Voicebox: the Physics and Evolution of Speech

This booklet is part of the ‘Innovations in Practical Work’ series published by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP) and produced in partnership with University College London and the Institute of Physics. Human vocalisation is unique in the animal world. Scientists study the anatomy and physiology of human speech, as well as how it evolved historically to make humans so different from all other animals. The booklet and accompanying electronic resources provide a set of practical activities that encourage students to understand human speech at a basic level and to explore animal sounds and the evolution of human speech.

The Voicebox booklet contains an illustrated overview of the topic with suggestions for teachers on how to introduce the ideas in the classroom, plus student activity sheets and notes for teachers and technicians.
The downloadable resources include:
• Student activities: zip files containing the activity sheets in PDF and editable Word formats.
• PowerPoint presentations: these contain a complete set of the images used in the booklet and activity sheets.
• Further resources include video clips and drag-and-drop interactives that accompany the student activities.

Voicebox was originally published as a booklet with an accompanying CD-ROM. The electronic resources on the CD-ROM were produced by the AHRC Centre for the Evolution of Cultural Diversity, University College London, and they are available on the UCL website:
• Voicebox electronic resources

The ‘Innovations in Practical Work’ publications are supported by low-cost practical resources available from Mindsets:
• SEP publications and resources from Mindsets
• Practical resources for Voicebox

• URL: http://stem.org.uk/rx4g9