Bottle Band
Grade Level: 1
Suggested Order: Week 5
Suggested Time: 1 hour
Lesson Type: Final Project (Medical Sciences and Wellness)
Overview
Students will use bottles and bottle caps of various shapes and sizes to make musical
instruments. As a class, they will put together a song and perform it at the end of the week.
Vocabulary
- Reusable materials
- Recyclables
- Glass
- Aluminum
- Tin
- Plastic
- Wax Paper
- Foil
Objectives
- Students will experiment with the geometry and physical properties of various materials.
- Students will experiment with design elements.
Required Project Materials
- Plastic bottles of a variety of sizes
- Bottle caps
- Aluminum cans
- Tin cans
- Wax paper
- Aluminum foil
- Bowl
- Popsicle sticks
Multimedia Resources
- “How It’s Made: Aluminum Foil.” How It’s Made. Video (6.18). https://youtu.be/f4OTj9yNOak
- Various instructional resources can be found online.
Optional Multimedia Resources
Before the Lesson/ Background Information
- Assemble materials for use. Compile a list of materials needed and have students sign up
to bring particular items. Try to stick with discarded, clean materials that need reusing.
The Lesson
Part 1: Case Study: Aluminum
- Let the students know that they will be looking at aluminum as an example of how materials
are made, and how they gain the properties that make them useful.
- Watch “How It’s Made: Aluminum Foil.” The language is a little complex, so recap for the
students and answer any questions.
- Pass out samples of aluminum foil. Allow students to feel its texture. While it’s still flat and
taut, have the students flap it in the air to hear the sound it makes. They can also slap it for a
certain sound. What happens when a flat piece of foil is spread over a bowl? If they tap it
carefully, what sound does it make? What about when they tap it with a popsicle stick?
- Next, they should wrinkle the foil, fold it, etc. Let them experiment with what noise the foil
makes after they’ve altered it in various ways.
- Experiment with whistles. Blow gently into the rim of a bottle to produce a sound. Bottlecaps
also make great whistles.
Part 2: Bottle Band
- Each student will make her or his own instrument.
- Make sure the students have time to practice together as a band. Can they come up with
songs together, each person having a distinct part? This is a great outdoor activity!