Author: Georgina Jeffers

“Why are kittens soft? Why is ice cream sweet? Today we will be answering these questions as a class for science!“

“Hello, my lovely Kindergarteners! Today we will be talking about our five senses.“

Today’s Objective:

• Figure which sense goes with which body part.
  1. Have hands on examples to provide the students whether it is images for sight or snacks for taste and/or smell.

“Alright class, before we can answer the questions I asked, I want to teach each and every one of you the five senses!”

“Now, what is the image on the screen?”

“That’s correct! Now I ask. What is helping you SEE the bird? Can you point to what is helping you SEE?”

(Students point to their eyes.)

“Awesome job! Correct, you SEE the bird with your EYES. Next, here are some crackers to eat. Can you tell me what they TASTE like?”

“Amazing job, once again. Can you point to where you were able to taste the cracker?”

(Students point to their mouths/tongues.)

“Exactly, you TASTE ice cream and crackers with your TONGUE. Now pass around this ball and tell me what you FEEL.”

“SQUISHY!” “SMOOTH!”

“Good descriptive answers everyone! Those who said smooth, do you agree with it being squishy? Those who said squishy do you agree with it being smooth? All in agreement? Well then, can you point to what let you FEEL the ball?”

(Students point towards their hands/fingers.)

“Good job everyone! Our HANDS and FINGERS helps us FEEL objects. Okay, now I am going to play a song, can you point to the body part that helps you hear the music?”

(Music begins to play and students point to their ears.)

“That is correct, would you say you have been HEARING me the whole time using your EARS? Yeah? I do have one more experiment for you all that will end in treats! Take an OREO and tell me what it SMELLS like.”

“YUMMY!” “GOOD!”

“So it has a scent, yeah? Good! Can you point to the body part that helped you SMELL the OREO?”

(Students point to their nose.)

“Good job, your NOSE helps you SMELL different things like OREOS or crackers. Now I am going to show you some images and you tell me which sense goes with which body part.”

• Show understanding through matching each sense with the body part shown on the screen.
  1. Have images of the body parts and ask the class to tell you what sense goes with what image.

Sources:

Five Senses by Basti Steinhauer from NounProject.com

Photo by Richard Lee on Unsplash

Photo by M Azharul Islam on Unsplash

Photo by Hayes Potter on Unsplash

Photo by Arteum.ro on Unsplash

Photo by Darrell Cassell on Unsplash

Photo by Lina Trochez on Unsplash

Photo by Dylann Hendricks | 딜란 on Unsplash

Photo by Braydon Anderson on Unsplash

Dear Ms. Jeffers,

Remember. Life as a student is not AT ALL the same as that of the teacher.

No more procrastination, no more spacing out. You will need to be alert and ready at all times when teaching your class. Whether it is for possible questions on different and unique lessons or because one of your own students is spacing out themselves.

Be on the lookout for students watching YouTube videos of sneezing pandas:

Funny TikToks:

@herecomesjuno

Volume up for the swishy sounds #sheepadoodle

♬ I bought my dog some pants – Juno

And so many more distractions.

But most importantly remember to be kind, considerate, understanding, inclusive, and accepting of all those who enter your space. These students might feel vulnerable coming into a new environment. Georgina, you want your students to enjoy your class while also finding value in the time they spend with each other and yourself. You are there to help them develop as humans and to grow understandings of topics they had never learned or thought of before. Your job is to help grow a foundation for these children to adapt and overcome hardships and the unknown.

Accept them and treat them with kindness. They are only children. You need to understand that they will make mistakes and teach your students why their choices are not always correct. Take into account their upbringing, their values, their beliefs. We do not all come from a single story, so why treat it as if we do?

Live up to those same values when speaking to your equals. Inclusivity is important, especially with the level of teamwork that takes place between teachers. Remember, you will be a part of a team, a cohort, with fellow teachers of the same grade. Remain respectful and appreciate the level of conversation that takes place with one another.

Advocate for yourself and for your students. The lessons I have taken away during my time at the University of Portland and all of its Education courses are to adopt a culturally responsive style of teaching, accommodate for all, make the classroom accessible to each and every student. The combination of these three ideas can spark a safer and far more productive classroom.

To end on a corny note: “We’re All In This Together”.

Sincerely,

Georgina Jeffers

Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash