Sound and its properties, final activity

Unit: Sound and its properties
Music 1st ESO
Teacher: Francisco Prendes

1. Learning outcomes

• To be able to describe different sounds using appropriate terms
• To state that sound is caused by vibrations
• To state that sound needs a medium to travel through and it can be solid, liquid or gas
• To be able to use the terms 'frequency' and 'amplitude' in describing sound waves
• To be able to compare and interpret wave forms in terms of pitch and loudness
• To explain simple how the ear works
• To understand that the loudness of sound is measured in decibels
• To understand that loud sounds over a period of time can cause deafness To give possible solutions to noise pollution

2. Subject Content

• Sound and its properties: Pitch, duration, intensity and timbre
• How sound is produced: waves and its characteristics
• How the ear works: the human hearing range
• Noise pollution: Hearing loss and hearing protections

3. Language Content / Communication

3.1. Vocabulary:

Nouns:
Pitch, duration, intensity, timbre, ear, music, silence, sound, noise, eardrum, ear canal, ossicles, wave, vibration, medium, vacuum, frequency, amplitude, loudness, decibel, deafness, pollution, hearing

Verbs:
Listen, hear, vibrate, compare, pollute, promote, reduce, install, prevent

Adjectives:
High, low, loud, quiet, soft, smooth, deaf

Prepositions:
Through

3.2. Structures:

• Use the adjectives related to the topic (high, low, loud, quiet) in their comparative forms.
• Use will and won't to make predictions.
• Use modal verbs to express probability.
• Express certainty and make logical deductions.
• Express personal opinions.

4. Activities:
This unit is thought to take six lessons.

Lesson 1:
Warm up activity (20'): Is it Music? Students will listen to several audio files and they have to decide if it's music or not. (All the audio files have been taken from youtube videos: http://goo.gl/r6ebCR)
Debate (10')
Handouts about sound (20'): Read the contents (http://goo.gl/5inxR5) and answer the questions (http://goo.gl/oSltqE)

Homework:
Use the information given to complete the following activities:
1. Fill in the blanks (created with educaplay): http://en.educaplay.com/en/learningresources/1363841/sound_and_its_properties.htm
2. Matching activity (created with educaplay): http://en.educaplay.com/en/learningresources/1364050/sound_parameters.htm

Lesson 2:
Warm up activity: What is a sound? (5') (http://quizlet.com/_pxz1d)
Sound properties (videos and debate) (10'):
The human hearing range (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2G9Q-r2leyw)
The mosquito sound activity (compare the frequency range of sounds of different animals) (10') (http://www.wildmusic.org/en/aboutsound/mosquito)
Auditory discrimination activities (20'):
Name that sound (video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2F7rElPibA
Audio memory, Wild Music: http://www.wildmusic.org/en/animals/audiomemory
Name that sound: http://ia600406.us.archive.org/5/items/AplicacionesMusicalesEnFlash2008-2009/cartas.swf

Lesson 3:
Presentation related to the hearing process (matching words to images, fill in the gaps, label the image) (25') (Presentation: http://goo.gl/wV2fHb) (Activities: http://goo.gl/6ucXE5)(Audio file: http://goo.gl/zuMFQt)
How the ear works:
video – listening activity (15') (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AejKSDozgg)
Interactive ear tool (http://www.amplifon.co.uk/interactive-ear/index.html)
Video: loud and quiet (10') (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlPQ49ahDLE)

Lesson 4:
How loud is too loud: debate (10') (http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/staticresources/images/SoundRuler2011.swf) (Image to be commented on: http://goo.gl/yS9T2x)
Review activity (created with educaplay): http://en.educaplay.com/en/learningresources/1364228/i_like_to_sing.htm
Reading: Article about hearing loss (10') (http://www.hear-it.org/medical/clone-loud-music-damages-nerves-brain)
Deafening sound: video (10') (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGj-cdn2M9o)
What can we do to prevent hearing loss, debate (10')
How to use a sound meter, possible applications (10') (https://itunes.apple.com/es/app/decibel-10th/id448155923?mt=8&ls=1
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kr.sira.sound&hl=es)

Homework: create a sound map

Lesson 5:
Create a comic using PIXTON, instructions for the task (http://goo.gl/XnzKx2)
How to use Pixton, tutorial (http://goo.gl/Z6DpLd)

Lesson 6:
Presentation of the comics
Test


5. Evaluation (assessment instruments)

• There will be a test at the end of the unit.
• Class work will be graded (listening, reading, speaking activities, group work)
• Homework: sound map.
• Project: Comic about noise pollution.

Link to the Unit in pdf: http://goo.gl/qQ6Pmx