Habit of the Week - Observation, Gathering Data Through All Senses

As Principal, Mr. B says ---- BE SENSATIONAL LEARNERS!!!

                      

Because some of the best learning takes place when we incorporate all... or most... of our 5 senses,  IT MAKES PAWSITIVELY PERFECT SENSE that Chester's presence in  a classroom can bring increased opportunity to learn.  And a whole lot of fun.

From 1st to 4th grade this week, The Sensational AACA Students learned some amazing facts about Chester.  I did too :) 

Chester's 5 Senses

SMELL: A dog’s strongest sense is his sense of SMELL.  

He  can SMELL 1,000 to 10,000 times better than humans?!   
Wowser Bowser!   

HEARING: Dogs have a great sense of HEARING.  They hear sounds that are too quiet, too high, too low, for people to hear.  (That's why Chester is calmest in a quiet classroom.  That's why Chester can hear fireworks and thunder from far far far away)

TASTE:  To my surprise, this is a dog’s least developed sense. The sense of taste and smell are closely related , this is why foods that are SMELLY taste the very best to them!

TOUCH: This is the first sense a dog develops.  A mommy dog licks her pups and nuzzles them as soon as they are born.  Because a pup is born with eyes and ears closed, touch is their first way of communicating   (Chester likes ear massages and neck rubs the very best!).

SIGHT: A dog’s eyes are made differently than the human eye. Dogs  do not see color as humans do, they see shades of colors in black, white, and gray.  Dogs have great night vision, and side vision~~ much better than humans!  And, humans see distance much better than dogs.

Chester learns best and fastest when I integrate ALL of his senses into the learning process.   

When I use: 

·         My voice – he hears

·         My hand signals – he sees

·         A treat to reward – he smells and tastes  (peanut butter, bacon, fish, are his FAVORITES!)

·         A neck rub and ear rub to encourage and reward –  touch

In each classroom I demonstrated a few command, such as....sit and come. The students watched closely, making sure Chester used all 5 senses in the learning process. 

In one 4th grade classroom, two very brave students made human-bridges so Chester could demonstrate Over and Under.  It took a few tries and a lot of laughter, but Chester eventually remembered these commands like a champ (after incoporating all of his senses)!   (Take a peek at the post 4th Grade Moments  if you'd like to hear the rest of the story in 4th grade...and learn about a flattened cubscout :)  )

The teachers  had some SENSATIONAL writing prompts for their students.  Such as....

·       +  Close your eyes and pet Chester.  Describe how he feels.  Describe how he smells.

·       +Use your 5 senses to describe Chester. 

·       +  Describe a situation in which Chester would need to use his 5 senses.

             

     It was my delight to listen in as students enjoyed reading their discoveries and ideas to their soft-as-bunny furry friend, Chester.

                                              Sensational!!!