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The Five Senses: Exploring the World

My World Through the Senses

Learning Module

Abstract

In this learning module, kindergarten students learn about how they receive and transmit information, and help me to make sense of their world. Students write an explanation text on the five senses. The unit culminates with students designing, making and appraising a musical instrument that creates sound.

Keywords

Senses, Hearing, Sight, Taste, Smell, Touch, Science, technology, Explanation, Design, Make, Appraise

Knowledge Objectives

The Australian Curriculum Science

Science as a Human Endeavour

Nature and development of science

Science involves exploring and observing the world using the senses (ACSHE013)

Science Inquiry Skills

Questioning and predicting

Respond to questions about familiar objects and events (ACSIS014)

Planning and conducting

Explore and make observations by using the senses (ACSIS011)

Processing and analysing data and information

Engage in discussions about observations and use methods such as drawing to represent ideas(ACSIS233)

Communicating

Share observations and ideas (ACSIS012)

The Australian Curriculum English

Literacy

Interacting with others

Listen to and respond orally to texts and to the communication of others in informal and structured classroom situations (ACELY1646)

Use interaction skills including listening while others speak, using appropriate voice levels, articulation and body language, gestures and eye contact (ACELY1784)

Interpreting, analysing, evaluating

Use comprehension strategies to understand and discuss texts listened to, viewed or read independently (ACELY1650)

Creating texts

Create short texts to explore, record and report ideas and events using familiar words and beginning writing knowledge (ACELY1651)

Participate in shared editing of students’ own texts for meaning, spelling, capital letters and full stops (ACELY1652)

Construct texts using software including word processing programs (ACELY1654)

1. What do I Know about the 5 Senses?

For the Student

Draw a line to match each technical sense word to the correct body part.

It's lunch time, so bring in your lunch box and complete the senses safari sheet by drawing and labelling something you saw, tasted, smelt, and touched.

In a think pair share,

  • How do we know what is going on around us?
  • How does our body give us information about our world?
Fig. 1: What's in your lunchbox?

For the Teacher

1.Gathering prior knowledge - Senses Introduction

Purpose

Pre-assessment

The purpose of this activity is to gather data of students prior knowledge of the five senses by matching terminology to body part and identifying what each of the senses means through a lunch box safari.

Through a think, pair, share, students understanding of how they make sense of the world is recorded.

Teaching tips

Record information from think, pair, share on a chart to be referred to over the course of the unit and as a reflection at the end.

Think-Pair-Share

Attempt to tackle a new question or problem by silent thinking, comparison with another learner’s attempt to answer the same question, and share this dialogue with other learners.

  • Think: Take a few minutes to think in silence about a new idea or a difficult question. Make mental or written notes.
  • Pair: Talk about your thoughts with a neighbor or partner. Compare notes: What are the most original, most convincing or most accurate ideas?
  • Share: Present the best ideas of the pair to the group or class.

Adaptations of this strategy include Think-Write-Pair Share and Timed-Pair-Share.

2. What are the 5 Senses?

For the Student

Listen as your teacher reads the Big Book titled, 'The Senses - How Your Body Works and Your Amazing Senses.'

What did you find interesting?

Draw/write about your favourite part and explain why?

Fig. 2: Your Senses

For the Teacher

An introduction to the senses

Purpose

The purpose of this activity is to introduce students to the technical terms of the 5 senses; sight, small, taste, hearing and touch.

3. What does Each of the Senses Do?

For the Student

After listening to the text, participate in a 'world cafe' activity to record what you now know about each of the five senses;their role and any factual information. You may draw and/or write your response.

In your last rotation select a spokesperson to share the responses on that sense.

For the Teacher

What is each sense responsible for?

Purpose

The purpose of this activity is for students to share their understanding and knowledge of the 5 senses after engaging with the big book - The senses - How the body works & Your amazing senses, through a 'cafe' cooperative strategy.

Teaching tips

Prepare a 5 individual poster sheets - one with an eye, ear, mouth/tongue, nose and hand/foot. Each poster will be placed on a table (5 table groups) for students to record what they now know about each sense in a world cafe activity.

World Café

A series of cafés or tables are set up around the room. At each café is large piece of paper and a different coloured marker. Each café is assigned a topic, question or focus. The group is divided amongst the café’s and one person per café is designated as the owner. It is their job to stay at the café the whole time. Each group is given a period of time (5 to 10 minutes) to respond to the question or topic with their coloured marker. At the signal groups move on, with their coloured marker, to the next café. The café owner stays behind getting ready to share the responses with the next group of customers.

At the beginning of the second rotation the café owner takes their new group through the topic and the responses of the initial group. This group then adds their own thoughts or responses, in their colour, to that of the first. This process continues for as many rotations as can be fitted in or until the guests arrive back at their original café. It is interesting for this group to look at all subsequent responses and discuss this with the café owner. Finally the leader may want to elicit some reflections from the group.

After each group has reported back to the class, draw together key terms and record as a class chart.

4. What Happens if I don't have One of My Senses?

For the Student

Block your ears – Look at the teacher speaking – can you guess what she is talking about? Is she happy? How do you know?

Cover your eyes – Listen to the teacher talk. Can you work out where she is and how she is feeling? How do you know?

Imagine the smell of a BBQ, freshly cut grass or hot baked bread. How do you know what these things smell like?

What would it be like to not be able to

  • see things in your world?
  • hear things in your world?
  • touch things in your world?
  • smell things in your world? or
  • taste things in your world?

Complete the sentence starter for each sense by writing and/or drawing your response.

Sense of sight: I would miss being able to see . . . . . .

Sense of hearing: I would miss the sound of . . . . .

Sense of touch: I would miss the touch of . . . . . .

Sense of taste: I would miss the taste of . .

Sense of smell: I would miss the smell of ..

For the Teacher

Can I still make sense of my world without all of my senses?

Purpose

The purpose of this activity is for students to think about how they would make sense of their world if they did not have access to one of their senses? What would it mean for them?

Teaching tips

For the 'What if' scenarios to be successful remind students that their full cooperation of the task re- blocking ears, covering eyes is essential.

5. What is an Explanation Text?

For the Student

The Big Book, 'The Senses' is an explanation text. It explains the 5 senses; what they are and what they do.

As a class we are going to scan the book for headings that might help us to label the structural features of an explanation text. We will write the headings on strips of paper so we can use them later.

As a class we will write the title and introduction together.

Now its your turn. With your group help each other to write the title and an introduction for the 5 senses using the class one as a model.

Title:
Introduction:

For the Teacher

Structural features of an explanation text

Purpose

The purpose of this activity is to identify and label the structural features of an explanation text - Title, introduction, explanation and conclusion.

Teaching tips

Use the Big Book - 'The Senses' to record the headings from the text on strips of paper. Display the strips of paper on the white board. These will be placed next to the structural features and its function

Prepare a data retrieval chart of the structural features; title, introduction, explanation & conclusion. This will be used to model and scaffold a class explanation text of the senses.

Title: This is a heading
Introduction: This gives a brief overview of the topic
Explanation sight, touch, smell, taste, hearing
Conclusion

As a class write the title and a joint introduction. Display this on a wall. After each sense is investigated, a new paragraph/explanation will be jointly constructed.

Students will then collaboratively in guided groups write an introduction and an explanation of each of the senses.

*Arrange students in mixed ability groups to support each other with the writing.

6. Which Sense is Most Important to Me?

For the Student

Think, pair, share, Which sense is most important to you and why?

On a piece of paper color/draw a picture that represents the sense that is most important to you. Paste your picture in the column that matches.

Sit in a circle with the class. When the ball is rolled to you, tell everyone the sense that is most important to you and give a reason why.

For the Teacher

My most important sense

Purpose

The purpose of this activity is to record what students perceive as their most important sense at the beginning of the unit before each sense is investigated at a deeper level. This will then be done again at the end of the unit to see if there is a change in students' thinking about which sense is most important to them and Why?

Teaching tips

Prepare;

  • A graph column sheet with the pictorial representations of the senses along the bottom. Students will paste their illustration of the sense that is most important to them in the matching column. This will show first hand how many students think their sense of sight/touch/smell/taste or hearing is the most important.
  • cut up square pieces of paper for students to draw the pictorial representation of the sense that is most important to them or have templates of each sense for students to colour.

When everyone has pasted their picture use tally marks to show the number of people in each sense group.

Affinity Diagram

The Affinity diagram is designed for groups of students to collect data and to sort it in a short period of time by looking for similarities and relationships.

7. What do You See?

For the Student

Let's go for a walk around the school. As we are walking think carefully about all the different things you can see. What colour they are? How do they move? What size are they?

Draw/paint a picture of what you saw on our walk.

Go for a walk around the unit and identify objects that give us light. When you are outside, where does light come from?

For the Teacher

2. Sense of Sight/ light sources

Purpose

1. This is intended to engage students in thinking more explicitly about the purpose of their sense of sight.

2. The purpose of this activity is for students to identify natural and man-made light sources.

Teaching tips

1. Point out items of interest as you walk along. Draw student's attention to colours, shape, size etc.

2. Turn off the lights. Ask students to identify where the light is coming from now?

Record all light sources on a class chart. This will be used to sort light sources into natural and man-made.

8. Natural Vs. Man Made

For the Student

Sort the light sources to show which are natural and which are man-made.

For the Teacher

Categorising light sources

Purpose

This activity is designed to explicitly teach the difference between man made and natural light sources.

Teaching tips

Define - natural light sources help us see in the day and when we are outside e.g. moon, sun, stars.

- man made light sources help us see at night, or when there isn't much natural light available e.g. when we are inside.

Prepare a smartboard activity with pictures of various light sources for students to sort.

9. KWL about Sight

For the Student

KWL about Sight

Mix-Pair-Share: What do you know about sight? What part of your body do you use to see? What do you want to know about sight?

For the Teacher

KWL about sight

Purpose

To gather background knowledge and establish what students want to know.

Teaching tips

Record student contributions on KWL Chart and initial each student's response.

K - what do you know about sight?

W - what do you want to know?

L - what have we learnt?

10. Fact Finding about the Eye

For the Student

As I read about the eyes, think about how they work. Is the eye like a camera? What parts does it have? What do you find interesting about what I am reading?

After reading we will record the things you have learnt about the eye.

For the Teacher

The Eye

Purpose

To gather information about the eye and how it works.

Teaching tips

Focus Texts:

Pg 6-15 "The Eyes"

Pg 11-13 "Look Here"

Pg 6-7 Big book "You're Amazing Senses"

After reading record key facts about the eye.

11. Name the Parts of the Eye

For the Student

Look at this pitcture of the eye. Can you remember the different pats and what they are called.

Label the pupil, iris, eyelashes and eyebrow. If you can, write about what each part does e.g. Why do we have eyelashes? How do they help our eyes?

For the Teacher

Labelling the eye

Purpose

The purpose of this activity is for students to identify and name the major parts of the eye.

Resources

A large diagram of the eye, with clear pupil, iris, eyelid, eyelashes and eyebrows.

Students can write on the words, alternatively labels can be premade to cut and stick on.

Teaching tips

As a class, make up a pictorial representation of the eye and record around it the parts and their function. This will become the word wall of technical words for students to refer to and reflect on their learning throughout the unit.

For extension students can identify and describe the function of each part and how it contributes towards the eye's function.

12. What if There was No Light?

For the Student

I want you to write the sentence 'My name is ____ and I am ___ years old.' Now I'm going to turn off all the lights so there is no light in the room and I want you to write that sentence again. What was it like with no lights on? Was it easier or more difficult?

OR

As a whole class or in small groups 'Sensing Connections' activity pg. 12&13 of 'The Five Senses'

For the Teacher

Life without light

Purpose

Students experience with it is like to be vision-impaired.

Teaching tips

Students could also have to shut their eyes or wear blindfolds.

13. What Happens to the Pupil When There isn't Much Light?

For the Student

I want you to sit facing a partner. Look into each other's pupils. Now one person needs to cover one of their eyes for 15 seconds. When they take their hand away I want you to tell me what you notice about the size of their pupil? Swap and see if your partner notices the same thing.

Here are two empty eye pictures. In one eye draw the pupil when there is lots of light and in the other draw the pupil when there is no light.

For the Teacher

The pupil responds to light

Purpose

Students understand how the pupil expands and contracts, depending on the amount of light available, to let light in and enable us to see.

Teaching tips

As a class write a supporting sentence to explain observations about how the pupil works. Add this to wall of learning e.g. "When there is not much light, the pupil gets bigger to let more light in. This lets us see."

14. What if I Couldn't See?

For the Student

Read text pg.18 'Look Here' or pg.26-27 'The eyes'. What does blindness mean? How does blindness affect people? What would it be like to be blind?

For the Teacher

Blindness

Purpose

Students understand the term blindness and consider the implications of blindness on people's lives.

15. How would You do Things if You were Blind?

For the Student

We're going to make a mind map. I want you to answer some questions and think carefully about how blind people do all the things that you do without being able to see. How do blind people read? How do they get from place to place? How do places like the Blind Society help people? e.g. braille, seeing eye dogs, beepers at traffic lights, walking sticks etc.

For the Teacher

Understanding how blind people perceive the world

Purpose

Students indentify aides that assist people who are blind to understand the world around them without their sense of sight.

16. What if I were Blind?

For the Student

We are going to go for a walk around the playground except, you are going to experience what it would be like if you were blind. With a partner, one person will wear a blindfold and the other persons job is to help them move around by giving directions.

For the Teacher

Life without sight

Purpose

Students identify how blindness impacts on people's lives.

Teaching tips

Circle time reflection: How did you feel? Complete the sentence "I felt..." as a class discuss if you were blind: How would you get where you wanted to go? What would you have to do? Allude to the fact that you may rely more heavily on your sense of hearing and smell.

Activity - students sit in a circle. One student sits blindfolded in the middle. from somewhere around the edge of the circle a noise is made (e.g. voice or instrument) and the person in the middle has to try and identify where the noise came from.

17. Explaining Sight

For the Student

Let's look at our chart about the features of explanation texts.

Title
Introduction
Explanation Gives the reader more detail and explains a particular part from the introduction.
Conclusion

Today we are going to write our explanation about the sense of sight. As a class we will write the first part of our explanation together, before you have a go yourselves. Lets see if we can use smart words from our word wall, to improve our writing and make it sound more informative to the person reading it.

Now in table groups/partners/individually, write an explanation sentence about sight that we can add to our class sentence/s.

For the Teacher

Writing an explanation about sight

Purpose

Students will add to the explanation text about the senses through modelled, shared and guided writing experiences to build on their knowledge of the text type and record their learning about sight.

Teaching tips

Refer to word wall and discuss the use of technical language/smart words and how they impact on writing e.g. they make you sound smarter and increase the quality of your writing.

Structural features of an explanation text:

Title
Introduction
Explanation Gives the reader more detail and explains a particular part from the introduction.
Conclusion
Language features Technical language (i.e. smart words) can be used to explain the sense and its function. Students may choose to use language such as pupil and iris to explain the function of the eye.

Modelled/shared writing: As a class write an explanation about sight.

Guided: In table groups/partners students collaboratively write an explanation sentence to expand/add to class explanation.

Expected level of achievement for explanation: writes one or two sentences about sight e.g. one of our senses is sight or we use our eyes to see.

Extension: writes a sentence about the role of the eye, its part and how they function e.g. we use our eyes to see. The eyes have different parts called the iris and pupil. When light goes it the pupil it sends picture messages to our brains. If there is no light we cannot see.

18. How can You Help Someone Who is Blind?

For the Student

After our walk, what would it mean for you if you were blind? What if there was seomeone in our class who was blind or visually impaired? What things would we do in our class to help them?

For the Teacher

If I were blind

Purpose

Students identify ways to assist people who are blind.

Teaching tips

Could add to class explanation a definition of blindness and explain how adaptions to classroom environment and modifications to classroom environment could assist a blind class member.

19. What can You Feel?

For the Student

1. Take the bag on the desk and without looking feel some items inside the bag. What can you feel? Describe the items you are touching?

Think about the last thing you touched. Share a describing word with the class for that item.

2. Mix-Pair_Share: What do you know about touch? What part of your body do you use to touch things? What do you want to know about the sense of touch?

For the Teacher

3. The sense of touch

Purpose

To gather students prior knowledge about the sense of touch.

Resources

Make feely bags which contains one item in each bag. Choose items that could be described as soft, hard, smooth, prickly, rough etc

Possible items below:

soft: cotton balls, tissues, teddy bear

Hard: Rock, wood

Smooth: Smooth rock, laminated surface

prickly: dog brush, hair brush, blunt children's pins

rough: sandpaper

Teaching tips

1. Make a display of feely items. Under each write the word the students used to describe that item. Display as a word wall.

2. Record student contributions on KWL Chart and initial each student's response.

K - what do you know about touch? What part of your body feels touch? What part of your body do you use to touch things?

W - what do you want to know about the sense of touch?

L - what have we learnt?

Update the L (learnt) section as information about touch is found out.

20. Introduction to the Sense of Touch

For the Student

Listen as your teacher reads the text 'Touch that!' Pg 6-9.

Mix, pair, share what did you see on the pages? What did you find interesting?

For the Teacher

Introduction to the sense of touch

Resources

Text 'touch that!' Read pages 6-9 (skin as a receptor)

21. What can You Feel and Where?

For the Student

Get a partner. Have your partner close their eyes. Choose an item to touch your partner with eg paintbrush, feather or hairbrush. Touch your partner on an area of the body which your teacher says. Ask your partner to identify what they were touched with and where? Ask them how did it feel?

Swap over and repeat with your eyes closed. What did you feel? Did it tickle, hurt etc. Where were you touched?

For the Teacher

Touch that!

22. When have You Felt Pain?

For the Student

Listen as your teacher reads 'Touch that!' pg 14/15.

Why do we feel pain? When have you felt pain?

Share with the class a time when you felt pain.

For the Teacher

Feeling pain

Resources

Text 'touch that!' Read pages 14/15 (The feeling of pain)

Teaching tips

After reading the text record students personal experiences on a chart of when they have felt pain.

23. What Type of Feeling is It?

For the Student

Think about a painful feeling. Share it with a friend and then share with the class.

Repeat this think, pair, share but this time think about a comforting feeling.

Draw an example of a painful and a comforting feeling in the table below. Write a sentence underneath each drawing which explains the feelings.

A Painful Feeling A Comforting Feeling

For the Teacher

Different feelings

Teaching tips

Think - Think to yourself

Pair - Share your thoughts with a partner

Share - Share with the group

24. What if?

For the Student

What if you couldn't feel pain?

What if you turned on the hot water tap instead of the cold tap? What could happen if you couldn't feel pain? Share your thoughts with a partner.

Scenario - What if you fell off the monkey bars and broke your arm? What could this mean for you?

For the Teacher

Scenarios about touch and pain

Teaching tips

These scenarios will help students understand why we need the sense of touch and what the world would be like if we couldn't touch things.

Students could discuss the scenarios in a think, pair, share or discuss and record responses with a small group.

25. Touch Textures

For the Student

Think of items which are rough, soft, cold, smooth and prickly. USe the feely bag from the previous lesson to help you.

Stick on or draw an example of each (rough, soft, cold, smooth and prickly) into your book.

For the Teacher

Touch Textures

Teaching tips

This activity could be completed during guided reading rotations.

Have some items for students to stick on and they can draw the rest. E.g. stick on some sand paper for rough or cotton balls for soft.

This activity will help students to recognise different textures when they touch things and become more aware of their sense of touch.

26. Writing an Explanation about Touch

For the Student

Look at our chart about the features of explanation texts.

Title
Introduction
Explanation Gives the reader more detail and explains a particular part from the introduction.
Conclusion

Today we are going to write our explanation about the sense of touch. As a class we will write the first part of our explanation together, before you have a go with your group.

Now in table groups/partners, write an explanation sentence about touch that we can add to our class sentence/s.

For the Teacher

Writing an explanation about touch

Expected level of achievement for explanation: writes one or two sentences about touch e.g. our sense of touch tells us what things feel like. Things can be rough, soft or hot.

Extension - Our sense of touch tells us what things feel like. We feel things with our skin. Our brain remembers what things feel like to keep us safe. Things can be rough, soft or hot.

27. Smell and Taste

For the Student

1. We are going to do a think/ pair/ share about what we like the smell and taste of.

Then we are going to do the same (think/ pair/ share) about things we don't like the smell and taste of.

2. From a selection of shopping catalogues cut out some foods that you like the taste of and some foods you don't like the taste of. Glue them in the table.

Draw some things you do like the smell of and things you don't like the smell of.

I like the smell of..... I don't like the smell of....
I like the taste of..... I don't like the taste of.....

For the Teacher

4. Senses of smell and taste

Purpose

1. The purpose of this activity is to gather student's prior knowledge and engage them in the learning through making connections with what tastes and smells they like and dislike.

2. This activity is designed to engage students and get them thinking about the senses of taste and smell.

Teaching tips

It is important that when using a think/ pair/ share strategy student's are reminded to be accountable for what their partner shares with them.

28. Taste and Smell- Labelling the Tongue

For the Student

Different parts of the tongue are responsible for sensing different tastes. Label parts of the tongue that sense sweet, sour, salty and bitter tastes.

The draw or paste a picture of a food item to go with each taste/ part of the tongue.

For the Teacher

Taste and Smell - Labelling the tongue

Resources

Food catalogues and retrieval chart.

29. Taste and Smell- The Tongue

For the Student

Read the Big Book "The Senses", Page 14.

For the Teacher

Taste and smell - The tongue

Purpose

This activity is designed to inform students that the tongue is responsible for the sense of taste. The tongue depicts sweet, sour and bitter tastes.

Resources

Big book- The Senses

30. Taste and Smell- Taste Test

For the Student

Today we are going to complete a taste test. Set up around the room are a selection of stations. Each station has a different food item. There are examples of sweet, sour, salty and bitter.

In pairs, with one student blindfolded you will taste the food and record (draw or write) what you taste and whether you liked the food (circle yes or no).

For the Teacher

Taste and smell - Taste test

Purpose

The purpose of this activity is for students to determine if foods are sweet, salty, bitter or sour through engaging their sense of taste alone.

Teaching tips

Examples of foods that could be used at each of the stations:

Sweet - honey, strawberries

Sour - lemon, lime

Salty and bitter - grapefruit, orange peel

31. Smell and Taste- Smell It!

For the Student

Read to the class the Big Book - Smell It!

Think/ pair/ share - what did we learn from the book?

For the Teacher

Smell and taste - Smell It!

Purpose

The purpose of this activity is to inform the students about the sense of smell and that our brain remembers the smell of items – smells we like and smells we don’t like

Resources

Big Book - Smell It!

32. Taste and Smell- Smelling Stations

For the Student

Today we are going to complete a smell test. Set up around the room are a selection of stations. Each station has a different food item.

In pairs, with one student blindfolded you will smell the food and record (draw or write) what you smell and whether you liked the food (circle yes or no).

For the Teacher

Taste and smell - Smelling stations

Purpose

The purpose of this activity is for students to investigate different smells, and if they can isolate their sense of smell to determine certain foods.

Teaching tips

Some possible ideas to include in the smelling stations:

Parmesan cheese

Vegemite

Popcorn

Orange

Onion

33. What's Cooking?

For the Student

Close your eyes, and somewhere in the room I am cooking some food. Use your nose and sense of smell to determine what it is. Draw what you think it is.

Why could you recognise the smell of the foods?

If we did not have a sense of smell what would this mean for us about identifying warnings such as fires?

When might our sense of smell become impaired?

For the Teacher

Taste and Smell - What's cooking!

Purpose

This purpose of this activity is for students to engage their sense of smell, and consider why we can recognise the smell of certain foods - becasue the brain stores the smells as a memory.

The activity also allows students to think about the importance of the sense of smell, for example safety (fire).

Teaching tips

Hidden in one corner of the classroom is a toaster. Cook a piece of toast and ask students to draw what they smell.

34. Smell and Taste- Tastes Good

For the Student

Read the book "Tastes Good", Page 12-13

For the Teacher

Smell and taste - Tastes good

35. Smell and Taste- Lunchbox Tasting

For the Student

With a partner, select an item of food from their lunchbox. Ask your partner to close their eyes and taste the unknown food item with their nose blocked too.

Can the student identify the food?

For the Teacher

Smell and taste - lunchbox tasting

Purpose

As students are required to taste food with their eyes closed and nose blocked they will discover the importance of the senses of smell and taste.

Teaching tips

It is important that students taste food from their own lunchboxes.

36. Writing an Explanation about Taste and Smell

For the Student

Let's look at our chart about the features of explanation texts.

Title
Introduction
Explanation Gives the reader more detail and explains a particular part from the introduction.
Conclusion

Today we are going to write our explanation about the senses of smell and taste. As a class we will write the first part of our explanation together, before you have a go yourselves. Lets see if we can use smart words from our word wall, to improve our writing and make it sound more informative to the person reading it.Now in table groups/partners/individually, write an explanation sentence about sight that we can add to our class sentence/s.

For the Teacher

Taste and smell - Writing an explanation about taste and smell

Purpose

Students will add to the explanation text about the senses through modelled, shared and guided writing experiences to build on their knowledge of the text type and record their learning about smell and taste.

Teaching tips

In table groups, students collaboratively write an explanation sentence about smell/taste to add to their group explanation text.

Expected – One or two sentences about touch e.g Our sense of taste tells us if a food is sweet, sour, salty or bitter.

Extension – Our sense of taste tells us if a food is sweet, sour, salty or bitter.

Our tongue has different areas which taste different things.

37. What's that Sound?

For the Student

1. Listen to recording of different sounds. Draw what you think made that sound. share your drawing with a partner/ table group.

2. Walk to the basketball court. Close your eyes for five minutes and listen for sounds in your environment. What can you hear? What is making the sounds you heard?

Complete the retrieval chart on return to the classroom. Draw 3 things you heard.

When I was outside I heard . . . . .

Where is that sound?

In the classroom, sit on the floor with eyes closed. Listen for the bell that the teacher rings. Point to where you think the teacher is positioned in the room.

3. We all like different sounds. There are sounds that we don't like.

Think, pair, share a sound that you like and a sound that you don't like.

Complete the sentence starter . . .

I like the sound of __________ because . . . .

I don't like the sound of _______ because . . . .

For the Teacher

5. Sense of hearing

Purpose

The purpose of this activity is to engage students and gather their prior knowledge about the sense of hearing.

Resources

Recording of different sounds or access U-Tube for sound effects, e.g. animals, environmental sounds etc

Retrieval chart for students to draw 3 things they heard when outside.

Sentence starter strips.

38. 5. How do I Hear?

For the Student

5. How do I hear?

Listen to the information about how we hear. What did you learn? What did you find interesting?

For the Teacher

Learning about the sense of hearing

Purpose

The purpose of this activity is to introduce and engage students in the sense of hearing through information texts. To gather information about how the ears work.

Resources

Focus Texts:

- Big Book 'The Senses' pg. 10 How Do I Hear?

- Hear This pg. 10-13

- The ears pg. 4-11

How do we hear? The anatomy of the ear - Hear this pg. 4

Different sounds help us in our day-to day activities by warning us of danger. Hear this pg 8, 916,17

39. Labelling the Ear.

For the Student

Assist in labelling the class template of an ear with function descriptors.

Label your own ear template with key parts of the ear with the labels eardrum, anvil, hammer and stirrup.

Discuss the function of each part.

For the Teacher

The ear

Purpose

The purpose of this activity is to identify and label the parts of the ear.

Resources

Large class ear with labels and function descriptors.

Individual student ear template with labels.

40. How do I Hear? How can I Describe Sound?

For the Student

Watch as your teacher flicks a ruler that is positioned quarter or half off the table. What do you see/hear?

This noise is vibration. This is how your ear picks up sound.

Sounds can be loud, soft, high pitch, soothing.

Sort the pictures of objects into the following categories by the type of sound they make.

loud soft high pitch soothing




For the Teacher

How is sound created? How can we categorise sound?

Purpose

The purpose of this activity is for students to identify how sound is created through vibrations.

Resources

Pictures of objects/ living things that make a loud, soft, high pitch or soothing sound.

41. How does the Shape of Our Ears Help us to Hear?

For the Student

Listen as the teacher reads - The ears pg 18-21.

How does the shape of our ears help us to hear?

Why do animals have different shaped ears? Why can they hear better than us?

For the Teacher

Do we all hear the same?

Purpose

The purpose of this activity is for students to make a connection with their life world and the importance of their sense of hearing.

42. What if I Lose My Sense of Hearing?

For the Student

Stand in front of the teacher and put your hands over your ears. Listen as your teacher gives you an instruction. How did this feel? Could you understand what the teacher was wanting you to do? Why/ Why not?

Do the same again. This time watch as your teacher gives you the same instruction but uses hand gestures. How did this feel? Could you understand what the teacher was wanting you to do? Why/ Why not?

What sign can we use to tell the teacher we need to go to the toilet or get a drink?

For the Teacher

Hearing impaired

Purpose

The purpose of this activity is for students to experience what it feels like if they lose their sense of hearing. How this impacts on their daily life.

43. Connecting to My Life World.

For the Student

How does my sense of hearing help me to understand what is going on in my world?

Scenario: Imagine you are standing at an intersection and you want to cross the road but you cannot hear. How will you know if a car is approaching or when it is safe to cross? What sense will you rely on?

What does this mean for people who are hearing-impaired or deaf?

If you were deaf or hearing-impaired how would you know what people were saying? What would help you?

For the Teacher

What if I lose my sense of hearing?

Purpose

The purpose of this activity is for students to understand how the sense of hearing helps us to know what is going on around us.

44. Explantion Text: Sense of Hearing

For the Student

With a partner or as a table group write a sentence/s about the sense of hearing. You may wish to include the technical langauge about the ear and how our sense of hearing helps us.

For the Teacher

Explanation text: sense of hearing

Purpose

Students demonstrate their understanding of the sense of hearing by writing a sentence/s to explain the function of the ear and how our sense of hearing helps us.

Teaching tips

Refer back to class display chart about explanation texts. Discuss each labelled part and what it is used for. Read back previous title, introduction and sentence/paragraph on sight, touch, smell and taste.

As a class write the part of the explanation text about hearing.

Example: We hear with our ears. Our sense of hearing tells us if a sound is loud, soft, high pitch or soothing. It also warns us of dangers.

45. Which Sense is Now the Most Important to Me?

For the Student

Reflect on your learning. Which sense is most important to you now? Why?

Place your picture on the post affinity task sheet. Justify your reason with a partner (pair up), then square up.

For the Teacher

Affinity task

46. Term 2 Assembly

For the Student

Song about the senses.

Share what each sense does.

For the Teacher

Demonstrating my learning

47. How do Instruments Produce Sound?

For the Student

Mix, pair, share. What instruments do you know? How do they make their sound?

Draw an instrument you know and write to explain how its sound is produced/made. Share your work with the class.

For the Teacher

6. Musical instruments - How is sound made?

Purpose

To gather students' prior knowledge about instruments and how they produce sound; i.e. strumming, beating, blowing etc

48. Finding Facts: How Sound Is Made

For the Student

Listen and recall key facts about how sound is made, types of sounds and pitch. Share a fact with the class and what you found interesting.

For the Teacher

All about sound

Purpose

The purpose of this activity is for students to develop an understanding of sound; how it is made, types of sounds by locating key facts/ main ideas in the text.

Teaching tips

Read text; 'Hear this' page 14, 15, 18, 19. This focuses on how sound is made, pitch, music and types of sound.

49. How can We Describe Sound?

For the Student

Listen to the text about ears and sound. What did you find interesting?

In a Round Robin share and record words that we can use to describe sound.

As a class sort sounds into 'loud', 'soft', 'soothing' and high pitch. Give a reason for your choice.

For the Teacher

Sound and the ears

Purpose

To identify and describe types of sounds. Understand that people feel and respond differently to types of sounds.

Teaching tips

Place students in mixed ability groups of 3 or 4. Nominate one person to be the scribe; someone more able with writing skills.

Record student responses as each group recalls a word to describe sound. Groups can tick words off if they have the same describing word. Continue going around each group until all ideas have been shared.

Prepare a slide of household objects (vacuum cleaner, blender, microwave etc) animals and natural sounds in the environment (thunder, waterfall, ocean, wind)

Students sort items into categories according to the sound they produce; loud, soft, soothing, high pitch.

50. How do Musical Instruments Produce Sound?

For the Student

How do musical instruments produce sound?

For the Teacher

Making music

Purpose

For students to identify ways instruments produce sound such as tapping, strumming, blowing and that instruments are categorised by how their sound is produced. Students will use this understanding when they are designing their own musical instrument that produces sound.

Teaching tips

Display pictures of musical instruments on the smartboard/white board. Prepare a chart with the categories; percussion, string and wind. Physically Play or play an audio - visual of each instrument so students can see how their sound is produced.

51. How can I Change the Type of Sound an Instrument can Make?

For the Student

Experiment with making different sounds with your chosen instrument. Can you make a soft sound? A loud sound? A soothing sound?

Read your task card and create the effect/sound. Think about how you will make the sound and how you can change the pitch or volume of the sound.

Perform your sound effect to the class and nominate a spokes person to explain how the sound was made.

For the Teacher

Creating soundeaffects

Purpose

For students to understand that sound can be altered or changed by the way it is made through strumming and tapping as well as the speed or force applied to the instrument.

Teaching tips

Place a range of percussion instruments (drums, tapping sticks, maracas, shakers, triangles, xylophones etc) on group tables for students to experiment with.

Prepare task cards e.g. spitting rain, getting heavier and heavier to a storm, and have a range of instruments/objects that students could use when working together as a group to produce the desired sound effect.

52. What will I Make?

For the Student

We are going to make our own musical instrument that produces a sound when it is struck or shaken.

Looking back at the instruments we sorted into percussion, string and wind, think about what you would like to make. What it might look like and the materials you will need to make it.

For the Teacher

Instruments that are struck or shaken

Purpose

For students to identify instruments that produce a sound through striking, shaking or strumming and transfer this understanding in their design of a musical instrument that produces a sound.

53. What is Design, Make and Appraise?

For the Student

You are going to make your own musical instrument that can produce sound.

We use a planning process called; Design, make and appraise.

Design Make Appraise
A drawn diagram of what your instrument will look like and the materials you will use. This is when you actually make your instrument from recycled materials Did it work out how you wanted it to? What changes would you make next time?

How that I have modelled it to you, I want you to think about what you are going to make, the materials you will need and what it will look like.

Draw your musical instrument that you are going to design in the first box labelled Design.

For the Teacher

The language of DMA

Purpose

To introduce students to the language of DMA as a planning tool to design and make an object and reflect on its performance.

Teaching tips

In leading up to this learning activity invite students to bring in a range of recycled materias such as containers, plastic bottles and boxes to be used in constructing their musical instrument.

Model the DMA process to students by designing and creating your own personal instrument.

54. Making My Instrument

For the Student

Collect the materials you will need to make your instrument. Follow your design carefully. Does it match your design? Why/ why not?

For the Teacher

Following my design

For students to follow a drawn labelled diagram to create their musical instrument.

Teaching tips

Take a photo of each students design of their musical instrument. This will be glued into the second box as evidence of their design.

55. What Worked Well?

For the Student

SIt in a circle with your DMA template and your musical instrument. Share with the class the type of instrument you made, How you made it and what worked well and or didn't work well. What would you change next time?

Complete the third box in the DMA template.

How did other people's designs differ from their drawn diagram? Why did this difference occur?

For the Teacher

Appraising my instrument

Purpose

For students to actively reflect on their design/ construction identifying strengths, weaknesses and future modifications.

Teaching tips

Appraisals could be done in small groups or as a class. The student sharing has the talking stick to signify that it is their turn to speak and appraise their instrument.

56. Acknowledgements

The original version of this learning module was created by Robyn Kiddy, Bec Roche, Louise Sla, Veronica Rapp, and Annie McAppion.

Title: (Source); Fig. 1: (Source); Fig. 2: (Source).