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SAMPLE LESSONS | |||
Smell and Taste (Sensory Awareness) |
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Objective: Understanding experience vs. description, knowing vs. believing Materials: dried herbs, plants, minerals, unusual foods/spices, boxes, paper, pencils Description: 5-6 odors (herbs, plants, materials, etc) and 5-6 foods are in covered containers. Students work in teams of two. One smells and writes down the description of each odor, then gives the written descriptions to the second student, who smells the same containers and tries to match the odor to the description. Students switch roles and do the same activity with taste and food. As an option, one student could be smelling while the other is tasting, then both try to match the other student’s descriptions at the same time. Discussion: Describe the taste of salt without using the word salty. Some descriptions did not match odor/taste. Why? Can you know what another person smells or tastes? Can you know what it feels like to be somebody else? |
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Objective: Understanding and Adapting to Different Communication Styles Description: Divide the class into four “planets.” Make interesting names for each planet. Explain that creatures from Planet A speak softly and feel insulted if asked to repeat. In order to hear them, you have to stand close to them. Creatures from Planet B use large, wild gestures while speaking, and you must stand 5-6 feet away to have enough room to speak with them. Planet C creatures can only communicate with their backs touching. Before speaking, you must turn your back. Those from Planet D will not speak unless they are looking directly into each other’s eyes. If eye contact is lost, they stop talking. |
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Separate groups and have them practice their communication style for a few minutes. Tell them they will be visiting each other’s planet (4-5 minutes) and trying to speak with each other. Half will visit, and half remain as hosts. Make two rounds of visits, with those who were hosts on their planet now becoming visitors: A visits B, B visits C, C visits D, D visits A. Then A visits C, B visits D, C visits A, D visits B Discussion: How did you overcome the “mismatch?” Which style of communication was best for you? Why? Worst? Why? Can you think of other communication styles? How does this actually happen with people? What can they do to make it easier to talk to one another? Is there a “best” way of communicating in real life? |
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Objective: Understanding how parts of the environment are interconnected Materials: Whiteboard and/or graph paper Description: Everyone is designated a deer, a piece of food, or a tree (shelter). Deer are on one side of the room and food/shelter on the other. Deer make a dash at food and shelter. If a deer collects one food and one shelter, those (environment) people become deer. If a deer does not find food and shelter, he or she becomes the food or shelter. When a deer is looking for food, it clamps hands over its stomach, When looking for shelter, it covers its head. Food and shelter designate themselves the same way. Game starts again (play 10-20 rounds). A scorekeeper will keep track of number of deer, food, and shelter in each round, and later the group will graph the results. |
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