SCIENCE02L02: The Ears and How to Care for Them
OBJECTIVES
❖ To state the function of the ears
❖ To identify the parts of the ears
❖ To state the function of each part
❖ To differentiate a loud sound from a soft sound
❖ To enumerate ways on how to care for the ears
LESSON PREREQUISITE
None.
LESSON PROPER
The Ears Are the Organs for Hearing
We use our ears to tell the sounds produced by different objects.
Kinds of Sounds
Sounds can be loud or soft. Examples of loud sounds are ambulance siren, rock band playing, and car horn. Examples of soft sounds are lullabies, whisper, and ticking of a clock. Sounds can also be pleasant or unpleasant to hear. Most loud sounds are unpleasant to hear. They can cause harm to our ears when we listen to them for a long time. Some soft sounds are pleasant to hear. They can help us relax and are not harmful to our ears.
Parts of the Ear
Our ears have three major parts, the outer ear, middle ear, and inner ear.
The outer ear or pinna is the part of the ear that we can see. It collects sound waves that carry sounds to the ear. The ear canal is part of the outer ear. It is a tubelike part through which the collected sound waves pass.
The middle ear is separated from the outer ear by the eardrum. The eardrum is a thin piece of skin that is stretched tight like the top of a drum.
The inner ear is the part of the ear that changes the sounds we hear into messages and sends them to the brain.
All these parts work together to let us hear clearly. If one part does not function well, we may not be able to hear clearly.
Proper Care for the Ear
We need to take care of our ears because they are very important. The following are ways on how you could take care of your ears.
1. When you have colds, blow your nose gently. Blowing too hard can hurt parts of your ears.
2. Clean your ears carefully using cotton buds. Ask an adult to assist you. 3. Avoid listening to very loud music. Stay away from loud sounds, too.
4. Avoid using earphones for a long time.
5. Avoid inserting anything into your ears.