual paper pages and didn't contain the word "wiki," you understand how drastic this change is. Remember pay phones and disposable cameras? What about VHS tapes? And we owe the fact that we can listen to our favorite song at the swipe of a phone (you know, instead of winding back the cassette tape with a pencil) to our understanding and manipulation of wave technology.

Students will probably be slightly shocked at just how much of their life depends on wave technology. Once they start to understand how waves can be used to our benefit, they'll start to see potential for using waves in everything.

Encourage students to work in small groups to brainstorm the different ways they use wave technology in their daily lives. Also, remember that they only need to have a qualitative understanding for this performance expectation, so you can leave the math out of it. Maybe don't cheer quite so loud…

Science and Engineering Practices

Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information: Communicate technical information or ideas (e.g., about phenomena and/or the process of development and the design and performance of a proposed process or system) in multiple formats (including orally, graphically, textually, and mathematically).

We're going to guess that you spend a fair amount of time actually trying to get your students to stop communicating with one another. Well now it's time to open the verbal floodgates. Except students won't be bantering about who wore what to which party last weekend or who asked whom to the winter formal.

Instead they'll communicate information about how different technologies use waves to transmit information and capture energy. They'll need to be prepared to use math, graphs, text, and their own voices to share the information they've collected. Get ready for #wavetech to go viral.

Crosscutting Concepts

Cause and Effect: Systems can be designed to cause a desired effect.

Students should understand that engineers are basically the puppet masters of the systems they design, including those involving waves. Once we know how waves work, all we have to do is pull on the strings to make them walk, high five, or dance the hula. Or send and receive information and energy however we want it to. Take that, Pinocchio.

Interdependence of Science, Engineering, and Technology: Science and engineering complement each other in the cycle known as research and development (R&D).

Science and engineering are like peas and carrots. Or Starsky and Hutch. Or tweens and Twilight. What we're trying to say is that science and engineering complement each other. And not in the, "Oh girl, you look good in that dress!" kind of way. More like the "You complete me," kind of way.

Students should understand that research and development involves both science and engineering. Science is in charge of making discoveries, which lead to new materials and new possibilities for using those materials.

Engineers can turn these discoveries into something totally rad, like tattoo removal cream and self-cleaning paint. Or they can turn them into awesome devices that scientists can use to keep discovering new stuff for the engineers to play with. It's teamwork at its finest.

Influence of Engineering, Technology, and Science on Society and the Natural World: Modern civilization depends on major technological systems.

Did you stop at a traffic light today? Or deposit a check using your phone? Maybe scan your favorite tabloid website for the latest celeb gossip?

Now imagine living in a world where none of those things exist. Scary, huh? Students should understand that everything they use and interact with throughout the day depends on a technological system.

These systems ensure that they can cross the street safely, purchase hamburgers and t-shirts, and call their mom when their study session runs late. Without wave technology, our society would resemble something more along the lines of bacterial colonies on Mars than the technologically savvy scene we have going on today.