Unit 9B Fit and healthy
About the unit
In this unit pupils learn:
o how the human respiratory, digestive and circulatory systems interact to maintain activity
o about the functions of the skeleton
o about ways in which diet, exercise, smoking and drugs affect health
In scientific enquiry pupils:
o find out how scientists linked diseases to a lack of specific nutrients
o consider how the work of different scientists has contributed to a medical advance
o work collaboratively to collect sufficient valid and reliable data to form conclusions
o evaluate conflicting evidence
o investigate reaction time, considering how factors which cannot be controlled can be taken into account
Teachers should make sure that work on tobacco, alcohol and drugs and eating disorders in this unit is consistent with their school's PSHE programme. Teachers will be aware of the need for sensitivity to the circumstances of individual pupils and their families.
This unit is expected to take approximately 8.5 hours.
Where the unit fits in
The unit builds on unit 7A 'Cells', unit 7B 'Reproduction', unit 8A 'Food and digestion',
unit 8B 'Respiration', unit 8C 'Microbes and disease' and unit 9A 'Inheritance and selection'.
Careful planning of the work in this unit alongside the school's drugs policy and the PSHE programme will be required, particularly when pupils are introduced to the effects of smoking, alcohol and drugs, etc.
This unit provides opportunities to revisit and revise work on nutrition and human respiration and the function of the circulatory system. With some pupils, teachers may wish to concentrate on some of the new topics, extending activities, and with others to spend more time on revision of previous work.
This unit relates to unit 20 'Twentieth-century medicine' in the history scheme of work and to unit 9A(i) 'Selecting materials (food)' on special diets in the design and technology scheme of work.
Expectations
At the end of this unit
in terms of scientific enquiry
most pupils will: select and make effective use of secondary sources of information about health, indicating how strongly evidence supports or does not support a conclusion; plan how to carry out appropriately an investigation using human subjects
some pupils will not have made so much progress and will: select information from secondary sources about health; use data obtained to draw a conclusion; investigate a question using human subjects safely and appropriately
some pupils will have progressed further and will: synthesise information about health and identify limitations in the data assembled; explain some methods adopted to carry out an investigation on human subjects safely and appropriately
in terms of life processes and living things
most pupils will: describe how the body uses the energy in food, representing respiration by a word equation; describe some effects of diet, smoking, alcohol and other drugs and of exercise on some organ systems; explain how different body systems work together in a healthy individual
some pupils will not have made so much progress and will: describe some effects of diet, smoking, alcohol and other drugs and of exercise on the body and on a developing fetus
some pupils will have progressed further and will: describe how cells in the respiratory system are adapted for their purpose and how they may be damaged by smoking and other forms of air pollution; represent respiration by a symbol equation
Prior learning
It is helpful if pupils can:
o describe a balanced diet and know this is required for healthy growth
o name the gases exchanged in the alveoli of the lungs
o know that developing fetuses obtain materials from the mother's blood supply through the placenta
o name some inherited characteristics
Health and safety
Risk assessments are required for any hazardous activity. In this unit pupils:
o carry out fitness-related activities
o plan and carry out their own investigation into the effect of caffeine on reaction time
Model risk assessments used by most employers for normal science activities can be found in the publications listed in the Teacher's guide. Teachers need to follow these as indicated in the guidance notes for the activities, and consider what modifications are needed for individual classroom situations.
Language for learning
Through the activities in this unit pupils will be able to understand, use and spell correctly:
o names of vitamins and minerals
o specialised words, eg cilia, emphysema
o words with different meanings in scientific and everyday contexts, eg addiction, fit
o words and phrases relating to scientific enquiry, eg trial
Through the activities pupils could:
o discuss and evaluate evidence to arrive at a considered viewpoint
o follow a demonstration and make notes which are then used in another task
Resources
Resources include:
o secondary sources providing data about effects of smoking, effects of alcohol on reaction time, heart disease
o normal and decaffeinated cola
o leaflets, articles, etc about fitness regimes
o secondary sources providing data about illnesses caused by dietary deficiencies and about sports-related injuries
o information about replacement hip/knee joints
o secondary sources illustrating how joints work
o secondary sources illustrating how energy from food is used
o slides showing smokers' and non-smokers' lungs
o a variety of sources of information about health and disease over the last 100 years
Out-of-school learning
Pupils could:
o read publicly available leaflets on smoking, drugs and diet
o find out about the strategies available to people wishing to give up smoking
o talk to people who have managed to give up smoking and those who haven't
o read articles in newspapers and magazines about fitness and exercise regimes, sports injuries and their cure
o read fictional and non-fictional accounts of life in other cultures or of life 50-100 years ago

Overview: respiration breathing drugs health

Lesson 9/B/1 Respiration

National Curriculum statements: 2j that aerobic respiration involves a reaction in cells between oxygen and food, in which glucose is broken down into carbon dioxide and water.
2k to summarise aerobic respiration in a word equation.

Learning objectives Learning outcomes
o that the utilisation of energy by the body depends on several body systems
o to represent the process of respiration by a word equation o describe the processes by which the energy in food is utilised in muscle
o describe the chemical reaction through which energy is utilised
Key words
Respiration, energy, aerobic, chemical reaction, muscle.


Possible teaching activities
o Use secondary sources, eg video clips, slides, ICT simulations, to remind pupils how energy from food is utilised, eg in leg muscles, and how this depends on the digestive, respiratory and circulatory systems. Ask pupils to make a summary, eg by listing key points or annotating diagram(s) of the processes involved, prompting them, as appropriate, with key words and phrases. Remind pupils of the word equation for respiration.
Pupils concept map their ideas about respiration.
Extension/homework.
WORLD OF SCIENCE 3 p12-3.
CORE SCIENCE 1 p42.

Points to note
o This activity is designed to enable teachers to find out about pupils' knowledge and understanding of human body systems. Teachers will need to bear this in mind in later work.
o It may be helpful to use an analogy of a machine, eg a car, to illustrate how all systems need to function well and interact if the machine is to function properly.
Equipment
Poster making stuff.

Safety



Overview: respiration breathing drugs health


Lesson 9/B/2 Breathing

National Curriculum statements: 2i the role of lung structure in gas exchange , including the effect
of smoking.

Learning objectives Learning outcomes
o that the lungs, diaphragm, rib cage and associated muscles of the rib cage are essential for breathing
o that reducing the chest volume expels air from the lungs o explain that increasing the chest's capacity draws air in, and that reducing the volume of the chest pushes air out
Key words
Lungs, diaphragm, rib cage, expel.


Possible teaching activities
o Ask pupils to feel changes in the chest as they breathe by placing their hands on their ribs and taking a few deep breaths in and out. Ask questions, eg
- What happened to the chest wall when they breathed in?
- What happened when they breathed out?
- Which required more effort?
o Ask pupils how breathing can vary, eg when asleep, blowing out candles, playing the trumpet. Discuss how they could measure the volume breathed and which factors might affect lung volume, eg swimming, playing a brass instrument, body size, asthma.
o Use secondary sources, eg models, video clips, software simulations, to illustrate how air is drawn into and expelled from the lungs, and help pupils to label simple diagrams.
Explain why we breathe.
Lungs dissection
Extension/homework.
SEN 22/4.
WORLD OF SCIENCE 3 p54-5.

Points to note
o A pair of bellows or a bell-jar model can be used to illustrate air drawn in and pushed out, but it is not necessary to discuss pressure changes at this stage.
o There is an opportunity to look at the technology of life-support systems used when people are unable to breathe for themselves or when undergoing an operation.
Equipment
Models to illustrate breathing.
Lungs for dissection

Safety



Overview: respiration breathing drugs health

Lesson 9/B/3 What is the effect of smoking on the lungs and other body systems?
National Curriculum statements: 2m that the abuse of alcohol, solvents and other drugs affect health
Learning objectives Learning outcomes
o to make notes during a demonstration and to use these in another task
o that smoking is implicated in a range of illnesses
o that carbon particles, carbon monoxide, heat, nicotine and tar cause specific damage
o that ciliated epithelial cells in the airways are specialised for moving fluid
o how evidence about the effects of smoking has gradually been collected o listen actively, demonstrating understanding and use of scientific terminology
o describe the effects of cigarette smoke on tissues of the lungs and gaseous exchange
o explain that damage to air sacs reduces surface area for gas exchange
o explain the harmful effects of smoke components,
eg nicotine is addictive and narrows blood vessels, affecting blood pressure while accelerating the heart; tar causes lung cancer; carbon monoxide replaces oxygen in the blood
o describe how ideas about smoking have changed as evidence has accumulated
Key words
Illnesses, nicotine, tar, carbon monoxide, cilia, mucus
Possible teaching activities
o Using a variety of resources, eg video clips, slides, illustrations, demonstrations (smoking machines), discuss with pupils the specific effects of smoke components, eg carbon monoxide, nicotine, tar, on the organs of the respiratory system, on cardiovascular function and on developing babies, and of heat effects on ciliated epithelial cells. Remind pupils how to make notes during a demonstration and use these to annotate a diagram.
o Challenge pupils to give reasons why people find it difficult to give up smoking.
o Provide pupils with secondary data, eg death rate from specific illnesses correlated with smoking habits, incidence of chest conditions in smoking and non-smoking households, number of working days lost through smoking-related illnesses, smoking habit and likelihood of miscarriage or stillbirth. Give prompts, eg
- Why was smoking acceptable 30 years ago, but is less so now?
- What is the health warning?
- What is passive smoking?
- Why can't people under 16 buy cigarettes?
o Ask pupils to use what they have found out to produce either a leaflet for younger pupils or a leaflet for adults explaining why smoking is harmful. Help pupils select information to be emphasised in each leaflet.
Extension/homework.
WORLD OF SCIENCE 3 p56
CORE SCIENCE 1 p28
Points to note
o This builds on unit 8B 'Respiration' and provides an opportunity to revisit lung function, cell structure and the transport of material in the blood.
o Pupils are likely to have learnt about some of the effects of substances, such as tobacco, that change our physical or mental state in unit 5A 'Keeping healthy' in the key stage 2 scheme of work. They will also have considered the effect of smoking on the developing fetus in unit 7B 'Reproduction'.
o Extension: pupils could find out how cells in the respiratory tract are adapted for their functions.
o As an alternative, pupils could use a 'smoking machine' to collect tar.
Equipment Smoking machine.
Safety
- 'smoking machines' should be used in a fume cupboard. Staff should wear gloves when cleaning the appara-tus to protect from carcinogenic tar

Overview: respiration breathing drugs health


Lesson 9/B/4 What effects do drugs have?

National Curriculum statements: 2m that the abuse of alcohol, solvents and other drugs affect health


Learning objectives Learning outcomes
o that a drug is any substance that changes the way the body or mind works o categorise drugs into over-the-counter and prescription drugs, eg penicillin, paracetamol, recreational drugs, eg caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, and illegal (unless prescribed) drugs, eg amphetamines, cannabis
o recognise that there is some overlap between different categories of drug
o recognise that prescription drugs can have side effects and are potentially dangerous
o explain addiction and identify addictive drugs
o that drugs alter the way the body works physically or mentally
o to recognise the need for informed consent in experiments involving people
o how to deal with factors that cannot be controlled
o how to work collaboratively to obtain sufficient valid data to draw conclusions o identify caffeine as a stimulant
o recognise that drugs can change the mental activity of a body
o recognise that there are ethical issues involved in scientific research, eg not subjecting people to harmful experiences
o recognise that researchers must guard against influencing results, eg by not knowing which subjects have the drug
o consider evidence and reasons and reach conclusions when presenting ideas
Key words
Drug, prescription, recreational, addiction.


Possible teaching activities
o Explore pupils' perceptions of drugs by providing a list of well-known substances, eg paracetamol, cannabis, tobacco, penicillin, ecstasy, calamine, branded antiseptic. Ask the pupils to divide the list into drugs and other substances, then categorise the drugs into different groups. Ask the pupils to explain the criteria or reasons for their categories.
o Explain what a drug is and the distinction between different categories of drug.
o Discuss with pupils their perceptions of the dangers of drugs, eg widely used, side effects, addictive, likely to cause death. Use secondary sources to investigate the accuracy of their perceptions of recreational drugs. Help pupils present their findings as a 'fundamental facts' chart for use by year 9 pupils in other classes or for later year 9 groups.
o Using suitable stimulus material, establish that caffeine is consumed widely, eg in tea, cola, coffee, and that it is considered to be a stimulant which makes people more alert. Ask pupils to suggest how to investigate whether this is so.
o Demonstrate a technique for measuring reaction time, eg catching a dropped ruler, using datalogging equipment. Discuss with pupils how they could deal with caffeine sensitivity in certain individuals, how long caffeine takes to work, the placebo effect and the use of double-blind trials and the problem of sample size.
o Ask pupils to drink measures of caffeinated or decaffeinated cola, record the effect on reaction time and present a report on their findings.
Extension/homework.
WORLD OF SCIENCE 3 p63-4
CORE SCIENCE 2 p43

Points to note
o Teachers will be aware of the need to be sensitive to the circumstances of individual pupils and their families.
o Liaise with PSHE teachers to ensure the same materials are not being used.
o Many outside agencies, eg drugs education units, can visit schools to provide discussion material and factual information.
o Coffee would be cheaper to use, but most pupils prefer drinking cola to coffee. This work will also require a discussion of likely inaccuracies and uncontrollable variables, as well as different pupils' immunity or lack of measurable response to the caffeine.
o Pupils unable or unprepared to take part could plan and suggest results, followed by taking part as 'referees' or checking results, etc.
o Extension: pupils could be asked to find out how double-blind trials are used in the trialling of new drugs.
Equipment
Reaction timer, pot of tea.

Safety

- any pupil who claims caf-feine sensitivity must not participate. Pu-pils' plans must be checked for health and safety before practical work begins. If pupils drink cola in the laboratory, strict hygiene must be observed, eg dispos-able cups. Do not use laboratory mea-suring cylinders



Overview: respiration breathing drugs health

Lesson 9/B/5 Why is diet important?
National Curriculum statements: 2a about the need for a balanced diet containing carbohydrates, proteins, fats, minerals, vitamins, fibre and water, and about the foods that are sources of these

Learning objectives Learning outcomes
o that a balanced diet requires nutrients, including vitamins, in the correct quantities
o that deficiencies in specific nutrients lead to specific diseases
o how evidence about specific nutrient deficiencies is used o describe the effects of deficiencies in diet, eg of calcium, iron, protein
o describe some effects of an unhealthy diet, eg obesity, rickets, scurvy
o describe evidence linking nutrition and health, and how evidence has been used
o to make notes during a demonstration and to use them in another task
o to estimate how precise measurements need to be
o to identify trends in quantitative data o learn how to make very precise measurements
o recognise that vitamin C content declines with storage and processing
Key words
Nutrient, vitamins, calcium, vitamin C, iron, protein, rickets, scurvy.
Possible teaching activities
o Remind pupils of work they did in unit 7A 'Cells' on the way in which cells are arranged into tissues, and ask them to list a variety of body tissues. Point out that the food we eat has to provide the components for growth and repair of all tissues as well as energy for activity.
o Use quick oral questions to review pupils' knowledge of the components of a balanced diet (covered in unit 8A 'Food and digestion'). Discuss the effect of the shortage of a particular dietary component and some of the overall consequences, eg children succumb more easily to waterborne infections and measles, developmental delay, effects of low-energy foods in the diet, lack of calcium in bones and teeth.
o Provide pupils with secondary sources, including ICT (food analysis software available), to identify the consequences of specific nutrient deficiencies. Consider investigations into the effects of specific nutrient deficiencies, eg the work of Magendie and Gowland Hopkins, the role of folic acid in development, the recognition of kwashiorkor (protein deficiency).
o Ask pupils about other ways in which a diet may be unhealthy and talk about ways in which overeating can affect health and lifestyle. Help pupils make a summary of the nutrients needed for a healthy diet and some of the consequences of an inadequate or inappropriate diet.
o Demonstrate how to measure vitamin C content using DCPIP, encouraging pupils to make notes.
o Ask them to compare the vitamin C content of a selection of fruit juices and squash, eg fresh fruit, carton juice, carton opened for several days, squash, using DCPIP, and to write a report on their findings.
Extension/homework.
WORLD OF SCIENCE 2 p47-8, CORE SCIENCE 2 p30
Points to note
o Teachers will be aware of the need for sensitivity when discussing diet. Anorexia is a multi-faceted disorder with no agreed specific cause or therapy or treatment. Teachers need to ensure that their work is consistent with the school's PSHE programme.
o The World Health Organization (WHO) produces maps drawn according to energy intake of population and other factors.
o Extension: pupils could be asked to find out about foods rich in trace elements, eg zinc, and why such elements are needed in the diet,
eg using the British Nutrition Foundation's website, www.nutrition.org.uk
o Extension: this could be extended into a full investigation of the effects of storage on the vitamin content of juice.
Equipment Fresh and old orange juice. DCPIP solution.
Safety

Overview: respiration breathing drugs health


Lesson 9/B/6 What else can we do to maintain fitness?

National Curriculum statements: 2m that the abuse of alcohol, solvents and other drugs affect health
2i the role of lung structure in gas exchange , including the effect of smoking.
2m that the abuse of alcohol, solvents and other drugs affect health

Learning objectives Learning outcomes
o how diet, smoking, alcohol and exercise can affect fitness and health o describe how diet and lack of exercise can worsen heart and circulation conditions
o describe diets and forms of exercise that can lead to improvements in heart and circulation conditions
Key words
Alcohol, circulation, solvents, drug.


Possible teaching activities
o Remind pupils of the comparison of the human body to a properly working machine and ask them what else must be kept in good order if they are to remain fit. Establish that a healthy heart is essential to circulate blood. Ask pupils to use secondary sources of information to find out how diet, smoking, alcohol and exercise can affect the heart and about circulatory problems, eg arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure, which can be made worse by an unhealthy lifestyle. Help pupils to make a list of lifestyle changes that could reduce the chance of heart problems.
Extension/homework.
SEN worksheets 22/7, 22/8
WORLD OF SCIENCE 3 p56, p62
CORE SCIENCE 2 p38, 40

Points to note
o Teachers will be aware of the need to be sensitive to the circumstances of individual pupils and their families.
o There are several alcohol education packages available containing resource material, such as effects on reaction time, information about units and alcohol content of drinks. Some include quizzes.
o Teachers will be aware of the need to be sensitive to the circumstances of individual pupils and their families.
o Extension: pupils could dissect a heart from a butcher's shop to investigate the position and distribution of coronary arteries.
Equipment


Safety

- hands should be washed af-ter handling animal material and bench-es wiped with disinfectant


Overview: respiration breathing drugs health


Lesson 9/B/7 What do we mean by fit?

National Curriculum statements: 2m that the abuse of alcohol, solvents and other drugs affect health
2i the role of lung structure in gas exchange , including the effect of smoking.
2m that the abuse of alcohol, solvents and other drugs affect health

Learning objectives Learning outcomes
o to relate fitness to the systems of the human body
o that 'fitness' is different for different individuals o identify aspects of fitness and describe how fitness might differ in different individuals
o describe ways in which fitness relates to some of the body systems
o to ask different sorts of questions to extend thinking and refine ideas
o to identify what information is needed, then use different sources
o to evaluate conflicting evidence to arrive at a considered viewpoint o produce supplementary questions relating to different aspects of an original question
o assemble evidence to answer the question
o decide whether the evidence supports or does not support the idea, and give reasons for their decision
Key words
Fit, fitness.


Possible teaching activities
o Ask pupils what they understand by the term 'fit' and how they might go about finding out if they are fit. Discuss how fitness means different things to different people, relating this back to work in unit 8C 'Microbes and disease'. Ask what a fitness programme might deal with, eg exercise, diet, smoking, alcohol, and establish that these relate to the functioning of the human respiratory, digestive and circulatory systems and skeleton and joints.
o Ask pupils to carry out simple activities to measure aspects of fitness,
eg running on the spot, or steps, for 30 seconds and monitoring the return of pulse and breathing rates to resting level using datalogging equipment; fat callipers on upper arm; pressing a set of bathroom scales with arms raised to measure muscle strength.
o Ask pupils to consider the question and to suggest how it could be turned into further questions that could be investigated and the sources of information that might be used. Agree, with the class, questions that individuals or groups could investigate and the sources of data each might use. Discuss, eg as a debate, the evidence for and against the idea that we are healthier than our great-grandparents were, helping pupils to identify the key points and to evaluate the strength of conflicting evidence.


Extension/homework.


Reviewing work
o to relate fitness and health to scientific knowledge and understanding
o Help pupils to summarise the key points identified in earlier activities and to turn these into a series of recommendations for remaining fit and healthy. Ask pupils to provide the scientific knowledge on which each recommendation is based.
o identify factors that can affect fitness and health, relating these to scientific knowledge and understanding


Points to note
o Pupils could be asked to provide their own examples of advice on fitness from newspaper/magazine articles, fitness and leisure centres, etc. Some examples that consider the fitness of disabled athletes would be useful, eg information provided by www.kidshealth.org
Equipment


Safety

- the needs of pupils with spe-cific medical conditions, and those ex-cused from PE, should be considered when deciding if they should take part. Suitable shoes should be worn, and benches/steps should be held firm. Over-competitiveness should be avoided
o In unit 8C 'Microbes and disease' pupils considered infectious diseases, and in this unit they have considered influences of lifestyle on health. They may need to be reminded that there are many other types of illness and that the cause of many of these is not yet known.

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