In this activity children will consider how we hear and decide what affects a polar bear’s hearing.
Description
Scientists in California are trying to find out if the noise of Arctic ice melting is affecting bears hearing. In the wild, polar bears live in silence but increasing noise levels may threaten their breeding patterns if they can't hear each other over long distances. Also they may be afraid since human activity signals danger to them. Conversely, the animals may mistakenly think unusual noises indicate food and they could be encouraged to migrate to inappropriate areas.
Children will consider how we hear and decide what affects a polar bear's hearing.
Learning Objective:
- that they hear sounds through their ears
Children will learn:
- to recognise that our ears also give information about where sounds are coming from
- how to find out about hearing e.g. you could cover one ear and both ears and listen to the sound
- recognise that we use hearing to sense danger as well as to communicate and hear pleasant sounds
These resources were initially developed in partnership with the Centre for Science Education, Sheffield Hallam University.