Year 4 Audio production worksheet

“Recording Sounds” is free to print, with no account. It is the first sheet in the Year 4 computing unit “Audio production”, for children aged 8 to 9, and takes about 20 minutes.

Print it on A4. The child's pages come first; the answers, and what each wrong answer tells you, are on the grown-up page that follows. Weeks 7 to 12 of the year, 6 sheets in the unit.

Free sample · answers on the last page

Recording Sounds

Name: ____________ · Date: ____________
Year 4 · Computing · about 20 minutes
Answers are on the grown-up page

Today I can tell which parts let a digital device record and play sound.

A Look back3 min

1.
The robot starts on the left and must reach the star. Circle the arrows that take it there.
→ → →↓ ↓ ↓→ ↓ ←
2.
A rock sits in the top row. Circle the arrows that get the robot to the star without touching the rock.
→ → ↓ ↓↓ ↓ → →→ ↓ ↓ →
3.
The robot starts bottom left. A rock sits in the bottom row. Circle the arrows that reach the star.
→ → →↑ → → ↓→ ↑ ↓ →

B Watch me, then you4 min

Ruby records her voice on a tablet, then listens back. Follow the sound from start to finish.

Watch me

Sound goes into the microphone, which is an input device.

Headphones send the sound out, so they are an output device.

Input brings sound in. Output sends it out.

Now you

1.
Ruby's chain has a gap. Which device brings the sound in? Circle one.
microphonespeakersheadphones
2.
Which device sends the sound out to your ears? Circle one.
microphonespeakerscalculator

C Your turn6 min

Read about each device. Think about which parts it has for sound.

1.
A tablet has a microphone and speakers. Can it record and play sound? Circle one.
yesno
2.
A basic calculator has no microphone and no speakers. Can it record sound? Circle one.
yesno
3.
A speaker box is plugged into a laptop. Can the speaker box play sound? Circle one.
yesno
4.
Which one can record AND play sound? Circle one.
a calculatora tableta microphone on its own

Say it out loud: What changed between each question? Which part of the device did you look for each time?

D Spot the mistake3 min

Read Ali's claim. Is he right?

Ali says: “My basic calculator can play my song, because it is a digital device.”

1.
Ali's calculator has no speakers and no headphone socket. Can it play his song? Circle your answer.
yesno

E Think deeper4 min

Think about the devices in your home. Which ones have a microphone?

1.
Name three devices that can record sound and three that cannot. Explain how you know for one of each.

How did it feel?

I can do it Nearly Not yet

For the grown-up

Recording Sounds · 2 minutes to read

Answers, and what a wrong one tells you

A

1. → → →

2. ↓ ↓ → →

3. ↑ → → ↓

B

1. microphone If they circle speakers or headphones, they have mixed up input and output. Ask: does this device take sound in, or send it out?

2. speakers

C

1. yes

2. no If they circle yes, ask: which part of the calculator takes sound in? Look again: it has no microphone.

3. yes

4. a tablet If they circle the microphone, ask: what can play the sound back? A microphone only takes sound in, so it needs speakers or headphones too.

D

1. no If they circle yes, they may think every digital device can play sound. Ask: which part would send the song out?

E

1. Look for: Three devices that can record sound, such as a tablet or phone, and three that cannot, with a reason such as a missing microphone.

Words to use

Say“Which part takes the sound in, and which part sends it out? How do you know this device has both?”

Instead of“Yes, a tablet can do that, so every gadget can too.”

After the sheet

Use a phone's voice recorder to record one sentence, then play it back. Ask: which part heard you, and which part spoke back?

Tick what your child got right in StudyDen. Anything missed comes back in a later Look back box, so there's no need to redo the sheet.

The rest of this unit

5 more sheets come with a StudyDen plan, in teaching order:

Trim, align and combine(with a plan)
Planning my podcast(with a plan)
Fixing Mistakes in Audio(with a plan)
Mixing and Saving Your Podcast(with a plan)
Listening like a pro(with a plan)

Every Year 4 computing worksheet

The worksheets plan opens a printable sheet for every lesson in Years 1 to 6, each with its answers on a separate page for you. It costs £6.99 a month or £59 a year for the whole family, with no free trial.

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