Script [3 min]: In a whispered tone: Shhh! Be very quiet. Today we are meeting one of Ingenia’s hardest working Acoustical Engineers and she is working on engineering a very, very quiet space. Do you remember what acoustical engineers do? [pause for student responses] That’s right, acoustical engineers explore sound. They explore what makes sound, how sounds travel, what makes sounds quieter or louder, and how people and animals experience it from various locations.
Last week we learned about how to make really loud sounds. Did you know that acoustical engineers also focus on making sounds quieter or even completely silent? Let’s watch a short video all about how acoustical engineers are working to control loud noises or “noise pollution.”
Watch [4 min]: Acoustic engineering: the art of engineering a silent world (https://interestingengineering.com/)
Debrief [3 min]: Debrief using one or more of the following prompts:
Script [2 min]: Even when we are being totally silent there are still lots of sounds that we can hear. In fact, when we are being really, really, quiet, we can hear sounds we might never have heard before! We are going to play a listening game where we all close our eyes for a few minutes and are very quiet. Then, we will listen to all the different sounds that we can hear in our classroom. Are you ready to give it a try?
Listening Game [2 min]. Prompt students close their eyes and listen carefully for the quiet, ambient sounds around them in the classroom. Give prompts every 20 seconds or so depending on the attention of the class. After ~1 minute of listening, have students open their eyes.
Script: Listening Game Debrief [6 min]: Wow! I heard a lot of sounds in the classroom. Let’s make a list of the different sounds that we heard. Call on students to give examples and make a list on the board. Debrief further using one or more of the following prompts:
Note: You can repeat the Listening Game and challenge students to listen for and recognize all the sounds from the class list.
Materials Needed: A mix of craft and recycled materials for students to explore (e.g., tape, rubber bands, boxes, jars, fabric, paper, etc.)
Intro Script [5 min]: In the last activity we practiced being very quiet. But there were still noises in the classroom. Remember, one job of acoustical engineers is figuring out how to use materials to make rooms quiet or block out sounds. Does anyone remember some of the sounds that acoustical engineers help block out? Pause for student responses. Recall some of the noise pollution sounds like traffic that was mentioned in the video at the beginning of this lesson.
Today, we will be working like acoustical engineers to explore quiet sounds. We will begin by exploring different materials and determining which ones might be helpful for making quiet sounds.
Exploration of Materials [10 min]: Provide students with free time to explore a variety of craft and recycled materials and try to make quiet sounds.
Debrief [5 min] - Debrief on this activity using one or more of the following prompts:
Students use what they’ve learned about materials and sound to engineer a technology that can quiet, or dampen, sound.
5 min Script: In the last lesson, you engineered loud noisemakers. Today, you are challenged to design a technology or change your noisemaker to quiet the sound. To do this, you can change what is inside the noisemaker, cover the noisemaker, or design something to cover your ears and keep your noisemaker as is.
35 min Dismiss students to begin engineering a technology to quiet the sound. Circulate as students engineer to support the process and ask:
5 min Gather students together. Lead a group discussion:
Materials: At least one pair of sound canceling headphones such as this pair for kids. If you wish to run this as a partner activity, have one pair of headphones per partnership/small group of children.
Script [3 min]: Just like you engineered a technology to quiet the sounds of your noisemaker, acoustical engineers and other product designers create products to help quiet down the sounds around us. Can you think of any real-world products that help block out sounds? Pause for student responses. Answers may vary. Encourage students to think of things like earplugs, headphones, ear muffs, etc.
Watch [4 min]: One of the technologies engineers have created to help block out unwanted sounds is called noise canceling headphones. Let’s take a look at a short video explaining the history of this technology and how they work. Watch: How Noise-Canceling Headphones Work (https://www.businessinsider.com/sai)
Debrief [3 min]: Debrief on the video with one or more of the following prompts:
Testing Sound-Canceling Headphones [10 min]: Let’s test out some sound canceling headphones and see how well they work!
Read/Watch [7 mins]: Read aloud the book Too Much Noise by Ann McGovern or play this Youtube read aloud video (www.youtube.com/@4thgradetec)
Debrief [3 min]: Debrief on the story using one or more of the following prompts:
Students can bring home the noisemakers they created to demonstrate for their family. Encourage parents and caregivers to ask students one or more of the following prompts:
If students would like to change or improve on their noisemakers at home, encourage caregivers to provide basic craft materials for students to continue improving their designs!
