Nutty Nuts

Area ofStudy

ICT

CrossCurricular Links

Speaking andListening

Class/Year group

3KB Year 3

Timeavailable

6 hours

AdditionalInformation/prior learning:

Lesson Focus

Intended learningobjectives

(including NC refs)

Main LearningActivity (toinclude assessment focus & use of ICT whererelevant)

Resources

(including staffing)

Week 1

Sound reproduction

Begin to understand howsound reproduction has changed over time.

1. Share the learningobjective with the children.

Show any sound artefacts that have developed over time.Which order were they invented in? Playa couple of them. Many children will be unaware of vinyl recordsand bringing some in can be the first time they have encounteredthem.

2. Begin to talk about how sound reproduction has changedover time and how it keeps improving the method of capturing andplayback. Inform them about gramophone, microphone, tape recorders,synthesizers, CDs and now Mp3s. Display this information on thewhite board with picture, text and sound. Talk about why each itemwas invented? How has each item improved the sound reproduction?Now inform children that the computer is a versatile medium forsound. It can play audio CDs, mp3s, record sound waves and even beused as a synthesizer.

Notably the computer can also allow us to manipulate thesound in various ways and organiseit. They will look at all these aspects over thecoming weeks.

3. In pairs, children will place pictures cards in order ofinvention.

4. As a whole class, reviewthe objective play a game with the cards shuffled. Give selectedchildren an invention card. They must say their name explain howit has changed from the previous.

Key vocabulary:

phonograph, gramophone,vinyl, magnetic tape, Compact Disc, sound waves, MP3s,synthesizers, midi

Assessment:

Whilst children organize the picture cards in order ofinvention listen to their discussion. Can the class help thephysical time line in the review come up with reasons for theimproved technology?

Active Studio lessonobjectives

A range of sound technology a tapeplayer, CD player, a record player, Mp3 player images oncard.

Sound files

Week 2

Sound recording

Understand that ICT can beused to record sounds.

1. Share the learningobjective with the class.

2. Play different soundsamples; tape recorded, CD, and recorded samples on the computer.How was the sound recorded? Show the microphone and demonstratethe procedure of recording sound on a tape Similar processapplied when recording on the computer.

3. Show children how themicrophone is connected to the computer. Demonstrate a voicerecording. Point out the key features of the recording package eg rewind, forward. Show children how to save the file .wav.

4. Discuss the advantagesand disadvantages of utilising different recording methods (tape orCD)

5. Allow children to recordand save a short piece of speech on the computer.

6. Bring the class together andreview the learning objective. Listen to some of the samples. MostCD music is in this sampled wave format which is why computers canalso play CDs. However the wave files of such high quality tend tobe very large. This is why samples used in games and programs arebest kept short.

Key questions:

Do we need a microphone to record sound on thecomputer?

Why are samples best kept short?

How can you tell if a fileis a sound sample without playing it?

Key Vocabulary: sound waves, .wavfile, sample,

Assessment:

Did children save their voice recording?

Active Studio - lessonobjectives

A tape recorder, a microphone

ICT suite

Windows sound recorder

Week 3

Sound editing

To understand and editsound waves on the computer.

1. Share the learningobjective with the class.

2. Question the children what to do if we wanted only partof the sound sample? Edit. Demonstrate selecting a group ofchildren to stand at the front of the class holding soundcardsrepresenting the words this is a sound sample, thankyou. Ask them to show their cards withthe waveforms showing and say their words (on the back of the card)in sequence. Use a meter rule as the indicator of the progress.Repeat and stop it before thank you. Use the meter rule to make thechildren repeat only the last phrase, thank you a couple oftimes. Now make everyone to the left of the meter rule sit down sothat all you are left with are the two words. We have just edited asound sample; now show the process on the computer.

3. Demonstrate on the computer sound record file; Thankyou.

4. Allow children to edit and save the sound file.

5. Bring the class together and review the learningobjective. Listen to some of the samples. Explain how some musicuses sound samples like this, the samples coming in at certaintimes. (You could even play part of a song as an example) Have theclass slowly count 1,2,3 and then play the sample on the 4beat. Repeat in a rhythm.

Key questions:

Why might you want to crop a sound sample?

Once you have cropped and saved a sample, can you get theoriginal sound back?

How can you spot a silence in a waveform?

Key Vocabulary:

Sound waves, .wav file, sample and cropping.

Assessment:

Has each child managed to crop the sound filecorrectly?

Active Studio - lessonobjectives

Sound cards

ICT suite

Windows sound recorder

Week 4

Sound creation on the computer

Begin to understand howsounds can be created on the computer.

Begin to recognise thedifferences between live samples and synthesized sounds

1. Share the learningobjective with the class.

2. Show the electronic keyboard to children and a fewinstruments. Are these sounds real? Thisimitation/creation of instrument sounds is different from merelysampling and recording the real thing. When a sound is made up fromelectronics it is said to be synthesized. All electronic keyboardscontain synthesized sounds which are used as instruments.

3. Demonstrate the Live midi Keyboard. This is a programthat simulates an electronic keyboard. The sounds it uses are thesynthesized instruments on the sound card in your computer. Thecomputer can record which notes were pressed on a keyboard andwhich instruments were used to make the sounds in a midi file.(.mid is used as the file extension) MIDI stands for MusicalInstrument Digital

Interface and is the standard way electronic instrumentscan be connected to computers (or each other) so they can exchangeinformation. MIDI files are different to samples as they containno sound at all. They only contain the instructions for playingsounds demonstrate this. Play an example of a midi file (egMillionaireRound1.mid, MillionaireRound1.mp3), compare them with anoriginal sample.

4. Allow children to become familiar with the differentinstruments on the computer using the live midi keyboardprogram.

5. Bring the class together and review the learningobjective.

Key questions:

What advantages does a midi file have over a sample?

What are the disadvantages?

Key vocabulary:

midi file, synthesized sound, tracks, synthesizer

Assessment:

Can the children tell the difference between a midi fileand a sound sample? Play a couple more examples to the class andsee if they can recognize which is which.

Active Studio lessonobjectives

Electronic keyboard

Midi files;

MillionaireRound1.mid,MillionaireRound1.mp3

ICT suite

midi keyboard program,headphones

Week 5

Digital sound performance

I can organise digitalsound in a performance

1. Introduce the learningobjective for the session.

2. Children will becreating their own mix of music. Playsome dance music (e.g. rocket rave.mp3) and point out how the musicrepeats in loops. These loops are notmade from midi files but from sound samples, looping over and overagain. Select a group of children to demonstrate a loop soundsample.

3. Now show the DB -7x7 software. This works on the sameprinciple, all the music is created by 8 samples looping over andover. The sound quality is much higher. Load the default song anddemonstrate. Have a child come out and model a mixing performance try to encourage them not to just put all tracks on full blast butto bring some in and out. The quality of their performance isnttoo important here, its the ability to know that digital sound canbe organised and manipulated in a live performance. Show thattheir mixing performance can be recorded and saved.

4. Now let children practice mixing a version of the song,then records and save it.

5. Discuss good and bad points about the process.

What did using sample loops enable you to do? What couldntyou do?

Key questions

What advantages does a song made from looping sampleshave?

What are the limitations?

Key vocabulary:

Samples, looping, tracks, mixing, digital sound.

Assessment:

Did the children manage to mix their song and save it? Tryand pick two contrasting mixes as examples.

Do they think they will recognize the use of samples infuture music they may hear?

Active Studio lessonobjectives

Computer with sound card, headphones, some modern dancemusic (on CD, tape or mp3).

ICT suite

Week 6

Sound format solutions

Begin to understand andidentify appropriate use of sound formats

1. Introduce the learning objective. Review the different sound formats that are availablethrough technology and their previous work. Introduce the mainactivity which is to sort into categories of the best solution forsound technology. Work through an example with the class andencourage discussion and suggestions. Help them articulate why theywould prefer one format over another.

2. Allocate children into small groups to discuss thepossible solution for each scenario. When they have decided thebest they place the problem onto the appropriate audiosolution.

A. You want a sound effect for a computer game.

B. You have to collect interviews of residents for a localproject.

C. You want to publish your own music cheaply.

D. You want to carry all your music with you onholiday.

E. You want to create a talking book.

F. You want to make a bird scarer for your crops.

G. You have an old record of music you want to send to afriend

H. You want to remember a song you have composed.

I. You want some music for a game of musical chairs.

J. You want some music tosing along to in assembly.

3. Bring the class together and review the learningobjective. What were the answers they came to? Did everyone agree if not, why not? Have the children justify their choices.

Key questions:

Can you remember what the formats are and how they aredifferent?

Key vocabulary:

sound samples, mp3s, CDAudio, Cassette tapes, Vinyl and MIDI

Assessment:

Listen in on the discussions during the group sessions ifany children are reticent, try to draw them out by asking them whatthey think.

Active Studio lessonobjectives

Problem cards and solutions