Exploring the Sense of Sight: Kindergarten Lesson Plan
Of all of your senses you probably use your sense of sight the most. Even as a baby you played a sight game called “Peek-a-Boo! I See You!” Help your students realize how important the sense of sight is by reading a book and doing several related activities.
Learning Objectives:
1. The students will discover that we use our senses to learn about the world around us.
2. The students will learn how to protect our eyes and how our eyes can protect us.
3. The students will learn that the eyes and brain work together to see objects.
4. Students will learn that you must have light to see.
Materials:
Book: Seeing by Rebecca Rissman or a similar book about the sense of sight
Scarves or blindfolds for half of the students
Procedure:
Show students the book Seeing by Rebecca Rissman. Explain that it is a nonfiction book, which means the information is true. Read and discuss the book paying particular attention to certain facts either mentioned in the book or brought up in discussion:
- Without light there is no sight! Light from an object moves to the eye and the brain interprets it. It’s very technical but just know that there must be light to see. In fact some animals that live deep in caves do not even have eyes.
- Our sense of sight is the most used of the five senses.
- The sense of sight protects us! We can see to move around without being hurt. We see dangerous situations to avoid.
- A person who cannot see is said to be blind.
- Glasses and contact lenses can help those with poor vision.
- Never put objects or toxic liquids in the eye.
- Do not stare at the sun.
Then pair your students up with a partner. One student in each pair will wear a blindfold. Ask the student’s permission to wear a blindfold and make sure the student is comfortable doing this! The sighted student acts as a guide. Remain this way for about ten minutes. You may take a walk down the hall, around the room or out to the playground. Afterwards gather to ask the “blind” students how it felt to be without sight. Did they find that they used more of their other senses? Then switch places and repeat the activity.
Printable Worksheets:
1. Eyes Closed Worksheet: What I should never do with my eyes closed! Students think of activities that would be dangerous without the sense of sight.
2. Things to See: Write and illustrate your favorite thing to see at home, at school and outside.
Extra Eye Facts:
- Eyebrows and eyelashes protect the eye from dust, dirt and sweat. Tears help wash away small particles.
- The eyes of some animals like deer, rabbits and mice are on the sides of their heads so they can see in all directions while running from enemies.
- It’s impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.
Extra Activities:
1. Graph the eye colors of the students. Use a large chart or a white board. To make a bar graph, write the eye colors across the bottom: brown, blue, green or hazel. Students write their names in the correct color column based on their eye colors. Which eye color is the most represented? The least?
2. Play I Spy!
3. Gather some Where’s Waldo? books and instruct small groups to use their eyes to find Waldo on each page.
Resources:
Rissman, Rebecca. Seeing. Heinemann Library, 2010.
Collins, Andrew. See, Hear, Smell, Taste and Touch: Using Your Five Senses. National Geographic, 2006.
Romanek, Trudee. Wow! The Most Interesting Book You’ll Ever Read About the Five Senses. Kids Can Press, Ltd., 2004.
Prochovnic, Dawn. Four Seasons! Five Senses! ABDO Group, 2012.
References
- Photo by Kazz.0 under CC BY 2.0 via Flickr
This post is part of the series: Exploring Our Five Senses
This series of Kindergarten lesson plans focuses on exploring the five senses. Teach your students to interact with their world through seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching!
