Lesson Note on The Sense Of Touch/Feel – Skin for Primary 2

Class: Primary Two
Term: First Term
Subject: Basic Science and Technology
Curriculum Theme: Basic Science
Previous Lesson:
Topic: The Sense of Touch/Feel – Skin
Content/Learning Area: Meaning of the skin; feelings detected through the skin; textures of objects; using the sense of touch safely
Time Allocation: 40 minutes

Performance Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to:

• Cognitive Domain:
  1. Describe the skin as the outer covering of the body and an important organ for the sense of touch.
  2. Identify and name feelings the skin can detect, such as cold, warm and hot.
  3. Identify, describe and name the textures of familiar objects according to how they feel.
  4. Mention common texture words such as rough, smooth, soft, hard, coarse, tender and wet.
• Psychomotor Domain:
  1. Use the fingers and other safe parts of the skin to feel selected classroom objects.
  2. Sort objects correctly according to their texture.
  3. Take part in a supervised blindfold touch activity and identify objects by how they feel.
• Affective Domain:
  1. Show interest in exploring objects through touch.
  2. Appreciate the importance of the skin and the need to protect it from harmful objects and extreme heat.
• Social Domain:
  1. Work cooperatively with classmates during touch-and-identify activities.
  2. Respect other pupils’ answers and observations.

Reference Materials

• 9-Year Basic Education Curriculum
• Relevant Primary 2 Basic Science and Technology textbooks
• State/Unified Scheme of Work

Instructional Materials

• Objects with different textures: cotton wool, sponge, stone, sandpaper, plastic cup, leaf, cloth, wood and a damp towel
• Blindfold or clean scarf
• Picture/chart of the human skin
• Whiteboard/chalkboard and markers/chalk

Rationale for the Lesson

The skin helps us receive information about objects and our surroundings through touch. Learning to identify temperature and texture helps pupils describe everyday experiences accurately and also teaches them to protect their skin from unsafe surfaces and excessive heat.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils have touched familiar objects at home and in school and can already use simple words such as hot, cold, soft and hard.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

The Sense of Touch/Feel – Skin

The skin is the outer covering of the body. It covers and protects the body. The skin is also the main organ we use for the sense of touch. Through the skin, we can feel temperature, pressure and the texture of objects.

Feelings Detected by the Skin

The skin helps us notice different temperature feelings, including:

• Cold: a feeling of low temperature, for example touching a chilled bottle.
• Warm: a mild, comfortable heat.
• Hot: a high-temperature feeling. Very hot objects should not be touched because they can burn the skin.

Texture

Texture means how the surface of an object feels when we touch it.

• Rough: uneven or scratchy, e.g. sandpaper or rough stone.
• Smooth: even and not rough, e.g. glass or a polished table.
• Soft: easy to press or gentle to touch, e.g. cotton wool or sponge.
• Hard: firm and difficult to press, e.g. stone or wood.
• Coarse: rough and made of large or thick particles/fibres, e.g. some sacks or rough fabric.
• Tender: soft or delicate and easily hurt or pressed.
• Wet: covered or soaked with water or another liquid, e.g. a damp cloth.

How We Use the Sense of Touch

• To know whether an object is warm, cold or hot.
• To tell whether a surface is rough, smooth, soft or hard.
• To identify some familiar objects without seeing them.
• To notice pain or discomfort so that we can move away from danger.

Safety Rules

• Do not touch fire, boiling water, exposed electrical wires, sharp objects or unknown chemicals.
• Use only safe classroom objects during touch activities.
• Do not rub objects forcefully on another pupil’s skin.

Teacher/Pupil Activity

1. The teacher displays objects with different textures and asks pupils to describe how each one feels.
2. Pupils touch safe objects and group them as rough, smooth, soft, hard, coarse or wet.
3. For the blindfold activity, a pupil is blindfolded and given one safe object at a time to feel with the hands. The pupil describes the texture and tries to identify the object. The activity is repeated with several pupils.
4. The teacher discusses cold, warm and hot feelings using only safe examples; pupils must not touch dangerously hot objects.

Evaluation

1. What is the skin?
2. Which sense organ helps us to feel objects?
3. Mention three temperature feelings the skin can detect.
4. What is texture?
5. Name five types of texture.
6. Give one example each of a rough, smooth, soft and hard object.
7. State two ways the sense of touch helps us.
8. Mention two things pupils should not touch for safety.

Conclusion

The teacher revises that the skin is the organ of touch and that it helps us feel temperature and texture. Pupils name examples of rough, smooth, soft, hard, coarse and wet objects.

Assignment

At home, list six safe objects. Write one texture word beside each object to describe how it feels.