How do they make silly sounds in cartoons?

How do they make silly sounds in cartoons?
Lesson narration:
English Spanish
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How`would`you`make
the`sound`of`rain?

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Anchor Connection In the past lesson, you made a ruler make sound by doing this. When the ruler was vibrating up and down, it made sound. Discuss. How did you make the ruler stop making sound?
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When the ruler vibrates, it makes sound. When the ruler does not vibrate, it doesn’t make sound. Discuss. Which one of these pictures shows the ruler making sound? Which one shows a silent ruler? How do you know?
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Back in the Everglades, we heard an animal making sound. Click play to hear it again.
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The animal that made that sound is hiding in this picture. See if you can find it.
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It is an alligator hiding here! On the next slide, you will see and hear an alligator very close up. Get ready!
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You will hear more than one alligator in this video. But we will look at this one up close. Watch the video, then discuss. How can you tell when this alligator is making sound? What do you see?
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We can hear this alligator make sound. But we can also see it. The alligator vibrates when it makes sound! The vibrations make the water splash.
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The ruler and the alligator both make sound when they vibrate. The ruler and the alligator are both silent when they stop vibrating.
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Look at the "Wonder" column of your class See-Think-Wonder chart. Have any questions been answered by this past lesson? And do you have any new questions? Save this chart for after the next lesson.
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# Extensions
Below are ideas for extending this topic beyond the activity & exploration you just completed.
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# Activity: More Fun with Sound Effects

Have your students try other sound effects that are favorites of sound effects artists.

  • For a chugging steam train, shake a box of macaroni and cheese in just the right rhythm.
  • For a crackling fire, crunch a package of ramen noodles or crumple a big piece of cellophane wrap.
  • For a gurgling stream, use a drinking straw to blow bubbles in a cup of water.
  • For a flying bird or bat, slap a pair of leather gloves together.
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# Read-aloud books

These read-alouds are great — but maybe they’d be even better with sound effects. Consider inviting your students to add their sounds. (Be warned: This can get noisy!)

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vibration


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a quick movement back and forth
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sound


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vibrations that you can usually hear with your ears
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rain


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water drops that fall from clouds
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storm


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weather that usually includes strong wind and rain or snow
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thunder


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a rumbling sound during a storm, often after a flash of lightning
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experiment


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a test used to discover new information about a question
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Image & Video Credits

Mystery Science respects the intellectual property rights of the owners of visual assets. We make every effort to use images and videos under appropriate licenses from the owner or by reaching out to the owner to get explicit permission. If you are the owner of a visual and believe we are using it without permission, please contact us—we will reply promptly and make things right.

Exploration
door stopper by Landee See Landee Do
door stopper noise by Daniel Ord
bike horn by theanorak
foley artist by Vancouver Film School
child watching tv by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Semmick Photo
hand drawn cartoon by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: shadow216
Image from Finding Dory by Pixar Post
Ellen Degeneres behind the scenes of Finding Dory by ScreenSlam
scene from Star Wars: A New Hope by 20th Century Fox
Animation Sound Design: Ben Burtt Creates the Sounds for Wall-E (Part 1 of 2) by Joe Ludwig
scene from The Old Mill by Walt Disney Pictures
girl thinking by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: espies
cartoon storm by Khurram Dp
Activity
rain storm by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: peresanz
boy peeking through hands by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: iofoto
rainstorm sound by esh9419
rolling thunder sound by MoneySavingVideos
water dripping by Tankersley FX
wind blowing sound by copyrighy free sound effect
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Lesson narration:
English Spanish

Activity Prep

Print Prep

In this lesson, students investigate vibrations as a source of sound effects for movies. In the activity, Be a Sound Effects Artist, students use their hands and feet to create a "rainstorm," and then use rulers to create a “boing” sound for a cartoon bouncy ball.

Preview activity
Number of students:

I have a Mystery Pack

Rulers
1 ruler per student
Prep Instructions

Decide on a Thunder Master (optional)

During the rainstorm activity, you may want a way to make thunder. It’s fun to add the rumble and crash of thunder and is another visible demonstration of vibration creating sound. Watch this video to see how to use the optional items to make thunder.

If you decide to add thunder to your rainstorm, decide who will be the Thunder Master, the maker of thunder. We suggest you let this person experiment before class so that they can create a great thunder sound for your rainstorm.

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Vocabulary

Reading

Activity

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