How the Ear Works

1. How the Ear Works 6th Grade Science

3. Parts of the Ear • The ear is divided into 3 main parts: • Outer Ear • Middle Ear • Inner Ear

4. The Outer Ear* • Contains: pinna (lobe), ear canal, & ear drum.

5. The Middle Ear* • Contains 3 bones: hammer, anvil, & stirrup.

6. The Inner Ear* • Contains: cochlea and auditory nerve.

7. Outer Ear Label the Parts of the Ear* Middle Ear Inner Ear Hammer Anvil Stirrup Cochlea Auditory Nerve Eardrum Pinna Ear Canal

8. How Does the Ear Work? Animation 1 Animation 2 Animation 3

9. Steps to Hearing:* • Vibrations move through the outer ear canal and vibrate the eardrum. • The eardrum passes its energy through a chain of three tiny bones, the anvil, hammer, and stirrup, in the middle of the ear. • The anvil, hammer, and stirrup pass the energy onto the cochlea. • The vibrations activate hair cells and fluid inside the cochlea. • Electrical signals are sent to the brain through the auditory nerve.

10. Video on how the ear works:

11. A Black Box Problem : How Do I Hear? http://science.education.nih.gov/supplements/nih3/hearing/activities/lesson4.htm

12. Storyboard – Sound traveling to the brain. • On a sheet of copy paper, you will create a storyboard (comic) that illustrates how sound waves travel from a source to your brain. • You can choose any sound you want. • You must have at least 11 boxes in your comic…see example. Lots of creativity and color!!!

13. Storyboard parts.