Reception/Year 1 – Science Unit Plan

School Unit Title Duration

Wandana Primary School The Five Senses – How do our senses help us understand the world around us? 4 weeks

Unit Outline
This unit focuses on teaching students about their five senses. Children are given the opportunity to use their sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell to gather
information about the world around them. The five senses of hearing, touch, sight, taste and smell are the primary means we use to acquire new knowledge
and make sense of the world around us. The senses all work together to give us a complete picture of our experiences, we rarely use just one. Using
multiple senses in learning can allow more cognitive connections to be made with a concept. Therefore, it is important for students to explore and
understand each of their five senses to help ensure their learning is more meaningful and useful. The unit also aims to integrate concepts from our other
science unit, living things, as students will make observations about animals and their habitats using their five senses.

Key Concepts Inquiry Questions
• Identify the five senses (sight, touch, hearing, taste and smell) • What are our five senses and why are they important?
• Understand that our senses help us collect information about • What would happen if one of our senses were impaired?
ourselves and our surroundings • What do we see, hear, touch, smell and taste while making
• Compare pictures/objects to understand that we use our five senses observations?
to determine properties of objects and distinguish them one from
another
• We need our senses to work together and often we use two or more
senses at once
• Life is different when our senses are impaired
The Australian Curriculum
Content Descriptions to be taught
Science Understanding
• Living things have basic
needs, including food and
water (ACSSU002)
Science as a Human Endeavour
• Science involves observing,
asking questions about, and
describing changes in,
objects and events
(ACSHE013)
Science Enquiry Skills
• Participate in guided
investigations and make
observations using the
senses (ACHSIS011)
• Engage in discussions about
observations and represent
ideas (ACSIS233)
• Participate in guided
investigations to explore and
answer questions
General Capabilities and cross-
curriculum priorities
Literacy
• Explore and develop literacy
skills embedded in teaching
and learning within science,
e.g. purpose of tests, texts
types, comprehending texts
Numeracy
•
Critical and creative
thinking
•

(ACSIS025) Personal and social

capability
•
Sustainability

Achievement Standard
By the end of the Foundation year, students describe the properties of familiar objects. They can share and reflect on observations, and ask and respond to
questions about familiar objects and events.
By the end of Year 1, students can describe objects and events that they encounter in their everyday lives. Students respond to questions, and participate in
guided investigations of everyday phenomena. They follow instructions to record and sort their observations and share them with others.
Assessment Make Judgments
Assessment Description Assessment Date
Children are given opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and Observations made Teachers gather evidence to make judgments
understanding through both formative and summative assessment. The throughout the 4 about the following characteristics of children’s
assessment is collated in assessment folios and allows for ongoing feedback weeks work:
to children on their learning. Understanding
Children explain their understanding and thinking as they participate in learning • Description and identification of the five
experiences. The teacher records observations of children and determines senses
their individual needs for exploring and developing knowledge, understanding, • Use of five senses to explain familiar
skills and processes associated with this area of science. situations/objects
The sequence of teaching and learning allows opportunities to gather evidence Skills
within: • Relevant responses to questions about
• Responding familiar objects and events
• One-on-one discussions where children discuss and explain • Collection of observations
• Verbal reporting to the group on their own and others’ thinking • Representation and communication of
observations and ideas
Outcome/Objectives Activities Vocabulary Resources Assessment
Participate in guided Touch • Touch • https://www.youtube.c Observation of student
investigations and
make observations • Introduce 5 senses – play YouTube song “The • Feel om/watch?v=MtwV9Mi participation and
using Five Senses Song” • Sensory Adjectives _aNk&index=2&list=R understanding of ‘touch’
the senses (ACSIS011)
• Explore different textured materials (soft, hard, bumpy, DlvBXWMvOGOk
• Use sensory adjectives to describe texture – squishy, fluffy, • Different textured
group objects according to texture rough, smooth, etc.) materials (sandpaper,
• Add words to vocab wall fur, bubble wrap, clay,
wood, aluminum foil,
silk, etc.)
Talking about effective Touch • Touch • Different textured Observation of student
words that describe
objects (ACELA1452) • Introduce lesson with a video on cats – they • Sensory Adjectives materials (sandpaper, participation and
use their whiskers to feel what is around them (soft, hard, bumpy, fur, bubble wrap, clay, understanding of ‘touch’
• Each student chooses 5 different textured squishy, fluffy, wood, aluminum foil, Use of touch vocabulary
materials to describe rough, smooth) silk, etc.)
• Draw an outline of their hand, paste each
material on the fingers and write an adjective
to describe it – use vocab wall for help
• Gearing up – write sentences using sensory
adjectives
Sight • Sight • https://www.youtube.c Observation of student
• Introduce sense of sight with animal video – • Eyes om/watch?v=ioblgpA5 participation and
chameleons have 360 degree vision, dogs are eTo understanding of ‘sight’
color blind Use of sight vocabulary
• Explore sense of sight through 3 different
stations – eye spy bottles, what’s missing?
tray, where’s wally/spot the difference sheets
Sight • Sight • http://www.optics4kid Observation of student
• Explore illusions on PowerPoint • Illusions s.org/home/content/ill participation and
• Students create their own visual illusion usions/ understanding of ‘sight’
(thaumatrope) – animal in a cage • Coloured card
• Paddle pop sticks
Hearing • Hearing Observation of student
• Go for a listening walk outside • Sound participation and
• Have students record what they heard on their understanding of
walk with pictures ‘hearing’
• Gearing Up – Students write sentences to go
with their pictures to describe what they heard
Hearing • Paper cups Observation of student
• Introduce lesson with animal video/music clip • Wool participation and
– dolphins use echo location to hear, some understanding of
high-pitched noises are beyond human ‘hearing’
hearing Use of hearing
• Students create cup phones in pairs vocabulary
Smell • Smell • http://splash.abc.net. Observation of student
• Introduce the sense of smell with an animal • Scent au/home#!/media/12 participation and
video – Beagles have an amazing sense of 26905/the-beagle-a- understanding of ‘smell’
smell, sharks nose-that-always-
• Students explore mystery scents trying to knows
guess what the smell is
Taste • Taste Observation of student
• Bees have taste receptors on their jaws, • Sensory participation and
forelimbs and antennae adjectives (sweet, understanding of ‘taste’
Use of taste vocabulary
 • Students become detectives and have to sour, salty, bitter,
figure out similar looking foods (salt and etc.)
sugar, apple and pear, orange and grapefruit)

Animal Habitats What can you see, Use of senses

• Explore different animals habitats (ocean, hear, touch, smell and vocabulary to describe
jungle, savannah, desert) taste? animal habitats
• Set up sensory animal habitat stations for Animal/habitat vocab
students to investigate and write up short wall?
descriptions Create observation
book
Zoo Day • Scavenger hunt list
• Students work in their groups using their
five senses to find all the animals/habitats
on the scavenger hunt