Sense Detectives

Overview

Students investigate how their body parts help them notice the world. Through a hands-on rotation, they use sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste where appropriate to describe familiar materials using observable properties such as colour, shape, texture, sound and hardness.

Learning intentions

• We are learning to name the five senses.
• We are learning to link each sense to the body part that helps us use it.
• We are learning to describe materials using our senses.
• We are learning to share observations safely and respectfully.

Success criteria

• I can name the five senses and the body part linked to each one.
• I can describe an object using words such as smooth, rough, hard, soft, loud, quiet, bright or dull.
• I can explain which sense helped me make an observation.
• I can follow safety rules when exploring materials.

Curriculum links

• Biological Science — Body basics: different body parts are associated with sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell.
• Biological Science — Body basics: major sense organs help us explore our world.
• Physical Science — Materials and their properties: identifying observable properties using the five senses where appropriate.
• Science capabilities: gathering and communicating evidence through observations and discussion.

Lesson structure (40 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Mystery hook. Display the mystery object hook slide and place a covered object in a bag, such as a pine cone, wooden block or soft toy. Students observe without touching, then predict which sense or senses might help them investigate it; introduce the question, “How does our body help us find out about things?”

2. 5–10 min · Direct teaching. Use the five senses teaching slides to introduce sight/eyes, hearing/ears, touch/skin and hands, smell/nose, and taste/mouth and tongue. Show the human body label cards as visual prompts, matching body-part cards to sense words, and stress that we never taste an unknown object and only taste food given by the teacher.

3. 10–13 min · Safety and modelling. Use the investigation instructions and safety slide to model one observation: “The shell is hard, smooth and white. I used my eyes and fingers.” Students practise the sentence frame, “I notice ___ using my ___,” and learn to ask before touching, keep materials out of mouths and stop if a smell feels unpleasant.

4. 13–28 min · Sense investigation rotations. Place students in five groups of five and give each group a starting station; groups rotate approximately every three minutes when signalled. Students use the five senses observation sheet to draw or write one observation at each station:

• Sight: observe coloured or shaped classroom objects.
• Hearing: listen to safe teacher-made sounds, such as tapping wood, shaking rice in a sealed container or ringing a bell.
• Touch: feel safe objects such as fabric, a sponge, a wooden block and a smooth stone.
• Smell: smell teacher-approved items such as an orange peel, mint or soap without touching them to the nose.
• Taste: only if suitable for the class, taste a small teacher-provided food sample, checking allergies and family requirements first; otherwise investigate an additional sealed smell or touch sample.

Teacher circulates, prompts precise vocabulary and records who can link a body part, sense and property.

5. 28–35 min · Compare and discuss. Bring students together with their worksheets. Revisit the observation discussion slides and invite groups to share one observation. Ask, “Could we use more than one sense?” and “Did everyone describe the object in the same way?” Build a class chart linking sense, body part and example observation.

6. 35–40 min · Plenary and assessment. Show the review and exit prompt slide. Students complete the final box on the five senses observation sheet by drawing one object and finishing, “I used my ___ to notice ___.” Select several students to share, then collect worksheets for assessment.

Resources

• the five senses investigation slide deck
• the five senses observation sheet
• the human body label cards
• Five labelled investigation tables or trays
• Safe classroom objects with varied colours, shapes, textures and hardness
• Bell, wooden block, sealed container with rice and other sound-makers
• Teacher-approved smell samples in small containers
• Optional allergy-checked food samples and cups or napkins
• Pencils, crayons and a timer

Assessment

• During modelling and rotations, check whether students can name a sense, identify its associated body part and describe an observable property.
• Listen for evidence-based language, such as “I know it is rough because I touched it,” rather than guesses about what an object is.
• Use the completed worksheet exit response to identify students needing further support with sense/body-part links or descriptive vocabulary.

Differentiation

• Provide picture symbols, gesture prompts and the sentence frame, “I used my ___ to notice ___.” Allow students to draw observations or dictate them to an adult or peer.
• Pair students strategically and keep station instructions visible with one clear action at a time. Offer a quiet alternative for students sensitive to noise or smells, and never require tasting.
• Pre-teach words with real objects: smooth/rough, hard/soft, loud/quiet, sweet/sour and strong/faint. Accept home-language discussion before sharing in English.
• Extend confident students by asking them to describe one material using two or more senses and explain whether their observations were similar or different from a partner’s.