Lesson Plan Source

This collection of the five senses lesson plans teaches students how to consciously use their senses to gather information about their environment. As each sense is touched upon, students will engage in sensory explorations to discover different textures, how the sense of taste and smell work together, how people who are blind and deaf use their senses, what colors are made of, and most importantly, how to be active listeners.

Five Senses Lesson Plans:

• Hearing by Seeing
• Listening for Sound
• Sense of Sound
• Seeing by Touching
• Sense of Sight
• Sense of Touch
• Senses Working Together
• Sense of Taste
• Sense of Smell
• Introduction to the Five Senses

Five Senses Worksheets:
coming soon….

Five Senses Lesson Plans Video

Lesson Overview:

In this lesson, students will identify two ways people can communicate when they have lost their sense of hearing. Concepts will be solidified as students practice using the finger alphabet derived from American Sign Language.

Objective(s): 

Students will…

1. Follow directions and participate in the discussion/lesson activities.
2. Verbalize two ways people communicate when they have lost their sense of hearing.
3. Point to the organ people use to communicate with when they have lost their sense of hearing.

Time Allotment: 

40-50 minutes

Materials: 

copy of the “Finger Alphabet” worksheet (1 per student)

examples of signs (http://www.aslpro.com/)

Anticipatory Set: 

Begin the lesson by stating the objective. Ask students if they know someone or have met someone who is deaf. Tell students that when someone is deaf they have lost their sense of hearing. This could be for many different reasons–some people are born that way, some people had ear infections or fevers as a baby that led to their loss, or they have been in an accident that caused their loss. Tell students that even though they can not hear with their ears, they can use another sense to communicate with other people. Ask students which sense they think can be used. Tell students that people who are deaf can use their sense of sight to read other people’s lips and to read sign language. Provide a few signs as examples. Ask students if they know some signs or have ever seen people signing. Tell students that because reading lips is not easy and it takes a lot of practice, not all people who are deaf can read lips. Most will learn and use sign language instead. Demonstrate lip reading by mouthing something to the class. Have students try to guess what is being said. Have students then turn to a partner to practice lip reading. Prompt students by having them say and animal or color and then a complete sentence. Ask students how difficult they found the exercise. Discuss how lip reading takes patience, a lot of focus, and close proximity to the person so the lips are seen. Tell students that is why sign language is commonly used. Once a person learns sign language, it becomes as quick and natural as speaking. It can also be seen from across the room.

Guided Practice: 

Pass out a copy of the “Finger Alphabet”. Model for students how to form the letters of the alphabet. Tell students that the alphabet can be used to spell names or words. Many people learning sign language will spell things out, but it can take a long time. The signs for all the different words are usually learned and used during conversation. Have students attempt to sign there own names by using their worksheet.

Independent Practice: 

Monitor students as they attempt to sign three of their classmates names using the their alphabet worksheet and name tags.

Closure: 

Gather students to discuss the “Big ideas” from the lesson. Ask students to recall how people communicate when they have lost their sense of hearing. Ask students what the condition is called when a person has loss their sense of hearing. Ask students to point to the organ that people use to communicate with when they have lost their sense of hearing.

Assessment: 

Students will be assessed according to their ability to…

1. Participate in the discussion/lesson activities.
2. Verbalize two ways people communicate when they have lost their sense of hearing.
3. Point to the sense people use to communicate with when they have lost their sense of hearing.

Lesson Overview:

In this lesson, students will learn that being a “good listener” means to be an active listener. Students will have the opportunity to practice active listening through two listening exercises that will require them to think about what is being heard and to adjust accordingly.

Objective(s): 

Students will…

1. Follow directions and participate in the group discussion/lesson activities.
2. Verbalize that a “good listener” means thinking about what is being heard.

Time Allotment: 

30-45 minutes

Materials: 

1 chair

1 blindfold

Anticipatory Set: 

Begin the lesson by stating the objective. Have students recall information from the previous lesson. Tell students that one of the most important jobs as a student is to be a good listener. Ask students what they think makes a good listener. Record their answers on chart paper–this is something that can be hung in the classroom as a reference throughout the school year. Tell students that in order to be a good listener, they have to think about what they are hearing. Explain that we hear sounds all the time, but we don’t necessarily think about all of them. Active listening means we are thinking about what we are hearing. Tell students that they are going to explore their sense of sound by practicing active listening.

Guided Practice: 

In a seated position, begin the listening exercise by tapping your legs with both hands. Have children join in. Tap and then clap, keeping a slow, but steady rhythm. Tell students that you want them to listen and repeat what you are doing. Because you want them to think about what they are hearing and not seeing, they are going to close their eyes. Continue to tap and clap using different variations. Change things up frequently so students have to really listen, think, and adjust.

Independent Practice: 

Allow students to play the game “Voice Detectives”. Ask students if they think they can recognize each others voices. Divide the class into two teams. Choose one child from Team 1 to be “It”. Sit the child in a chair and blindfold him/her. Choose another child from Team 2. That child knocks twice on the chair of the other team member. When the blindfolded child asks, “Who’s there?” the visitor says, “Guess who?” If guessed correctly, the visitor is blindfolded and another player is chosen. If guessed incorrectly, the visitor gives a clue (no more than 3 words). Clues can be silly and get longer until the visitor is guessed. To make the game more challenging, add more than one visitor.

Closure: 

Gather students together. Discuss the “Big Ideas” of the lesson. Ask students to share some things they learned about being an active listener. Did the students find it easy or difficult to actively listen? Listen to students as they turn to a neighbor and tell what it means to be a “good listener”.

Assessment: 

Students will be assessed according to their ability to…

1. Follow directions and participate in the group discussion/lesson activities.
2. Verbalize that being a “good listener” means thinking about what is being heard.

Lesson Overview:

In this lesson, students will learn that sound travels to our ears by way of vibrations. Concepts will be solidified through a demonstration of what a vibration is as well as through multiple examples. Students will have the opportunity to identify objects that make sound vibrations.

Objective(s): 

Students will…

1. Follow directions and participate in the group discussion/lesson activities.
2. Recognize that sounds are made by vibrations.

Time Allotment: 

30-40 minutes

Materials: 

1 long, wooden yard stick

1 table

several pictures of (or real) instruments

“Good Vibrations” worksheet (1 per child)

Anticipatory Set: 

Begin the lesson by stating the objective. Ask students if they have ever thought about how we are able to hear all the different sounds in our environment. Ask students to think about when a teacher claps to get the attention of the class, the whistle is blown on the playground, or how the voice of a friend is recognized–how do we know where the sound is coming from? Students should recognize that it is our sense of sound that enables us to recognize things in our environment.

Guided Practice: 

With a wooden yardstick flat on a table with at least half of it extending beyond the edge, hold the stick firmly with one hand. With the other hand, bend the other end down as far as it will go without breaking it and let it go. Ask students what they see. Repeat the exercise. Explain to the students that the shaking of the yardstick is called a vibration and all sounds are some kind of vibration. Next, have students place their hands on their throats. Sing a song such as “Happy Birthday” or “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” so that children can feel the vibration. Tell students that when we make sounds, it is the vocal chords in our throats vibrating. Further explain that sound vibration travels to our ears at a very fast rate and is something we don’t see, but we hear. Show students a picture of a guitar. Ask students how they would make the guitar vibrate/make sound. Other examples may be used–a drum, a xylophone, etc. Discuss how those items make sound.

Independent Practice: 

Monitor students as they complete the “Good Vibrations” worksheet. Students should color the items in the picture that make sound. As an added challenge, have students draw or list items on the back of the worksheet that are found around the house and make sound.

Closure: 

Gather students together. Have them share their answers from the worksheet. Talk about the items in the worksheet-can the vibration be seen, heard, or both?

Assessment: 

Students will be assessed according to their ability to…

1. Follow directions and participate in the group discussion/lesson activities.
2. Recognize that sounds are made by vibrations.

Lesson Overview:

In this lesson, students will learn that it is possible to read even if one’s sense of sight is lost. Students will be able to identify Braille and have the opportunity to actually use the Braille alphabet to create written words.

Objective(s): 

Students will…

1. Follow directions and participate in the group discussion/lesson activities.
2. Recognize that reading is possible if the sense of sight is lost.
3. Identify Braille as a combination of raised dots that can be felt.

Time Allotment: 

40-50 minutes

Materials: 

small index card (1 per child)

hole punch

half sheets of paper (2 per child)

*The index cards and hole punch is used to make a “Braille cell”. To make each Braille cell, punch 2 rows of three holes in each index card.

Anticipatory Set: 

Begin the lesson by stating the objective. Ask students if they have ever known anyone who is blind/can not see). Have they ever seen a blind person read? Hold a book open and ask students how they think a person could read if they could not see the words. Allow students to make guesses and then introduce A Picture Book of Louis Braille by David A. Adler. Discuss the book as you read it and prompt students’ thinking by asking questions. After the reading, tell students they will have a turn reading in Braille. Using the “Braille cell”, tell students that all the letters of the Braille alphabet can be written using different combinations of the six dots.

Guided Practice: 

Hand out a copy of the “Braille Alphabet”worksheet to each student. Have one copy available that has been prepared with glue for students to feel (to form raised dots, cover each dot with glue and allow to dry overnight). Trace dots using the Braille cell to reveal a word on the board. Guide students as they determine what the word is using their Braille alphabet. Provide a few more examples so students understand how to use a cell and the Braille alphabet to form words. Remind students that in order for a person who is blind to read the alphabet, it has to be raised/bumpy (like the sample). Have students pair up with their “Science Buddy”. Provide a half sheet of blank paper and a cell to each student. Tell students to write their name in big letters across the top of their paper. Tell students to swap papers. They will then use their cell and Braille alphabet to form the dots for each letter in their partner’s name. When complete, have students turn their papers over. Have them write their name in big letters across the top. They will then write the dots needed to spell their own name.

Independent Practice: 

Give students another half sheet of blank paper. Using their cell and the “Word List” worksheet, tell students to write at least three words. Once finished, they will switch papers with their buddy to decipher the words using their Braille alphabets. If time permits, allow students to fill in the dots on their Braille Alphabets with liquid glue to use at a later time.

Closure: 

Bring students together. Have the students share with you some things that they learned. Prompt them with questions if needed. Ask students what the raised alphabet is called that people who are blind use. Ask them why it is important that the alphabet can be felt. What sense is used in reading Braille? What sense is lost for those that need Braille?

Assessment: 

Students will be assessed according to their ability to…

1. Follow directions and participate in the group discussion/lesson activities.
2. Recognize that reading is possible if the sense of sight is lost.
3. Identify Braille as a combination of raised dots that can be felt.