Title: How we Listen to the World

Age Range

6-8 years (Grades 1-2)

Timing

60 minutes

Lesson Number

Lesson 4 of 4

LEARNING OBJECTIVE Statements

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

• Describe the functions of the ear and how they help humans hear.
• Recognize and characterize different types of sounds (pitch, volume, etc.)
• Describe the importance of the ears and how they can be protected.

UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING (UDL) Connections

• Engagement: Students will reflect from their own experiences and share within groups.
• Representation: Use of videos, diagrams, lectures, and hands-on activities.
• Expression: In the activity students will draw and share their own ideas.

ESSENTIAL Question(s)

• What is sound and how does it travel?
• How do our ears help us hear sound?
• How can we protect our ears?

MATERIALS & TECHNOLOGIES Description

• A method to display an online video to the class.
  • Video Link: ‘How Your Ears Work’ by Nemours KidsHealth https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMXoHKwWmU8
    • CCs are included in the video options.
• Diagram quiz for students.
  • Diagram Link: https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/bfs-earsactivity.html
    • Solutions are included in the link.
• Different materials with different containers.
  • Rice, sand, coins for example materials.
  • Plastic, metal containers.
• Pencils, papers and scissors.

PRIOR KNOWLEDGE & PRE-CLASS Preparation

Students should have a basic understanding of human body parts, as well as knowledge of the 5 senses.

Teachers must prepare the materials stated in [Materials & Technologies]:

• Print copies of the diagram quiz that students will fill out. This can be done individually or in pairs/groups depending on class size.
• Prepare the example sounds by placing the different materials in containers.
• Make sure there is enough pencils/papers/scissors for each group.

LESSON PLAN Sequence

1. Introduction (10 minutes)

• Introduce the topic of hearing. Ask students to cover their ears and describe what they notice.
• Use the different containers with various materials and prompt students to characterize the different noises they hear. Make sure to include: volume, pitch, resonance.

2. Instructional Content (15 minutes)

• Hand out the diagram quiz to the [students/pairs/groups].
• Play the video ‘How Your Ears Work’ video.
  • As the video plays, students should fill out their copy of the quiz.
• After the video, ask students by raise of hand to help the teacher fill out the quiz.
  • While the teacher fills out the quiz, they should ask the students what each part does.

3. Interactive Learning Activity [What Have you Heard?] (25 minutes)

• Individually, students will come up with 5 different noises that they have heard and experienced. Students will label and draw a picture representing the sound on paper and cut it out.
  • Have students include the pitch, resonance of the noises.
• Students will rank their noises from quietest to loudest.
• In a group (size will vary based on class size), students will share their noises and rankings. The group will collaboratively rank all their collective noises.

4. Conclusion (10 minutes)

• Give students an opportunity to look at other groups rankings from the activity.
• Discuss the importance of protecting your ears.
  • Ask students what they can do to protect ears.

ASSESSMENT Overview

• The teacher should individually assess each student’s diagram quiz.
• The teacher should look at each groups rankings and sound explanation to make sure that the student understands the concepts.
• Make sure that the students are engaged within the group activities and working together.

RESOURCES, DIAGRAMS, & REFERENCES

• ‘How Your Ears Work’ by Nemours KidsHealth – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMXoHKwWmU8
• Ear Diagram Quiz by Nemours KidsHealth – https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/bfs-earsactivity.html

Title: Exploring the Sense of Touch

Age Range

6-8 years old

Timing

60 minutes

Lesson Number

lesson 3 of 4

LEARNING OBJECTIVE Statements

By the end of this unit, students will be able to:

• Identify and describe the sense of touch, and its importance in everyday life
• Describe how different textures, temperatures, and pressures are detected by our skin
• Demonstrate basic experiments to explore tactile sensations
• Connect the sense of touch to communication and learning

UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING (UDL) Connections

• Present the content through videos, hands-on activities, and digital lessons
• Engage learners through experiments and group discussions
• Allow students to express their learning through various media, like videos, written reflections, drawings, and presentations.

ESSENTIAL Question(s)

• What is the sense of touch, and how does it work?
• How do our bodies and brains respond to different texture and pressure? How does this help us make coherent decisions in our everyday life?
• How does touch help keep us safe?

MATERIALS & TECHNOLOGIES Description

Students or Teachers will use the following materials, tools, and equipment:

• Materials of various textures (e.g. fabrics, plastic, sandpaper)
• Items of varying temperatures (water, ice packs, a kettle)
• Journals/notebooks for recording observations

PRIOR KNOWLEDGE & PRE-CLASS Preparation

Students will need to know the following before beginning this lesson:

• Students need to be able to read and write sentences in their notebooks

The teacher will need to make the following preparations prior to the lesson:

• The teacher will need to set up stations for the hands-on experiments. This includes places for students to observe how the different dry materials feel, as well as interacting with the liquids and surfaces of varying temperatures.

LESSON PLAN Sequence

1. Introduction (10 minutes)

• A brief discussion on all five senses, with a special focus on touch.
• Play the video “The Sense of Touch – Senses for Kids” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWeTqNdSQlE

2. Instructional Content (15 minutes)

How Your Skin Works Video

The instructional content will be centered around this video. For the duration of this section, we will pause intermittently and reference the video, having discussions about the topics that video covers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMGgCxUyXT8

What you’ll learn from the video

• The layers of the skin (subcutaneous fat, dermis, and epidermis)
• The lifecycle of a skin cell
• How melanin and pigmentation change the color of your skin
• How sunburns and temperature work on your skin

What to do

• You should pay close attention as you watch the video which you have the option to stream or download. Take your time.
• Take notes while watching. Try writing down:
  • 3 interesting facts you didn’t know before
  • Learn the definitions of 2 new vocabulary words.
  • 1 question you still have about touch
• Look for key ideas like:
  • How does our body produce new skin?
  • How does it react to temperature?

Skin diagram

https://c8.alamy.com/comp/2DEKHPD/human-skin-and-hair-structure-anatomical-sign-beauty-care-isolated-illustration-2DEKHPD.jpg

What you’ll learn from the diagram

• A more detailed look at the concepts the video covered
• The ability to look at everything in one place, in an anatomically correct diagram

What to do

• Students can discuss the concepts they learned from the instructional video.
• They can talk to their neighbouring students and express their ideas
• They can apply the ideas presented in the video relating to temperature, and conjecture about how they affect the anatomy of the skin

3. Interactive Learning Activity (25 minutes)

• Tactile Treasure Hunt!
  • Divide students into groups of three or four
  • Have them rotate around the different stations of materials (fabrics, liquids, etc.) and record their observations in feeling them.
  • Help facilitate discussion surrounding why the objects feel that way, key characteristics of the material, and how the feelings that arise could help you in your everyday life.

4. Conclusion (10 minutes)

• Recap key points learned
• Start a quick reflective discussion: “How will this change the way you think about touch?”

ASSESSMENT Overview

• The student will be considered successful if their reflective journalling in their groups was insightful, and displayed progress in understanding throughout the activity.
• Students will also be assessed on their ability to work in their group, and have meaningful discussions, wherein they communicate their own ideas, and field ideas from others.

RESOURCES, DIAGRAMS, & REFERENCES

• “The Sense of Touch – Senses for Kids” video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWeTqNdSQlE
• “How Your Skin Works” video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMGgCxUyXT8
• Skin diagram: https://c8.alamy.com/comp/2DEKHPD/human-skin-and-hair-structure-anatomical-sign-beauty-care-isolated-illustration-2DEKHPD.jpg

Title: How Smell and Taste work together

Age Range

6-8 years old. Grade 1-2

Timing

This lesson can take up to 15 minutes and the activity can take up to 45 minutes or longer

Lesson Number

Lesson 2 / 4

LEARNING OBJECTIVE Statements

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to…

• Students will be able to explain the difference between taste and smell
• Students will learn about the different types of tasting senses
• Students will experience the identifying factors of smell
• Students will see the correlation between smell and taste

UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING (UDL) Connections

• Students will have both an informational and interactive learning experience in this lesson
• Providing a variety of different smells and foods allows all students to try different senses
• Ensuring all allergies and any other special needs are accommodated in the lesson plan.
• By allowing every student to interact in the activity it ensures each student gets an equal opportunity to learn

ESSENTIAL Question(s)

• Do children inherently know the correlation between the senses?
• What can families do at home in order to ensure a child’s core understanding of their 5 senses

MATERIALS & TECHNOLOGIES Description

Students or Teachers will use the following materials, tools, and equipment:

• “The Power of Smell” Reading Passage
• “Taste Test Science” Online Lesson

PRIOR KNOWLEDGE & PRE-CLASS Preparation

Students will need to know the following before beginning this lesson:

• Students require the basic knowledge of their bodies functions, while teaching the 5 senses.

The teacher will need to make the following preparations prior to the lesson:

• Obtain various resources for the activity
• Prepare pictures of common foods and odours

LESSON PLAN Sequence

• What are the specific steps of the lesson from start to finish?
• How much time will be allocated for each activity?
• What guiding questions will be asked to engage students and deepen understanding?
• What activities or tasks will students complete during each step of the lesson?
• How will the lesson flow from introduction to conclusion?

1. Introduction (5 minutes)

Start by asking students to raise their hand and speak when called upon. Then begin the lesson by showing a photo of a simple food that has a specific smell. You can then engage with the students and ask them to identify the food shown in the photo (for example pizza, popcorn, bacon). Once they identify the food, ask them to identify the smell of the food (good, bad, no smell, etc.). Do this with multiple images that each have different odours.

2. Instructional Content (20 minutes)

Once you have engaged with the students, you can then begin to inform the students on the correlation between smell and taste, and how smell is responsible for the majority of taste buds effectiveness.

3. Interactive Learning Activity (75 minutes)

Blindfold activity: In this activity you will invite a student to the front of the class and they will be blindfolded. Inform the student to plug their nose and try to taste a variety of foods. The student will then have to guess what the food is without the access to their smell senses. Keep track of the responses, and then let them do it again still blindfolded, but this time without plugging their nose, and record the results.

4. Conclusion

To conclude with the lesson, allow the students to discuss with each other what foods they like to eat and what foods they do not like, and ask them if they think they would like the food more if they did not have to smell it. By the end of this lesson students should have a base understanding of the fact that smell and taste are constantly working together. There should not be as much of an emphasis on ensuring the student understands the science as to why, but instead the goal is to create a common understanding that the two are connected.

ASSESSMENT Overview

• During the activity, you should be keeping track of each students reaction and their answers to the activity at hand.
• One additional form of assessment would be to take a show of hands at the beginning of class regarding how many of them think smell and taste are connected, versus how many believe they are not. At the end of the lesson do a similar show of hands and if your lesson was effective every student should raise their hand by the end.

RESOURCES, DIAGRAMS, & REFERENCES

• Use this resource to consider various activities: https://www.scholastic.com/parents/family-life/parent-child/6-smelly-and-really-fun-activities-kids.html#:~:text=Blind%20Taste%20Test,between%20foods%20with%20similar%20textures.
• Use this resource to have a base understanding of the curriculum material (do not show to the children as it is too advanced for them): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFm3yA1nslE
• Use this resource for the students to understand the sense of taste: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SneTFJc7u7Y
• Use this resource for the students to understand the sense of smell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zajxTUsbiQ8

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• It is important to consider the students should already have a base understanding of what smell and taste is, as they were obviously not born yesterday. Try to emphasize the importance of learning how these senses work as opposed to just informing them on the senses themselves.