IOWA 4-9 SCIENCE PROJECT
TEACHER GUIDE for: The Nose Knows Gloria Baker
Edited by Reta Lemon
ECOLOGY.46E Grades 4-6
CONCEPT OBJECTIVE:
Through this activity students will develop their sensory skills by using
their nose to identify a variety of odors including sweet, sour, moldy,
dry, spicy, rotten, etc. in their natural environment.
SKILLS OBJECTIVE:
Students will develop their observing, predicting, and recording skills
and develop more olfactory discrimination.
BACKGROUND HINTS:
This is the third of six cycles giving students sensory experiences in their
natural environment. Listen to Nature I Texture Walk II, The Nose Knows
III, I Spy IV, Down Under V and Trust Walk VI.
Before taking students on this activity spend at least one class period
preparing them to smell with discrimination.
Bring into the classroom objects with a variety of smells with which they
will have an opportunity to interact. The smells should include those which
you want identified on the outside walk: sweet, sour, musty, moldy, dry,
spicy, rotten etc. as well as other smells, such as leathery, powdery, salty
etc. Foods, textiles, perfumes and soaps are good sources.
Direct the students away from using "good" and "bad"
as descriptions of smells.
Direct the students to think of smells they remember and discuss these:
cookies baking, potato chips, driving past a pig farm, wet socks etc. What
kind of smells are these?
Remind students that objects cannot be pulled, broken or destroyed if the
activity takes place in a park and that all things must be returned to their
original place if moved.
MATERIALS:
Each group of two students
1 pencil
1 clipboard or hard surface for writing
1 student recording-predicting sheet
EXPLORATION:
While at the observation site define the boundaries the students must observe
whether the activity takes place in one location or if this is a walking
activity.
Direct each group of two students to select a recorder, then together decide
five to eight odors (depending upon the age group) with they feel they could
find on their walk today. Write these on their recording sheet. Next, predict
where they would look to find these odors. Record these predictions.
All as much time as possible for the students to interact with the objects,
finding the odors, testing their predictions and recording their findings.
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT:
Discuss with the entire class their smell with discrimination activity.
First, list the odors the students felt they could find, and their predictions
of where to look. This list should include those that most students were
involved with.
Second, compile a list of the places where the odors were found and compare
this to the predicted list. Discuss why these two list did or did not agree.
Third, discuss what objects created what odors and what interactions occur
naturally that create odors. (Rain on leaves change the smell, crushing
leaves effects the smell, cut grass, dry grass, moldy grass.)
APPLICATION:
Create a classroom 3-D bulletin board. Label THE NOSE KNOWS. Collect a variety
of objects that have odors such as a sugar sack, a salt box, potato chip
wrapper, soap and gum wrappers, moldy leaves, old sneakers etc. Divide the
board into a pie shape, name the odor and attach the object in the correct
shape.
Invent a card game like "Old Maid" with an odor word on one card
and the object which would make the odor on another card.
Have each student conduct an "Odors I Object Too" investigation
in their home, at school, or in the environment and present their findings
in a panel discussion in school. The collective ideas for the school and
town could then be sent to the principal and town council.
EVALUATION:
Teacher observations during the exploration activity, student recording
sheets and application activities are all valid ways of evaluating the student.
.page
STUDENT RECORDING-PREDICTING SHEET
Name: ________________________________
DATE: __________________________
ODOR WHERE PREDICTED WHERE FOUND COMMENTS