Here are a number of links to Internet sites which contain information and/or other links related to the specific theme of the body's sense of smell. Please read our disclaimer.

Brain/Nervous System Theme Page

This CLN page has links to educational resources on the Brain/Nervous System for students who wish to explore further.

Five Senses (SEDL)

This teaching unit has seven lesson plans through which K-1 students learn about their senses within mathematics, science and language learning activities. Background information for the teacher is included in each lesson. Lessons 1 and 7 are introductory and culminating lessons. In lesson 5, students learn that their sense of smell helps them to enjoy life. They also learn about unsafe conditions.

Five Senses (UtahLink)

This kindergarten curriculum unit from Utah contains background information for the teacher and 12 activities through which they can explore their senses.

[The] Five Senses: Smell

A two day teaching unit for grade 3 students. Students learn about the human body's sense of smell, list the seven primary odors, and participate in two activities.

Human Anatomy On-line Animations: Nasal Passages

An animated cut-away view of the human nasal passages along with a brief explanation on a separate page. Java required.

Human Body: Sense Unit: Smell

A lesson plan for upper elementary students which has a hands-on activity in which children pretend they are salmon returning to their home stream. The lesson is part of the BCTF Daybook.

Insects' Amazing Sense of Smell

A fairly academic article on insects' sense of smell that may help students better understand the equivalent human sense.

Minutes from Me: Smelling

A variety of learning activities for exploring the sense of smell.

[The] Nose Knows

About a half-dozen smelling experiments/activities for K-12 students.

Seeing, Hearing and Smelling the World

The goal of this site is to help high school students understand how the brain and other body senses work together. The above link is to their main page. Below are links to specific explanations on elements of smell.

• The Mystery of Smell
  Four articles describe the mysteries associated with our sense of smell:
  The Vivid World of Odors;
  Finding the Odorant Receptors;
  How Rats and Mice - and Probably Humans - Recognize Odors;
  The Memory of Smells.
• A Secret Sense in the Human Nose
  Three articles exploring our ability to sense certain chemical signals:
  Sniffing Out Social and Sexual Signals;
  Triggers of Innate Behavior;
  Pheromones and Mammals.

Smile Program Biology Index

Teachers participating in the SMILE (Science and Mathematics Initiative for Learning Enhancement) summer session programs each create a single concept lesson plan. This database has 60 lesson plans in the section on Anatomy & Physiology that deal directly with the human body's senses and systems. Caution: Since there is a wide number of authors who have contributed to the database, the detail and quality of the lesson plans will vary.

Taste and Smell

This page from Newton's Apple has an explanation why taste and smell are related and an experiment to explore which sense (taste or smell) sends the clearest message to the brain.

Your Guide to Better Health: The Nose

Designed for upper elementary students, this page illustrates a cut-away of the nose with labels to the many parts and provides a small description of how we smell.

What's That Smell?

The goals of this lesson plan are to have students identify ways in which their sense of smell helps them and understand how this sense works with other senses.

What's That Smell? The Nose Knows

A brief explanation designed for kids about the nose and its functions in tasting, smelling, and breathing.

Note: The sites listed above will serve as a source of curricular content in the Sense of Smell. For other resources in Science (e.g., curricular content in Earth Science, General Science, Life Science, or Physical Science), or for lesson plans and theme pages, click the "previous screen" button below. Or, click here if you wish to return directly to the CLN menu which will give you access to educational resources in all of our subjects.