Introduction
That we learn from our environment seems obvious. We rely on our five senses to provide information about the world around us. The thought of a holiday dinner brings to mind the delight of many senses - the smell of dinner cooking, the sound of holiday music, the taste of fresh baked sweets, and more. Experiences like this engage our senses—taste, smell, sight, sound, touch. In fact, at every moment of our day, at least one of our senses is hard at work, supplying our brain with information to make decisions, be safe, enjoy ourselves and become smarter. With the information from the world we live in, or more specifically the world we are exposed to, we gain knowledge that allows us and encourages us to make choices. Many young children today are exposed to "information" from the world of computers, television, video games, and other synthesized media. Their knowledge of many things is based on limited sensorial experiences, or even experiences with the wrong sense, for example seeing food being cooked on television or watching someone petting a dog. This curriculum unit is designed to get children involved in learning about true sensorial experiences. My hypothesis is, that by giving students a chance to have these experiences, they may realize that their brains will really "grow smarter" as a result.
I am a first grade teacher in a self-contained classroom at Edgewood Magnet School in New Haven. My class consists of 26 mostly six and seven year olds with an occasional eight year old. The school has an enrollment of about 450 students with approximately 60% African-American population, 12% Hispanic population and the remaining 29% Caucasian and Asian with about half of the school qualifying for free or reduced lunch. Edgewood has a high average daily attendance rate of 96%. Our neighborhood/ magnet setting is a rewarding environment, with kindergarten through eighth grade students coming to school from a variety of home circumstances and with differences in academic levels. As a result of these variables, the children have differing levels of background knowledge and life experiences. Each classroom has a mixture of varied ethnicities, economic strata, and social and emotional strengths and weaknesses.
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