Project Overview

This illustrated children’s book about the physics of sound and hearing was created by one 5^th/6^th grade student at Shutesbury Elementary School in Shutesbury, Massachusetts, as part of a Learning expedition on Deaf Culture.

This book was created as part of a Learning expedition on Deaf Culture and the science of sound. The expedition had many components, including a study of world and U.S. history from the perspective of the Deaf; reading fiction and non-fiction books related to Deaf Culture; and presentations by Deaf people of all ages as cultural experts. Students did fieldwork at four different schools for the Deaf, including overnight exchange visits with students from the New York City School for the Deaf. Through this work, students were exposed to various forms of communication, from oral speech to people who only used American Sign Language (ASL). All students studied ASL with the help of Deaf and hearing instructors and became beginning conversational users of the language.

Students also studied the anatomy and physiology of hearing, and the physics of sound and hearing, working with communication scientists at a local university lab.

Students also became familiar with cultural and political issues related to Deaf culture, including school choices (mainstreaming vs. schools for the deaf) and communication decisions (oral speech vs. ASL). Students ultimately understood these and other issues to be social justice concerns for many Deaf individuals.

One of several projects within this Learning expedition was the creation of a children’s book, aimed at introducing younger students to deafness and Deaf culture.

In this book, one student conveys her understanding of sound and hearing to a younger audience. It combines illustrations and written information about the physics and biology of sound, some of the ways in which people become deaf or hard of hearing, and information on Deaf Culture.

See entry #266 for a related product from this same Learning expedition.