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Observing carefully: the senses, the magnifying glass and drawing what you see

Around age 7 · Usually taught in ⁨Year 1⁩ · Free

Aprende

  1. To observe is to look very carefully. A scientist observes before saying anything. They notice all the details.

    To observe we use the five senses. We see with our eyes. We hear with our ears. We smell with our nose. We taste with our tongue. We touch with our hands.

    sighthearingsmelltastetouch
    The five senses

  2. You have to be careful. In science you do not taste anything you do not know. To smell something, do not put your nose in it: waft the smell towards you with your hand. Do not touch anything that is sharp, hot or stings. If you are not sure, ask an adult.

    waftingI smell
    To smell, waft with your hand

  3. Then describe what you see: its shape, its colour, its size and how many legs or petals it has. What you see is a fact. What you imagine is not. “It has six legs” is what you see. “It is happy” is what you imagine.

     what I seewhat I imagine
    ladybirdhas 6 legsis happy
    snailhas a shellis sleepy
    What I see and what I imagine

  4. A magnifying glass makes small things look bigger. Bring the magnifying glass close to your eye and then bring the thing closer, little by little, until you can see it clearly. Never look at the Sun with a magnifying glass: it harms your eyes. Look at minibeasts without picking them up.

    The magnifying glass makes what you see bigger

  5. To measure, rest the thing against a ruler and start at 0. To finish, draw what you see, not what you think. Count the parts and draw all of them. Write what it is and the date.

Worked examples

Ejemplo 1

Ellie gives Julie a mint leaf from her plant pot. Julie knows it and wants to observe it carefully. Which senses does she use?

  1. She looks at the leaf with her eyes: it is green and thin.
  2. She touches it carefully with her hand: it is soft.
  3. She wafts the smell towards her nose with her hand: it smells strongly of mint.

Julie uses sight, touch and smell. She does not taste it.

¡Ojo! Many children put their nose right up to it or taste the leaf to find out more.

Common mistake

Ejemplo 2

Gus looks at a ladybird with the magnifying glass. He says: “Its body is red with black spots. It is very happy.” What has he seen and what has he imagined?

  1. What he sees: the body is red and has black spots.
  2. What he imagines: it is happy. That cannot be seen.
  3. In his notebook he only writes down what he sees.

What he sees: a red body and black spots. What he imagines: that it is happy.

¡Ojo! Many children think “it is happy” is a fact, but it is an idea.

Common mistake

Ejemplo 3

Tony finds a little stick and wants to know how long it is. He rests it against a ruler. How does he measure it?

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  1. He puts one end of the stick at the 0 of the ruler.
  2. He looks where the stick ends: at 7.
  3. He writes the number and the unit: 7 cm.

The stick is 7 cm long.

¡Ojo! Many children also count the 0 mark and say 8 cm.

Common mistake

Un reto para pensar

Choose a leaf or a stone from your playground or the park. Observe it carefully with your eyes and your hands. Draw it and write three things you see. Do not taste anything and do not look at the Sun.

Practica

Rondas de 10 preguntas. Elige el nivel:

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