Reinforce the concept that the damage to the hair cell is permanent and cannot be repaired. By having the students try to repair the bent pipe cleaners after the fireworks show sound levels have damaged them.

For a refresher, revisit the online training Science of Hearing: How our Ears Break module.

Hearing Loss: The concept of hearing loss is just introduced in this Dangerous Decibels program module. It will be explored in more detail in the What’s That Sound? module.

Tinnitus: Introduce the concept here and ask the students if they have experienced tinnitus. They can share their experiences briefly if you have good classroom and time management skills. TINNITUS is ringing, hissing, buzzing in your ear after exposure to very loud sound. Often the ringing goes away but the damage that was done by exposure to the sound does not. Sometimes the ringing will stay forever. Tinnitus is a signal to you that you have damaged your hair cells and your hearing.