The Is the Sound Too Loud? unit consists of seven sessions divided into three parts. Before beginning the unit, students complete the Pre-Unit Questionnaire. Then, in Sessions 1-4, they use observation to collect qualitative data. They consider sounds they hear every day and focus on those they find to be too loud. They study sound production and describe how sounds travel through materials as successive waves, moving away from a vibrating object. They use their ideas to explore what makes sounds loud or soft and high and low in pitch. They also examine how loud and moderately loud sounds can cause hearing loss.

In Sessions 5 and 6, students take measurements to collect quantitative data. They measure the decibel levels of loud sounds in their school. These measurements lead students to a deeper understanding of the effects of sound, its production, and its transmission. At the end of Session 6, students send their data to the unit database.

In Session 7, students discover what they can learn from display and analysis of the data in the unit database. At the end of the unit, students complete the Post-Unit Questionnaire.