Topic: Take care of your eyes and ears

Target group

4th‑grade students of elementary school

Core curriculum

General aim of education

The student acquires knowledge and skills about the topics discussed in the classes

Key competences

• communication in foreign languages;

• digital competence;

• learning to learn.

Criteria for success
The student will learn:

• why you should protect your eyes from excessive light;

• how to defend against noise.

Methods/techniques

• expository

  • talk.

• activating

  • discussion.

• programmed

  • with computer;

  • with e‑textbook.

• practical

  • exercices concerned.

Forms of work

• individual activity;

• activity in pairs;

• activity in groups;

• collective activity.

Teaching aids

• e‑textbook;

• notebook and crayons/felt‑tip pens;

• interactive whiteboard, tablets/computers;

• different types of glasses;

• sound intensity meter.

Lesson plan overview

Before classes

• The teacher and pupils measure the intensity of the sound in selected places (eg during a school break, at a disco, along a busy street, in the park, on the playground, during the match). The data is saved in a table prepared by the students.

Introduction

• The teacher explains the aim of the lesson and together with students determines the success criteria to be achieved.

Realization

• The teacher asks the pupils to read the fragment „Protecting the ears” Then students write the results of sound intensity measurements on the board obtained before the lesson. Using „Table 1”, they identify places where staying is dangerous to health (it can damage the hearing organ). They emphasize them with red color.

• The instructor recommends students to indicate the possibilities of protecting the hearing organ against noise. Writes all ideas on the board. Students choose three best proposals by voting.

• In the abstract, the students seek out a description of how to protect their eyes when observing the solar eclipse. The teacher presents different types of glasses (sunglasses for viewing the solar eclipse, sunglasses, work glasses, prescription glasses, etc.) and asks the pupils to determine the situations in which they should be used.

• The instructor together with the students analyzes the interactive illustration explaining how to limit the harmful effects of the computer on the eyes.

Summary

• The teacher asks students to carry out the recommended interactive exercise themselves.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

Take care of your eyes and ears

Solar eclipse, this is a very spectacular phenomenon, which is why it is readily watched by many people. However, special safety measures must be taken during such a show! The eyes are a very sensitive sense organ.

Sight is a very important sense. The eyes are extremely sensitive. Focusing your eyes on objects lying close to them is exhausting. When using the computer or reading books, let your eyes rest sometimes: close every hour for a while, intensively blink a few times and look into the distance without looking at the object.
Remember also that the sun can not only harm us if we look straight at it. Sunglasses with a high UV filter are very useful (that is, protecting against ultraviolet radiation). These glasses should be worn not only in the summer, but also in winter, because the light reflecting off the snow can damage the eyes!

Nowadays there are very common problems with human eyesight: myopia, farsightedness and astigmatism. It may happen that initially the eye defect is not serious, but it increases over time. The eyes get tired when using the computer and watching TV, as well as when reading with too little light. Remember that the room may be dark, but the text you read must be well lit.

It is not only the eyes that need to be protected! Another of our senses, hearing, is as equally important and vulnerable. If you live in a city, you hear noise caused by traffic every day. The road works or the taking‑off and landing of planes are even louder. Even some toys can cause hearing damage!
We already know that the volume is measured in decibels (dB). The more decibels, the louder the sound, and thus the more dangerous to health.

Fortunately, the ears can also be protected. In conditions of high noise (eg when the renovation is in house and the drill is very loud), it is best to use special protective earmuffs. You can also use ear plugs. Try not to listen to music too loud. It is most harmful to listen to it through the earphones.

• Our eyes and ears are exposed to damage even during everyday activities.

• To protect against eye damage, we use goggles and allow the eyes to rest during the day. We also do not read when the light is too dim.

• To protect against ear damage, we use protective earmuffs and avoid noise.