Soundscape Directions

Directions:
Fil in the required portions of this document. Be sure to save it. You will submit this file with a link
to your soundscape.
1. The introduction include just a few of the many ideas for soundscapes to get you thinking
creatively. Now it is your turn. Brainstorm a minimum of three soundscape ideas in
different content areas. You should treat this activity as if you are the teacher. You are
creating a project you would have your students do. The soundscape you create will be an
example which you can use in your future pedagogy.
Content Area:
History
English
Science

Soundscape Idea:
War- gun shots, music they had during the war to get a sense of
time period.
Poems- sad, happy, mad music.
The sound of anything mechanical such as cars, rockets etc.

1. Choose the idea you like the most. Write a brief summary of your idea.
I really like the idea of using a soundscape for poems especially. This would also work well
for books, but I could easily have students write and/or create their own poem and they
can add music to emphasize their poem, to help their peers be able to visualize and cope
with the feeling of the poem as they read it. This will most certainly help make a poem
even more memorable. I could especially bring in famous poems and add music along with
it to help students retain the information of the poem for their next quiz and/or exam.
2. Identify the grade level, content area, and standards.
Grade level:
4th Grade

Content area(s):
Reading, Writing and
Communicating

Standards:
Standard 2.2 Comprehension and
fluency matter when reading
informational and persuasive texts in a
fluent way.

3. Brainstorm what sounds you feel should be included in this soundscape. (A bit of a project
outline)
I will choose three different poems by famous poets (maybe more). I will then choose three
different sounds or music to emphasize the feeling that the poem is trying to portray. The
emotions of poems that I plan on using are: happy, sad, and mad. These emotions will
require sounds that use fast and slow music.
4. Now, create your soundscape. As you create, save your citations.
Citations: http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/text/poems-about-war
http://www.behappyzone.com/happy-attitude-poems.html
http://soundbible.com/suggest.php?q=children&x=-867&y=-380

Requirements:
Minimum of 60 seconds and a maximum of five minutes
Quality editing (smooth transitions between clips, sound level is even - it doesnt fluctuate
dramatically)
Creativity
Accuracy (content and grammatical)
Citations
Due on Saturday, April 25 at 11:59PM
Once your soundscape is complete, paste the link here:
You will also need to post your soundscape to your ePortfolio.

How to Information:
1. You can use audio clips from free sound effects and music sites such as SoundBible and
Free Play Music. Remember copyright and fair use when creating your soundscape. Many
short audio clips from popular songs, movies, speeches, etc. used for educational
purposes can be reproduced.
2. The Library of Congress has access to many historical speeches and other audio files.
3. Use your personal mobile device or computer to record unique sound files (reading a story,
singing, voice overs, etc.)
4. To edit your files and create a cohesive soundscape, you can use an iDevice and
GarageBand. GarageBand is also available on the Macs in the McKee lab.
There is free audio editing software for any computer. Audacity is commonly used in K-12
schools and is rather easy to use. http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
5. Load your finished file to YouTube, add the link to this document, and load it to your
ePortfolio.
6. Save plenty of time for creation to account for technical difficulties and/or the need for
help.
Audacity:
Sourceforge tutorial
YouTube tutorial: part 1 and part 2
GarageBand:
Tutorial 1
There are many videos available on using GarageBand and Audacity. Just Google whatever you
need.