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Topic: Use of observational skills, including the five sense, to identify characteristics of frogs

Grade level: second grade - bilingual

Student objectives: when asked, the students will be able to:

1.      Describe each of the five senses used when observing

2.      Identify features of a frog using 3 of the five sense

3.      Demonstrate how knowledge can be gained from careful observation by offering two possible situational examples

Process Skills:

·        Observations - use all five senses to describe and collect data about various objects.

·        Classifying - serial classification of objects according to a observational attributes (i.e., sight, sound, smell, taste, touch)

·        Recording - record observations on data collection sheet and share ideas with class

Materials:

For the students:

·        Data collection sheet

·        Live frogs in a terrarium

Material preparation before the activity:

             Data collect sheet needs to be constructed, allowing space for the students' observations during the data collection process.

Motivation component: (~ 2 minutes)

             The students have been reading from Toad and Frog books by Arnold Lobel for over a week.  As a activity to follow up their interests in frogs, two White's "Dumpy" Tree Frogs will be presented to the students.  The instructor will first ask the student whom they have been reading about [Frog and Toad].  The students will then be asked if they can describe toad using their five sense.  They may have some difficulty with this as the only view of Frog is from pages of a book.

Learning Activities:

Questions:

1.      What are our five senses?  (Knowledge) [sight, smell, tastes, touch, hearing]

2.      What parts of our bodies do our senses come from?  (Knowledge)  [eyes, nose, tongue, hands, ears]

3.      What are some ways we observe the world around us?  (Comprehension) [any of the five senses]

4.      What are some ways we may describe the frogs?  (Comprehension) [size, shape, texture, color, smell, taste, etc.]

5.      What are some ways you use your senses to observe the wold?  (Analysis) [various answers]

6.      How could we gather information about our surroundings if we could not {see, touch, hear, taste, smell}?  (Analysis) [various answers]

Data Collection:

1.      Before showing the frogs, the instructor will first introduce the five senses and their origins on the body.  [hearing-ears, sight-eyes, taste-tongue, touch-hands, and smell-nose]

2.      Distribute data collection sheets to the students. 

3.      Directions (to students): Put you name at the top of the data collection sheet.  Explain that the students are to use their senses to observe and describe the frogs in and outside of the terrarium, in as many ways as they can.  Next to "Frog #1" they are to list as many attributes of that animal by using their senses.  (*Note, the students are not to taste the frogs!)  The students will do the same for frog #2.

Data Processing:

1.      After data collection, the students will discuss their findings.  On a large sheet of paper, the instructor will list suggestions given by the students.  The instructor will list the descriptions according to the senses, without informing the students she is doing on.

2.      After all the descriptions are listed, the instructor will ask the students to identify which of the five senses were used to gather that information.

Closure: (~ 3 minutes)

Ask the student how they might gain information about the world around them by using their five senses.  This will allow them to understand the importance of the senses for observations in everyday life. 

Assessment:

1.       Informal observations during data collection and data processing (Formative)

2.       Data collection sheet (Formative)

Name:              

Directions:

1.        Put your name on your paper

2.      List your observations for each frog

Frog # 1              Frog # 2