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Science lesson plan · 6th grade (Year 7 in England) · 30 minutes

Food groups, nutrients and what each one does

Human body and health

CCSS NGSS.MS-LS1-7England: KS3 Biology: Nutrition and digestion

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Food groups, nutrients and what each one does.

  • I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
  • I can explain each step and say why it works.
  • I can check my answer and spot a mistake.

Before and after

Needs first: Food groups and a balanced diet

Leads to: Digestive enzymes and the molecules they make; Test foods for starch, sugar, protein and fat

Materials: Stopwatches, Body diagrams, Mini whiteboards, A diagram or short video clip of the idea, Printed student sheet (below).

Warm-up · 4 min

  • Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Food groups and a balanced diet). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. Which nutrient is butter a good source of? (carbohydrates (for energy) / protein (for growth and repair) / fats (stored energy) / vitamins and minerals (to stay healthy)) → fats (stored energy)Prompt: Is it a starchy food, a meat or bean, an oil, or a fruit or vegetable?
  2. Why do we need to drink water every day? (We do not need water. / Our bodies are mostly water and we lose some all the time. / Water gives us protein. / Water is a type of fat.) → Our bodies are mostly water and we lose some all the time.Prompt: We lose water when we sweat and breathe out.
  3. Which food is a good source of carbohydrates (for energy)? (potatoes / spinach / chicken / fish) → potatoesPrompt: Think about which group each food belongs to.

Hook · 3 min

  • Ask everyone to find their pulse, then jump for 30 seconds and find it again.
  • Share the objective: Food groups, nutrients and what each one does. Read the success criteria together.

I do: model it · 7 min

  • Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
  • Example: Which nutrient group matches this: vitamin C for healthy skin and gums?
  • Step 1: Vitamins and minerals are needed in small amounts to stay healthy.
  • Step 2: So the answer is: vitamins and minerals
  • Answer: vitamins and minerals
  • Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

We do: guided practice · 6 min

  • Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
  • Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
  1. Which nutrient group matches this: found in butter, nuts and olive oil? (carbohydrates / proteins / lipids (fats and oils) / fibre (fiber)) → lipids (fats and oils)Prompt: Energy, growth, stored energy, small amounts for health, or keeping the gut moving?
  2. A cereal bar contains 39 g of carbohydrate, 12 g of protein and 6 g of fat. Carbohydrate and protein each release 17 kJ per gram; fat releases 37 kJ per gram. How much energy does it provide, in kJ? → 1089 kJPrompt: Work out the energy from each nutrient separately.

You do: independent practice · 7 min

  • Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
  • Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 6 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

Exit ticket · 3 min

  • Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
  1. A teenager eats lots of white bread and sweets but few vegetables, and has constipation. What should they add? (more salt / more fibre (fiber) / more sugar / more fat) → more fibre (fiber)Prompt: Which nutrient keeps food moving through the gut?
  2. Which nutrient group matches this: the body's main source of energy? (vitamins and minerals / carbohydrates / fibre (fiber) / proteins) → carbohydratesPrompt: Energy, growth, stored energy, small amounts for health, or keeping the gut moving?

Watch out for

  • Everyday meanings of words getting in the way of the science meaning: define key words explicitly.
  • Remembering facts without the reason: ask "why?" and "what is the evidence?"

Support and stretch

Support

  • Review first: Food groups and a balanced diet.
  • Use concrete materials: stopwatches.
  • Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
  • Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.

Stretch

  • Move on to: Digestive enzymes and the molecules they make; Test foods for starch, sugar, protein and fat.
  • Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
  • Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.

Homework and more practice

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/grade-6.

Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder

eurekami

Food groups, nutrients and what each one does

Name

Date

Score/ 6

  1. Question 1

    Which nutrient group matches this: needed for growth and repair of cells?

    • A. proteins
    • B. carbohydrates
    • C. vitamins and minerals
    • D. lipids (fats and oils)

  2. Question 2

    A sandwich contains 36 g of carbohydrate, 12 g of protein and 3 g of fat. Carbohydrate and protein each release 17 kJ per gram; fat releases 37 kJ per gram. How much energy does it provide, in kJ?

    AnswerkJ

  3. Question 3

    A sailor long ago ate no fresh fruit or vegetables for months and got bleeding gums (scurvy). What was missing?

    • A. fibre (fiber)
    • B. vitamin C
    • C. protein
    • D. fat

  4. Question 4

    Which nutrient group matches this: store energy and keep the body warm?

    • A. fibre (fiber)
    • B. carbohydrates
    • C. lipids (fats and oils)
    • D. proteins

  5. Question 5

    A bowl of porridge (oatmeal) contains 33 g of carbohydrate, 11 g of protein and 7 g of fat. Carbohydrate and protein each release 17 kJ per gram; fat releases 37 kJ per gram. How much energy does it provide, in kJ?

    AnswerkJ

  6. Question 6

    A teenager eats lots of white bread and sweets but few vegetables, and has constipation. What should they add?

    • A. more salt
    • B. more sugar
    • C. more fat
    • D. more fibre (fiber)

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Answer key: Food groups, nutrients and what each one does

  1. 1. A. proteins

  2. 2. 927 kJ

  3. 3. B. vitamin C

  4. 4. C. lipids (fats and oils)

  5. 5. 1007 kJ

  6. 6. D. more fibre (fiber)