Exploring senses, keeping healthy and enriched literacy for SEND learners
This engaging Scheme of Work is based on Cat Eyes and Dog Whistles: The Seven Senses of Humans and Other Animals by Cathy Evans. The unit takes an enquiry-based approach to understanding the senses, healthy living and how the world is experienced differently by humans and animals. Through sensory storytelling, investigation, communication tasks and creative activities, learners deepen their knowledge of the body while developing key literacy skills.
The sequence is fully inclusive, designed for learners working from Pre-Formal, Semi-Formal, Formal and Formal+ pathways, with clear assessment steps and SOLAR-linked outcomes. Structured questioning, symbol-supported vocabulary, discussion opportunities and scaffolded writing tasks enable all pupils to access both the science content and the English curriculum focus.

What’s included
(based directly on your uploaded scheme)
Cat Eyes and Dog Whistles SoW
• Eight planned sessions with two lessons per week:
• Sensory reading to introduce each sense
• A task-based English session for recall and communication
• Integration of Attention Autism activities throughout
• Specific differentiated activities for all pathways every session
• Strong cross-curricular links with PSHE, DT and science (healthy living, the senses)
• Clear vocabulary development and symbol-supported resources
• British Values and SMSC mapped explicitly across the unit
• Enquiry-led practical learning including group sensory investigations
• Tuff-tray continuous provision for Pre-Formal engagement
• Mark-making, sorting, sequencing and sentence-building tasks
• Writing outcomes linked to describing senses and healthy choices

Curriculum and skill development
• Developing inference skills using images and objects
• Understanding and describing each of the senses
• Using communication tools (PECS, symbols, AAC) with growing independence
• Applying descriptive vocabulary for functional communication
• Early reading skills including matching, prediction and comprehension
• Participation in structured group discussion and turn-taking
• Understanding behaviours, preferences and self-regulation tools

Intended outcomes
Pupils will:
• Engage meaningfully with a narrative non-fiction text about the human body
• Demonstrate understanding of sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing and beyond
• Show preferences and articulate personal sensory experiences
• Use visuals, pictures, symbols or words to describe sensory information
• Develop reading and writing skills from initial mark-making to sentence construction
• Build confidence to communicate needs and choices effectively