Topic D: Hearing and Sound (Alberta Grade 3 Curriculum)

Students will:

1. Identify examples of vibration.

1. Find and take a picture of ten things in and around your house that make sounds creating vibrations (CLUE: ALL sounds are created by vibrations!) Which part of the ten things do you think causes the vibration/sound? Make a list of your pictures and where the vibration/sound comes from.
2. Cut out pictures to make a collage of things that make sounds. Include animals, instruments, machines, and people! Title the collage "Vibration Causes Sound."

2. Recognize that sound is the result of vibration; and demonstrate that the larger the vibration, the louder the sound.

1. Listen to the lesson found here: Pitch Me a Curve
   

• Play with the hearing response activity on the website (turn your speakers down first!)
• Fold a piece of paper into 4 sections. Draw a wavy line (sound wave) in each section showing what these sounds look like:

1. low pitch and quiet volume (like a big drum hit lightly)
2. high pitch and loud volume (like a girl screaming "eek!")
   
3. medium pitch and medium volume (like a person talking)
4. low pitch and loud volume (like nearby thunder)

Carefully play with a stringed instrument such as a piano, violin, or guitar.

• Make sounds that are quiet, medium, and loud. Watch how the strings move!
• Draw a three picture of a mouse, person, and elephant playing the instrument (or choose different creatures to show quiet, medium, and loud)
• In your picture show how the strings vibrate differently depending on who is playing.

3. Recognize that there are ways of measuring the loudness of sounds and that loud sounds pose a danger to the ear.

1. Read or listen to this article (press "listen" to have it read to you): Loud Sounds
   

• Create a small poster that shows how to take care of and protect people's ears.

Read the short summary about sound volume here: Decibels

• Draw a number line showing 0 to 140 decibels. Draw pictures above the line of things that make sounds that match the loudness (decibels) You can find other ideas here: Google Search "Decibels Scale"

Download a decibel measuring app (ask your parents first!) and use it to measure the loudness of different sounds you hear in and around your house or which you can make using your voice or instruments. Make a chart or diagram of the sounds you measure.

4. Recognize that pitch is the result of differences in the rate of vibration, and predict how a change in the rate of vibration will affect a sound.

1. Play around with this website: Sound Waves (click "run now" and play with the frequency and amplitude) and then on this website: Changing Sounds
   

• Tell someone how vibration changes sound. Explain how sound becomes higher or lower because of the frequency of a sound wave.

Use a piece of string to create sound wave diagram. Change the waves of the string to show how low sounds look compared to higher sounds. You may want to glue string to paper to keep your string diagram, or you can just lay the string on a flat surface and show your parent.

5. Demonstrate a variety of ways of producing sounds; e.g., by striking an empty glass, by blowing air into a bottle, by constructing and using a device that involves vibrating strings.

1. Make a simple instrument that can be play at least 3 different pitches (high, medium, low) You could use glasses filled with different amounts of water, rubber bands of different thicknesses wrapped around a box, pr different sized yogurt containers. Or come up with your own idea! Play "Hot Crossed Buns" on your instrument!

6. Use sound-producing devices that the student has constructed to demonstrate methods for controlling the loudness, pitch and quality of sound produced.

1. You completed this objective by doing activity 5a.

7. Identify examples that show that sound can travel through a variety of materials, including solids, liquids and air, and that sound travels in all directions.

1. Watch this video: Particle Movement and this video: Sound Waves and this video: How Sound Travels

8. Describe how the human ear senses vibrations.

1. Explore how the ear works by visiting ths page: The Interactive Ear
   

• Watch this video:
• Make a model of the human ear using items around your house such as lego, K'nex, plasticine, or recycled items. Label your model. Make sure to include these parts: Pinna (outer ear), Ear Canal, Ear Drum, Hammer (Malleus), Anvil (Incus), Stapes, Cochlea, and Inner Ear Cannals.

9. Compare the range of hearing in humans to that in other animals; e.g., dogs and bats.

1. Make a mini book by folding a paper like this: Make a Mini Book

• Draw a picture of different animals on each page.
• Complete this sentence on each page "If I was a ____ I could hear ___. "
• Some animals you might want to use can be found here: Animals Hearing and here: Best Hearing Animals
• Some phrases you might use to help you complete the sentences are: "very low sounds", "very high sounds", "things people can't hear", "using sonar", "by moving my ears", "very poorly", "nothing"!

Some animals can hear sounds that our human ears can not. Create a diagram that shows what frequencies (how low and high sounds are) humans can hear and what frequencies other creatures can detect. Use a line to show frequencies from 0 (very low sounds) to 150,000 (very high sounds). A google search will help: Sounds Different Creatures Can Hear

10. Recognize that certain sounds have characteristics that cause them to be interpreted as pleasant or unpleasant, and identify these characteristics.

1. Sounds can be enjoyable or sounds can be irritating. Do a survey of family and friends. Ask them what are three sounds they enjoy and three sounds they don't. Make a chart, diagram, or graph of your findings.
2. Create word art using words that describe pleasant and unpleasant sounds. For example if you use the word "loud" you might draw it very large on your page. If you use the word "screechy" you might draw the word with shaky letters. Try to use at least ten words!

11. Describe changes in hearing that result from continued exposure to loud noise and from the natural process of aging.

1. On a diagram of the human ear, label and describe what happens to three parts of the ear because of damage by loud noise or change because of aging.

12. Construct and evaluate different kinds of soundproofing and sound-amplifying devices. DO BOTH ACTIVITIES a. AND b.

1. place a noise-maker in a small container (for example an alarm clock in a tupperware container). Place the small container in a larger container. Fill the large container with different things to dampen or muffle the sound. Which fillers work best? You could try fabric, rice, water, styrofoam, marbles, air, etc... Complete an experiment sheet like this: Scientific Method

13. Explain the role that sound plays in communication.

1. Write a 5 sentence paragraph about how sound helps people to communicate. Include one sentence about how humans can communicate without the use of sound. Use the paragraph format shown here: Cheese Sandwich Paragraph Organizer
2. Film youself communicating these sentences using words, music, and sign language:

• "I am happy"
• "Do NOT make me eat
• "I like dancing in the rain"
• Make up your own message to communicate 3 different ways!
• This website may help you with the sign language: Sign Savvy

Make a chart with two sections: "We need sound to:" and "We don't need sound to:" Fill in each part of the chart with at least five points.