Lesson Plan: Discovery Walk

Subject: Science
Grade: 4th
Standard: Concept 1: Observations,Questions, and Hypotheses
PO 1. Differentiate inferences from observations.
Concept 4: Communication
PO 1. Communicate verbally or in writing the results of an inquiry
Objective: Students will be able to perform the role of both the leader and the follower by using
their five senses to explore their surroundings, and create a map showing the sources of their
sensory impressions.
Key Vocabulary: ecosystems: a complex set of relationships among living resources,
habitats, and residents of an area.
sense: a physical feeling.
touch: the act of putting two things together with no space in-between.
smell: to inhale the odor of.
see: to be aware of something mentally
hear: to listen and pay attention.
recreation: activity that refreshes and renews health by enjoyment.
Materials: notebooks, pencil, blindfolds,
Lesson Overview: Students will open their eyes to nature by exploring their surroundings
without sight. They will use their senses to explore different parts of a recreational are
(park/playground) and talk about what they see/feel/hear/touch. Then, when they are finished,
they will re-track the path that they traveled by drawing a map of what they just experienced.
Background Knowledge: Knowing the five senses, and being able to apply them in real life
situations. Knowing key words that fall under each of the senses, like this feels like rubber or
this smells sweet.
Procedure: 1. Take the students outside to a playground or area that is safe for them to
explore blindfolded.
2. Teacher will divide the students into pairs and distribute blindfolds.
Explain that one partner will start as the leader and the other will be
blindfolded. With the leader guiding, the blindfolded student will be lead
around the playground through different areas that will provoke their
senses. They will talk about what they see, feel, hear, and touch.
3. The teacher will model good guiding techniques, such as taking the
blindfolded partners hand or elbow or putting a hand on his or her
shoulder. Remind leaders to walk slowly and keep their partners from
bumping into things or touching anything unsafe. Suggest that they keep

spoken directions to a minimum and stop frequently to let their partners

explore interesting objects.
4. Teacher will provide prompts for the leading students to ask their
blindfolded partners such as how does the ground feel under your feet?
what do you hear right now? how does that feel?
5. After 10-15 minutes, students should take off their blindfolds and in their
notebooks, create a map of the walk they just took from memory.
Encourage them to write down as many details as they can remember
about each of the things they encountered.
6. When they think they have recorded all the landmarks, they can try and
retrace their steps..this time with their eyes open. Remind students to use
their senses to recheck their steps.
7. After they retrace their route, they can ask their leaders if they missed
anything. Have them look again at their maps to see how well the maps
reflect the actual path traveled.
8. Partners then switch roles and repeat the activity, remind the new leaders
to choose a different route.
9. When everyone has finished, gather the group together and discuss the
experience. How much of the walk were they able to remember when they
made their maps? Were they surprised by anything?
10. Conclude the experience by having the students discuss their favorite
sensory impressions from this activity.
Assessment/Evaluation: The students will write a paragraph or poem describing his/her walk.
Encourage students to use rich descriptive vocabulary and include all their senses to create a
vivid picture of the places and things they experienced.
Discuss how students felt as both leaders and followers. Give each pair a few minutes to evaluate
their performance. What did the leaders do to help their partners trust them? What could they
improve on? Have students write this down on a piece of paper and turn it in for points and for
the teacher to see how well the students did at participating in the activity.
Way of Thinking Connection: The way of thinking that most closely relates to this lesson plan
is futures thinking. The students are walking around describing parts of nature and figuring out
how to preserve these places so they can continue to enjoy them and receive recreational benefits
from them.