Title – Five Senses Lab

By – Danny Schade

Primary Subject – Science

Grade Level – 2-3

Science Concept(s):

There are five senses that humans have. These five senses are touch, taste, sight, smell, and hearing. We use our skin, nose, tongue, eyes and ears to sense things.

Context:

Kids already had an introduction to the five senses and they can name each of them. After this lesson we will begin to explore how each sense works and how the senses work together to make the world around you real.

Science Process Skills:

The science process skills are communicating and observing.

Length of Lesson:

About five minutes at each station and about 10 minutes for worksheet. (35 min)

Methodology:

Group work and personal exploration/discovery.

Objectives:

Each child will identify each exhibit by using touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing. They will complete their five senses worksheet.

Materials:

1. Four mystery boxes

2. Hammer, stuffed animal, tennis ball, ear of corn

3. Jelly belly beans, five flavors + five bowls

4. Four microscopes w/ four things in the slide (hairs, crystals, tiny print letter, flower petal)

5. Popsicle sticks that are ‘scented’ (soak one in cinnamon oil, one in vanilla, one in orange juice, one in vinegar)

6. Four cassette players w/ headphones

7. Four sound FX tapes (cow, jack hammer, bell, motorcycle)

8. Worksheets for stations

Set Up:

Five stations around the room.

Station 1 – Touch:

• Four mystery boxes, with a hole in each one and four objects (hammer, stuffed animal, tennis ball, ear of corn).
  
• Without looking, kids must identify the objects and write the answers in their worksheets.

Station 2 – Taste:

• Jelly Belly beans – four bowls, each bowl has different flavor.
  
• Bowls are pre-labeled by teacher 1, 2, 3, 4. Kids have to taste ONE of each and write down what the flavors are.

Station 3 – Sight:

• Four microscopes are set up, each with different objects in them (hairs, crystals, tiny print letter, flower petal).
  
• Have each kid draw picture of what they see on worksheet.

Station 4 – Smell:

• Four scented Popsicle sticks (cinnamon, vanilla, orange and vinegar).
  
• Students must identify scent and write answers on worksheet.

Station 5 – Hearing:

• Four sets of headphones hooked up to tape players. Each tape has different sound (cow, jackhammer, bell, motorcycle).
• Students must listen and write down answer on worksheet.

Procedure:

1. Introduction: (Assuming there are 20 kids in the class) Start by grouping kids into five groups of four.

2. Briefly describe each station and assign groups to start at station. Teacher should mostly stay near “taste” station, to make sure they don’t eat all the candy.

3. Give groups enough time for each kid to do each thing at the station, make sure they don’t lolly gag. Then announce groups to rotate once. Once all the stations have been visited have kids sit down and fill out the back of the worksheet, talking about which organs are used for which senses.

4. Kids hand in their worksheets and are on their merry way.

Taste:
What is the flavor?

Bowl #1?________________________

Bowl #2?________________________

Bowl #3?________________________

Bowl #4?________________________

Sight:

Draw what you see in the microscope:

#1.________________________

#2.________________________

#3.________________________

#4.________________________

Smell:

What scent is it?

Stick #1?________________________

Stick #2?________________________

Stick #3?________________________

Stick #4?________________________

Hearing:

What’s making that noise?

Tape #1?________________________

Tape #2?________________________

Tape #3?________________________

Tape #4?________________________

Touch:

What did you feel?

Box #1?________________________

Box #2?________________________

Box #3?________________________

Box #4?________________________

1. What body part do you use to see?________________________

2. What body part do you use to hear?________________________

3. What does your skin do?________________________

4. Is your tongue the ONLY thing for taste? If not, what else?________________________

5. Which sense do you think is the strongest? (No wrong answers, just explain)________________________

BONUS QUESTION (EXTRA CREDIT!):

Why don’t our eyes work in the dark? Explain:________________________

This lesson plan is loosely based on another lesson plan I found on this site: “The Five Senses” by Amber (Shelkett) Mallow.


http://www.lessonplanspage.com/ScienceFiveSensesInDepth34.htm

I thought it would save time and resources to have stations instead of class-wide projects. I also changed some of the activities in order to isolate each sense a little more, so they had to use ONLY their ears, eyes… etc.

It requires pretty extensive set-up. If four microscopes aren’t available, you could use one microscope with four different slides. You could also get some of those little red “slide show” things for looking at pictures.

The sound FX tapes might have to be homemade if you can’t find any. Just go around sometime with a tape recorder and record distinctive sounds.

Everything else you should be able to find around the house or at the store for pretty cheap.

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Danny Schade

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