Duration: 45 minutes
SPIRIT Skills:
- Critical thinking
- Creativity
- Problem-solving
Brief Description:
There are four tables with different material:
- Students explore how to make sounds with the materials.
- Each group presents their “solutions.”
Students try to imitate the softest sound possible.
- They try to imitate the loudest sound possible.
- They try to imitate a sound that is neither too soft nor too loud.
- THIS ALWAYS HAPPENS WITH THE SAME ‘MATERIAL’
Each group presents their ‘solutions.
How does this develop particular SPIRIT skills
Critical thinking (is this the softest sound possible?), creativity (how can we make the sound softer?)
What do we want to achieve regarding SPIRIT skill development (student understanding and/or behaviour)?
Critical Thinking (e.g., “Is this the softest sound possible?”):
Children actively reflect on their sounds and adjust their techniques to produce softer sounds. They compare their sounds and question whether it can be softer. Behaviour:
- Pause and rethink their approach.
- Experiment with materials by making small adjustments.
- Discuss with each other about the result (e.g., “Is this the softest sound?”).
Creativity (e.g., “How can we make the sound softer?”):
Children try new approaches and explore different techniques to achieve their goal. They think outside the box and experiment with the materials. Behaviour:
- Experiment with various ways to modify the sound.
- Collaborate within their group on alternative methods.
- Flexibility in their approach, by making changes when their initial attempts fail
Academic/Curriculum Objective connection
• Students can produce loud and soft sounds with different kinds of materials.
In the translation it must be adapted! They are the national curriculum!
Materials and tools needed for implementation
- Own body (without voice) – valuable free material – Orff musical instruments – Percussion instruments.
Preparation notes
- group students into small teams.
Guided Questions
Is this the softest sound we can produce? Encourage critical thinking of the kids by the following questions (just ask and encourage the child to think:
- Imagine there’s a tiny mouse sleeping in the corner of the room, and we don’t want to wake it up! How could we produce a sound using this object even more gently- almost as if we were just lightly stroking it?”
- I see you just used your whole palm. What happens with the sound if next time we touch it very slowly with just the tip of your little finger?
When children think they’ve made the loudest sound they can, help them with the following questions: (encouraging creative experimentation.)
- If I were standing out in the yard, do you think I’d hear this sound? Which part of this instrument would you have to hit or shake to make the sound grow really loud?
- If we want to imitate the loudest storm, would hitting it just once be enough? What happens if we repeat the movement many times, quickly? Let’s try it together!”
When they can’t think of how to use their own bodies as instruments
- What are two parts of your body that you can touch together? Try rubbing your palms together really fast next to your ears! What does that sound like?”
- Do you think your feet are only for walking, or can you use them to make a sound on the floor that sounds like soft rain falling?
When it’s hard to find the “medium” sound
- Do you remember the mouse’s very soft sound and the bear’s really loud one? Now try making a sound that’s just right for an average-sized puppy! Not too tiny, not too scary. Let’s see how we can do that!”
Who liked this sound? Empathy and emotional communication building support:
- Let’s all close our eyes for a moment and listen to this sound again! How did it feel to your ears? Was it pleasant, warm, and soothing for some of you, or was it rather cold or too loud for others? If this sound were a small animal, would it be a sweet, cuddly puppy, or a grumpy, scary lion? Ask the person sitting next to you: do they see the same little animal in their mind as you do, or did this sound make them think of something completely different?
Stage Debriefing Questions (Optional)
- When you first thought you’d found the quietest sound, but then managed to make an even quieter one: how did you figure out the trick? What changed when you decided to try again instead of giving up after your first guess?
- I noticed that you tried many different methods using the same object or your own bodies until you finally found the sound you were looking for. What did you do when your first idea didn’t work – how did you come up with something completely new?
- How did you notice within your group if someone really liked a sound, or, on the contrary, if it was unpleasant to their ears? How did you understand each other’s feelings? How were you able to agree on a volume level that everyone on the team liked in the end?
Tips and Tricks for dealing with stage challenges
- Place the groups in a different room or space so they can carry out their sound investigation without interruptions.
- It is important for you, as the teacher, to visit each group during the activity to challenge them to explore even more creative ways to produce loud or soft sounds with their instruments.
- Encourage multiple solutions and really challenge them to find an even softer sound