Science lesson plan · 3rd grade (Year 4 in England) · 45 minutes
Skeleton and muscles
Human body and health
CCSS NGSS.4-LS1-1England: KS2 Y3 Animals, including humans
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Skeleton and muscles.
- 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: Body parts and the five senses
Leads to: Major organs and their jobs; Skeleton jobs, joints and muscle pairs
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 (Body parts and the five senses). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- Which body part do you use for hearing a drum? (eyes / tongue / ears / nose) → earsPrompt: Is it about seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting or touching?
- Which of these do you do with your ears? (feeling a cold ice cube / hearing a whisper / tasting honey / smelling toast burning) → hearing a whisperPrompt: Act out each one. Which body part are you using?
- Our senses: which statement is true? (Only fingers can feel touch. / Each part of the tongue can only taste one flavour. / Taste buds can detect sweet, salty, sour and bitter tastes. / We hear with our eyes.) → Taste buds can detect sweet, salty, sour and bitter tastes.Prompt: Think about what each body part does.
Hook · 5 min
- 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.
I do: model it · 10 min
- 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.
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.
- Which bones protect the brain? (the ribs / the skull / the pelvis / the leg bones) → the skullPrompt: The brain is inside your head.
- Skeleton and muscles: which statement is true? (Calcium helps keep bones strong. / Babies and adults have exactly the same number of bones. / Muscles can push bones as well as pull them. / Bones are dead, like rocks.) → Calcium helps keep bones strong.Prompt: Think about what happens when you break a bone.
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 7 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.
- What are the three main jobs of the skeleton? (making food from sunlight / digestion, breathing and seeing / keeping warm and cooling down only / support, protection and movement) → support, protection and movementPrompt: Without it you would be floppy.
- Skeleton and muscles: which statement is true? (Babies and adults have exactly the same number of bones. / Bones are dead, like rocks. / An adult human skeleton has about 206 bones. / Muscles can push bones as well as pull them.) → An adult human skeleton has about 206 bones.Prompt: Think about what happens when you break a bone.
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: Body parts and the five senses.
- 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: Major organs and their jobs; Skeleton jobs, joints and muscle pairs.
- 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-3.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder