Listen and dismiss (for younger or less experienced children)
Goal 2: Identify sounds in their environment
Materials: None
Procedure: Once children have been together in your class for a few months, they know one another's voices. This natural development can be used to help them focus their auditory senses to discover who is speaking to them without seeing the person. Model the listening game during a large group discussion by turning your chair around just before dismissing them and having one child at a time say, "Good morning Mr.(Ms.)_____. How are you?" As you recognize the child's voice, respond by saying, "Very well, thank you (Child's Name)," and excuse them from the large group. As children listen carefully, they pick up the nuances of the other children's voices. They can then participate by closing their eyes during dismissal and trying to guess who is speaking to the teacher.
To Simplify: Significantly reduce the number of voices that must be discriminated by designating only four or five speakers from the large group before beginning the game; have the remainder of the children be the listeners. The game may also be played in a small group of only four or five children, which also reduces the discrimination difficulty.
To Extend: Choose individual children each day to play the role of teacher and be the dismisser.
Materials: None
Procedure: Once children have been together in your class for a few months, they know one another's voices. This natural development can be used to help them focus their auditory senses to discover who is speaking to them without seeing the person. Model the listening game during a large group discussion by turning your chair around just before dismissing them and having one child at a time say, "Good morning Mr.(Ms.)_____. How are you?" As you recognize the child's voice, respond by saying, "Very well, thank you (Child's Name)," and excuse them from the large group. As children listen carefully, they pick up the nuances of the other children's voices. They can then participate by closing their eyes during dismissal and trying to guess who is speaking to the teacher.
To Simplify: Significantly reduce the number of voices that must be discriminated by designating only four or five speakers from the large group before beginning the game; have the remainder of the children be the listeners. The game may also be played in a small group of only four or five children, which also reduces the discrimination difficulty.
To Extend: Choose individual children each day to play the role of teacher and be the dismisser.
