#3252. The Five Senses

Science, level: Elementary
Posted Mon Oct 11 11:32:05 PDT 2004 by Michelle Felix (felix_shell25@hotmail.com).
Five Senses
University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, Johnstown, USA
Materials Required: "The Magic School Bus Explores the Senses", drawing paper, markers/crayons
Activity Time: approx. 45 minutes
Concepts Taught: The Five Senses

Relationship to the Standards: Sciences and Technology Standards- The Five Senses 3.2.4-B. Describe objects in the world using the five senses.
Objectives:

• Students will be able to identify the five senses.
• Students will be able to draw the parts of the body that relate to each of the five senses.
• Students will be able to hear different sounds in our environment and write those experiences in their journals.
• Students will be able to list at least four different objects/things that relate to each of the five senses.

Subject Integration: Reading, Writing, and Art

Materials: "The Magic School Bus Explores the Senses", drawing paper, markers/crayons

Vocabulary Words: taste, hear, sight, smell, and touch

Instructional Procedures:

• Anticipatory Set- Introduce the lesson by orally reading and discussing the book, "The Magic School Bus Explores the Senses."

• Developmental Activities-

- Discuss the parts of the body that relate to each sense and let the children draw those different parts (thus, giving materials to use for making a bulletin board on the back wall of the classroom).
- Take students on a walk outside, or around the school (weather permitting), and have them do nothing but listen, naming it "The Listening Walk." After returning, the children will write in their journals what they heard throughout this journey.

• Closure-

- Students will divide a piece of paper into five sections and label each column with a different sense. Under each sense, write five different objects/things that relate. (Ex. Under "Taste" you could write "pizza, cake, soda, lemons, cookies")
Assessment:

- Evaluate the students' lists
- Read journals to make sure they understand the concept of "hearing"
- Assess their drawings to make sure they understand the different parts of the body that go with the five senses

Special Needs Adaptations:

Hearing Impaired:
- Supply a copy of the book I will read to the child so they can follow along
- Give half the class a different sense on the "Listening Walk" so that one child is not singled out and simply rename it "The Senses Walk"

Visually Impaired:
- Provide students with more paper so they may draw each body part on an entire sheet of paper, allowing them as much room as they need to see their drawings

Extension/Enrichment:
- Provide students with a packet of papers stating a different sense on each individual paper exclaiming, "I am happy when I touch. . .", "I am happy when I smell. . .", "I am happy when I taste. . .", "I am happy when I see. . .", and "I am happy when I hear. . ." and have students complete these sentences and if still extra time, allow them to draw what they have selected to end each sentence.

Technology Integration

1. One Computer in the Classroom- Using the overhead projection onto a big screen in front of the class, pull up the web site: http://www.arches.uga.edu/~andrea1/senses.htm. The five senses will be displayed immediately for the students to view and the teacher will be the primary person that deals with the technology. The teacher will click on each sense and have a student read the text that is displayed on the site. There is then a question link towards the end of each page, stating questions such as "What can we touch?" and "What can we taste?" Before the teacher clicks on that link, have students generate some ideas, later viewing the items the site provides referring to items you can see, smell, etc.
2. Six Computers in the Classroom- Introduce the five senses to the students. Then have three groups of six students. One group should read about the senses in their text and write information they feel is important on a sheet of paper. The second group should use crayons, markers, scissors, and construction paper to draw/construct the main body part that's associated with each sense. The final group will be the technology group, for each student will take a piece of paper and retreat to one of the computers at the back of the room. He/she will access the same web site as above and click on the various senses, reading the text to him/herself and engaging in the questions toward the bottom of the page. They should take notes on the different parts of the body associated with certain senses, key information found on the site, and even on added links such as "Braille" which is covered under the sense of "Sight." We will discuss the findings on this site as a class towards the end of the period. The three different groups will rotate every ten minutes so everyone in the class will get to experience each task.
3. Each Child has a Computer in the Classroom- Using the overhead projector on the big screen in the front of the classroom, I would access this same site as above and have the students follow along with me and access the site on their computer as well. We will then, as a class, go over each sense, clicking on the sense and reading the text together. We will also answer the questions together and brainstorm new ideas related to each sense. The teacher will act as the guide throughout this entire lesson and the students will follow along with the overhead. Pay close attention that the students are not getting "click happy" and not following along with your lesson!