INTRODUCTION
Start of the lesson: What are senses and what is sensory input?
Using a set of questions and the PowerPoint, you will think about what senses are and why we have them.
You can do this straight away as a group, or first let students discuss in small groups for two minutes and then share. Write keywords on the board. (Slides 1–4) Use the teachersnotes.
10-15 min
2nd activity
Senses
Give everyone the worksheet “The 8 Senses.” Have them glue the correct illustration (from the cut-out sheet: 8 senses) next to each sense in the second column. (Tell them the third column will come later.) (Slide 5)
Balance, movement, and interoception (feeling what’s going on inside your body) will be new. Show these in the PowerPoint, slides 8–10. Tell students they will get more information about these in future lessons. (Slides 6–8) Use the teachersnotes.
10-15 min
3RD ACtivity
Sensory inputs and preferences
We are going to talk about “sensory input”. Do students know what these are? Again, you can do this as a whole class right away, or first let students discuss in small groups for two minutes.
Explain and ask: All senses pick up sensory input. What is sensory input? Who can share something about that? Write keywords on the board.
Then explain: Sensory input is signals from the world around you and from your body. Your senses pick up these signals—for example light, sound, smell, taste, or something you can feel.
And: Your brain uses those sensory inputs to understand what is happening—inside your body and outside your body
Watch this video on the eight senses:
You could ask your students to write down different kinds of input that is being talked about. If you’d like, you can stop the video and discuss sensory input.
Look at the next column on the worksheet. Each sense responds to specific input. Can students think of input for each sense?
Give examples such as:
bitter, smooth, blue, rustling. For the teacher, there is the document Possible sensory input so you have examples for each sense.
Let several students name input for each sense. Students think about whether they find the mentioned input pleasant or unpleasant. For all input, students vote with green (I usually like this input) or red (I usually dislike this input) by holding up the paper. (Try a practice vote first.)
The word “usually” is important. Whether you find input pleasant can depend on how you feel. When you’re tired or sick, you can handle less input. Students vote based on what they generally like or dislike. They may abstain. If a student does not know the input, see whether someone else can explain it.
Point out that students have different preferences: some input feels nice to them, and other input doesn’t.
Ask students to circle the sense (or two senses) they like the most.
15-20 min
4th ACtivity
Closure and reflection
Discuss the results as a class:
- Did you know there are more than five senses?
- Had you heard of balance, movement, and interoception (feeling from within)?
- Which senses did you like best and why?
- Share your own preferences if you’d like.
Tell students that the coming lessons will explore each sense in more depth.
10-15 min