Soundscapes for Acquisition

September 6, 2024|Eric Richards Instructional Consulting, LLC|Activities & Resources, General

I first came across the idea of “soundscapes” at the Comprehenisble Iowa conference.

At the conference, I had the pleasure of seeing Diane Neubauer present on this activity (and other interactive listening strategies.) It was a great presentation and it really resonated with me. (I especially enjoyed that we got to experience a “soundscape” together as a class!)

I implement “soundscapes” in my classroom and I immediately enjoyed success.

Below, I share a basic outline of what I do, give examples of “base questions” that you can ask to start “question threads”, and give you a list of links to start you on your “soundscape” journey.

SETUP:

Choose a “soundscape” to play. (See links below.)
Students simply listen to the “soundscape”.
- I usually play mine for a minute or so. (Feel free to play it as long as you feel necessary.)
  - Don’t be afraid to play it again, if your students feel it will help.
- You may need to start at a later time to incorporate (more of the) sounds you want.
After students listened to the “soundscape”, begin asking your students questions. (See “base questions” below.)
- You are essentially asking questions that let students describe the scene (mental image) that they have of the “soundscape” (place/location/etc.)

NOTES:

Students do not see anything; they only hear the “soundscape”.
Ask them as many questions as you can or that are necessary to help students describe what they “see” (mental image).
- Make sure the questions are level appropriate and establish meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary as it comes up.
After talking about it for a bit, offer your students the chance to hear it again to see if they want to adjust / change any of their ideas.
- Sometimes a student heard something others didn’t – or thinks it is something else – and it makes other students want to adjust their initial mental picture.
When you are finished discussing, if there is a picture that goes with it, show them! It is fun to have them compare the picture in their head with what is on the screen.

OBSERVATIONS:

When we do soundscapes, my students are engaged and it can lead to some great questioning (question threads), responses, and interaction. It is a great interactive listening activity where your students get a lot of oral input as you discuss the soundscape. Also, as you do more of these, you will find that certain vocabulary begins to recycle more often. (You won’t have to establish meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary as much.)

TIP: As they listen to the soundscape, have your students doodle / draw on a whiteboard what they think they “see”. Then give them a bit of time to finish. Have them share their drawing and then begin talking about it. (Your students can also point to elements in their drawing and describe it! This is a good way for them to “warm-up” before asking questions.)

NOTE: A “question thread” is nothing more than taking any “base question” and building further questions off of it. For example:

(Base Question) Are there people there? (Question Thread) Are there a lot of people there or just a few? –> Are there adults or children? –> Or both? –> How are they dressed? (What do they have on? –> What are they doing? (What could they be doing?) –>etc.

BASE QUESTIONS:

1. Wo bist du? – Where are you?

2. Was siehst du? – What do you “see”?

3. Gibt es Leute da? Gibt es Tiere da? – Are there people there? Are there animals there?

4. Was gibt es da? – What is there?

5. Wie ist das Wetter? Welche Jahreszeit ist es? – How is the weather? What season is it?

6. Du bist da. Wie ist deine Laune? – You are there. What is your mood?

7. Wie fühlst du dich dabei? – How do you feel?

8. Hast du so einen Ort schon besucht? – Have you visited a place like this?

9. Würdest du so einen Ort besuchen? – Would you visit a place like this?

10. Sonst was? – Anything else?

Hopefully this gives you a good starting point! If you have any questions, please let me know. And be sure to let me know how it goes – and how you modified it for your needs – in the comment section below!

LINKS:

Beach – Waves / Birds / People – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5APVDMDNXk

City Sounds – NY 5^th Avenue – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAw342Xqxhs – Start at 1:00

Restaurant / Coffeeshop – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2zkV-l_TbY

Subway NY Subway – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3K5bt8NbN0 – Start at 0:14

Rain Sounds with Thunder – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eYbofdxtMo

Baseball Stadium Sounds – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DIv0pIBC84 – Start at 5:20

On the Farm – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Exb1y_X7gOI

On the Meadow – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5oGi6-ifdg

Campfire Sounds – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nBFKH3qhGE

Amusement Park Ambience – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Y5WGk-H6_Y

Snow Skiing Sounds – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99TfEBLeQyQ