I. Curricular Framework

Concept:

Classification

Essential Question:

How do our 5 senses help us learn more about an object?

Bridge:

Images of Senses

Content:

Senses and the Farm

Outcomes:

II. Standards Aligned

III. Instruction and Assessment

1. Connect: Connecting to the Concept Experientially

Objective: To connect the previous experience, the class picnic, to the concept of senses--seeing, hearing, speaking, tasting, touching, smelling.

Activity: The class picnic (Step 8). During the picnic, the children will observe and discuss what they are tasting, the texture of the foods they prepared, smell the smells outdoors, see the surroundings, hear the sounds in the environment.

Assessment: The level of interest shown by individual children, the quality of language development, the use of vocabulary developed during the unit, knowledge of senses used in the previous units.

2. Attend: Attending to the Connection

Objective: To focus the children's attention on the five senses used during the previous two units--the visits to the farm and the farmers' market, as well as the picnic.

Activity: Teacher posts five charts, each with a large picture of one of the senses in the center: an eye, a mouth, hands, ear, tongue. The children brainstorm what they recall from their visits to the farm, farmers' market, and picnic. Their statements are clustered on each chart according to the sense used.

Assessment: Ability to recall experiences that relate to each of the five senses; quality of language--vocabulary development using words introduced in previous units.

Assessment, Phase One, Level of Engagement, Fascination:

3. Image: Creating a Mental Picture

Objective: To use another medium to reinforce the experiences each child had at the farm and at the farmer's market.

Activity: Students will add visuals (pictures from magazines) to add a collage effect to the 5 senses charts.

Assessment: Quality of contributions to the collages.

Assessment, Phase Two, Seeing the Big Picture:

4. Inform: Receiving Facts & Knowledge

Objective: To develop the concept of senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste and the body part used.

Activity: Teacher reads aloud to the children, shows filmstrips and videos to develop each concept, e.g., What Happens When You Look? What Happens When You Hear? What Happens When You Touch? What Happens When You Smell? What Happens When You Taste? Fingerplays and poems about the senses.

Assessment: Number of correct responses to questions asked during and at end of each activity. Attentiveness of the children. Level of participation in the activities.

Assessment, Phase Three, Success with Acquiring Knowledge:

5. Practice: Developing Skills

Objective: To provide hands-on opportunities for children to experience/extend what they learned in Step 4.

Activity:
Centers: Sense of Smell, Sense of Touch, Sense of Taste, Sense of Sight, Sense of Hearing. Sense of Hearing Center: Children listen to a tape of common household sounds and identify each sound; trace large ear pattern, cut out ear, write/draw pictures of favorite sounds on the ear; match containers with the same sounds by shaking the containers; listen to books-on-tape regarding sound, e.g., The Listening Walk; make tin can telephones to use to talk to friend; listen to George Winston's Autumn and color while listening.
Sense of Sight Center: Read books and magazines about the five senses; look in a mirror and draw eye the size and shape of own eyes, paste eyes on the Senses Mural; play "eye doctor" using eye chart to check "patient's" vision; look at various still life prints and identify the flowers, fruits, vegetables and insects in the paintings; visit an art museum or museum of natural history with parents or as a class and look for plants and animals in art or on display.
Sense of Touch Center: Feely Box with objects of various textures to be felt and identified by child; finger paint making a design of choice; place objects of varying textures in the sand table, use straws and bubble blowers in the water table to create bubbles--feel the texture; create sense of dirt, mud, worms by mixing chocolate pudding (mud) and crushed oreo cookies (dirt) and placing gummy worms into mixture--explore the worms in the mud with hands and eat own creations.
Sense of Smell Center: Children smell small film canisters filled with objects of varying fragrances and determine the smell; describe favorite smells at home; using black paper and different smelling soaps, draw a picture or design of choice; describe the smell of a fresh bouquet of flowers; go on smells walk around the school.
Sense of Taste Center: Children taste foods with four different tastes--salty, sweet, sour, bitter and record responses on worksheet; make own snack--put peanuts, chocolate chips, coconut, sunflower seeds, and raisins in small brown bag and shake; write or draw pictures of favorite foods on large tongue.

Assessment: Quality and accuracy of work products, level of participation at each center, ability to follow directions and work cooperatively.

Assessment, Phase Four, Success with Acquiring Skills:

6. Extend: Extending Learning to the Outside World

Objective: To use all senses to plan and make musical instruments.

Activity: Children will develop plans for making musical instruments to be used to accompany favorite records or for sound effects with favorite stories or original stories. Regular household objects will be used, e.g., coffee cans, oatmeal cartons, shoe boxes, coffee cans, aluminum plates, etc. The music teacher and art teacher will assist.

Assessment: Enthusiasm of students as they plan their instruments.

7. Refine: Refining the Extension

Objective: To use instruments in performances.

Activity: The art teacher and music teacher will help students refine their instruments as students practice and plan their performance.

Assessment: Quality of the instruments, ability to describe senses used in making instruments, individual participation in the planning and practicing of the performances.

8. Perform: Creative Manifestation of Material Learned

Objective: To share what was learned with others in the school and with parents.

Activity: Children invite other classes to their performances. After the performance, each child explains to someone how the instrument was made and how to play it and signs autographs if asked. Popcorn is popped prior to the performance to set the stage and is distributed in small brown bags to guests.

Assessment: Individual interest and participation in sharing knowledge with others.

Assessment, Phase Five,Performance, Creative Use of Material Learned: