You will learn
- Name the five senses.
- Say which body part goes with each sense.
- Use more than one sense to observe a safe object.
- Use sense words to say what they notice.
Version 0.2 · expanded edition · built from cited public sources Content is based on the official frameworks and sources listed under Sources and standards. No official endorsement is claimed. Written in the style of common primary school assessments. No exam result is promised.
Student lesson
- We have five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch.
- Eyes see, ears hear, the nose smells, the tongue tastes and the skin feels.
- Scientists use their senses to observe.
- Never taste or smell unknown things. Ask an adult.
Words to know
the ways we find out about things: sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch
to look and use your senses to find out
seeing with our eyes
listening with our ears
1. Discover: The mystery bag
Ayo’s teacher gives him a closed cloth bag. He cannot see inside. He feels the thing in the bag. It is round and hard. He shakes the bag and it makes a clicking sound. Then he opens the bag and looks. It is a smooth stone.
Think: Which senses did Ayo use?
2. Understand: Our five senses
Idea 1: Five senses, five body parts
We see with our eyes (sight). We hear with our ears (hearing). We smell with our nose (smell). We taste with our tongue (taste). We feel with our skin (touch).
Idea 2: Use more than one sense
The more senses we use, the more we find out. An orange can be seen, felt and smelled. Each sense tells us something different.
Idea 3: Stay safe with our senses
We never taste or smell things unless an adult says they are safe. We never taste science materials. Very loud sounds can hurt our ears, and we never look straight at the Sun.
3. Worked examples
Example 1 (I show you): Which sense? A bell
You hear a bell ring.
- What do you use to hear? Your ears.
- Which sense is that? Hearing.
Answer: Hearing, with the ears.
Example 2 (We do it together): Which sense? Tree bark
Ama rubs her hand on the bark of a tree. It feels rough.
- Which body part feels it? The skin of her hand.
- Which sense is that? Touch.
Answer: Touch, with the skin.
Example 3 (You try): Use two senses
An adult gives you a ripe mango and says it is safe. Which two senses can you use before you eat it?
Show the steps and answer
- Look at it: sight.
- Smell it: smell.
- Feel the skin: touch.
Answer: Any two of sight, smell and touch.
Did you know?
Some animals have senses that are much stronger than ours. A dog can smell far better than a person can.
Why this matters
When we use our senses carefully, we notice more and make better observations.
4. Explore: Mystery bag game
Work in pairs. An adult puts one safe object, such as a smooth stone, a leaf or a spoon, into a cloth bag. Do not look inside.
- Put your hand in the bag and feel the object. Say two touch words.
- Shake the bag gently and listen. Say what you hear.
- Guess what it is and say why.
- Open the bag and look. Were you right?
Think about it: what did you notice?
Which senses helped you most? Using more than one sense helps us find out more.
5. Practise
Say it in a sentence
Use these starters when you talk about the lesson. Say them out loud.
- I see with my ___.
- I hear with my ___.
- It feels ___.
- I use my ___ to find out.
Guided practice
Question 1. Which body part do we see with?
Eyes.
Question 2. Which sense uses the nose?
Smell.
Question 3. Which sense uses the skin?
Touch.
Independent practice
Level 1: Start
- Which body part do we see with?
- Which sense uses the nose?
- Which sense uses the skin?
- How many senses do we have?
- Which sense do we use to listen to music?
Level 2: Grow
- Match the body part to the sense: tongue, ears, nose.
- Say two senses you can use on a flower.
- Why should we not taste things we do not know?
Level 3: Stretch
- You hear a drum but you cannot see it. Which sense told you? What could you use to find out more?
- Why is it better to use more than one sense?
- A child cannot see. Which senses can they use to observe?
Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.
6. Apply: Science in everyday life
How do you know at home that food is ready to eat?
Show a sample answer
Smell tells us it is cooked and sight tells us how it looks.
Another one. Tell a family member one thing from this lesson. Use the words you learned.
Show a sample answer
A clear sentence that uses at least one word from Words to know.
7. Common mistakes
Fix: We have five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch.
Fix: Never taste science materials. Taste only food that an adult says is safe.
8. Lesson summary and revision card
- I can name the five senses.
- I can say which body part goes with each sense.
- I can use more than one sense to observe a safe object.
- I can use sense words to say what they notice.
9. Check and master
Answer all 14 questions. You will see feedback after each one.
Your result appears here after you answer every question.
10. Key takeaways
- We have five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch.
- Eyes see, ears hear, the nose smells, the tongue tastes and the skin feels.
- Scientists use their senses to observe.
- Never taste or smell unknown things. Ask an adult.
11. Next lesson
Next lesson: Identifying objects. Keep going with the next idea in this course.
Exam practice
These questions are written in the style of common school and international primary assessments. Try them on your own, without looking back. Then check your answers in the marking guide. The marks are shown in brackets.
- Name the five senses. [3 marks]
- Which body part do we use to hear? [1 mark]
- Write two sense words to describe a stone. [2 marks]
- Why should we use more than one sense? [2 marks]
- Give one safety rule about the senses. [2 marks]
Total: 10 marks.
Marking guide and model answers
- All five names [3]; four correct [2]; two or three correct [1]
- ears [1]
- Two sensible words, such as hard, smooth, rough or grey [1 each]
- We find out more [1]; one sense can miss something [1]
- Do not taste or smell unknown things [1]; ask an adult first [1]
Score guide: 9 to 10 = secure. 6 to 8 = nearly there, revise the parts you missed. Under 6 = work through the lesson again with a grown-up.
Printable worksheet
- Which body part do we see with?
- Which sense uses the nose?
- Which sense uses the skin?
- How many senses do we have?
- Which sense do we use to listen to music?
- Match the body part to the sense: tongue, ears, nose.
- Say two senses you can use on a flower.
- Why should we not taste things we do not know?
- You hear a drum but you cannot see it. Which sense told you? What could you use to find out more?
- Why is it better to use more than one sense?
Homework
Find three objects at home. Use sight and touch on each one. Do not taste them. Draw one and write two sense words.
Answer key and marking scheme
| Question | Expected response | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Which body part do we see with? | Eyes. | 1 |
| 2. Which sense uses the nose? | Smell. | 1 |
| 3. Which sense uses the skin? | Touch. | 1 |
| 4. How many senses do we have? | Five. | 1 |
| 5. Which sense do we use to listen to music? | Hearing. | 1 |
| 6. Match the body part to the sense: tongue, ears, nose. | Tongue is taste, ears are hearing, nose is smell. | 1 |
| 7. Say two senses you can use on a flower. | Any two of sight, smell and touch. | 1 |
| 8. Why should we not taste things we do not know? | They might not be safe and could make us ill. | 1 |
| 9. You hear a drum but you cannot see it. Which sense told you? What could you use to find out more? | Hearing. We could use sight by looking for it. | 1 |
| 10. Why is it better to use more than one sense? | We find out more. | 1 |
| Total | 10 |
Independent practice answers. Level 1: 1 Eyes.; 2 Smell.; 3 Touch.; 4 Five.; 5 Hearing.. Level 2: 1 Tongue is taste, ears are hearing, nose is smell.; 2 Any two of sight, smell and touch.; 3 They might not be safe and could make us ill.. Level 3: 1 Hearing. We could use sight by looking for it.; 2 We find out more.; 3 Hearing, touch and smell, and taste only for safe food..
Quiz answers: 1 B, 2 C, 3 A, 4 B, 5 C, 6 A, 7 B, 8 C, 9 A, 10 B, 11 C, 12 A, Challenge 1 B, Challenge 2 C.
Mastery and remediation
| Objective | Bronze (Developing) | Silver (Proficient) | Gold (Advanced) |
|---|---|---|---|
| O1 Name the five senses | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O2 Say which body part goes with each sense | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O3 Use more than one sense to observe a safe object | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O4 Use sense words to say what they notice | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
Courseversity badge thresholds (overall quiz score): Gold = 90–100%; Silver = 80–89.9%; Bronze = 70–79.9%. A badge is never a full record of progress.
If a learner struggles
- Find the misconception: “We only have one sense, sight.” We have five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch.
- Explain another way: use real objects, pictures or actions first, then words.
- Show a simpler example: Use one object at a time. Ask: “What do your eyes tell you? What does your hand tell you?”
- Guided practice: work through one example together and let the learner try the next one.
- Reassess: use the quiz again or the worksheet.
- Move on when the learner shows Silver-level evidence independently.
For parents and guardians
In this lesson your child names the five senses and learns to use them safely to find out about things. You do not need to be an expert to help.
- Play “I spy” with colours and sounds.
- Ask your child which sense they are using.
- Remind your child to ask you before tasting or smelling anything unknown.
- Ask “how do you know?” after each answer, and listen.
- Praise effort, not only right answers. Mistakes are how we learn.
- Ten to fifteen minutes a day is better than one long session.
Teacher package
1–5. Objectives, prerequisites, materials, preparation, duration
Lesson objectives. Learners will: name the five senses; say which body part goes with each sense; use more than one sense to observe a safe object; use sense words to say what they notice.
Prerequisite knowledge. None. Learners should be able to look, listen and talk about what they notice.
Materials. A cloth bag, safe objects (a smooth stone, a leaf, a spoon, a sponge), chart paper, pencils and crayons. Low-resource options: use chalk or charcoal on a board or wall, drawings in the sand, and objects from the classroom instead of printed materials.
Preparation. Put safe objects in the bags. Check that none is sharp or small enough to swallow. Write the five senses on the board.
Suggested duration. 45–60 minutes. It can be split into two shorter sessions.
6–9. Teaching procedure, explanation notes, guided and independent activities
Introduction (5 min). Play a quick “What do you hear?” game with eyes closed for 20 seconds.
Explanation (10 min). Teach the five senses with an action for each. Link each sense to a body part.
Guided activity (10 min). Run the mystery bag game in pairs.
Independent activity (10 min). Learners draw the object and say or write two sense words.
Assessment and reflection (5 min). Ask each learner to say one thing they learned and how they know it.
Key questions. Which sense are you using? What does it tell you? What else could you use?
Teacher explanation notes. Start with real objects and safe, hands-on observation. Then talk about what was seen, then draw and write. Always say “how do you know?”. Keep to the safety notes, and use local, safe materials.
10–12. Differentiation, formative assessment, common misconceptions
Support. Use real objects and pictures, short sentences and a partner. Let learners point, show or draw instead of writing. Extension. Ask learners to find a new example at home and explain how they know.
Formative assessment. Listen to learners read and explain, ask “how do you know?”, and check the independent work.
Misconceptions. “We only have one sense, sight.” We have five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch.
13–15. Assessment questions, answer keys, marking scheme
Use the quiz, the 10-mark exam practice and the worksheet on this page. All answers and marking guides are in the answer sections above. Re-check every answer before use.
16–19. Remediation, enrichment, homework, teacher reflection
Remediation. Use one object at a time. Ask: “What do your eyes tell you? What does your hand tell you?” Enrichment. Look for one new example near your home or school, draw it and explain it to someone. Homework. See above.
Teacher reflection. After teaching, record: which ideas learners understood; which misconceptions occurred; which activities worked; which learners need more practice; and what to improve next time.
Sources and standards
This lesson is based on the sources below, and no official endorsement is claimed. Reference starting points: Next Generation Science Standards, Cambridge Primary Science and the IB Primary Years Programme. Where a standard code is named, it points to the official framework.
Research used to shape this lesson. Courseversity Science curriculum, Grade 1 Unit 1, topic 3; Next Generation Science Standards, practice of observing and describing; Cambridge Primary Science Stage 1, the senses and scientific enquiry; IB Primary Years Programme, inquiry-based learning. These sources informed the lesson.