Teacher Cheat Sheet — Session 1: Look Carefully

Data Science for Young Minds · Grade 1 · Ages 6–7

~45 min Ages 6–7 Session 1 of 8 ND-Friendly

Session Agenda

Time	Block	What's Happening
0–5	Hook	Pass the mystery bag. "Don't look — just feel! What do you notice?"
5–15	Teach	Demonstrate: use senses to observe. Name attributes one at a time (color, shape, size, texture).
15–28	Activity	Mystery bag partner work — feel, describe, then look and describe more.
28–33	Brain Break	Animal walk: "move like a slow turtle looking for food — look carefully at the floor!"
33–40	Work	Worksheet: draw your object, label attributes with words or pictures.
40–43	Recap	"One word about what you noticed." Go around quickly.
43–45	Close	Preview Session 2: "Next time we will sort things into groups!"

Key pacing note: Demonstrate everything FIRST with your own hands before students try. For 6-year-olds, watching you do it IS the instruction. Keep the mystery bag surprise — it's the hook that makes observation feel exciting.

Materials Needed

Prepare before class:

1 paper bag per pair (mystery bag) 3–5 small objects per bag (button, eraser, block, coin, shell) Visual attribute word cards posted on wall (color / shape / size / texture) Colored pencils PencilsStudent worksheets (1 per student)

Tip: Use objects with very clear differences — a smooth button, a rough block, a soft eraser. Clear contrasts help 6-year-olds build vocabulary faster.

Key Vocabulary

Observe — look (or feel/hear/smell) on purpose, with care

Attribute— one way to describe something (its color, shape, size, or texture)

Describe — use words to tell what something is like

Same — both things have the same attribute

Different— the things have a different attribute

Discussion Questions + Teacher Notes

"What did your fingers notice that your eyes couldn't see yet?"
→ Validate ALL answers. Smooth, bumpy, poky, squishy — all of these are observations. Write student words on the board as they share. This builds attribute vocabulary live.
"Can two objects be the same color but a different shape?"
→ Yes! Hold up two objects and show this. This plants the seed for Session 2 sorting — one object can be described in many ways. Keep a blue round button and a blue square block ready for this moment.
"If I close my eyes and hold this, what can I still know about it?"
→ Size, texture, weight, shape. You CAN'T know color without looking. This is a great sensory observation game — demonstrate it yourself first.
"How is observing different from just looking?"
→ Keep it simple for Grade 1: "Looking is fast. Observing is slow and careful — you use your brain AND your senses." Show the difference: glance at an object vs. slowly examining it.
"What attribute did you find hardest to describe?"
→ Texture is often the hardest for young children to name. If students say "it feels weird," offer vocabulary: bumpy? rough? smooth? soft? spiky? Having a texture word wall helps enormously.

Mystery Bag Activity — Setup Guide

Student pairs. Each pair gets one paper bag with 3–5 objects inside. Partner A reaches in WITHOUT looking and describes what they feel. Partner B listens and draws what they imagine. Then both look together and describe MORE.

Steps (demonstrate ALL of these first!):

Teacher models: reach in bag, say one thing you feel. Wait. Say another.
Partner A: reach in, describe one object using AT LEAST 2 words
Partner B: listen, try to draw what they imagine
Both: look inside — were you right? What MORE can you see now?
Swap roles for the second object

Debrief question: "Did you find out something new when you LOOKED that you couldn't feel? What was it?"

Always offer: "You can just look instead of reaching in — that's okay too." Some students have tactile sensitivities. Looking-only is a full and valid way to participate.

Opening Hook

Pass ONE mystery bag to the front. Whisper: "Don't look — just feel."

Ask: "What does it feel like?" Get 3–4 student words on the board.

Then: "Now look! What do you see that you couldn't feel?"

→ The surprise of seeing vs. feeling is the hook. Don't rush it. Let students be delighted.

Brain Break

Slow Animal Walk (after activity, ~28 min):
"Move like a turtle looking very carefully at the floor. What do you NOTICE as you walk?"

30–60 seconds. Then: "Hop like a bunny back to your seat!" Resets attention for worksheet time. Keep it short and fun.

ND-Friendly Tips

Tactile option — Always allow "just looking" as a full alternative to reaching into the bag. Never pressure touch.
Visual supports — Keep the attribute word cards (color / shape / size / texture) visible all session. Point to them when asking questions.
Wait time — After asking "what do you notice?" count silently to 5 before calling on anyone. Young children need processing time.
Pair carefully — Put a verbal student with a quieter one. The quieter student can draw while the other describes.
Worksheet drawing — Grade 1 worksheets have large drawing space. Never require more than 2–3 written words at this age.