QCA 1998

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%nit &B 'icro(organisms )short unit*

ABOUT THE UNIT

Science Year 6

+hrough this unit chi,dren ,earn that there are man- ver- sma,, organisms ca,,ed micro(organisms which feed, grow and reproduce and which ma- .e harmfu, or .eneficia,. /0perimenta, and investigative work focuses on! making o.servations drawing conc,usions suggesting e0p,anations for conc,usions, using scientific know,edge and understanding. Work in this unit a,so offers chi,dren the opportunit- to use scientific ideas to e0p,ain some causes of i,,ness and deca-, to re,ate micro( organisms to food production and to re,ate science to their persona, hea,th. Some of the work in this unit is ,ike,- to .e undertaken in re,ation to the schoo,1s programme for persona,, socia, and hea,th education. +his unit takes appro0imate,- & hours.

WHERE THE UNIT FITS IN

Bui,ds on %nit 2A 3+eeth and eating1 and %nit &A 34nterdependence and adaptation1 Children need: to know ,iving things feed, grow and reproduce. 5inks with %nits 6A, 6B and histor-.

VOCABULARY
4n this unit chi,dren wi,, have opportunities to! use a,ternative terms for micro( organisms eg microbe, germ, virus recognise that some of these terms eg germ are used in an ever-da.ut not a scientific conte0t provide e0p,anations and genera,isations.

RESOURCES
secondar- sources providing information a.out micro(organisms eg video, CD-ROM showing decay within a compost heap ,ive -east, dough sea,ed .ag of grass cuttings pictures, packaging of foods the production of which invo,ves micro( organisms mou,d- food eg fruit, bread

EXPECTATIONS
a he end !" hi# $ni most children will: recognise that there are man- ver- sma,, organisms which can cause i,,ness or deca- or which can .e used in food production and that these micro(organisms feed, grow and reproduce ,ike other organisms recognise that ver- sma,, ,iving things can cause i,,ness descri.e evidence that -east is ,iving7 e0p,ain how micro(organisms can move from one food source to another and how this can cause food poisoning

some children will not have made so much progress and will: some children will have progressed further and will also:

QCA 1998

Browse, save, edit or print Schemes of Work from the Standards Site at www.standards.dfee.gov.uk

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Browse, save, edit or print Schemes of Work from the Standards Site at www.standards.dfee.gov.uk

8rimar- Schemes of Work! Science %nit &B 'icro(organisms

LEARNIN% OB&ECTIVES
C945: /; S9<%5: 5/A ;

POSSIBLE TEACHIN% ACTIVITIES

LEARNIN% OUTCO'ES
C945: /;

POINTS TO NOTE

that there are ver- sma,, organisms ca,,ed micro( organisms which can .e harmfu, that scientific ideas a.out diseases are .ased on evidence

4ntroduce topic .- finding out chi,dren1s ideas a.out what makes them i,,. =o,,ow up chi,dren1s ideas .- discussing some ideas peop,e used to have a.out i,,ness. Ask chi,dren to use secondar- sources eg CD-ROMs, reference books to find out a.out scientists eg enner, !asteur and others who deve,oped the 3germ1 theor- of diseases. /0p,ain that 3germ1 is an ever-da- term for the ver- sma,, ,iving organisms ca,,ed micro(organisms which cause disease.

recognise that diseases can .e passed on .- ver- sma,, organisms and that this idea is .ased on scientific evidence

+eachers wi,, .e aware of the need to .e sensitive to individua, chi,dren and their fami,ies in terms of hea,th. +his activit- ma- show that chi,dren do not distinguish .etween i,,nesses known to arise from infection and other i,,nesses. +eachers wi,, need to .ear this in mind during their short(term p,anning for ,ater activities. Chi,dren wi,, have heard a.out viruses. 4t ma- .e he,pfu, to mention three common t-pes of micro(organisms! viruses, .acteria and some fungi. Chi,dren wou,d not .e e0pected to reca,, these names. Chi,dren shou,d a,so .e to,d that 3micro.e1 is a term which is sometimes used instead of 3micro(organisms1.

to consider the reasons for some common i,,nesses that some micro(organisms can cause common i,,nesses

4nvite a hea,th professiona, to visit and ask chi,dren to pose >uestions a.out i,,nesses eg stomach upsets, spots, measles and rubella" +a,k with chi,dren a.out >uestions and answer these in terms of micro(organisms. emind chi,dren of tooth deca- and the need to keep gums hea,th- and ask them a.out wa-s of preventing deca-. /0p,ain this in terms of removing harmfu, micro( organisms from the mouth.

identif- some i,,nesses eg rubella, chicken po# and some conditions eg boils, tooth decay caused .- micro( organisms e0p,ain wh- c,eaning teeth regu,ar,- he,ps prevent tooth deca- and gum disease

SAFETY ? An- work on micro(organisms must use on,- safe sources eg yeast, moulds on bread or cheese" =or detai,s see 3Be Safe1 section 11. Cu,tures shou,d ;<+ .e grown on specia, media ie agar p,ates.

QCA 1998

ef! QCA"98"#1$W

LEARNIN% OB&ECTIVES
C945: /; S9<%5: 5/A ;

POSSIBLE TEACHIN% ACTIVITIES

LEARNIN% OUTCO'ES
C945: /;

POINTS TO NOTE

that micro(organisms are often too sma,, to .e seen to make suggestions a.out o.serving food, .earing in mind the need for safet that micro(organisms can cause food to deca that food needs to .e hand,ed and stored with care

Show chi,dren some e0amp,es of mou,d- food eg bread, apples and cheese and ask chi,dren what has caused the deca-. Ask chi,dren to suggest where sea,ed containers of food might .e ,eft and to o.serve them over two weeks. :iscuss the effects of eating mou,d- food and ask chi,dren to suggest how the- prevent food .ecoming mou,d- at home. +a,k with chi,dren a.out .asic aspects of food h-giene eg using different knives for cooked and raw meat, cooking food thoroughly, organising a fridge to keep cooked and raw food apart and ask them to write some simp,e h-giene ru,es and an e0p,anation of the need for each ru,e.

recognise that micro( organisms cause food to deca e0p,ain that micro(organisms grow and reproduce on food and that this can cause food poisoning

SAFETY ? 'ou,ds are visi.,e. 9owever, other micro(organisms which cause food to go .ad eg bacteria ma- not .e. Since manmicro(organisms re,ease ,arge >uantities of spores into the air and some peop,e are a,,ergic to these, mou,d- foods shou,d .e kept in c,osed p,astic .ags or other c,osed containers. See 3Be Safe1 section 11.

that micro(organisms .ring a.out deca that deca- can .e .eneficia, that micro(organisms which cause deca- are ,iving organisms

Wa,k around the schoo, grounds or ,oca,it- to ,ook for evidence of natura, materia,s eg leaf litter, grass cuttings which are deca-ing. Contrast with other waste materia, eg some plastics which do not deca-. %se secondarsources eg videos, CD-ROMs to show a time(,apse se>uence of deca- eg within a compost heap or set up a .ag of eg vegetables, leaves, grass cuttings and o.serve it over a period eg one to two weeks" Ask chi,dren to consider wh- deca- is .eneficia, and what evidence thehave that the micro(organisms causing deca- are ,iving.

identif- some things eg leaves, grass, paper which deca descri.e conse>uences if materia,s did not decaeg if things didn$t rot, rubbish would pile up forever e0p,ain that micro(organisms grow and that the- 3feed1 on the materia,, causing it to deca-

Biodegrada.,e p,astics are s-nthesised so that the- do deca-. 'icro(organisms .reak down materia,s to re,ease nutrients .ack into soi, and water and in this wa- the- are rec-c,ed. +hese are sometimes referred to as 3decomposers1. SAFETY ? @rass cuttings, ,eaves etc shou,d .e contained within a ,oose,- sea,ed .ag eg a polythene bag sealed with a %tie$ which a,,ows gases to escape. +he .ag shou,d .e disposed of without opening.

QCA 1998

Browse, save, edit or print Schemes of Work from the Standards Site at www.standards.dfee.gov.uk

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LEARNIN% OB&ECTIVES
C945: /; S9<%5: 5/A ;

POSSIBLE TEACHIN% ACTIVITIES

LEARNIN% OUTCO'ES
C945: /;

POINTS TO NOTE

that micro(organisms feed and grow to make suggestions a.out what -east needs to grow to make carefu, o.servations and compare these in order to draw conc,usions a.out the effect of -east on dough to e0p,ain conc,usions using scientific know,edge and understanding

Show chi,dren some ,ive -east and e0p,ore .read making eg dough with and without yeast" :iscuss what happens and e0p,ain that as the -east grows it produces a gas which makes the .read rise. /0p,ain that -east is a micro( organism which means it ,ives, grows and reproduces. Ask chi,dren to suggest what is needed to keep it a,ive. Set up tests eg yeast with and without sugar &food' and in warm and cold places and o.serve the gas produced. Ask chi,dren whether the resu,ts support the idea that -east is ,iving.

descri.e that .read rises when it contains -east .ut without -east, dough does not rise descri.e that when -east has sugar and is kept in a warm p,ace it produces .u..,es of gas .ut without sugar ver- ,itt,e gas is produced e0p,ain that -east needs sugar and warmth to grow which supports the idea that it is ,iving

=resh -east is avai,a.,e from man- hea,th food shops. Additiona, time ma- .e needed to a,,ow the dough to rise. 'icro(organisms grow, feed and reproduce. 9owever, the- are not c,assified either as p,ants or as anima,s .ut in other kingdoms eg yeast is classified as a fungus" SAFETY ? Chi,dren shou,d not .e a,,owed to taste sugar, dough or .read un,ess strict h-giene has .een o.served. SAFETY ? Containers of -east must not .e comp,ete,- sea,ed.

that micro(organisms are usefu, in food production

Ask chi,dren to use secondar- sources to identif- other uses of micro(organisms in food production eg yoghurt, cheese, blue cheese" 'ake a disp,a- or co,,age to i,,ustrate this.

identif- e0amp,es of the use of micro(organisms in the production of food

QCA 1998

Browse, save, edit or print Schemes of Work from the Standards Site at www.standards.dfee.gov.uk

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