The Five Senses: Sound

March 3 is the birthday of Alexander Graham Bell. He makes a nice introduction to sound, the next in our series on the five senses. 

 

Topics to Study:

• How sound is produced
• How sounds travel
• How the ear works
• Sound waves
• Echoes
• Speed of Sound
• Volume
• Terms: eustachian tube, auditory nerve, semicircular canals, outer eat, auditory canal, eardrum, middle ear, cochlea, hammer, inner ear, stirrup, anvil
• Alexander Graham Bell

Reading:

• Bell's Telephone from the Franklin Institute.
• Hearing Sounds by Sally Hewitt.
• Listen Up!: Alexander Graham Bell's Talking Machine by Monica Culling.
• Alexander Graham Bell (History Maker Bios) by Stephanie MacPherson. 

Internet Research:

• Sound Lessons.
• Dolphins and echolocation.

Activities:

• Label the parts of the ear by drawing a diagram of the ear or use the Ear worksheet. 
• Paint a picture while listening to different types of music.
• Make a string telephone.
• Make your own instruments and play your own tune! 
• Fill 8 bottles with water at different levels. Demonstrate how to change the sound by changing the water level. Create a simple tune by hitting the glasses with a spoon. 
• Mystery Sounds: Blindfold your student. Make a variety of sounds (or use Find Sounds) and have your student guess what they are.
• Build a Human Ear Model.

Composition:

• Make a list of sounds you hear in the next five minutes.
• Use as many sound words as you can in a story. (Examples: bang, crash, thud, clang, clatter, crunch, patter, pop, rustle, rumble, neigh, chirp, splash, whistle)
• Research one of these animals: bat, dolphin, whale and learn how they use echolocation. Write about what you learned. 
• Alexander Bell and Sound worksheets.
• Echo and grammaphone coloring pages.

Check off your studies in The Checklist when you finish! (Page 139, 153, 161)