Topic of Area of Lesson: Science/Five Senses

 

Grade Level: 1st grade

 

Classroom Type: General Education classroom

 

Students: There are 26 students in the general education classroom. Of those 26 students, three students are students with specific learning disabilities, one is a student with ADHD, and one is a student with childhood onset schizophrenia.

 

 

Objectives:

 

*    The student will use a magnifying glass to get a close-up look at things; leaves, bugs, seeds, grass, brick, etc.

 

*    The student will lay on the grass with their eyes closed to listen and smell.

 

*    The student will record the details by describing or drawing what is observed of 2 things they see, 2 things they hear, 2 things they smell, and 2 things they touch.

 

*    The student will do at least two rubbings of different textures; walls, cement, tree bark, etc.

 

*    The student will take 2 close pictures of 2 of their observations with which they recorded the details by drawing or describing what was observed. The student will do so with the student friendly digital camera.

 

*    The student will create a description with 3 details for both of the up close pictures taken with the digital camera that will be published as part of a class, on-line book linked to the class webpage.

 

 

GLEs & NETs Met:

 

GLE 2.1.1. Understand how to ask a question about objects, organisms, and events in the environment.

 

The students may wonder and ask questions about objects, organisms, and events based on the observations theyŐve made through their senses on their walk around school.

 

GLE 2.1.2. Understand how to plan and conduct simple investigations following all safety rules.

 

The students will make observations using their senses and record characteristics or properties of things or events observed.

 

GLE 2.1.5. Understand how to record and report investigations, results, and explanations.

 

The students will describe and draw their observations as they observe their surroundings with their senses.

 

NET 1.b. Create original works as a means of personal or group expression.

 

The students will demonstrate their creative thinking, constructed knowledge, and developed innovative products and processes by using the youth friendly digital cameras to explore the various textures and observations made about the world around them through their five senses.

 

NET 2.a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media.

 

The students will create a description with 3 details for both of the up close pictures taken with the digital camera that will be published as part of a class, on-line book linked to the class webpage.

 

Materials:

 

á     What in the World pictures

o   Found on the back page of National Geographic World magazines

o   Are colored pictures of everyday objects photographed in a distorted way: either close up or far away

 

á      Paper observation book

o   Three sheets of blank paper per student

o   One sheet of colorful construction paper

o   Stapler

 

á      Field Trip Kit

o   Clip board

o   Paper observation book self made by students

o   Paper for rubbings of textures

o   Pencil

o   Colored pencils

o   Magnifying glass

o   Small plastic baggies

o   Unwrapped crayons

 

á      A least one youth friendly digital camera for each group of students

o   For this particular assignment, I will have 6 groups of 3 and 2 groups of 4 and therefore will need 8 cameras

 

Procedures:

 

1.     Share "What in the World" pictures with the class.

2.     Give the students time to try to guess what they are looking at.

3.     Ask the students why they are guessing the way they are and the reasoning behind their guesses.

4.     Introduce students to the concept of the senses and how they are depending on what they see to create their guesses. Ask the students what else they would like to know to help them guess better; would they like to know what type of noises the thing in the picture might make, what the thing in the picture might smell like, or what the thing in the picture might taste like?

5.     Ask the students that if they had more of these details, whether or not they think they would be able to guess what really is in the picture.

6.     Use one of the "What in the World" photographs and emphasize the point of using our senses to identify things by giving the students more clues, one for each of the senses we use to identify things; sight, smell, taste, sound and touch.

7.     When the students guess correctly, ask the students how they were able to make the correct guess.

8.     Tell the students that they are going to get to go to a special place.

9.     Begin to describe your school and ask the students to listen closely and carefully and guess what is being described. Use general terms at first, saying things like, "It has lots of room, some trees, a place to play, and a place for cars to park."

10.  Let the students guess.

11.  Ask, "What might help you see a better mind picture? Would more describing words help?"

12.  Tell the students they are going to write a book about their school and publish it. Tell them that it will be linked to the classroom webpage. Explain to the students that before they can do that they will have to discover some interesting things abut their school using their senses.

13.  Explain to the students that they will first take a five senses walk around the school to observe and record at least 2 things that they see, 2 at least things that they hear, at least 2 things that they smell, and at least 2 things that they feel. Explain to students that they will also be creating at least 2 crayon rubbings of 2 different items and that each of them will also get to make 2 of their own "What in the World" photographs.

14.  Introduce the concept of taking pictures with the camera held very close or very far away.

15.  Divide students into 6 groups of 3 and 2 groups of 4.

16.  Pass out one youth friendly digital camera per group and guide each group of students on the proper, responsible use of the cameras and how the photographers of the "What in the World" pictures used their cameras to create the "What in the World" pictures.

17.  Distribute a "Field Trip Kit" to each student. Go through all of the materials, one by one with students as a whole class and explain to the students what all of the materials are used for.

18.  Model for the students how to record the details by describing or drawing what is observed of 2 things they see, 2 things they hear, 2 things they smell, and 2 things they touch in their observation books.

19.  Also model for the students how to create rubbings of different textures and give them ideas of what can be used to create different rubbings; walls, cement, tree bark, etc.

20.  Guide the students on their walk around the school and on the playground, stopping frequently to discuss what they are observing and what senses they are using to make the observations.

21.  Have the students first lay on the grass with their eyes closed and ears open so that they can listen to the various sounds around them and notice any smells.

22.  Have the students record any observations in their observation books made through their ears, by sound, or through their nose, by smell.

23.  Have the students use their magnifying glasses to look at various things around them up close.

24.  Give the students time enough to record any observations their eyes may have made.

25.  Have the students find things that they could make texture rubbings of.

26.  Have the students create the texture rubbings and record their observations using their sense of touch in their observation books.

27.  Have the students break out the youth friendly cameras and create their "What in the World" photographs.

28.  Allot the students enough time to record their various observations, to create their texture rubbings, and to create their "What in the World" pictures. Make sure that no student is left behind in the observation and recording process.

29.  When all students are done, collect all of the youth friendly digital cameras and tell students its time to head back to class to create their class observation book.

30.  When back in the classroom, instruct each student to create two different descriptions, one for each of their "What in the World" pictures. Tell the students that the class will be using the descriptions to figure out which pictures were taken by which student; which description goes with what picture.

31.  Explain to the students that after the descriptions are matched with their pictures, they will all be combined to create a class book of "What in the World" photographs.

32.  While the students are creating their descriptions, download all of the studentsŐ photographs and print them out.

33.  When the students are finished with their descriptions, spread out the photographs on a board at the front of the room and have the students, one by one, read their descriptions while the rest of the class guesses which photograph their classmate is describing.

34.  When all photographs are matched, have the students combine their pages and create their class book.

35.  Type the studentŐs descriptions up and paste their pictures into the description using a word document. Each student will have two pages within the book. Save the book and upload to the class webpage.

 

 

Assessment:

 

The following is the checklist that will be used to assess the student for this particular assessment.

 

o The student used a magnifying glass to get a close-up look at things; leaves, bugs, seeds, grass, brick, etc.

 

o The student laid on the grass with their eyes closed to listen and smell.

 

o The student recorded the details of 2 things they saw by either describing or drawing it.

 

o The student recorded the details of 2 things they heard by either describing or drawing it.

 

o The student recorded the details of 2 things they smelled by either describing or drawing it.

 

o The student recorded the details of 2 things they touched by either describing or drawing it.

 

o The student made at least two rubbings of different textures; walls, cement, tree bark, etc.

 

o The student took 2 close pictures of 2 of their observations with which they recorded the details by drawing or describing what was observed. The student did so with the student friendly digital camera.

 

o The student created a description with 3 details for both of the up close pictures taken with the digital camera that will be published as part of a class, on-line book linked to the class webpage.

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