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Summaries · Grade 4 Natural Sciences › The senses and choosing materials
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The senses and choosing materials

Our five senses, how animals use their senses, and how we choose materials. Read one part at a time and tap “I know this”. Then test yourself in the quiz.

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The five senses

SenseSense organ
SightEyes
HearingEars
SmellNose
TasteTongue
TouchSkin

When one sense does not work, the other senses often become sharper.

Tap when you could tell someone without looking.

Animals’ senses

  • A cat sees well in the dark and feels with its whiskers whether a gap is wide enough.
  • A hare has big ears to hear danger from far away.
  • A dog has a very sharp sense of smell.
  • A snake ‘hears’ through vibrations in the ground and smells with its tongue.
Each animal’s sharpest sense.
Each animal’s sharpest sense.
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Choosing materials

A property is what a material is like: hard, soft, see-through, waterproof. We choose the material that suits the job.

  • A ceramic mug holds heat and does not melt; thin plastic would melt.
  • A raincoat of plastic or nylon, a window of glass, a winter coat of wool.
  • A pot’s handle is plastic because it stays cool; the pot itself is metal because metal conducts heat.
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Remember this and test yourself

Remember this: your summary
  • We have five senses: sight (eyes), hearing (ears), smell (nose), taste (tongue) and touch (skin).
  • Animals use their senses to find danger, food and each other.
  • A cat feels with its whiskers; a dog has a very sharp sense of smell.
  • A snake smells with its tongue and feels vibrations through the ground.
  • We choose a material by its properties: a mug of ceramic, a raincoat of plastic.

Write these points in your book. Read them again the night before the test.

Memory trick

Point down your face: eyes see, ears hear, nose smells, tongue tastes, and skin everywhere feels.

Flash cards · Tap to turn over

Important words

First say what the word means, then turn the card over.

Test yourself · Part 2

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