Learning objective: Describe sound as something you can hear, and identify that sounds can be loud or soft, and high or low.
Sound is something you can hear. Talking, music, a dog barking, and a car honking are all sounds.
Sounds can be loud or soft. A shout is loud. A whisper is soft. The diagram above shows this: loud sounds have big waves, and soft sounds have small waves.
Sounds also have a pitch — how high or low they sound. A bird's chirp has a high pitch. A big drum's boom has a low pitch. Notice in the diagram that high-pitched sounds have wave lines close together, and low-pitched sounds have wave lines farther apart.
Right now, take a moment to listen. What sounds do you hear? Are they loud or soft? High or low? Practicing noticing sounds this way helps you understand these two ideas better.
You might wonder: what actually MAKES a sound happen? The next lesson answers that question with an idea called vibration.
Sounds can be loud or soft (volume), and they can be high or low (pitch). A whisper is soft; a shout is loud. A bird's chirp is high; a drum's boom is low.
What is sound?
What does pitch describe?
Is a whisper an example of a loud sound or a soft sound?
Listen carefully for 1 minute. List 3 sounds you hear, and describe each one as loud or soft, and high or low.