You will have the ear anatomy poster to show the class, and this will help you remember when explaining how we hear, starting with sound vibrations going into the pinna and ending with nerve signals going to the brain to be interpreted. Make sure the poster is held up so that everyone can see.
Vibrations travel to the cochlea. The cochlea is filled with fluid and thousands of tiny sensors called hair cells. On top of the hair cells are even smaller hair-like structures called hair bundles that are moved by the vibrations in the fluidPlease watch this “How Do We Hear?” video clip.
Advanced Techniques:
Discuss with the classroom teacher in advance if the students have recently learned the parts of the ear or how we hear in earlier lessons. If so, then the Dangerous Decibels educator can quiz the students on the information they may already know, first without the poster. For instance, the educator can grab their own pinna and ask, “what is this called”, and then ask more questions about where the sound vibrations go next, working their way through the parts of the ear. The ear anatomy poster would be used for backup if the students didn’t remember the parts correctly or had the sequence of “how we hear” mixed up.
The students may offer more advanced information, for instance they may know the names of the 3 bones in the middle ear or use the term “tympanic membrane” in place of “eardrum”. Some students also may know the main structures of the ear but then forget how they work together to transmit vibrations.
In most cases, the students are likely unfamiliar with the terms “hair cell” and “hair bundle” so be sure and clarify these.