Loud and Soft

NCERT anchor: NCERT Looking Around Class 1 — Theme: Sound (loud and soft sounds)

• Tell loud sounds from soft sounds — bell vs whisper.
• Protect ears from very loud sounds (firecrackers, honking).
• Use volume words in classroom and festival contexts.

1. Loud sounds

Level 1 (Verbal): Loud = strong sound — school bell, dhol at parade, thunder.

Level 2 (Symbolic): Loud sounds can hurt ears if too close for too long.

Visual: Big sound waves drawn wide on a chart (simple picture).

2. Soft sounds

Verbal: Soft = quiet — whisper, rustling leaves, soft tabla stroke.

Visual: Small waves on chart.

3. Same source, different volume

Tabla can be played loud or soft — how hard you hit matters.

Assembly bell vs library whisper

Step 1 — Assembly: bell rings **loud** → whole school hears.
Step 2 — Library: friend whispers **soft** → only nearby hear.
Step 3 — Compare: bell hurts ears if very close; whisper does not.
Step 4 — Rule: loud places need no shouting in library.
Answer: bell = loud; whisper = soft.

• Is a whisper loud or soft?
• Name one loud sound at school.
• Should you stand next to loud crackers?
• Stretch: How can you make a tabla sound soft without stopping?

Revision tip: Cover ears briefly when a very loud vehicle passes — notice the difference.

Open the Practice tab for graded questions on Loud and Soft.