Ambient Sounds

Inspiring Discussion and Vocabulary Learning

Stage of Literacy Development:

Stage 0: Foundation for Literacy

Ages:

3-5

Grade Range:

PreK K

Food Groups:

Primary:
Vocabulary

Activity Description

Preparation:

Find a CD player and a CD with ambient sounds, for example: nature sounds, city sounds
1. You could also use YouTube clips, other multimedia sources, or just the natural sounds of the classroom
Prepare questions to which new vocabulary could be connected
1. For example: “Does anyone know the name of the animal that makes that sound?”

Implementation:

Invite students to close their eyes and listen closely to the sounds you will be playing for a specific amount of time (such as 30 seconds)
Ask the students to describe what they heard and allow them to take turns talking about it
1. Make note of any interesting words and ask students to explain what they mean (provide a friendly definition to the class if necessary, for example: “Swishing is that shhh shhh sound when something sweeps back and forth. Let’s all try it.”
Bring attention to words that may not be in students’ vocabularies
1. Prompt students to think about these words and talk about what they mean
2. For example: If a student says, “I heard something clicking”, explain that it was the clock “ticking”
3. Have the students repeat the key words and their meanings
Prompt for other questions that connect to the children’s past experiences
For example, “What does the sound of waves crashing into rocks remind you of?”

Adaptations For

English Language Learners/ESL:

- Have students dramatize or represent the sounds in pictures
- Use pictures to accompany the explanation of new words

LD/Reading & Writing Difficulties:

- Work one-on-one to reinforce new vocabulary

Cultural Appropriateness & Diversity:

- Use sounds that every student can relate to
- Be open to the students interpretation of the sounds

Differentiated Instruction:

- Use pictures to give a concrete visualization of the new words

Related References

Source: 
Connor, R.E., Notari-Syverson, A., Vadasy, P.F. (2007). Ladders to literacy: A preschool activity book. Baltimore, MD: Brookes Publishing.

Evidence: 
Stahl, S. A. (1986). Three principles of effective vocabulary instruction. Journal of Reading, 29, 662-668.

Activity Objective

The goal of Ambient Sounds: Inspiring Discussion and Vocabulary Learning is to provide students with an opportunity to listen to interesting sounds in order to inspire discussion and give students exposure to new vocabulary words.

What You Need

Prep Time:

10 minutes
- Gather CD player and CD
- Prepare student questions

Task Time:

15 minutes
- Students listen to ambient sounds
- Students describe what they hear
- Teacher provides richer vocabulary to help students describe the sounds

Materials Required:

Optional:
- CD playerCD with natural sounds

What You Do

Teacher Role:

Direct instruction:
- during activity explanation and class discussion

Facilitator:
- during listening activity

Student Grouping:

Whole class:
- during activity description, listening activity and class discussion

Assessment Ideas:

- Use the words often in everyday conversation and monitor for understanding

- Use pictures to prompt students to give the associated vocabulary word

Quick Tips

Activity Extensions:

- Use the activity during transition times 

- Ask students to attempt to draw a visual representation of what they are hearing

- For students who are writing, use this activity as a prompt for descriptive writing

Additional Comments:

- Some ideas for sound clips may include on the subway, by the beach, and through the forest.

- Ideas for words to talk about when discussing ambient classroom noise include ticking, chattering, ruffling, crunching, crinkling. 

- This activity is particularly well suited for ELL/ESL students because it provides the opportunity to associate familiar sounds with new vocabulary.

Other Adaptations/Modifications:

- Shorten or lengthen the listening time