Question
My original question was: Can science experiments using the five senses help my mixed beginning ESL students improve their language skills?
I hoped that bringing science into my classroom would help stimulate observation, thinking, speaking, reading, and writing skills. I wanted to see if using these experiments would help students with different learning styles (i.e., kinesthetic/tactile, aural/oral, and visual) improve the skills mentioned above.
Process
I gave the students 13 different experiments. Each experiment focused on one, two, or three senses. Each student (in some cases, each group of students) received a worksheet and the necessary supplies needed (2 sample worksheets are attached). Sometimes, a chart was included.
I did not use standard scientific method terminology because that was not the major purpose of this project. However, I did ask them to observe, hypothesize, and predict what they thought was going to take place. We discussed this before each experiment. The worksheets included the necessary instructions. I did not tell them what to do. As a group (or alone), they needed to read the directions, delegate who did what, perform the experiment, and answer the questions on the worksheet. When everyone was finished, we came together as a group and discussed what took place. Finally, all students wrote about the experiment in their science journal.
As a grand finale, 4 groups of students created their own experiments for the class to perform.
Reflection
This project worked out better than I anticipated. Using experiments
focusing on the 5 senses appealed to all of the students. We always
use sight and hearing in our classrooms, but touch, taste, and smell are
ignored. Some students learn using these senses. The experiments
also involved a lot of movement. This was also helpful to many in
the group.
The students enjoyed every lesson, especially the ones that got them
out of their seats. Their reading improved because they needed to
read and understand each set of directions. Speaking improved because
they needed to discuss and delegate within their groups. Also, these
groups were mixed, and English was the only language they shared.
One other group had all Laotian students, but they spoke English most of
the time. Students' writing improved. In many cases, there
is a marked difference in the writing produced at the beginning and at
the end of the project. Initially, some students only answered the
worksheet questions in their journals. Later, these same students
made the leap and started to write in paragraph/composition form.
For them, writing about what they just experienced made a difference.
This wasn't just another academic exercise. The experiments were meaningful, interesting, and fun. Writing about them wasn't a chore. It wasn't easy, but they could see a connection.
There were 2 unexpected developments. This project made the class
closer and more cohesive and the confidence of students improved.
One shy student in particular, became the leader in her group. Students
were more willing to take risks. When it came time to present their
experiments to the class, each group was ready and willing to do so.
The most rewarding part for me was when the students agreed that this
project helped them 'open their eyes' to the world around them. Based
on this, I will definitely do this again in future classes.
Experiment 1 Introduction - All 5 Senses
Teacher popped popcorn with a hot air popcorn maker. Class discussed
which senses they used as they ate the popcorn.
Experiment 2 - Touch
Teacher presented 6 different bags to the students. Each bag
had a different item inside. Students were not allowed to look inside
the bags. They had to describe and guess each item by touch. Items
used: spaghetti, peeled tomato, grapes, hand lotion, ribbon, slices of
green pepper.
Experiment 3 - Taste, Sight, Smell
Teacher presented bottles of Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, Cherry Coke,
and Diet Coke. All labels were removed from each bottle. Students
drank a little of each and tried to guess which soda was which.
Experiment 4 - Taste Only
Teacher presented a bottle of 7-UP and Coca-Cola to the class.
The students worked with a partner. One student put on a blindfold.
The other student poured some Coca-Cola and 7-UP in 2 cups. The blindfolded
student held his/her nose and drank the soda. He/she then tried to
guess which was Coca-Cola and which was 7-UP.
Experiment 5 - Taste, Touch, Sight
Each student ate the following foods: chocolate, pretzels, cheese,
celery, dry cereal, and goldfish. They charted each food by taste
using a chart with adjectives such as hard, crunchy, salty, soft, chewy,
sweet, sour, bitter, delicious, creamy, sticky, dry, moist, mushy, and
terrible. They then compared their answers.
Experiment 6 - Touch, Hearing, Sight
Teacher gave each group of students a rubber ball. One student
had to bounce it. They discussed which senses were used in this easy
activity.
Experiment 7 - Sight, Touch
Teacher gave each student an abstract picture. They had to write
down what they saw in the picture. They then compared their answers.
Experiment 8 - Sight
Each student was given a picture of a hat. They had to decide
if the width of the brim and the height of the hatís crown were the same
or different.
Experiment 9 - Sight
Each group of students had 4 pictures of optical illusions. They
had to write down what they saw and compare this with their classmates.
Experiment 10 - Sight
The teacher held up different pictures of lines, squares, and circles.
Students had to write down whether they were the same size.
Note: Experiments 8-10 all used sight. These experiments helped the students understand that we canít always believe what we see and that our eyes can often play tricks on us.
Experiment 11 - Sight and Touch
Students followed a guest instructorís directions and made an origami
fish, hat, and crane.
Experiment 12 - Hearing
Students listened to a tape and tried to figure out what each sound
was. There were 14 sounds presented; toilet flushing, spoon stirring
coffee in a cup, a door closing, etc.
Experiment 13 - Smell
The teacher presented 7 covered cups to the class. Each student
had to close their eyes and smell the contents of each cup. They
then wrote down what they believed was in each cup. Items used were
lemons, perfume, vanilla, onion, rubbing alcohol, cinnamon, and peppermint.
For the finale of this project, I asked 4 groups of students to come
up with their own experiments. No group spoke only one language.
They were mixed. They had to discuss what sense they wanted to use
and the experiment they wanted the class to perform. They then had
to delegate who did what job and write the experiment down, step by step.
Finally, they had to present the experiment to the class. They all
did a remarkable job. This is what they presented to the class:
Group 1 Sight, Smell, Taste, Touch
These students brought in a Laotian coconut pudding for everyone
to eat.
Group 2 Sight
This group brought in a paper with a mirrored abstract picture.
We had to decide what it was.
Group 3 Touch
This group brought in 4 bags with different items inside.
We couldn't look in the bags, we could only touch the items.
Group 4 Hearing
This group brought in 4 covered jars with different items in
each. We shook each jar and tried to guess what the items were.
Experiment 4
What do you see?
What do you think we are going to do?
Which sense(s) do you think we are going to use?
Here are the directions for this experiment:
Two people work together.
Put a blindfold on your partner.
You pour Coca-Cola in one cup and 7-Up in another cup.
Have your blindfolded friend hold or pinch their nose and taste each
soda (do not tell them which soda they are drinking).
Have your blindfolded friend tell you which is Coca-Cola and which
is 7-Up.
Were they right or wrong?
If they were wrong, why do you think this happened?
Now switch and take turns doing this experiment.
Which sense(s) did you use?
Which sense(s) didnít you use?
Are sight and smell an important part of buying food and eating (An
example - Would you eat green meat?)?
12. Write about the experiment in your journal.
Experiment 10
What do you see?
What do you think we are going to do?
Which sense(s) do you think we are going to use?
Here are the directions for this experiment:
1. Work with 1 or 2 friends at your table
2. Look at the 4 pictures
3. You can turn the page upside down or sideways
What do you see? Can you see two different things in each picture?
What does you friend see? Write it down below.
I SEE
Picture 1: a ____________and a _____________
Picture 2: a_____________and a _____________
Picture 3: a_____________and a _____________
Picture 4: a_____________and a_____________
MY FRIEND SEES
Picture 1: a ____________and a _____________
Picture 2: a_____________and a _____________
Picture 3: a_____________and a _____________
Picture 4: a_____________and a_____________
MY FRIEND SEES
Picture 1: a ____________and a _____________
Picture 2: a_____________and a _____________
Picture 3: a_____________and a _____________
Picture 4: a_____________and a_____________
Do you and your friend(s) see the same things?
Write about what happened in your journal.
Bibliography
Albers, Darby S. Create-a-sense-a-tion, Science and Children,
Nov/Dec 1998.
Experiment 1 - p. 12-13
Aliki, My Five Senses, NY: Thomas Y. Crowell Co., 1962.
Experiment 6 - p.24
Christian, Mary Ann and Sharon Bassano, Purple Cows and Potato Chips,
Englewood, NJ: Alemany Press, 1987
Experiment 2 - p.40
Experiment 3 - p.102
Experiment 5 - p.93
Experiment 7 - p.21
Experiment 9 - p.10
Experiment 11 - p.47,48,49
Experiment 12 - p.67
Experiment 13 - p.96
Cobb, Vickie, How to Fool Yourself, NY: J.B. Lippincott, 1981.
Experiment 4 - p.45-46
Experiment 8 - p.57
Cropper, Carolyn. Teaching For Different Learning Styles. Gifted Children Today Magazine. 1994: p.36-39
Fox, Sally. Tasty Adventures In Science, NY: Lantern Press Publishers, 1962. Experiment 10- p.63
Kamm, Jeffrey, Kathleen Graber, and Susan Kanter. Successful Learning Style Activities for ESL Students.TESOL Conference, Vancouver, BC, 3/15/00.
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