Give students a sheet of paper that lists the five senses: taste, touch, sight, sound and smell. Pass out a piece a candy in a wrapper. First, under "sight" have students write down everything they see when they look at the candy in the wrapper, then let them open the wrapper and make additional observations. Then have students record observations about how the candy feels under "touch". Have students record any observations they make about noises from the wrapper and the candy under the sound heading. Finally, allow students to smell the candy and eat the candy, recording their observations under "smell" and "taste" respectively.
Partner students up and have them sit back-to-back. One partner will draw a card that names an object and give clues about the object. The other partner tries to guess the mystery object by listening to the clues. The student giving clues must use one of the five senses when describing the mystery object. For example, he may say, "It feels like rough sand paper," or "It smells like fresh pine trees." When the student guessing correctly names the mystery object, he draws a card and gives clues to his partner.
Give students short passages from books and send them on a "Sensory Scavenger Hunt." Have students choose five different colors of crayons -- one for each sense -- and underline specific examples of each of the five senses. As a class discuss which of the senses is used most often in the passage and which is used the least. Share possible explanations for why some senses may be used more frequently than others.
Give students several short homework assignments that require them to write using the five senses. For example, one assignment may ask students to describe their favorite meal. Have students read their examples out loud and discuss as a group the strengths and weaknesses of the writing. Create a list of students' examples to post in the class that they can use as a resource on future writing assignments.