Topic: Other senses are important as well

Target group

4th‑grade students of elementary school

Core curriculum

4th grade of elementary school

I. Ways of learning about nature. Student:

3) gives examples of the use of the senses to conduct environmental observations;

IV. Me and my body. Student:

2) points on the board, model and body, systems that build the human body and sense organs.

General aim of education

Students describe the role of the sense of taste, smell and touch in receiving impressions from the external environment.

Key competences

• communication in foreign languages;

• digital competence;

• learning to learn.

Criteria for success
The student will learn:

• discuss the functions and meaning of the senses of taste, smell and touch;;

• explain how the senses of smell, taste and touch function.

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;

• substances and objects needed to perform „Experiment 1”: three cups, thermos with hot water, thermos with cold water, water at room temperature, three teaspoons of coffee;

• items needed to conduct „Observation 1”: two well‑tempered pencils, a rubber band, an eye band.

Lesson plan overview

Before classes

• Students get acquainted with the content of the abstract. They prepare to work on the lesson in such a way to be able to summarize the material read in their own words and solve the tasks themselves.

Introduction

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

• The teacher, referring to the previous lessons, asks the pupils to exchange their senses and organs that are responsible for them. He writes them on the board and then instructs the students to name the signals registered by the ear.

Realization

• The students exchange other senses possessed by man. The lecturer writes them to the board, next to the previously recorded senses.

• The teacher performs „Experiment 1” to examine the influence of temperature on the sensation of odors. Students present their observations. After being verified by the teacher, they are saved in the notebooks.

• Students in pairs carry out „Observation 1” and record their conclusions. The teacher monitors students' work, corrects possible mistakes.

• Students read a fragment devoted to the sense of taste, and then in pairs plan observation that would prove the claim that the sense of taste is combined with the sense of smell. Volunteers present their ideas.

• The teacher displays an interactive illustration. It indicates the individual organs of the senses, and selected students call their senses and determine the signals received by their organs. The teacher presents the information contained in the interactive illustration (appearing after clicking on the next numbers of illustrations). Students assess the correctness of their answers.

Summary

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

Homework

• Students answer in writing the question: „What are the senses of taste, smell and touch for human safety?.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

Other senses are important as well

The human organ for the sense of smell is a nose. There are receptors in the nasal cavity that detect airborne substances. Information about their presence is transmitted to the brain. An average human can differentiate between a few thousand different smells. We’re not always aware how many different smells we’re detecting and of their importance.

Sometimes we’re able to detect smells better or worse. What does it depend on? The volume of the substance dispersed in the air is of great importance – for instance: the more flowers, the stronger the smell. What are other factors that affect smell intensity?

For the odour of the substance to be detectable, it must evaporate and its particles must be released into the air. We’re able to detect smells better, if temperature is higher, e.g. the smell of tea, coffee or cake is more easily detectable when they are warm. That’s because how water is evaporating heavily. The rising steam also carries coffee particles with it. In addition, the higher the temperature, the faster they are dispersed into the air.

The sense of taste, similarly to the sense of smell, allows to detect various substances. The difference is that smell allows to identiy airborne substances, whereas taste allows to identify substances in liquids and food. The taste of a dish depends on proportions in which individuals tastes (saltiness, sweetness, sourness and bitterness) are present. The senses of smell and taste are linked. Do you remember that various dishes taste differently with your nose blocked? That’s why warm meals often taste better, as we’re able to better detect their smell.

Humans can distinguish between five tastes: sweetness, saltiness, sourness, bitterness and umami. Sweet and umami (also called meaty) tastes are the most easily detectable and encourage you to eat the dish, whereas sour and bitter tastes serve primarily as a warning.

Touch allows us to feel heat, cold, pressure and firmness of touched objects as well as burning, itching and pain. The organ for the sense of touch is skin. It has receptors that respond to changes in temperature and other tactile sensations, including the unpleasant ones. Thanks to the ability to feel pain, your body knows that it’s being harmed and must act to prevent it as fast as possible. Pain teaches us to avoid dangerous situations and not to touch certain objects.

Is all skin equally sensitive to touch?

• Sensory organs receive stimuli from the surrounding environment through receptors.

• Information received from the surrounding environment are transmitted to the brain.

• The senses of smell, taste and touch are equally important as the senses of sight and hearing.