BioEd Online

K-1: The Senses

• Grades:
• K-2

Students learn about the basic characteristics and structures of the brain, skull and sensory system; investigate sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch; and discover how the brain and the senses are connected. This guide provides the following activities.

1. The Brain: Control Central — What do you know about the brain?

2. The Brain: Protection — What protects the Brain? Why does the brain need to be protected?

3. The Brain: Communication — How does information from different parts of the body reach the brain?

4. Our Sense of Vision — Which parts of the body are involved in vision (seeing)? Is light important for vision?

5. Our Sense of Hearing — What causes sound? How do our ears detect sound? How do our brains recognize sound? Download the activity slide set, What Sound Is It? which contains embedded audio files.

6. Our Sense of Taste — What are the basic tastes? Where is information about taste detected in the body?

7. Our Sense of Smell — How does our sense of smell work?

8. Our Sense of Touch — How does the sense of touch work? Is the sense of touch more sensitive in some parts of the body, such as fingertips, than in others?

9. Using All the Senses to Understand Our World — How do we use our senses to understand our surroundings? What types of input are provided by the different senses?

While the activities are most appropriate for students in grades K-1, the lessons are easily adaptable for other grade levels.

Download: K-1: The Senses Teacher's Guide Download: "What Sound Is It?"