Sound Machines

Building academic language

Word

• Introduce sound by reading Sounds All Around by Wendy Pfeffer to the class.
• Pause as you read to introduce and define new vocabulary words for the lesson using the text along with the attached glossary and vocabulary cards.
• Connect hearing sounds with the concept of hearing vibrations by having students touch an object that makes noise (e.g., a drum) while it is making noise. Have students share how it feels and how it sounds.

Sentence

• Place a variety of objects (shakers, drum, bottle filled with water, rice shaker) in a large box or behind a board or curtain.
• Model choosing one item and making noise with it. Ask students to turn and talk to a partner to guess what kind of object made the sound.
• Invite several students one at a time to come up to the front and choose an object from the box (hiding it from their classmates) and making the sound.
• Ask the rest of the class to guess what is making that sound and to describe how it sounds using the sentence frame: "I think __ __ __ __ made the sound. It sounds like a __ __ __ __."

Discourse

• Show students the recycled materials you collected and model how to create your own unique "sound machine" using the objects (e.g., putting rice inside of a bottle and taping it closed).
• Explain that students will get to make their very own "sound machine" using the provided materials and then practice making different sounds with their machines.
• Review any materials expectations and model how to choose 1-2 items at a time.
• Send students off to create independently for 10 minutes.
• Gather students back together and pair students together to describe their new sound using sentence frames and sound vocabulary: "I made a __ __ __ __. It sounds like __ __ __ __."