Lesson Plan Source

Lesson Overview:

In this lesson, students will learn the three primary colors used in art and how those colors are combined to make other colors. Concepts will be solidified through a literary connection as well as through an exploration of color.

Objective(s): 

Students will…

1. Follow directions and participate in the group discussion/lesson activities.
2. Identify the three primary colors.
3. Recognize that primary colors are used to make other colors.

Time Allotment: 

45 minutes-1 hour

Materials: 

*This lesson incorporates the use of three different centers.

Center 1: Watercolor Rainbows (students will paint rainbows using watercolor)

white tagboard (1 piece per child)

watercolor sets

brushes

cups of water

paper towels

Center 2: Coloring Mixing (place a piece of paper inside a box lid, squirt three small piles of each color paint onto the paper, allow students to lift the lid and tilt it to make the marbles move through the paint and mix)

white tagboard (1 piece per child)

tempera paints in red, yellow, and blue

marbles (3-5 per child)

box lids from copy paper boxes (1 per child)

Center 3: Make a Color Mixing Chart

“Color Mixing” worksheet (1 per child)

markers or crayons in yellow, red, blue, green, orange and purple

Anticipatory Set: 

Begin the lesson by stating the objective. Hold up some crayons that represent a variety of colors. Ask students if they know how those colors are made. Introduce the idea of color mixing. Tell students that many of the colors are made by mixing two or more colors together. One of the colors that is most often used is called a primary color. Primary colors are red, blue, and yellow. Those colors are called primary because no other colors can be mixed to make them. Use figure 1 to demonstrate. Introduce the book Color Dance by Ann Jonas. Tell students that they are going to learn more about primary colors and how they are used to make other colors.

Guided Practice: 

Have jars of water available along with food coloring. As you read the story, invite children to help you mix and form the colors the book is referring to. As different shades of the colors are introduce in the text, explain to children how white and black can be added to make colors lighter or darker. Having this visual will help solidify the concept of the primary colors and how they are mixed to make other colors.

After reading, refer to the picture of the rainbow in figure 1. Have children name the colors they see. Ask students to identify the primary colors. See if they can recall from the book how other colors are formed (e.g. orange= red+yellow, etc.).

Independent Practice: 

Allow students time to create in different centers. Prompt students to switch or allow them to roam between centers as they finish each project.

Closure: 

Gather students together. Recall the “Big Ideas” from the lesson. Ask students to share what they learned. Ask questions to prompt thinking and to assess: What are the primary colors? Are colors mixed to form them? How are they used to make other colors?

Assessment: 

Students will be assessed according to their ability to…

1. Follow directions and participate in the group discussion/lesson activities.
2. Identify the three primary colors.
3. Recognize that primary colors are used to make other colors.

Lesson Overview:

In this lesson, students will learn how we rely on our sense of touch to tell us about our environment. Students will have multiple opportunities to explore different objects and to describe the texture of those objects.

Objective(s): 

Students will…

1. Follow directions and participate in the group discussion/lesson activities.
2. Recognize different objects have different textures.
3. Describe the texture of 2-3 objects (e.g. smooth, rough, scratchy, etc.).

Time Allotment: 

1 hour

Materials: 

*This lesson incorporates the use of 5 different sensory centers.

Center 1: “Feel Box” *Using 2 shoe boxes with lids, place various objects in each box. Students will line the items up outside of the box. One student will close their eyes while the other student places 2-3 objects inside the box. The other student then puts their hands in to guess which items are in the box.

2 shoe boxes with lids (make 1 hole at each end so students can put hand in and pull items out)

up to 5 textured items per box-tennis ball, carrot, bar of soap, etc.

Center 2: Sensory Table *Place items in table for self-discovery. Students could also sort items according to texture.

Sensory table or large plastic container

items of various texture–sand -beans -seashells -rocks -rice (enough to fill bottom of table)

Center 3: Sensory Cards * Use a marker to write a large number, letter or symbol on each index card. All the cards are laid out in a row on the floor. Two children sit beside the cards so they are visible to both. One child has his/her back facing the other child. Child 2 chooses a symbol and writes it with his/her finger on the other child’s back. Child 1 then uses his/her sense of touch and points to the card that represents the symbol felt.

5-10 index cards (per pair of students)

black marker

Center 4: Fabric Squares *Place fabric pieces in bag. Students take turns to find matches.

2 squares of each fabric (use 5-10 fabrics per bag, examples include satin, cotton, corduroy, velvet, fleece)

bag or pillowcase (1 per pair of students)

Center 5: Squish Me! *Students explore the textures of Jello and Goop.

bowl filled with Jello (1 per pair of students)

bowl filled with Goop (aka Oobleck) (1 per pair of students)

Goop Recipe:

2 cups cornstarch

2 cups water

few drops of food coloring

Pour cornstarch in a bowl. Pour water in slowly. Add food coloring and mix well.

Anticipatory Set: 

Begin the lesson by stating the objective. Remind students that our bodies help us learn a lot about our environment. One way the body does that is through our sense of touch. Ask students what body part gives us our sense of touch. Tell students that our sense of touch helps us in many ways. Ask students to name any ways they can think of. Discuss how the sense of touch keeps us safe (we can feel heat or things that are sharp) and it keeps us comfortable (we know what to wear in different kinds of weather and when we just want to snuggle something soft).

Guided Practice: 

Ask students to touch their clothes, the carpet under them, their skin-does it all feel the same? Tell students that because everything around us feels different, we use words to describe their texture. Texture tells us if something is soft, smooth, scratchy, etc. Have a word bank of different textures for the students to use. Using some of the items from the centers, provide examples and have the students determine the different textures.

Independent Practice: 

Tell students they are going to further explore their sense of touch and texture. Tell students to pair up with their “Science Buddy”. Allow students time (10-15 minutes) to explore at each center. Prompt students when it is time to switch. Be sure to review any considerations (e.g. keeping items in the sensory table) students need to be conscious of before they begin.

Closure: 

Bring students together and discuss the results of their findings. Ask students what were some of the different textures they felt. Ask students how they were able to sense all the different textures. Finally, tell students to turn to the person next to them and answer the question: What do we call the body part that covers our entire body and gives us our sense of touch?

Assessment: 

Students will be assessed according to their ability to…

1. Follow directions and participate in the group discussion/lesson activities.
2. Recognize different objects have different textures.
3. Describe the texture of 2-3 objects (e.g. smooth, rough, scratchy, etc.).

Lesson Overview:

In this lesson, students will learn how the sense of smell and taste work together. Concepts will be solidified through an experiment in which students will sample a piece of food to determine if they can taste it when the sense of smell is altered.

Objective(s): 

Students will…

1. Follow directions and participate in the group discussion/lesson activities.
2. Recognize that the sense of smell and taste work together.

Time Allotment: 

50 minutes-1 hour

Materials: 

*Based on your needs, have up to 5 stations for students to experiment at. Each station should have the following:

paper plates (1 per pair of students)

small samples of the following: potato, pear, apple, onion (1 per paper plate)

blindfold (1 per pair of students)

“Working Together” worksheet (1 per student)

Anticipatory Set: 

Begin the lesson by stating the objective. Ask students is they have ever smelled something and seemed to taste it at the same time (without eating it). Tell students that that occurs more frequently than we think because our sense of smell and taste work together.

Guided Practice: 

Using one of the sample plates, invite a student to join you in front of the other students. Blindfold the student and give him/her a taste of apple. Then a taste of potato. Ask the student to identify which one is the apple. Next, have the class predict if the student will be able to identify the apple while holding his/her nose closed. Have the student pinch his/ her nose and provide the apple and potato. Try this at least three times to demonstrate that while the nose is closed, the student can not be sure which one is the apple.

Independent Practice: 

Tell students that they are going to further explore how their sense of taste and smell work together. Have students wash their hands. Tell students to pair up with their “Science Buddy”. Each pair will go to a station where they will will take turns blindfolding each other and tasting different fruit and veggie samples (just as it was modeled). As students explore each station, they are to fill out the “Working Together” worksheet. Direct students to close their noses on the try that is marked by the nose image. On their final attempt, students are to sniff a piece of onion instead of holding their noses and see if their fruit/veggie guess is correct.

Closure: 

Bring students together and discuss the results of their findings. Ask students if they were able to guess correctly. What was their experiences with the onion? Ask students to share what they learned about their sense of smell and taste.

Assessment: 

Students will be assessed according to their ability to

1. Follow directions and participate in the group discussion/lesson activities.
2. Recognize that the senses of smell and taste work together.

Lesson Overview:

In this lesson, students will learn how taste buds, along with saliva, help us to taste the foods we eat. Through self-discovery, students will identify different areas of the tongue and their sensitivity to various flavors.

Objective(s): 

Students will…

1. Follow directions and participate in the group discussion/lesson activities.
2. Recognize that different areas of the tongue are sensitive to different flavors.

Time Allotment: 

50 minutes-1 hour

Materials:

Figures 1 and 2

*Based on your needs, have up to 5 stations for students to experiment at. Each station should have the following:

1 paper cup with sugar water (label #1),

1 paper cup with salt water (label #2),

1 paper cup with vinegar water (label #3),

1 paper cup with decaf, unsweetened tea (label #4),

1 small box, trash bag or trash can,

paper towels

1 cup per child with water (with names on them)

1 box of toothpicks

“Mapping My Tongue” worksheet (1 per student)

Anticipatory Set: 

Begin the lesson by having students pair up with their “Science Buddy”. State the objective. Tell students to stick out their tongue so their partner can look at it (an enlarged image from google images can be used instead). Have students notice the pinkish bumps on the tongue. Explain to students that those are taste buds and the water in our mouths is called saliva. Saliva helps all the different flavors get to our taste buds. 

Guided Practice:

Show students figure 1 and discuss the different kinds of flavors we experience. Tell students that different taste buds on the tongue are more sensitive to certain flavors. Show figure 2 to demonstrate where most people experience the different flavors.

Independent Practice: 

Tell students that they are going to explore their sense of taste. Each pair of students will go to a station where they will take turns tasting different flavors-sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. As students explore each station, they are to fill out the “Mapping My Tongue” worksheet by placing as “X” in the area of the tongue they sense each flavor the most. Demonstrate to students how to dip the toothpick in the cup, touch it to the tongue and then throw it away before dipping again. Students may use their cups of water to clean their palates before moving to a new flavor.

Closure: 

Bring students together and discuss the results of their findings. Revisit figure 2 and compare the students’ answers. Were different taste buds/areas of the tongue sensitive to certain flavors? Ask students to share some things they learned throughout the lesson.

Assessment: 

Students will be assessed according to their ability to…

1. Follow directions and participate in the group discussion/lesson activities.
2. Recognize that different areas of the tongue are sensitive to different flavors.

Lesson Overview:

In this lesson, students will learn how we create memories of the smells in our environment. It is through those memories, that our sense of smell helps us– in times of danger, in determining what to wear as well as when we are trying to relax.

Objective(s): 

Students will…

1. Follow directions and participate in the group discussion/lesson activities.
2. Provide at least two ways that our sense of smell helps us.

Time Allotment: 

45-55 minutes

Materials: 

2 plastic cups (1 with water, 1 with vinegar)

*Based on your needs, have up to 5 stations for students to experiment at. Each station should have the following:

paper cups labeled with numbers 1-8 (8 cups per station),

black tissue paper (cover the top of each cup with a piece of black tissue paper and a rubber band so samples are not seen)

rubber bands (1 per cup)

sharp pencil (poke small hole in the black tissue paper so items can be smelled)

smelling samples: onion, lemon, orange, popcorn, peppermint, chocolate, coffee, and flower/flowery perfume

“Smell and Tell” worksheet (1 per student)

*Optional: Real-life pictures (from books, magazines or Google images) of the following: a skunk, field of flowers or someone smelling a flower, cup of hot chocolate, dirty dog, dirty socks or clothes, onion

Anticipatory Set: 

Begin the lesson by stating the objective. Show students the two cups-one with water and one with vinegar. Tell students that each cup has something different in it. Ask students how they could find out what each has. Students may recognize that since it is not safe to drink things we aren’t sure of, we could use our sense of smell to determine what each is. Ask students to recall which body part provides our sense of smell. Invite a couple of children to smell each cup and determine what is in each. Inform the other students that they will have the same opportunity later in the lesson.

Guided Practice: 

Tell students that we use our sense of smell for many things. *Optional: Show students pictures to demonstrate how our sense of smell helps us. As you introduce each, have students make guesses. Help them to make connections to each by remembering a time that they have used their sense of smell for that reason. Picture 1(skunk): warns us of dangers Picture 2 (field of flowers): enjoy nature Picture 3 (cup of hot chocolate): makes us happy Picture 4 (dirty dog): who we like to be with Picture 5 (dirty socks or clothes): what we wear Picture 6 (onion): how long we stay in a room Finally, tell students that our senses are so smart, that each time we smell something we make a memory of that smell. We will also remember that we do not like certain smells. Ask students how many of them could recognize a cake baking in the oven, oranges, soap, or the exhaust from a car.

Independent Practice: 

Tell students that they are going to explore their sense of smell. Tell students to pair up with their “Science Buddy” (prearranged partners that can be used for the school year). Each pair will go to a station where they will take turns smelling cups. As students explore each station, they will fill out the “Smell and Tell” worksheet. Direct students to draw a line from the picture to the cup that matches it. Be sure to have the water and vinegar cups available for students to smell who did not get a try guessing.

Closure: 

Bring students together and discuss the results of their findings. Reveal what each cup had in it. Ask students how they knew what each item was. Students should recognize that their sense of smell and their memory of those smells helped them determine what each was. Ask students to share some ways that our sense of smell helps us.

Assessment: 

Students will be assessed according to their ability to…

1. Follow directions and participate in the group discussion.
2. Provide at least two ways that our sense of smell helps us.