- tape or video recorder
- growly
- high
- loud
- low
- soft
- sound
- squeaky
MA Standards:
Speaking and Listening/SL.PK.MA.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners during daily routines and play.
MA Draft STE Standards:
Physical Sciences/Matter and Its Interactions/PS4.B: Apply their understanding in their play of how to change volume and pitch of some sounds.
Life Sciences/From Molecules to Organisms/LS1/3.C: Use their sense in their exploration and play to gather information. [Structure and Function]
Head Start Outcomes:
Logic and Reasoning/Reasoning and Problem Solving: Classifies, compares, and contrasts objects, events, and experiences.
PreK Learning Guidelines:
English Language Arts/Language 2: Participate actively in discussions, listen to the ideas of others, and ask and answer relevant questions.
Science and Technology/Living Things and Their Environment 15: Use their senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste to explore their environment using sensory vocabulary.
Explore Together (indoors): Different Voices
© Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Early Education and Care (Jennifer Waddell photographer). All rights reserved.
STEM Key Concepts: Sounds have a source; Sounds vary in three ways: volume, pitch, and timbre
ELA Focus Skills: Speaking and Listening, Vocabulary
Gather children and speak in a different voice (for example, hold your nose and speak in a nasal voice) as you say, Today you are going to explore different sounds that you can make with your own voice.
- Demonstrate by having children mimic a voice you make. Say, Can everyone try to imitate the voice I am using? Say “Good morning” in this voice. Encourage children to describe the voice they are using.
- Then allow children to explore with a partner all the different sounds they can make with their voice. If needed, prompt them to experiment with pitch (high, low), volume (loud, soft), and timbre (squeaky, growly). Encourage children to record (or you record) new, interesting sounds they make so they can share them later.
- Listen and watch as children explore making different voices. If you need to help them expand their explorations, you can:
- Encourage children to think of people or characters (such as Peep) they know and imitate their voices
- Encourage pairs to make louder and softer versions of the sounds
As you observe, encourage children to use sound words in their discussions: pitch—high, higher, low; volume—loud, soft, quiet; timbre—squeaky, growly.
Reflect and Share
Have children share their recordings and describe new ideas they learned about the sounds.
- Then ask children if they can describe something about another child’s voice that is different from their own voice.
- Ask, If Jack was behind you and said something, how would you know it was Jack talking to you?
Allow children to listen to their recorded sounds during free exploration time.