• Practice for every day of the school year • Help students prepare for standardized testing

sound waves
. 
Our ears have three parts. Each part has a special job to help us hear sounds. 
The 
outer ear
is the only part that we can see. It catches sound waves that then 
travel to the 
middle ear
. The middle ear sends the sound waves to the 
inner ear
. 
The inner ear
 
changes the sound waves into signals that go to our brains. That’s 
when sound is heard. Hearing happens very quickly. 
Almost every animal has a body part that hears. Not all animals’ ears are like 
ours. Birds don’t have outer ears, and their middle ears are covered by feathers.
 
Snakes only have inner ears, which are connected to their jawbones. This allows 
snakes to feel vibrations from the ground, where tasty food might be living.
SKILL PRACTICE
Read the question. Fill in the bubble next to the correct answer.
 1. To make a sound, something
must 
.
A 
be hit
B 
move slowly through the air
C 
vibrate
D 
jump up and down
 2. Which would cause a sound vibration?
A 
a rattle being shaken
B 
a rock lying on the grass
C 
the sun shining through a window
D 
a leaf falling from a tree
 3. Why are some words in the passage 
in bold print?
A 
They are in another language.
B 
They have to be memorized.
C 
They are important vocabulary.
D 
They explain important ideas.
 4. Which one would be the best title 
for the passage?
A 
“Your Outer Ear”
B 
“How Animals Hear”
C 
“Parts of the Ear”
D 
“Hearing Sounds”
STRATEGY PRACTICE
How did the writer of the passage help you notice important ideas?