Lesson Topic/Subject: The Five Senses/Science
Grade Level: 1 /2
Teacher: Michelle Curtiss

Introduction/Background:

This lesson can be used to introduce the entire mini-unit of the five senses. The activity allows the students to explore and discover what is in a mystery box through the use of their five senses. I chose to read for reinforcement of the five senses See, Hear, Touch, Taste, Smell by Melvin Berger. The activity can be done as a whole group or it can be modified for small group or center use.

Objectives:

1. Students will use each of the five senses in discovery of what is inside of a mystery box. Applications.
2. Students will be able to use their sense of hearing to listen to the popcorn being popped, sense of smell, sense of sight to see the popcorn, sense of touch to feel the popcorn, and sense of taste and see if their guess was right. Applications.
3. Students will discover connections between the five senses and the corresponding sense organs. Applications.
4. Students will listen to the book Sense Suspense and respond appropriately.

Materials:

1. Hot air popcorn popper
2. Large box to cover popper
3. Popcorn to pop (enough for 24 students)
4. Napkins/cups for popcorn

Procedures:

1. Place an air popcorn popper filled with popcorn on a table covered with a box in the classroom when the students are not present.
2. Have students sit on the carpet in front of the mystery box. Turn on the popcorn popper.
3. Ask the students how we could find out what is in the box: What does it sound like? What does it smell like?
4. Remove the box. Did the students guess correctly? Tell the students that I will be asking more questions when they get the popcorn about how it feels, tastes and sounds like. Pass out popcorn to students.
5. Ask the students what they see, feel and taste. Ask the students to describe each experience: What does it look like? What does it taste like? What sound does the popcorn make when you eat it?
6. Ask the students to try to explain what they used to find out what was under the box. Briefly discuss the five senses, and the sensory organs. Talk about descriptive sense words: loud, soft, hard, rough, heavy, light, etc.
7. If time permits, read the book Sense Suspense by Bruce McMillan. Ask the students to guess what the close-up photograph is. Then turn the page to see if they are right, and ask what senses we use. (For example, if there is a close-up photograph of a flower, we could see it, smell it, and feel it. Could we hear the flower? Could we taste the flower?)
8. Quickly review: What are the five senses?

Evaluation of student learning:

1. Through discussion after the activity, were the students able to effectively describe their experience of using their senses to figure out what was in the mystery box?
2. Were the students also able to identify the sensory organs used?
3. Did the students appropriately respond to the questions asked during the reading of the book?