This program was designed as an instructional tool for 4th through 6th grade mainstream classes. It explains how the ear works and gives general information about hearing loss, different types of amplification and strategies for communicating with people with a hearing loss. It can be incorporated into a science unit on the ear and hearing, or it can be a conversation starter in a classroom where one or more of the classmates has a hearing loss or uses an assistive listening device. The program also allows for students to explore, read and complete the activities as a group or independently.

Illinois Learning Standards addressed by this program:Science Goal 13: Understand the relationship among science, technology and society in historical and contemporary contexts. Benchmark 13B2c: Identify and explain ways that science and technology influence the lives and careers of people.

Social Emotional Goal 2: Use social-awareness and interpersonal skills to establish and maintain positive relationships. Benchmark 2B2b: Demonstrate how to work effectively with those who are different from oneself.

National Educational Technology Standard addressed by this program:Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity and promote creativity.

Now Hear This!

Credits

Ear anatomy illustration: http://www.jtc.org/audcorner/ear.php

Photo of cochlear implant: http://www.abc.net.au/science/slab/cochlear/default.htm

Photo of assistive listening device: http://www.ndcs.org.uk/our_services/blue_peter_loan_service/radio_aids/phonakwidex.html

Photo of girl wearing cochlear implant:http://www.sesa.org/sesa/agency/programs/DHH/Pages/ATCochlearImplants.html

Cochlear implant simulation sound clips:http://www.utdallas.edu/~loizou/cimplants/children/

Navigation buttons: http://www.buttongenerator.com

All other images and sound contained in this program are from copyright free sources.

NOW HEAR THIS

A Kids’ Guide to Hearing and Hearing Loss

About this Program

Click each section of the ear to find out more about it.

Outer Ear

Middle Ear

Inner Ear

This is how our hearing works. When we hear a sound, first it travels up the ear canal to the tympanic membrane.The sound causes the tympanic membrane to vibrate. The ossicles, which are attached to the tympanic membrane, move with it.The ossicles push on a little window in the cochlea that starts making waves in the fluid of the cochlea. The hair cells move in the waves and make an electrical signal, which is carried by the nerve up to the brain.

How do we hear?Take this quiz and see what you remember. Click the correct answer.

1. What is the name of the part of the ear that is on the outside of your head?

a. ear

b. pinna

c. tympanic membrane

2. The cochlea is located in which part of the ear?

a. outer ear

b. middle ear

c. inner ear

3. How many ossicles are there in the ear?

a. two

b. three

c. four

Try again

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Try again

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Try again

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Try again

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Try again

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Try again

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That’s right!

You got it!

Way to go!

What is hearing loss? Why does it happen?When someone has a hearing loss, it means that they have difficulty hearing some or all sounds. Depending on the degree of hearing loss, a person may be able to hear some sounds. A deaf person is someone whose hearing is severely limited.

Hearing loss can happen for lots of reasons. Some people are born with a hearing loss. Some hearing losses happen after a serious accident or illness. Sometimes, older people, like grandparents, develop a hearing loss. Occasionally, hearing loss can happen after listening to a very loud sound, like an explosion. Once someone has a hearing loss, their hearing usually does not return to normal.

Kinds of AmplificationAmplification means a device that makes sound louder. People with hearing loss

have a few different kinds of devices that will make sounds louder so they are easier to hear. Click on a picture to learn more about the different kinds of amplification.

Cochlear Implant

Assistive Listening Device

Hearing Aid

Cochlear Implants

Some deaf people are not able to hear, even when they wear the most powerful hearing aids. Sometimes they decide to get a cochlear implant to help them hear.

A cochlear implant is a special device that is inserted in the cochlea, in the inner ear. The cochlear implant sends a sound signal from a speech processor that the person wears, either on their ear or in a fanny pack on their waist, directly to the cochlea and up the auditory nerve to the brain.

For many people, cochlear implants help them hear many sounds that they otherwise could not hear. Click the picture to hear how it sounds to listen with a cochlear implant.

What did he say?

Hearing Aids

Hearing aids come in lots of shapes and sizes. Some people have one hearing aid, and some have two. Whether they are the kind worn behind the ear or the tiny hearing aids that fit inside the ear, all hearing aids make sound louder and easier to hear.

Hearing aids have a microphone on them that pick up all the sound from the environment. Then, inside the hearing aid, the sound is changed and made louder. Then it travels out of the hearing aid and directly into the ear of the person wearing it.

Assistive Listening DevicesAssistive listening devices work kind of like a radio. There are two parts: a transmitter (microphone) and a receiver (ear piece or speaker.) The transmitter sends an invisible signal through the air, which is picked up by the receiver. Usually the teacher wears the microphone, and the students wearing the receivers hear the teacher’s voice right in their ears. The signal can even go through the wall. Sometimes students can hear their teachers even when they are in the hall or bathroom!

Assistive listening devices help people with normal hearing as well as those with hearing loss. You might have seen this kind of device and never knew what it was. Football coaches and players use these devices to talk to each other. The coach can stand on the sideline and speak to the players without having to yell. TV newscasters also use listening devices to hear their directors giving them instructions from the control room.

Hearing Fun Facts

Where would you like to go?

Talking to a person with a hearing loss

DO……look right at the person, so they can read your lips.

…talk with a normal voice volume. You don’t need to shout.

…tap the person gently on the shoulder to get their attention before you start to speak.

…repeat what you said if the person didn’t hear or understand you.

…ask polite questions if you are curious. It’s nicer to ask than to stare.

DON’T……cover your mouth while you are talking.

…talk too fast or too slow. This makes you harder to understand.

…turn your back or walk away.

…be nervous or afraid. Remember, hearing loss doesn’t change the person on the inside.

American Sign Language

Click to try your “hand” at reading sign language.

Read each signed “word,” and then click the button to reveal its meaning.Good luck!

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Taking Care of Your Hearing

Hearing loss can be caused by things people do to their ears.To protect your ears, remember the following:

Loud sounds, like music or an explosion, can damage the tiny hair cells in the inner ear. If you are going to a place where there will be loud sounds, like a concert or fireworks display, bring some earplugs along. They won’t block out all the sound and your ears will thank you for it.

If you need to clean your ears, do it carefully. You shouldn’t stick anything into your ears. It’s best to use a washcloth and only wash the outside of your ear canal.

If you get an ear infection, see a doctor right away. Untreated ear infections can sometimes damage the eardrum or middle ear bones.