Lesson Plan

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Lesson Plan
Grade: Date: 17/01/2026
Subject: Information Technology IT
Lesson Topic: Perform audio editing processes (normalizing, trimming, compression)
Learning Objective/s:
  • Describe the purpose of normalising, trimming, and compression in audio editing.
  • Calculate the gain required to normalise an audio clip to a target dBFS level.
  • Apply trimming techniques to remove unwanted sections without introducing clicks.
  • Configure compressor parameters (threshold, ratio, attack, release, makeup gain) for speech and music.
  • Evaluate edited audio to ensure target loudness and quality standards are met.
Materials Needed:
  • Computer with internet access.
  • Audio editing software (e.g., Audacity or Adobe Audition).
  • Sample audio files (speech, music, podcast).
  • Projector and speakers for demonstration.
  • Worksheet with calculation exercises and checklist.
  • Headphones for individual practice.
 Introduction:
Begin with a short demo of a raw audio clip that sounds uneven, prompting students to consider how editors improve sound quality. Recall prior knowledge of waveform visualisation and basic gain concepts. Today students will learn to normalise, trim, and compress audio to meet broadcast standards, and will be able to demonstrate each process by the end of the lesson.
Lesson Structure:
  1. Do‑now (5'): Students listen to a noisy clip and note issues such as uneven volume, silence, and clicks.
  2. Mini‑lecture & demo of normalising (10'): Explain theory, show gain calculation, apply normalise in the DAW.
  3. Guided practice – trimming (10'): Students trim leading/trailing silence on a sample, use ripple delete and add short fades.
  4. Demonstration of compression (10'): Explain threshold, ratio, attack, release; set up a compressor for spoken word and adjust parameters.
  5. Integrated editing activity (15'): Students apply trim, normalise, and compress to a 30‑second speech, then export the final WAV.
  6. Check for understanding (5'): Quick quiz using assessment questions and peer review with the summary checklist.
  7. Wrap‑up & reflection (5'): Recap key steps, collect an exit ticket describing the most challenging step.
Conclusion:
Recap the three core processes—normalising, trimming, and compression—and how they combine to produce a polished audio file. Students complete an exit ticket describing which step they found most challenging and why. For homework, they will edit a short interview clip using the learned workflow and submit the final file for teacher feedback.