Lesson Plan

Grade/Subject: 1/Science

Unit: Senses

Lesson Duration: 1 hour

OUTCOMES FROM ALBERTA PROGRAM OF STUDIES

General Learning Outcomes:
Student will:
1-9 Use the senses to make general and specific observations orally and by producing captioned pictures.
1-10 Describe the role of the human senses and the senses of other living things, in enabling perception and action.
Specific Learning Outcomes:
Student will:
1. Apply particular senses to identify and describe objects or materials provided and to describe living things and
environments. Students meeting this expectation will be able to describe characteristics, such as colour, shape, size,
texture, smell and sound.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students will:
1. Identify and describe characteristics of various objects using their sense of touch.
2. Describe the term texture.
3. Explain how their sense of touch can be altered.

ASSESSMENTS
Observations: While doing the experiment, make
sure all the students are engaged, especially those
whose turn it is not. While going through the
worksheet, make sure the students are following
along and writing down the appropriate texture
word on their handprint.

Key Questions/Considerations:
What does texture mean?
How can our sense of touch be altered?

Written/Performance Assessments:
-Completion of the Master #5 worksheet (front and back)

LEARNING RESOURCES CONSULTED

Resource #1: Grade 1 Topic D: Senses Edmonton Public Schools Lesson Resource

MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT

Unit Booklet (Worksheets: Master #5)

5 Senses display cards, magnets
6 bags (7 including teachers) with the 4 objects inside (stone, pinecone, feather, button)
Smartboard

PROCEDURE
Introduction (5 min.):
Hook/Attention Grabber:
Assessment of Prior Knowledge:
SAY: The last couple of lessons we have been learning about the 5 senses. We have learned what they are, what body
part goes with each sense, how our brain controls our senses through the nerves connected to our brains, and about
how our senses can warn us of dangerous situations and keep us safe.
ASK: As a review, who wants to tell me what sense we discovered is used most often?
ASK: Whats one situation where our sense of SEEING can warn us of danger?
SAY: Today we are going to be learning more about our sense of touch.
SAY: Your entire body is used for the sense of touch. For example, you feel the wind on your face, you feel the
sidewalk with your feet as you walk and you feel the desk seat underneath you as you sit down.
ASK: Does anybody remember what the tiny nerve endings all over your skin that help you feel are called?

SAY: RECEPTORS! The skin has many different sense receptors. Each kind has a specific job and measures
something different. For example, hot, cold, pressure, and pain.
SAY: When something is touched, the receptors send messages along the nerves to the spinal cord. These messages
then travel up the spinal cord to the brain. The brain helps you decode the message and tells you what to do.
ASK: If you touch something hot, what does your brain tell you to do?
SAY: This happens almost instantly!
ASK: Can anybody tell me what the term texture means?
SAY: When we describe the texture of something, we describe the way it feels to our sense of touch.
SAY: Lets come up with some texture words on the board.
ASK: What are some words that describe how something feels?
Transition to Body: continue to discuss ideas with the class

Body (50 min.):

Learning Activity #1: Brainstorming/ Identifying Items in bag
DO: Write down their texture words on the whiteboard, and prompt students for the following examples:
Examples: soft, smooth, furry, rough, jagged, hard, sticky, sharp, slimy, wet, warm, cool, slippery, bumpy,
velvety, oily, silky.
SAY: Today we get to do an experiment! Listen closely to the instructions.
SAY: I am going to hand out each group of 4 a bag full of objects. Im going to have the same bag. In that bag are 4
different items. The first person in each row is going to reach their hand into the bag and feel whats inside. I am then
going to use 3 describing words (textures) to describe what Im holding. The person whose hand in the bag
(WITHOUT LOOKING) is then going to raise their hand when they think they know what it is. Please dont yell out
what you think the item is. Then I want you to (WITHOUT LOOKING) pull out your object and show your row.
THEN place your object back in the bag and pass it to the person sitting next to you. Well repeat it so everyone in
your row has a turn. Ill be describing a different object each time.
DO: Pass out the bags to each row. Describe the items as follows:
ROCK: It feels hard. It feels smooth. It feels cold.
PINECONE: It feels prickly. It feels rough. It feels jagged.
FEATHER: It feels soft. It feels smooth. It feels silky.
BUTTON: It feels bumpy on one side. It feels smooth on the other side. It feels hard.
DO: Prior to revealing the object, ask the students what they think it is. AND WHY. (Could discuss things like shape
and size as they relate to the sense of touch.)
SAY: Thats pretty cool that we can discover what an object is, even though we cant see it, just by describing its
texture.
SAY: Now, Were going to do this experiment again, but Im going to make it a little harder this time. Do you
remember at the beginning of science today, we talked about our skin receptors and how they help us know what were
touching? Well, because we already know whats in the bags, Im going to have you try and find the right object
wearing gloves. I want you to pay special attention to how the objects might feel different with gloves on.
SAY: Well start at this end of the row this time. Put your gloves on and wait for me to tell you what object I want you
to feel for in the bag.
DO: Call out the item and ASK: How do the items feel with the gloves on? Is it easier or harder to sort the objects out
with your gloves on?
SAY: Its harder because your skin receptors arent right up against the object! They have to work a little harder.
Transition:
SAY: I want to person who has the bag on their desk to please put in on the side tables.
DO: Choose helpers to pass out the booklets
Learning Activity #2: Textures I Like to Touch Worksheet (front and back)
Assessment: Make sure to stop and checkmark each answer and review the students worksheets after each question.
DO: Open up the worksheet on the smartboard and read the instructions.
DO: Have the students pick 5 texture words from the board and write them on their handprint worksheet.
SPONGE: Backside of worksheet.
DO: Turn the worksheet over and discuss different items or animals they love to touch. Write a list on the board.
Examples: dog, cat, other pets, blankets, stuffed animals, water, rocks, feathers, pinecones, etc
DO: Have the students draw a picture in each of the 4 quadrants and colour their pictures.

Transition:
SAY: Ok, I want you all to quietly put everything away. Close your booklets and place them on the corner of your
desks to be picked up.
DO: Pick up the booklets or use classroom helpers.

Closure (5 min.):
Consolidation/Assessment of Learning:
SAY: Today we learned about the sense of touch and how we can describe our sense of touch by talking about the way
something feels or its TEXTURE! We also learned more about our skin receptors and how putting something between
our skin and the item we are touching can alter our sense of touch. Today we tested that by wearing gloves. We found
it harder to find our items when we had our gloves on. That is because our skin receptors had to go through the fabric
of the glove.
Transition To Next Lesson:
SAY: Thanks for being such good workers for me today, Grade Ones! Its almost time for gym, so when (the helper)
sees youre ready we can begin our end of the day routine.
Feedback To Students/ further assessment: while students are in gym, look through the booklets and circle any wrong
answers on the completed worksheets, so they can fix any mistakes before beginning the next science lesson.