STEM 434/534 Lesson Planning Template Spring 2021

(Complete answers in Purple font)

Name: Maya Bryant Grade: Kindergarten Topic: 5 senses

Brief Lesson Description:
In this lesson, students will conduct a series of experiments using three of the 5 senses, this should only take about one day.

Specific Learning Outcomes:

They have a better understanding of how their sense of hearing, sight and touch works together to send messages to their brain.
How did this lesson develop as a result of your examination of research and data about employing culturally sustaining pedagogical
strategies? (Think equal opportunity, student interests, race, gender, disabilities etc.)
This lesson includes all races, genders and provides and equal opportunity to students with disabilities and those without to see, hear, and
touch and understand how this all works together.
Narrative / Background Information
Prior Student Knowledge: We have already completed the first part of this unit, this is just a complimentary lesson plan on that topic,
where students already knew how to hear, see, taste, smell, and feel. Now they should already know how to identify what senses they
are using and what organ goes along with it.

Science VA SOL Health VA SOL NGSS (You may have to look to a different
K.2 The student will investigate and K.2 The student will identify healthy grade level for the connection)
understand that humans have senses that decisions. 1.1 The student will demonstrate an
allow them to seek, find, take in, and react Body Systems understanding of scientific reasoning, logic,
or respond to information in order a) Recognize how the major body and the nature of science by planning and
to learn about their surroundings. Key parts work together to move. conducting investigations in which
concepts include b) Identify situations that require the a) the senses are used to observe
a) the five senses and corresponding use of each of the five senses. differences in physical properties;
sensing organs
Science & Engineering Practices: (You must tie engineering practices into your plan)
The engineering practices would be the body and how it works together, teacher should bring in a skeleton to show what nerves look
like in our bodies.
Possible Preconceptions/Misconceptions:
Students will probably already think that their senses only work if you have all of them, students might misunderstand the definition of
nerves and the nervous system with the word nervous of being scared.

LESSON PLAN – 5-E Model

ENGAGE: Opening Activity – Access Prior Learning / Stimulate Interest / Generate Questions: (Discrepant events are awesome to use
here)
Teacher will chose one student to come up to the board and turn their back to the class, teacher will then hold up this picture to show the
class

The class will then have to describe the flower to the student at the front without saying “flower”. The student will then have to draw what
their classmates describe using the right colors to see if the message gets communicated correctly.
This is how to describe how our brain works to take in clues to tell us what we are seeing. The teacher will explain that the student at the
front is us, and the classmates that see the picture are the nerves gathering information.
EXPLORE: Lesson Description – Materials Needed / Probing or Clarifying Questions:
The experiment for hearing: bring a speaker, and a bucket of water, the students should all be around and you play a song and hold it up
to the water and have the students observe the waves, this is where you explain that sound waves is how we hear, this could also be
explained by having all the students close their eyes and walk around them with the seaker on high and ask them to describe how they
hear. They should hear it louder when you are near and quieter when you are far away. Those are sound waves.
EXPLAIN: Concepts Explained and Vocabulary Defined:
There are nerves all over our bodies that connect to our spine that connect to our brain that makes us aware something is touching us or
that we are touching something. Those nerves send messages to our brains to make a detailed picture of what we are touching. Teacher
askes have we ever touched something too hot and quickly let go? That is our body telling us to be careful. We have reflexes that tell us
what is safe and what isn’t. in this experiment you use blocks, circles and triangles, feathers, leggo, doll, dice, remote, toothbrush, pencil, a
cup, spoon a fork, ect in a bag and each student describes what they feel and the class has to guess what they are touching without saying
what it is. At the end each student should have felt an item and everyone participated.

Vocabulary:
Nerves – tiny parts in your body that send messages to your brain about what they sense, allowing you to sense things.

Nervous System – all of the nerves in your body connect to your spinal cord (which run through your backbone), which connects to your
brain. This very complex system is what allows you to sense things.

Sound Waves – tiny back and forth movements, called vibrations, that can travel through air and other things like fabric and water. Sound
waves are usually blocked by solid objects, such as walls.
ELABORATE: Applications and Extensions:
Hide items around the classroom and have each student stand by something they can either touch, see, or smell, and after they explain
their sense they sit down for group discussion.
EVALUATE:
Have a group discussion about everyone’s favorite sense and why. Then have someone new explain how their favorite sense works.
Formative Monitoring (Questioning / Discussion):
Teacher asks students questions about what they learned, pick on three students to explain the vocabulary they learned, one sense. Then
ask the rest of the class what other senses do we have?
Summative Assessment (Quiz / Project / Report) (Include a rubric):
The project the students should do is go home and brin in the next day for show and tell one thing they like to feel, one thing they like
seeing and one thing they like to smell. We can share this with the class the following day
Plan for differentiation: (Be sure to specifically address the following learners)
 Students with high-incidence disabilities (e.g., autism, ADHD, mild learning disorders)
 ELL
 Gifted learners
Elaborate Further / Reflect: Enrichment:
 How will you evaluate your practice? Asking questions, to each student to see if they comprehended the lesson
 Where might/did learners struggle in the lesson? I think they might struggle waiting their turn to share, so smaller groups might
be required, they could also have a hard time not saying the word flower when describing it.
 How can the lesson be strengthened for improved student learning? Go home and find one item to bring in for show and tell
 Did the lesson reflect culturally sustaining pedagogies? If not, how can this be enhanced? Different cultures in the class will have
a chance to share something personal with the class and teach a little about themselves.
 Materials Required for This Lesson/Activity
Quantity Description Potential Supplier (item #) Estimated Price