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Sensory Details Graphic Organizer – Writing Tool

Five sense boxes - see, hear, feel, taste and smell - arranged around a single "Place or Object" field on a frame headed "Focusing on Sensory Details", with Name, Date and Period lines across the top.
Year groups
Years 4–7
File type
PDF
Preparation
Print ready

Updated Oct 19, 2023

Subject
Writing, English
Topic
Graphic Organizer, Sensory Details
Resource types
Graphic Organizers, Teacher Tools
Preparation
Print ready

From the author

About this resource

Graphic Organizer: Sensory Details

Graphic Organizer: Sensory Details is a beneficial teaching resource primarily designed for educators aimed towards assisting students from the 3rd to 6th grades.

The core purpose of this tool is to provide a unique way of collecting sensory information. Initially, it was designed for outdoor autumn activities, but due to its flexibility, it can be adapted to any sensory-themed task.

Ease of Print and Adaptability

This organizer is an easy-to-print PDF file perfect for colour prints. Don’t worry if you’re planning on printing in black & white; the yellow-filled boxes will convert into grayscale without any hassle. Ensure these boxes are light enough to read when printed before distributing among students.

Versatility in Application

The versatile format allows various implementations options suitable both for teachers or parents looking to homeschool their kids. This one-page graphic organizer introduces a fun visual element into the process along with academic learning making language arts engaging and understandable.

  • Built as part of whole group instruction activities

  • Tailored down to small group tasks focused on exploring sensory details

  • Precision and structure provided by a worksheet approach

Much More than Just Fun!

The element of creativity encouraged by this graphic organizer makes it more than just a fun activity! It aligns beautifully with set academic aims - by channeling their observations creatively on paper concerning their surroundings students assimilate real-life scenarios better. Through this 'creativity funneled within structured bounds' method, better understanding executes apparent in disciplines like writing where sentence construction mastery and apt descriptions form major parts. In conclusion, Graphic Organizer: Sensory Details offers that perfect blend for your students - Where imagination meets academics seamlessly!

In the classroom

Teaching tips & learning objectives

Learning objectives

  • Name a place or object and gather observations about it under each of the five senses

  • Separate sight, sound, touch, taste and smell instead of writing one undifferentiated impression

  • Build a bank of concrete detail on the page before drafting a description of the chosen subject

Teaching tips

  • Fill the "Place or Object" field together the first time so the whole class is describing the same subject and the boxes can be compared afterwards

  • Agree in advance what to do with the taste box on subjects where it does not apply - leave it, or record what the thing might taste like - so nobody stalls halfway through

  • The organizer names no topic, so a single printing carries an outdoor walk, a still-life table, a photograph or a setting from a novel

  • Name, Date and Period lines make it practical to collect the sheet across several sections and return each set to the right class

  • The smell box sits alone below the four paired boxes, which makes it easy to overlook - point it out before students begin

Skills covered

  • Sensory observation - students record what they see, hear, feel, taste and smell about one chosen subject, each in its own labelled box.

  • Sorting detail by sense - because every box names a single sense, a general impression has to be broken apart rather than written as one description.

  • Pre-writing note collection - the subject is named once at the top and the detail is gathered around it, so a draft starts from notes rather than a blank page.

  • Choosing and naming a subject - the "Place or Object" field is left open, so students settle on what they are describing before collecting anything about it.

Good to know

Questions teachers ask about this resource

What goes in the middle of the organizer?

The subject being described. The field is headed "Place or Object" and is left blank, so the same sheet works for a walk outdoors, an object on a desk, a photograph or a setting from a book.

Which senses get their own box?

All five. Things you see and Things you hear sit as a pair, Things you feel and Things you taste form the second pair, and Things you smell sits below them. Taste is included whatever the subject, so it is worth deciding in advance how to handle it on something inedible.

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Resource details

Concepts & topics

Core concepts

  • Sensory details

  • Five senses

  • Descriptive writing

  • Pre-writing

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