Using your senses to learn.
Listening test
This is a great activity for young students at the beginning of the school year.I do this every August with first grade and most of the class answers the test with certainty. It would be great for second or third. It shows students that they can successfully listen for details by concentrating. You need three or four different bells or other objects that as a group have a similar sound.
Objectives:
Students practice listening to distinguish details. Students describe comparisons by discussion and note important points in writing.
Materials:
Procedure:
The students can manipulate three elements of all sound. Pitch, volume and timbre.
Pitch : Pass out a rubber band to each student. If they listen carefully they can make the pitch of the band when plucked (like a violin string) go up or down depending on the tension. A tighter rubber band creates a higher pitch. Let the students experiment with this, create and play songs until you are convinced they can tell the difference between a higher pitch in a tense string and a lower pitch in a looser one. (pitch is measured in hertz, wavelengths, Hz)
Volume :Use the rubber bands to show volume. Have the students get into pairs. One student holds the rubber band so that the other can pluck it to get sound. Plucking it harder will make the sound louder. Just barely vibrate and it can't be heard. A lower or higher volume is controlled by a softer or harder blow. The more the rubber band vibrates the louder it will be. (Volume is measured in decibels, dB)
Timbre : This is the quality that makes each sound unique. Test that with the three or four bells you have. Pitch and volume will help the discussion.
The listening test: Show the students the bells one at a time. Call the first one "Bell A" and ring it a few times. Have students describe the characteristics of its sound. Students draw and label "Bell A" in one corner of their note paper. Then present "Bell B". Note all the differences in the sound compared to "Bell A" . Have students describe and draw "Bell B" on the second corner of their note paper. Repeat this with "Bell C", and "Bell D" if you have one, so that the students can reasonably explain the main differences between the sounds of the three or four different bells. Typical differences in my class have been:
""Bell A" has a high pitch and it rings for a long time. " (High pitch, long sustain of volume)
"You can tell "Bell C" because it has a low soft ring to it" (Low pitch, low volume)
"Bell B" is quiet and high." (High Pitch, low volume)
Now the students take out the test sheet of paper. Place the bells behind a screen so that the students cannot see which one you are ringing. Ring one of the bells and the students write (by identifying the sound) which bell, A, B, C or D is being rung as number one in the test. Then ring another bell behind the blind and students record which bell is being rung by identifying the sound as number two. Before ringing the last bell, ask the students to use the process of elimination to decide what the last bell must be if all the others have been rung. Does hearing the last bell confirm this? Ring the last bell and reveal the correct answers, which bell A, B or C was rung in what order. Review how you can distinguish the sound of one from the other by comparing the volume, pitch and unique timber of its sound.
Close:
How can you learn more by listening carefully? Are there times you must listen carefully to be safe like on a street with traffic? How can you learn more by listening to your teacher?
Follow up:
Go on a "field trip" around your campus. Have students list in their notebooks all the sound they hear. This could include planes, birds or anything. Go back to the classroom and compare lists. Create a list of the most commonly heard sound on the trip. Describe sounds as scary, comforting, bothersome etc. to expand vocabulary.
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