Using Our Senses

Lesson Summary:

The purpose of this lesson is to explore our surroundings using our five senses. Students will work in small groups and take pictures of things they can hear, smell, see, taste, or touch. They will then write short descriptions about their findings/photos. We will use both the inside of our school and also venture out to the nature trail on the school grounds. We will then use Multi Media Lab V to create slide shows to share with family and community members.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this lesson the students will:
- be able to effectively operate a digital camera
- be able to identify their five senses
- be able to write a description of the items explored and photographed
- be able to create a slide show presentation using Multi Media Lab V.
- orally present slide shows to family and community members

Lesson Introduction:

The lesson will be introduced as a culminating project during our study of the five senses. The lesson will begin with a review of our five senses and what we have learned. We will then find examples in our classroom to be sure we have an understanding of our senses. The teacher will let the children know that they will use the classroom digital cameras to photograph things both inside and outside the school to show how we use our five senses.


Activities:

1. Review with 6th grade mentors how to use digital cameras and allow them to practice.
2. Divide the class into groups of 4 students, each with 1 sixth grade mentor.
3. As a class we will go for a walk both inside and outside of the school to find objects to photograph of us using our senses.
4. We will utilize the mobile computer lab as well as our classroom computers to put the photos in a Microsoft Word document and write a sentence or two to describe each picture.
5. We will print out our Word documents.
6. Complete the Multi Media Lab V tutorials on the mobile computer lab.
7. Groups will create slide shows using the photographs taken and add their sentences to the presentations.
8. Groups will review projects and edit if necessary.
9. Students will assess group projects during presentations.
10. Share thoughts with each group describing what each student liked or disliked about the projects and include ideas of what could be done differently next time.
Following the completion of the project, we will have a family night and share our created projects to parents and other community members.