Erica Barr PS1

Lesson
Title/Focus

Sense of Smell

Date

December, 10 2015

Subject/Gra
de Level

Grade 1/2

Time
Duratio
n

60 min

Unit

The 5 Senses

Teacher

Erica Barr

OUTCOMES FROM ALBERTA PROGRAM OF STUDIES

General
Learning
Outcomes:
Specific
Learning
Outcomes:

Students will:
19 Use the senses to make general and specific observations, and communicate
observations orally and by producing captioned pictures.
Students will:
3. Apply particular senses to identify and describe objects or materials
provided and to describe living things and environments. Students
meeting this expectation will be able to describe characteristics, such as
colour, shape, size, texture, smell and sound.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students will:
1. Use their sense of smell to detect different scents.
2. Understand how the nose works in detecting smells.
3. Describe fragrant, woody, fruity, sharp, chemical, minty, sweet, popcorn, sickening, and
lemon scents.

ASSESSMENTS (Formative)
Observations:

Key Questions:

Products/Performan
ces:

Students engaged in classroom discussion.

Student participation in centers.
Accurate responses to key questions.
What part of our body helps us with our sense of smell?
What grows inside of our nose to protect our bodies?
What are examples of the different categories of smells?
Answers to the smell test
Responses to key questions
Fragrance flower

LEARNING RESOURCES CONSULTED

Alberta Program of Studies
http://www.medicaldaily.com/10-different-smellsare-detectable-your-nose-how-did-popcorn-makelist-257395

MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT

20 Guess the Smell Sheets

20 Fragrance Flower Cut-outs
Pencils
Erasers
Crayons
20 Cotton Balls
4 Liquid Aromas
Bags of Pine Air Freshener
Bags of Chopped Onion
Bags of Chocolate
Bags of Lemon Slices
Bags of Popcorn
Bags of Vinegar
20 Blindfolds
Sense of Smell Video:
o https://www.youtube.com/watch
?v=3uy1mGK2Z3I&feature=emshare_video_user

PROCEDURE
Prior to lesson

Pre-package all 6 scents into bags, have worksheets printed, check

Adapted from a template created by Dr. K. Roscoe

Attention Grabber

Assessment of
Prior Knowledge

Expectations for
Learning and
Behaviour
Transition to Body

Erica Barr PS1

hat video and SMARTboard presentation work properly on the
SMARTboard.
Introduction (13min)
Time
Play pre-made video on the sense of smell.
Ask: What sense did we see them using here?
3min
What kind of things did they smell?
What do we have in our noses to help protect us?
Review last classes lesson on sense of hearing.
Ask: What did we learn about last week?
5min
Can you tell me something you remember about the
parts of our ears?
Students will actively participate in classroom discussions and
smell test. Students will work in small groups cooperatively and
effectively to complete activities.
Say: Boys and girls I think we should try to test our
sense of smell today. So we are going to be blindfolded
2min
and smelling different scents and I want you to try and
figure out what each one is.
Body (45min)
Time

Learning Activity
#1
Teacher Notes:
Assessments/
Differentiation

Scent Test

30min

SMARTboard Presentation:
The teacher will go through some parts of the nose that help
with scent (nostrils, nasal cavity, olfactory bulb), how our nose
can keep us safe, and the different categories of smells.
SMARTboard Notes:
We smell using our noses. Everyone in our class has a
nose with two nostrils. Human noses all look very
similar, but there are many different kinds of ways to
smell.
Some animals use a snout, like the pig. Some animals
use a trunk, like the elephant. Some animals use a
forked tongue to smell with, like the snake. Some
insects, like the butterfly, the fly and the moth use their
antenna and sometimes their feet to smell with.
Scents travel through our nasal cavity and send signals
to the olfactory bulb. Can you see in this picture that
our nose is also connected to our throat? That is why
sometimes when we drink something and laugh really
hard, it comes out of our nose! Theyre connected.
Our noses are packed with tiny hairs that help act like
bodyguards to keep dirt and dust out of our nose. Our
noses also create snot to help get rid of any yucky stuff
that might have gotten past our hairy bodyguards, and
entered into our bodies.
Each person has his or her individual smell...we smell
different from one another. It is a bit like a fingerprint. I
suppose you could call it a "smell print."
There are many different kinds of scents. I will go
through the 10 categories or types of scents that I know.
1. Fragrant: The research team lumped fragrant
smells in with perfumery, floral, cologne, and
rosy smells. Fragrant scents are the ones that
seem light and natural, what is typically
described by perfume and cologne

Adapted from a template created by Dr. K. Roscoe

Erica Barr PS1

manufacturers as grassy or herbal.
2. Woody: Your nose easily picks up deep, earthy
smells that remind you of the outdoors, the
researchers claim. The smells are distinct to
nature, which makes them easily recognizable.
The team included with woody/resinous scents of
musty, moldy, heavy, burnt, and smoky.
3. Fruity: Opposite the hearty musk of the outdoors
are the light, fresh scents associated with
strawberries, banana, and certain perfumes that
draw upon these natural aromas. Unlike the
sharp, bitter freshness of lemon, non-citrus fruit
smells may feel more smooth or silky to the
nose.
4. Chemical: Your nose is particularly adroit at
detecting synthetic smells. Even the most
realistic perfume has its limits. Its for this
reason youre able to quickly sniff out bleach and
gasoline, or paint and felt tip markers.
Researchers also included alcohol and
disinfectants in the category.
5. Minty/Peppermint: Described as cool, fresh,
exhilarating, the minty/peppermint smell has
perhaps no rivals in the scent world. Its become
synonymous with cleanliness and is ubiquitous
among oral hygiene products for this very
reason. The researchers also include spicy in this
category.
6. Sweet: Diverging from sweetness detected in
fruit, the researchers classified as "sweet" the
aromas of things like chocolate, vanilla, almond,
and malty scents. Theyre warm, and often light.
Oftentimes theyll be sold as creamy or rich.
7. Popcorn: Popcorn as the figurehead for the group
may be jarring, as its neighboring groups are so
unmistakable (not to say popcorn isnt). But
popcorn was grouped with other distinct smells,
such as peanut butter, burnt, nutty, heavy, and
warm. Its that earthy smell that isnt quite grass
or wood.
8. Sickening: Sickening and decaying smells are a
step beyond sharp/pungent smells. Its sewage,
burnt rubber, sulfuric acid, and household gas.
Sickening smells are those that cause you to dry
heave when the nose detects them in heavy
enough concentrations. They arent merely
unpleasant; theyre usually insufferable.
9. Lemon: Who could forget the trusty scent of
lemon? Used in cleaning products for decades,
the scent of lemon and citrus connotes freshness
like mint with a hint of sweetness and
sharpness that makes it unique from the others.
Its light and acidic, and the nose knows it
instantly.
10. Sharp/Pungent: You know it the moment you
smell it. These smells include sour milk, fecal
matter (e.g. manure), sweat, and the natural
smell of things that have turned putrid or foul.
These scents make you reel the instant you
Adapted from a template created by Dr. K. Roscoe

Erica Barr PS1

detect them. Oniony and garlicky smells also fall
into this category.
Students will blindfold themselves while the teacher will walk
around and let them smell each item one at a time. After each
scent students will write down their guess as to what that scent
is.
Guidelines:
1. You must only use your nose to smell the scent, no
touching or peeking at what it is.
2. After you smell the scent, do not take your blindfold off
until the teacher has told you to.
3. When you take off your blindfold, do not talk to your
partner just simply write down your answer and put the
blindfold back on.
After each scent has been presented, and the students have
recorded their guesses, the teacher will go through each one
and ask what they thought it was. The teacher will then reveal
the scents one by one to the students.
Scents:
Pine
Chopped Onion
Chocolate
Lemon Slices
Popcorn
Vinegar
Learning Activity
#2
Teacher Notes:
Assessments/
Differentiation

Scent Flower

15min

Students will color a flower and glue a cotton ball to the middle
that is dipped in one of the liquid aromas. They can choose
from lavender, apple, sugar cookie, or cinnamon.
Guidelines:

Color neatly within the lines.

Do not color the center of the flower.
When you have finished coloring, raise your hand to
choose a scent.
Glue the cotton ball to the middle.

Feedback From
Students:
Transition To Next
Lesson

Now you have your scent flower!

Closure (2min)
Say: Alright boys and girls today we learned about many
different kinds of scents, and how our noses help us detect
them.
Ask: Can anyone with a quiet hand tell me what is one thing
they learned today?
Say: Lets all clean up and back our bags so we can go
home.

Sponge
Activity/Activities

Students can color various coloring pages provided by the teacher, or work
on their early bird books if done early.

Consolidation of
Learning:

Adapted from a template created by Dr. K. Roscoe

Time

Erica Barr PS1

Reflections from the
lesson

Adapted from a template created by Dr. K. Roscoe

Erica Barr PS1

Adapted from a template created by Dr. K. Roscoe