raz lm16 soundallaround

Sound All Around
A Reading A–Z Level M Leveled Book
Word Count: 432

LEVELED BOOK • M

Sound

All Around

Written by Penny Atcheson

Visit www.readinga-z.com
for thousands of books and materials.

www.readinga-z.com


Sound

All Around

Written by Penny Atcheson

www.readinga-z.com


Table of Contents
What Makes Sound? . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
What Is Sound? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Different Sounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Ears and Sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Sound All Around • Level M

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Table of Contents

What Makes Sound?

What Makes Sound? . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Crash, boom, bam, bang, swoosh, and
splash—sounds are all around us.

What Is Sound? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Different Sounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Ears and Sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Sound All Around • Level M

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4


A girl makes sound
with an ukulele.

Rain makes sound when it hits the ground.

People, animals, and objects make
sounds. Even the weather makes
sound. Sounds can be loud or soft.
They can be pleasant or unpleasant.
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Animals use sound in many ways.
Humans use sound to communicate
their thoughts and feelings. Other
animals use sound to communicate,
too. They use sound to defend
themselves, attract a mate, or signal
a warning.

A girl makes sound
with an ukulele.

Rain makes sound when it hits the ground.

People, animals, and objects make
sounds. Even the weather makes
sound. Sounds can be loud or soft.
They can be pleasant or unpleasant.
Sound All Around • Level M

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A prairie dog makes a noise to warn that danger is near.

6


Humans have
invented
many things
to make sounds.
Drums, bagpipes,
and stringed
instruments make music. Horns,
bells, and sirens sound warnings
or call people to
events. Alarm clocks
signal with
music or
loud beeps
that it is
time to get
out of bed.

Sound All Around • Level M

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Humans have
invented
many things
to make sounds.
Drums, bagpipes,
and stringed
instruments make music. Horns,
bells, and sirens sound warnings
or call people to
events. Alarm clocks
signal with
music or
loud beeps
that it is
time to get
out of bed.

What Is Sound?
Sound is made when an object
vibrates, or moves back and
forth very quickly. People make
sound to talk when air vibrates
vocal cords in their throats.
Different vibrations in the vocal
cords make different sounds.

Vocal cords in
the windpipe
vibrate to
make sounds
similar to the
way a bee’s
wings vibrate
to make
sound.
tongue

windpipe
esophagus

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8

vocal cords


Try This! Feel the Vibration
• Get two rubber bands, one thick
and one thin.
• Stretch them over an open shoebox.
• Pluck each rubber band.
• Listen to the sounds they make.
•H

 ow are the sounds different? Why?

Sound All Around • Level M

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Try This! Feel the Vibration
• Get two rubber bands, one thick
and one thin.
• Stretch them over an open shoebox.
• Pluck each rubber band.
• Listen to the sounds they make.
•H
 ow are the sounds different? Why?

If there is no one around to hear the tree crash, will it make a sound?

A vibrating object makes the air
around it move. This is how sound
travels. It moves outward in all
directions. For example, when
a tree crashes to the ground, the
air around it vibrates. When the
vibrating air reaches your ear, you
hear the sound of a crashing tree.
The vibrating air is called sound
waves. Sound waves also travel
through solids and liquids.
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10


Different Sounds
Not all sound is alike. Some
sounds are loud. Others are quiet.
The loudness of sound is called
volume. The more air that vibrates,
the louder the volume. For
example, a lion’s roar vibrates more
air than a buzzing bee’s wings.
Sound also can be high or low. This
is called pitch. Pitch depends on
how fast something vibrates. Sirens
vibrate quickly and have a high
pitch. Bass drums vibrate slowly
and have a low pitch.
Lion

Sound All Around • Level M

Bee

11


Different Sounds

Math Minute

Not all sound is alike. Some
sounds are loud. Others are quiet.
The loudness of sound is called
volume. The more air that vibrates,
the louder the volume. For
example, a lion’s roar vibrates more
air than a buzzing bee’s wings.

It takes sound about five seconds to
travel one mile.
How long would it take for a sound
to travel 10 miles?

HONK!
HONK!

Sound also can be high or low. This
is called pitch. Pitch depends on
how fast something vibrates. Sirens
vibrate quickly and have a high
pitch. Bass drums vibrate slowly
and have a low pitch.

Mi

1

Mi

3

Mi

2

Mi

4

Mi

5

Mi

7

Lion

Hint: Use the mile
markers to count by
fives to find the answer.

Mi

6

Bee

Mi

8

Mi

9

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12

Mi

10


ear
bones

nerves
that send
messages
to the
brain

inside
your ear

Humans and other animals use their ears to hear.

Ears and Sound
The outside of your ear is shaped to
collect sound waves. The sound
waves move from outside the ear to
inside the ear. Tiny bones inside
vibrate when they are struck by
sound waves. The vibrating bones
send messages through nerves to
your brain. Your brain then
interprets the messages as noise,
music, talking, or other sounds.
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ear
bones

nerves
that send
messages
to the
brain

inside
your ear
Humans and other animals use their ears to hear.

The inner parts of the ear are very
sensitive. Very loud sounds can
hurt your ears. Be careful around
loud noises. Cover your ears with
your hands, or wear coverings on
your ears such as earphones or
earplugs. Or simply move away
from the loud sounds.

Ears and Sound
The outside of your ear is shaped to
collect sound waves. The sound
waves move from outside the ear to
inside the ear. Tiny bones inside
vibrate when they are struck by
sound waves. The vibrating bones
send messages through nerves to
your brain. Your brain then
interprets the messages as noise,
music, talking, or other sounds.
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13

Protecting your ears from loud noises keeps them working well.

14

Conclusion
We are surrounded
by sounds.
Vibrations make
loud, quiet, high,
and low sounds.
Our ears pick up
these sounds,
and our brain
tells us what they are.
Enjoy the
many sounds
of the world and
be careful with
your ears!

Sound All Around • Level M

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Conclusion

Glossary

We are surrounded
by sounds.
Vibrations make
loud, quiet, high,
and low sounds.

Our ears pick up
these sounds,
and our brain
tells us what they are.
Enjoy the
many sounds
of the world and
be careful with
your ears!

communicate 

to make known (p. 6)

pitch 

highness or lowness of
sound (p. 11)

pleasant 

nice, enjoyable, or satisfying
(p. 5)

pluck 

to pull at and let go (p. 9)

sensitive 

easily damaged (p. 14)

sound waves 

waves made when
something vibrates (p. 10)

vibrates 

moves back and forth
rapidly (p. 8)

vocal cords 

membranes in the throat that
produce sound when they
are vibrated by breath (p. 8)

volume 

how loud a sound is (p. 11)

Index
brain,  13

pitch,  11

bones,  13

sound waves,  10, 13

ear(s),  13

use of sound,  6, 7

high sound,  11

vibrate(-ing)(s),  8-11,
  13, 15

loud noises,  14
low sound,  11
Sound All Around • Level M

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Sound All Around
A Reading A–Z Level M Leveled Book
Word Count: 432

LEVELED BOOK • M

Sound

All Around

Written by Penny Atcheson

Visit www.readinga-z.com
for thousands of books and materials.

www.readinga-z.com


Sound

Photo Credits:
Front cover, back cover, title page, pages 3, 4 (both top, bottom right, 5, 6, 7
(both top), 8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15 (bottom left): © ArtToday; pages 4 (bottom left), 7
(middle right), 15 (top right, bottom left): © Hemera Technologies/Jupiterimages
Corporation; page 7 (bottom left): © Royalty-Free/CORBIS;
pages 7 (bottom right), 9: Craig Frederick/© Learning A-Z

All Around

Written by Penny Atcheson

Sound All Around
Level M Leveled Book
© Learning A–Z
Written by Penny Atcheson
Illustrated by Craig Frederick
All rights reserved.

www.readinga-z.com

www.readinga-z.com

Correlation
LEVEL M
Fountas & Pinnell
Reading Recovery
DRA

L
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