ACARA v9 CONTENT DESCRIPTION “engage in investigations safely and make observations using their senses”
Builds on the fun of noticing the world. Here we learn that scientists watch closely and stay safe. We use our senses to find out about things, and we follow one safe rule.
Our five senses help us notice
We have senses that help us learn. We look with our eyes. We listen with our ears. We touch gently with our hands. We smell with our nose. In science we never taste things, because some things can make us sick. The safe rule is easy: look, listen, touch and smell, but never taste.
Count what your hands felt
We touched some objects to feel them. Some felt rough and some felt smooth. We counted each one. Tap the buttons to see the counts.
Our hands told us how each thing felt. The bar chart makes it easy to see that we found more smooth objects than rough ones.
Using the right sense for the job
Each sense tells us something different. Our ears hear if a bell is loud or quiet. Our eyes see if a leaf is green or brown. Our nose smells if soup is sweet. Our hands feel if ice is cold. When we watch carefully, we notice more. We always remember the safe rule and never taste.
Find the one that does not fit
We listened to drums being hit harder and harder, and we counted how loud each one sounded. One reading does not fit. Click the one that breaks the pattern.
Click the point that does not fit the pattern of the others.
Watch one thing closely and safely
A good scientist picks just one thing to watch. Instead of looking at everything at once, we choose one object and observe it closely. We look, we listen, we touch gently and we smell. We keep our hands safe and we never taste. Watching one thing at a time helps us notice much more.
Plan a safe, careful observation
You want to observe a flower really well. To do it safely and carefully, agree to watch in the safe way.
You found a pretty flower in the garden. You want to learn all about it using your senses.
Variable being tested: Watching the one flower closely with your senses (this one we change)
Look at it and listen near it
Touch it gently with your hands
Smell it carefully, and never taste it
Not a fair test yet: more than one thing is changing, so you could not tell which change caused the result. Hold every other variable the same.
Why it matters
Every scientist starts by observing. Using our senses and staying safe is the first thing we learn. When we look, listen, touch and smell carefully, and never taste, we find out so much about the world around us.
Quick self-check
1. Which sense do you use to find out if something is loud or quiet?
2. In science class, which sense do we NOT use to learn about things?
3. You want to know if a sponge feels soft or hard. Which sense helps?
4. What is the safe rule when you observe in science?
5. To watch one thing carefully, the best plan is to...