Lesson Planning

The development of the telephone from the late 19th century to mobile phones in the present day is charted. Children study pictures of phones of each era, from their great-great-great-grandparents to now. They create a string telephone and then subject it to a series of ‘fair tests’.

Teaching Outcomes
To Begin to understand how the telephone was developed.
To create an acoustic tin can or paper cup telephone and evaluate its usefulness.

Children will:

• Begin to understand a chronology of the telephone.
• Create an acoustic telephone and begin to have an idea how it works.
• Carry out a fair test on the acoustic telephone to identify the circumstances in which it works best.