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Science lesson plan · 5th grade (Year 6 in England) · 45 minutes

How diet, exercise and harmful substances affect the body

Human body and health

CCSS NGSS.MS-LS1-3England: KS2 Y6 Animals, including humans

Objective and success criteria

Students will: How diet, exercise and harmful substances affect the body.

  • 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: Heart, blood and circulation; Exercise and your body: heartbeat and breathing

Leads to: the next skill in this area.

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

Warm-up · 5 min

  • Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Heart, blood and circulation; Exercise and your body: heartbeat and breathing). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. Luis counts 24 pulse beats in 20 seconds. What is the pulse rate in beats per minute? → 72Prompt: How many lots of 20 seconds are there in one minute?
  2. What do arteries do? (carry blood away from the heart / digest food / carry blood back to the heart / make urine) → carry blood away from the heartPrompt: "A" for arteries, "A" for away.
  3. Hana counts 16 pulse beats in 10 seconds. What is the pulse rate in beats per minute? → 96Prompt: How many lots of 10 seconds are there in one minute?

Hook · 5 min

  • Ask everyone to find their pulse, then jump for 30 seconds and find it again.
  • Share the objective: How diet, exercise and harmful substances affect the body. Read the success criteria together.

I do: model it · 10 min

  • Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
  • Example: Does this help or harm the body: drinking water instead of fizzy drinks?
  • Step 1: These choices keep the heart, lungs, muscles and brain healthy.
  • Step 2: So the answer is: helps the body
  • Answer: helps the body
  • Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

We do: guided practice · 10 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. Does this help or harm the body: breathing in other people's smoke? (helps the body / harms the body) → harms the bodyPrompt: Think about the heart, lungs, teeth and energy.
  2. Why is regular exercise good for the heart? (Exercise has no effect on the heart. / It makes the heart smaller and weaker. / It makes the heart stop resting. / The heart is a muscle and gets stronger with use.) → The heart is a muscle and gets stronger with use.Prompt: What happens to any muscle you train?

You do: independent practice · 10 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 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

Exit ticket · 5 min

  • Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
  1. True or false? Breathing in other people's smoke is completely harmless. (True / False) → FalsePrompt: Think about lungs, heart, teeth and the right dose.
  2. Does this help or harm the body: sitting in front of screens all day? (helps the body / harms the body) → harms the bodyPrompt: Think about the heart, lungs, teeth and energy.

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: Heart, blood and circulation.
  • 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

  • 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-5.

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

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How diet, exercise and harmful substances affect the body

Name

Date

Score/ 8

  1. Question 1

    Does this help or harm the body: sitting in front of screens all day?

    • A. helps the body
    • B. harms the body

  2. Question 2

    Why does too much sugar harm your health?

    • A. Sugar is a vitamin.
    • B. Sugar has no energy.
    • C. It can cause tooth decay and unhealthy weight gain.
    • D. Sugar makes bones stronger.

  3. Question 3

    True or false? Smoking damages the lungs.

    • A. True
    • B. False

  4. Question 4

    Does this help or harm the body: eating lots of sugary snacks every day?

    • A. helps the body
    • B. harms the body

  5. Question 5

    How does smoking harm the body?

    • A. It cleans the lungs.
    • B. Tar damages the lungs and chemicals harm the heart and blood vessels.
    • C. It only affects your clothes.
    • D. It makes muscles stronger.

  6. Question 6

    True or false? A balanced diet gives the body the nutrients it needs.

    • A. True
    • B. False

  7. Question 7

    Does this help or harm the body: playing sport most days?

    • A. helps the body
    • B. harms the body

  8. Question 8

    Why is regular exercise good for the heart?

    • A. Exercise has no effect on the heart.
    • B. The heart is a muscle and gets stronger with use.
    • C. It makes the heart stop resting.
    • D. It makes the heart smaller and weaker.

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Answer key: How diet, exercise and harmful substances affect the body

  1. 1. B. harms the body

  2. 2. C. It can cause tooth decay and unhealthy weight gain.

  3. 3. A. True

  4. 4. B. harms the body

  5. 5. B. Tar damages the lungs and chemicals harm the heart and blood vessels.

  6. 6. A. True

  7. 7. A. helps the body

  8. 8. B. The heart is a muscle and gets stronger with use.