The Five Senses

Ollie L. Jamison               Delano Elementary School
                               3937 W. Wilcox Street                  
                               Chicago IL 60624
                               (312) 534-6620
        
Objective:

This lesson was designed for primary grades 1-3.  The main objective of this 
mini-teach is to tell how important the five senses are:  to name and identify  
the five senses; to demonstrate the ability to identify objects through the use 
of the five senses; to discover the sense of touch as a way to identify the 
smooth, rough, hard, and soft properties of an object; to discover that sounds 
and smells are a sources of information; we feel with our skin, we can recognize 
objects by their touch; and to demonstrate how sound is heard. 
                                                       
SIGHT

Materials Needed:   

   Use familiar objects from the classroom;  horn toy, car, eraser, magnifying
glass, marker, crayons, plastic ball and sea shells. 

Strategy:

  Line up objects on a table and ask the students to identify them.  Tell them 
to close their eyes.  While you remove one of the objects let them open their 
eyes and see if they can tell which object is missing.  Let the children take 
turns playing the game.     

The game may be varied in the following ways:
  1. Increase the number of objects.  
  2. Remove more than one object from the group while the child is blindfolded.
  3. Place objects in random order instead of in a straight line.  
  4. Add an object to the group instead of taking one away. 
  5. Let the child see the object.  Blindfold the child and let him try to 
     identify the missing object by feeling the remaining objects.  
            
TOUCH 

Materials Needed:

  Blindfold, paper towel (Bounty)

Strategy:

  Place small brown paper bags, numbered 1-8, on table with objects in each bag.
Examples of objects are measuring spoons, candy eggs, sea shells, play turtle.
The pupils are to guess what's in the bag by touching and feeling each bag.  


TASTE

Materials Needed:

     Various foods for a tasting party.  Lime, lemon, oranges, plum, kiwi, 
grapefruit, peaches, salt and sugar mixed, cucumber slices. 
  
Strategy:  

    A guessing game.  Meet in a small group.  Let students identify food by 
taste.  Blindfold student, give him or her some food to taste and ask to   
identify the taste.  Is it sour, sweet, salty, or bitter? 

SMELL

Materials Needed:
     
    Glass jar with lids, table, cotton balls, cologne (Eternity), black pepper, 
baby oil, shower gel, garlic powder, bleach. 

Strategy:

      Place objects in jars.  Tell the students that they are going to play a 
guessing game.  YOUR NOSE KNOWS:  You are to identify each object by its 
odor. 

HEARING 

Materials Needed:

     Metal spoon, wire hanger. 2 feet of kite string, ruler.  

Strategy:

1. Tie the handle of the spoon or hanger in the center of the string.
2. Wrap the ends of the string around both fingers.   Be sure that both strings
   are the same length. 
3. Place the tip of your index finger in each ear. 
4. Lean over so that the spoon or hanger hangs freely and tap it against the 
   side of the table. 

Results:

     It will sound like a church bell because the metal in the spoon starts to 
vibrate when struck.  These vibration are transmitted up the string to the ears.  
Objects must vibrate to produce a sound.     


Performance Assessments:

TASTING Activity:

Answer the following questions:
1. Why do hot peppers make my mouth burn?
2. How many different flavors can I taste?
3. How do I taste food?
4. Why does my mouth water when I see or smell certain foods?
5. Why do I like some foods better than others?

SMELL:

Answer the following questions:
1. What are your favorite smells?
2. What smells make you hungry?
3. What smells make you sneeze or make your eyes water?
4. What smells make you think about being clean?
5. Where can you find many different smells?

   Make a book about smells.  Look through newspapers or magazines.  Find 
pictures of things you like to smell.  Cut out pictures and tape or glue them 
onto pieces of paper.  Fasten papers together to make a book "Things I Like To 
Smell."                                                         

HEARING:

Answer the following questions:
1. Why do my ears pop in an airplane?
2. What is sound?
3. How do I hear?
4. Can I hear things when I'm asleep?
5. How do deaf people communicate?
6. How well can animals hear?
 
Conclusion: 
   
     At the conclusion of this mini-teach the students will be able to identify 
the five senses, and relate these five senses to everyday life.   

OUTSIDE ACTIVITY:

   Name, identify and describe objects that are related to the five senses.

      Smell          Touch          Seeing           Hearing        Taste