- cardboard rectangles
- markers
- string
- volume
MA Standards:
Language: L.PK.MA.6 Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, listening to books read aloud, activities, 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.
Head Start Outcomes:
Social Emotional Development/Self-Regulation Follows simple rules, routines, and directions.
Language Development/Receptive Language Attends to language during conversations, songs, stories, or other learning experiences.
PreK Learning Guidelines:
English Language Arts/Language 4 Engage in play experiences that involve naming and sorting common words into various classifications using general and specific language.
Play Together: Volume Control
© Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Early Education and Care (Jennifer Waddell photographer). All rights reserved.
ELA Focus Skills: Listening and Speaking
Educator Prep: Make two holes on the top edges of a piece of cardboard. Draw “volume control buttons” on the cardboard and label them with arrows pointing up and down.
Ask children, How did Ruby’s teacher try to help her learn to control the volume of her voice? Show children the cardboard remote controls and point to the buttons.
Point to the button with the arrow pointing up and say, This is our volume machine. When you press this arrow it means raise the volume. Then point to the button with the arrow pointing down and ask, What do you think this button means? (lower the volume)
Bring children outside. Play a game with children in which they raise and lower the volume of their voices. Give each child a chance to press an arrow to prompt others to either raise or lower the volume of their voices. When children raise the volume of their voices, ask, Why don’t we raise the volume of our voices that high when we are inside?
Safety Tip: Remind children of why it is important to protect our ears. Say, Don’t turn your volume machine too high! Why is it important that we don’t raise our voices too high? Discuss the importance of ear safety.