LESSON PLAN #3

Lesson Plan #3

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