Using My Five Senses

The five senses are the five main tools that humans use to perceive the world. Those senses are sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch. We see with our eyes, we smell with our noses, we listen with our ears, we taste with our tongue, and we touch with our skin. Our brain receives signals from each of these organs, and interprets them to give us a sense of what's happening around us.

Neurologists might argue that in reality there are far more than five senses - anywhere from 9 to 21. These include things like perception of heat, pressure, pain, and balance, among others.

This is a WebQuest for students with moderate to severe special needs in grades K-2 to learn more about their 5 senses. All students in my class will require adult assistance to complete the WebQuest in addition to having a typical first grade peer partner participate in this WebQuest lesson as well. Students have been participating in a week long unit on their 5 senses. Completion of the WebQuest is meant to be the culminating activity of the week long unit on the five senses

    Using My Five Senses

 Seeing Hearing Smelling Tasting Touching

Oh No! The baby is coming and he doesn't know what his five senses are! Ms. Kate Joy needs your help to explain to her new baby what the five senses are and how we use them to help us explore the world around us.

Through this WebQuest we will learn more about our five senses. We use our five senses to explore the world around us. Our senses send signals to our brain about what is going on in the world around us. Our brain then processes those signals so that we can learn and make decisions.

Can you become 5 Senses Detectives and help Ms. Kate Joy explain what our five senses are to her new baby?

Now it's time for you to use all of your senses to become 5 senses experts. Then you will be able to help Ms. Kate Joy explain to the baby which sense he uses to see, hear, smell, taste, and touch. You will also be able to explain why they are important.

1. Work with your partner to answer some questions about our 5 senses. Write your answers on your worksheet. 

? Would you be able to watch your favorite movie without being able to see?

? Would you be able to listen to your favorite song without being able to hear?

? Which sense do you use to sniff your favorite flower?

? Would you be able to enjoy your favorite food without being able to taste?

? Which sense to you use to feel and snuggle with your favorite stuffed animal?

2. Think of Ms. Kate's dogs, Oliver and Keller , who visit our class. They have special needs because they do not have all of their senses. They each have a sensory impairment.  

Oliver cannot hear; he only has 4 of 5 senses. Think about and discuss with your partner what we have to do for Oliver because he cannot hear? How do we call his name or get his attention? How do we give him directions?

 Keller cannot hear and he cannot see very well at all; he can only see people and things that are very close to him. He only has 3 of 5 senses. Think about and discuss with your partner what we have to do for Keller because he is missing 2 of his senses? How do we call his name or get his attention? How do we give him directions? How do we help him move around the classroom and school campus safely so he doesn't bump into furniture or get lost?

 When one or more of your senses don't work, you have to use your other senses to learn about the world around you. How do Oliver and Keller use their sense of smell, touch, and taste to learn about the world around them?

 Use the Kid Pix Deluxe drawing program on the computer to draw a picture of Oliver or Keller who only has 3 or 4 of their 5 senses. Print your picture with help from your teachers. Then write about which senses your dog is missing and what people do to help them learn about the world around them.

3. Complete the sensory station activities to learn more about your senses.

* Seeing Station: Use your sense of seeing by going to the Seeing Station and visiting WallE on YouTube. Watch the movie trailer for the newest Disney movie, WallE. Then, answer the question on seeing on your 5 Senses evaluation worksheet.

* Hearing Station: Use your sense of hearing by going to the Hearing Station and visiting PBS Kids. Choose a song video to listen to and watch. Then, write down which video you watched on your 5 Senses evaluation worksheet.

* Smelling Station: Use your sense of smell by going to the Smelling Station and smell each container. Identify the scents in each container and circle the correct answers on your evaluation worksheet. Which one was your favorite scent? Write it down on your evaluation worksheet.

* Tasting Station: Go to the Tasting Station and use your sense of taste. Taste all four foods. Which one was salty? Which one was bitter? Which one was sweet? Which one was sour? Write and circle the foods you tasted on your 5 Senses evaluation worksheet. Which food was your favorite? Which food did you like the least? Write down your answers on your evaluation worksheet. 

* Touching Station: Go to the Touching Station and make a Touchy Feely collage with various textured materials (cotton balls, sandpaper, felt, googly eyes, foam pieces, sequins, wallpaper samples, and foil), paper, scissors, and glue. When you finish your collage, shut your eyes and touch all the objects in the 'Touchy Boxes' (you will feel rocks, pine cones, play-doh, sandpaper, and Velcro). Identify what you felt in each box on your 5 Senses evaluation worksheet.

* Great work at all of the stations!

* Go to your PECS schedule and see where to go next.

* Write a note to Ms. Kate's baby about how he will use his five senses. Ask your teachers for help if you need it.

* You're almost done! Ask your teacher for an Evaluation Rubric. Each partner should complete a rubric.

5 Senses Evaluation Worksheet

Name: _______________________________

Directions: Write or circle your answers.

1. Would you be able to watch your favorite movie without being able to see?

           YES                    NO  

2. Would you be able to listen to your favorite song without being able to hear? 

            YES                   NO

3. Which sense do you use to sniff your favorite flower?

      SEEING             HEARING

      SMELLING        TOUCHING

4. Would you be able to enjoy your favorite food without being able to taste?

           YES                    NO

5. Which sense to you use to feel and snuggle with your favorite stuffed animal?

      HEARING           SMELLING

      TOUCHING         TASTING

Conclusion

Great job, I am so proud of you! You used all 5 of your senses today! You are now 5 senses experts!

If you finish early and have time, complete these sentences...

I am happy when I see _______________________________.

I am happy when I hear _______________________________.

I am happy when I smell _______________________________.

I am happy when I taste _______________________________.

I am happy when I touch _______________________________.

While conducting research on my topic, the 5 senses, I came across many wonderful websites with lesson plans from which I gleaned ideas.

The following websites all contained lessons on the topic of the 5 senses for preschoolers and/or students with special needs.

Differentiated instruction lesson on 5 senses for English Language Learners and/or students with special needs: five senses for ELL and students with special needs

Ten Activities for teaching students about their 5 senses: 10 activities on 5 senses

Signing the alphabet: Fun Brain

Braille for kids: Arthur and friends on Braille

Tons of resources on disabilities for teachers: Disability resources

Loss of smell information for kids: sense of smell

More information on sense of touch for kids: sense of touch

More information on sense of taste for kids: sense of taste

taste buds picture and article

I also used various Google images throughout my WebQuest evaluation worksheet.

I also used the following wonderful age and developmentally appropriate books with my students to help explain the 5 senses:

My Five Senses by Aliki

The Listening Walk by Paul Showers

The Five Senses by Keith Faulkner and Jonathon Lambert

My Five Senses by Judy Nayer

The Five Senses by Herve Tullet

This is a WebQuest for students with moderate to severe special needs in grades K-2 to learn more about their 5 senses. All students in my class will require adult assistance to complete the WebQuest in addition to having a typical first grade peer partner participate in this WebQuest lesson as well. Students have been participating in a week long unit on their 5 senses. Completion of the WebQuest is meant to be the culminating activity of the week long unit on the five senses.

Teacher Introduction

Introduction:

* As stated in the previous section about the learners, my students are in a Special Day Class-Severely Handicapped for students in grades K-2. They have a variety of abilities and learning preferences and goals.

* All of my students enjoy working on the computer, actively learning, and interacting with their typical peers. This WebQuest is designed to incorporate all of those aspects thorough experiential learning stations while providing a culminating activity to a week long unit on our 5 senses.

* By the time they complete the WebQuest, my students will have have been participating in a week long unit on their 5 senses. Their first grade peer partners will participate in this WebQuest lesson as well.

* We will begin the lesson by reviewing as a whole class in the circle area what we already know about our 5 senses through reading the book, My Five Senses by Aliki.

* Then we will answer the following question, "What are our 5 senses?" I will encourage the answers, "Our eyes help us see. Our ears help us hear. Our nose helps us smell. Our mouth and tongue help us taste. Our hands and skin help us touch and feel."

Objectives for the WebQuest:

1. Students will learn more about their five senses and will be able to describe what their five senses are.

2. Students will be able to answer questions about their five senses.

3. Students will work cooperatively with their partners.

4. Students will use each of their 5 senses to complete each step of the WebQuest.

5. Students will write and circle answers to complete their evaluation worksheet and rubric.