Exploring the World with Five Senses
FoundationEyes to see, ears to hear, nose to smell, tongue to taste, skin to touch — five senses help us know the world, and need protection.
- The five senses: eyes see, ears hear, nose smells, tongue tastes, skin touches.
- Senses send news of the world to the brain.
- Fingertips have the most sensitive touch.
文體小知識：說明文逐一介紹五種感官，每一種都配一個小遊戲讓你試一試。
§Text Passage
1How do we know what the world is like? Through our five senses: eyes to see, ears to hear, nose to smell, tongue to taste, and skin to touch. Each sense is like a little detective sending news to the brain.
2Eyes show us colours and shapes; ears let us hear Mum calling and birds singing. The nose smells flowers and dinner — and also rubbish, warning us to stay away.
3The tongue tastes sweet, sour, bitter and salty: sugar is sweet, lemons are sour, bitter melon is bitter. The whole skin feels touch, and the fingertips are most sensitive — they can feel whether a block is smooth or rough, and whether water is hot or cold.
4Protect the five senses: sit properly when reading, never read in the dark, rest your eyes every half hour of screen time; keep music volume low; do not sniff strong smells; blow on hot food first; wash hands before eating. Healthy senses make the world more wonderful.
1Summary 重點摘要
Eyes to see, ears to hear, nose to smell, tongue to taste, skin to touch — five senses help us know the world, and need protection.
2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary
An organ that helps us know the world, such as eyes and ears.
The power to see with eyes — colours and shapes.
The power to hear sounds with ears.
The power to tell smells apart with the nose.
The power to taste flavours with the tongue, such as sweet and sour.
The power to feel hot, cold, rough and smooth with the skin.
Very good at feeling; fingertips are especially sensitive.
To keep something safe from harm, such as not reading in the dark.
3Step by step Steps
- Step 1: Match the sensesWe have five senses — eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin — and each has its own skill. See pictures and colours with your eyes, hear the bell and music with your ears, smell flowers and dinner with your nose, taste juice and sweets with your tongue, and feel soft or hard, hot or cold with your skin. The five senses help one another, sending the news of the world to the brain together, so we can know this rich and colourful world; using the right sense makes watching quick and accurate.
- Step 2: A flavour map for the tongueThe tongue is the sense of taste; it tells sweet, sour, bitter and salty apart. Sugar is sweet, lemon is sour, bitter melon is bitter, salt is salty — try naming all four tastes, and think which one you like best. Taste also warns us whether food is fresh; never put anything with a strange smell into your mouth. For very spicy, sour or hot food, ask an adult first and try only small bites, taking care of your tongue.
- Step 3: Fingertips are most sensitiveThe skin is the sense of touch, covering the whole body, but the fingertips hold the most nerves and feel the best. Put blocks into a cloth bag and feel with your hand only; guess whether each is round or square, smooth or rough, soft or hard. Touch helps us tell things apart in the dark, and warns us away from things too hot or too sharp; let your hands feel different materials often, and touch grows sharper and sharper.
- Step 4: Count sounds with your earsOur ears let us hear all kinds of sounds, and when we quiet down we hear more. Close your eyes for one minute and count how many sounds you hear — cars, birds, the fan, the laughter of classmates — and you will find the world is so lively. Practise quiet listening, and it becomes easier to hear the teacher in class; when a sound is very loud or harsh, such as drilling at a worksite, cover your ears and move away to protect your hearing.
- Step 5: The nose warns usThe nose is the sense of smell; it notices nice, bad and stinging smells. Smell burnt food and tell an adult to check the kitchen at once, because smell keeps us away from danger; smell something bad or strange, move away first and then report it. The nose also smells dinner cooking, which makes eating more enjoyable; with a blocked nose during a cold, food loses its taste — see how much smell matters. Do not pick your nose, and keep it safe.
- Step 6: Protect the sensesThe five senses are five windows on the world, so we must protect them well. Rest the eyes after thirty minutes of TV or reading and gaze into the distance; keep earphone volume below half and give the ears a rest after an hour; blow on hot soup before drinking, and keep sharp things away from the eyes; wipe an unhappy nose gently with a handkerchief, never with a finger. With the senses safe, we can keep on seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and feeling clearly, and explore the world with joy.
4Diagrams Diagrams
5Worked example Example
Example: with eyes blindfolded and ears covered, using only your nose and hands, can you tell whether the fruit on the table is an orange or an apple? Explain your method.
- Touch first: an orange's skin is loose and pitted with tiny pores, while an apple's skin is smooth and firm — the two feel clearly different.
- Then smell: an orange has a fresh citrus scent, an apple a light sweet scent; the two smells are not the same.
- Put the two findings together: loose, pitted skin with a citrus scent means the fruit is an orange.
- The more senses used, the surer the judgement, because the senses check one another and reduce mistakes.
- Answer: Yes, it can be told. Feel the skin with touch and smell the fruit; two senses judging together confirm each other, so we can name the orange with confidence — a fine example of using the senses well.
6Common mistakes Mistakes
7Quick check Quick check
Q1Which sense do we use to smell flowers?
Q2Which flavours can the tongue taste?
Q3Which part of the skin feels most sensitively?
Q4What should we do when we smell something burning?
Q5Name one way to protect your eyes.
8Recap Recap
- The five senses: eyes see, ears hear, nose smells, tongue tastes, skin touches.
- Senses send news of the world to the brain.
- Fingertips have the most sensitive touch.
- Smelling bad or burnt odours warns us of danger.
- Protect the senses: guard the eyes, lower the volume, taste nothing unknown, avoid burns.