Lesson plan- Session 1:

Name and Surname: Kate Lawrence

Section 1

Learning outcomes:

Students will become aware of their senses and how they are used by cultural groups in different ways

Students will identify and expand on their prior knowledge about senses

Students will recognise that all different systems affect others, with specific reference to the five senses

Rationale:
The area in which we will be conducting this lesson, is an area of low socio-economic status and a high refugee population, and it is
expected that some of the children will be only new to English as their second language. This type of teaching environment presents a
variety of different challenges, and it is important that we prepare and plan to cater for all of these students.
How does your lesson take into consideration the local needs of the community?
In areas of low socio-economic status, it is vital that students are engaged with what they are learning, as studies show that students simply
wanting to learn can significantly close the gap between families of different incomes (Greenwood, Horton & Utley, 2002, as cited in
Robinson, 2013). It has also been show that in areas of low-socioeconomic status it seems irrelevant to be teaching out of a text book, and
the children agree through their expression of boredom and disinterest (Castano, 2012). Throughout the planning of this lesson we have
kept this in the forefront of our minds, providing engaging activities through the use of concrete materials. We have also made sure that we
are always relating the activities back to their cultures and to real life experiences to encourage engagement and participation for all
students (Botha, 2010; Gondwe & Longnecker, 2015)
How is it relevant to the children you will be teaching?
This topic is relevant to the children we will be teaching as people use their senses every day of their lives and always have. Through our

senses we take in the information from the world around us, and use them to interpret what is happening. Being able to recognise and
process our senses is a vital part of animal and human survival, as it is with these that we detect danger (hearing a lion, smelling fire, seeing
a snake).
How are we incorporating Indigenous Knowledge?
Through relating the activities back to their childrens cultures and life experiences, we using the Indigenous Knowledge Approach to using
Science (Botha, 2010; Gondwe & Longnecker, 2015). We are doing this through recognising that each culture has its own unique knowledge
and celebrating that through the sharing of their favourite places in the world.
We are also acknowledging that a large part of Indigenous Knowledge Science is having a personal connection to that knowledge and the
subjects that that knowledge is about (Chinn, 2007). We are working to foster that within the students whom we are teaching throughout this
lesson, asking them how their favourite place in the world makes them feel, and why they think it makes them feel like that.
How does this lesson plan connects and is consistent with the unit of work?
This lesson is the introductory lesson for our unit of work. Throughout this lesson we will be working to construct an understanding of the
childrens prior knowledge. We are hoping to get an understanding of the language barriers, the cultures of the children and what they
already know about the topic of senses. This connects to the rest of the unit as it helps to set up the rest of the lessons, and to make sure
what the group has planned for the other two sessions is appropriate. We are also working on developing the language that will be required
of the unit. Using words to describe what the students are feeling, hearing, smelling and seeing will help to set them up for the more in depth
discussion of these senses in the following lessons.

How does the sequence of activities in this lesson plan reflects a learning process rather than a series of tasks?
The lessons activities are designed to build on one another. The initial reading of the picture book introduces the topic and the language to

the students which we then build upon when we talk about the different properties of the soil types we bring in. From there, we transition into
where you would find them and then where is each childs favourite place. Through this we hope to transition from simply knowing about the
senses to being able to apply them and assess their prior knowledge.
How are the activities appropriate for the age group and diversity of learners?
We first of all needed to ensure that all of the children (including those who have limited experience with English) are able to participate in
the learning activities and sequence. We have endeavoured to do this through presenting the picture story book and discussing the different
vocabulary presented at the very beginning of the lesson, as these two activities are vital in order to assist language development (Hill,
2006). Not only will these activities assist those in which English is a second language, it can also be greatly beneficial to the other students
in the class, particularly as they are at such a young age, and are still developing their vocabulary and literacy skills, even if their native
language is English (Hill, 2006). We have further developed our lesson with the age and language skills of the students in mind, as we ask
students to draw or discuss their responses to our activities, but never write, ensuring that every child will be able to participate.

We have also ensured that the learning activities that we have provided are simple but engaging for this year level. We have tried to ensure
that we move through the lesson quite quickly, and ensure that the children will not be sitting on the floor having discussions for long periods
of time. This is as at this young age (foundation students, aged 4-6), their attention span is somewhat limited and they become bored and
disinterested quickly.

References

Botha, L. R.. (2010). Indigenous knowledge as culturally-centered education in South Africa. Africa Education Review, 7(1), 34-50. DOI:
10.1080/18146627.2010.485804
Chinn, P (2007) Decolonizing Methodologies and Indigenous Knowledge: The Role of Culture, Place, and Personal Experience in Professional
Development. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 44(9)(pp.1247-1268)
Gondwe, M., & Longnecker, N. (2015). Scientific and Cultural Knowledge in Intercultural Science Education: Student Perceptions of Common
Ground. Research in Science Education, 45(1), 117-147. Doi: 10.1007/s11165-014-9416-z
Hill, S. (2006). Developing early literacy: Assessment and teaching. Prahan, Australia: Eleanor Curtain Publishing

Lesson plan- Session 1:

Student names: Kate Lawrence & Laura Butler

Section 2

Science overarching idea:

Systems

Year Level:

Session 1, 2 or 3?

Teaching approach:

Foundation

Indigenous Knowledge

Learning outcomes:

Students will become aware of their senses and how they are used by cultural groups in different ways

Students will recognise that all different systems affect others, with specific reference to the five senses
Introduction
To begin with, all six student teachers will introduce themselves to the students and explaining that we are here to do some really fun

activities with them, in order to help the students to feel comfortable and at ease. We will then continue by introducing the picture story book
Rain by Manya Stojic, and asking the students to put up their hands if they have ever read it before. We will then continue on by reading the
picture story book to the children.
From the picture book, we will ask the students some questions about it, in order to link it into the senses topic, such as how do you know if
its raining? Have you ever heard rain before? What does it sound like?
Development/Consolidation
Around the room there will be a variety of different natural materials placed (eg. Clay, sand, leaves, wood), and the children will be asked to
move around the room and experience them. The teachers will be roving and prompting students to consider their various properties; what
they feel like, look like, smell like ect. They will also be prompting students to think about where they may find some of these objects.
Once sufficient time has been given to this task, the teacher will ask the class to imagine their favourite place in the world in their head. Are
any of these items in it? The teacher will then invite the students to draw their favourite place in the world.
Whilst the students are drawing, the teachers will then use this time to rove the room and ask students prompting questions such as where
is your favourite place? What can you see? What does it smell like? How does it make you feel? In order to gain information for their
assessment and to get to know each of the children.
If students finish their drawing early they can write a heading for it/sentence about it with teacher help, depending on their literacy abilities.

Conclusion
Once students have completed their drawing they will then share their pictures and describe what they feel, hear, smell ect to a small,
teacher directed group.
Extension Activity
If there is still time after the above has been completed, the students will be split into 2 small groups. Each of these groups will be given a
blacked out container with a natural material inside of it. They will then work as a group to identify the sound it makes and guess what it may
be. The teacher will then blindfold the students and as the object gets passed around the circle they may feel the object as another clue.
The object will then be passed around a second time and the students will be allowed to smell it and present their final guess of the object,
until their blindfolds are taken off and the object is presented to them.
They will then engage in a discussion as a small group, describing what things they heard/felt/smelt and how that helped them identify the
object. The teacher will also ask questions such as which sense was the most useful when might you use that sense at home? have you
seen/used the object before? where have you seen it? put your hand up if you think you could find that object in your favourite place in
the world?