• Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Body parts and the five senses). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
• Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.

1. Which body part do you use for tasting salty crisps (chips)? (ears / skin / tongue / nose) → tonguePrompt: Is it about seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting or touching?
2. Which of these do you do with your ears? (tasting a lemon / tasting salty crisps (chips) / feeling a prickly cactus / hearing a drum) → hearing a drumPrompt: Act out each one. Which body part are you using?
3. Our senses: which statement is true? (Only fingers can feel touch. / Smell helps us taste food. / Each part of the tongue can only taste one flavour. / We hear with our eyes.) → Smell helps us taste food.Prompt: Think about what each body part does.

• Ask everyone to find their pulse, then jump for 30 seconds and find it again.
• Share the objective: Skeleton and muscles. Read the success criteria together.

• Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
• Example: What are the three main jobs of the skeleton?
• Step 1: The skeleton holds us up, protects organs and works with muscles so we can move.
• Step 2: So the answer is: support, protection and movement
• Answer: support, protection and movement
• Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

• Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
• Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.

1. How do muscles move bones? (by growing longer / by pushing them / by melting / by contracting (getting shorter) and pulling on them) → by contracting (getting shorter) and pulling on themPrompt: Muscles can only pull, never push.
2. Skeleton and muscles: which statement is true? (Babies and adults have exactly the same number of bones. / Muscles work in pairs. / Bones are dead, like rocks. / Muscles can push bones as well as pull them.) → Muscles work in pairs.Prompt: Think about what happens when you break a bone.

• 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.

• Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.

1. Which bones protect the brain? (the ribs / the skull / the leg bones / the pelvis) → the skullPrompt: The brain is inside your head.
2. Skeleton and muscles: which statement is true? (Bones are dead, like rocks. / The spine (backbone) protects the spinal cord. / Babies and adults have exactly the same number of bones. / Muscles can push bones as well as pull them.) → The spine (backbone) protects the spinal cord.Prompt: Think about what happens when you break a bone.

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/grade-3.