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.
- Zara counts 17 pulse beats in 20 seconds. What is the pulse rate in beats per minute? → 51Prompt: How many lots of 20 seconds are there in one minute?
- How many chambers does the human heart have? (6 / 1 / 2 / 4) → 4Prompt: Two atria and two ventricles.
- Kai counts 15 pulse beats in 10 seconds. What is the pulse rate in beats per minute? → 90Prompt: 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.
- Does this help or harm the body: getting enough sleep? (helps the body / harms the body) → helps the bodyPrompt: Think about the heart, lungs, teeth and energy.
- How does smoking harm the body? (Tar damages the lungs and chemicals harm the heart and blood vessels. / It cleans the lungs. / It only affects your clothes. / It makes muscles stronger.) → Tar damages the lungs and chemicals harm the heart and blood vessels.Prompt: Which organs does smoke pass through first?
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.
- True or false? Smoking damages the lungs. (True / False) → TruePrompt: Think about lungs, heart, teeth and the right dose.
- 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.
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