Kindergarten – Science – 5 Senses
This is a lesson I taught to my Kindergarteners and Grade 1s during my internship around Halloween. We had done previous learning with our 5 senses and real pumpkins, using our knowledge to observe and verbally describe both the inside and outside of the pumpkin (excluding taste. So I brought Pumpkin Marshmallow Peeps for them to test out their knowledge of all 5 senses in a fun way that ends with eating a sweet treat.
| Subject/Grade: Kindergarten Science
Lesson Title: 5 Senses – Marshmallow Peeps |
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| Stage 1: Identify Desired Results | ||
| Outcome(s)/Indicator(s):
MOK.1 – Investigate observable characteristics of familiar objects and materials in their environment. d) Identify observable characteristics of materials, such as colour, texture, and odour, and observable characteristics of objects, such as shape, size, and weight. |
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| Key Understandings: (‘I Can’ statements)
I can use my 5 senses. I can observe and describe my pumpkin peep. I ca work together with my group/partner. |
Essential Questions:
How can I use my 5 senses (sight, touch, taste, hearing, and smells) to desbribe my marshmallow peep?
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| Prerequisite Learning:
Students have previously learnt what the 5 senses are and what body parts we use to observe those senses.
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Instructional Strategies:
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| Stage 2: Determine Evidence for Assessing Learning | ||
| While students were working with their groups on each box, I was walking from table to table, chatting with each group to check their understanding and progress with the worksheet. Groups/partners also handed in their worksheets for me to review to once again check whether they understood the activity. | ||
| Stage 3: Build Learning Plan | ||
| Set (Engagement): 5-10 minutes.
Review the 5 senses and what body part we use to observe each of those 5 senses. We had been using posters correlating to each of the senses as a visual, so I brought those back from previous lessons. Discuss how you can use your 5 senses to describe different things. Show students the Pumpkin peeps, but do not give them to the students yet. Show them the worksheet and explain what we are going to be doing. Students will be going in partners to complete the worksheet together. Grade 1s or Kindergartens, if they can, will write down the answers while the other group members help them come up with the answers. Tell them multiple times not to eat the peeps. we have to do our work first and then we can eat them. Our sense of taste is the last box so we have to wait. First work, then eat. Get students to repeat back to you that they are not supposed to eat it until the end when the teacher says it is okay. Development: 30 minutes. Hand out the peeps, reminding students not to eat them. I drew the boxes out on the board, but I could have also projected the worksheet or used a document camera. Starting with the first box – hearing. Model for students how to use their ears to observe how the peep sounds. What happens if we squish it? Try your best to write down our words. Model on the board which square we are currently working in. Remind students only to do this square. Once ready, move on to the next square (smell). Again, I modelled how to smell the peep and then write on the board, but a little quicker this time. Repeat this process for the see and feel boxes. Instructing/modelling less and less as they get the hang of it more. Finally, ask them what box is left and what body part we use to observe taste. Since everyone worked so hard on the other 4 boxes, let’s all eat our peeps and write down how they taste. And then, we are done with our worksheet. Get them really excited that they get to eat the peep. Learning Closure: 5-10 minutes Quick review of the lesson – 5 senses, our observations, if we had fun, if the peeps were yummy, etc. Allow students to share their observations if they want to, then hand in their worksheets. |
Materials/Resources:
Pumpkin Marshmellow Peeps 5 Senses Worksheet Adaptations/ Differentiation: I partnered grade 1s with kindergartens so the grade 1s could help the kindergartens write the answers down on the paper. I also made sure to partner with students I knew could get along with eachother. Grade 1s or Kindergartens who were writing were trying their best to sound out the words they were writing and not worry about if it was spelt correctly. We went through each box one at a time. I modelled my expectations, showing them how to use that sense to observe their peep and then record their answer on their paper. Then, they tried the box on their own with their group. Once all groups were ready, I modelled the next box, doing the same thing but not quite as thorough. We continued this process going one box at a time, my instruction/modelling for each box getting less and less as they started to get the hang of it. I told them they all had to have at least 1 word per box but allowed them to add in as many as they wanted so the quicker groups were trying to come up with more words while they waiting for the other groups to finish. |
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Below are the worksheets my students completed in their groups and partners.
