Unit 2 Health, medicine and disease

Review of prior learning

Learning objectives from Stages 1–3 LB pages WB pages TG pages

2Bp.01 Know that humans need to manage diet, maintain hygiene 22 35–37
and move regularly to be healthy.

Learning objectives overview

Biology Online resources LB pages WB pages TG pages
Life processes Flashcards/Audio
4Bp.01 Know that medicines can be used to treat some Unit 2 Slide 3 29–32 20 45–51
illnesses, and describe how to use them safely.
4Bp.02 Know that plants and animals can have infectious 29, 32–34 21 45–51
diseases, and vaccinations can prevent some infectious
diseases of animals.
4Bp.03 Know that plants and animals need energy to Unit 2 Slide 1 24–25 13–16 37–40
grow, live and be healthy, and plants get their energy from
light while animals get their energy from eating plants or
other animals.
4Bp.04 Describe the importance of movement in Unit 2 Slide 2 26–28 17–19 41–44
maintaining human health.

Thinking and Working Scientifically LB pages WB pages TG pages

Purpose and planning
4TWSp.01 Ask scientific questions that can be investigated. 27, Activity 1 41–44, 47–51
34, Activity 1
4TWSp.02 Know that there are five main types of scientific 23, Activity 2 13, 19 35–37
enquiry (research, fair testing, observing over time, identifying 27, Activity 1 41–44, 47–51
and classifying, and pattern seeking). 34, Activity 1
4TWSp.03 Make a prediction describing some possible outcomes 23, Activity 1 35–37, 41–44
of an enquiry. 27, Activity 1
Carrying out scientific enquiry
4TWSc.01 Use observations and tests to sort, group and classify 24, Let’s talk 13, 14, 15 37–40, 47–51
objects. 32, Activity 1
4TWSc.06 Carry out practical work safely. 27, Activity 1 41–44
4TWSc.07 Use secondary information sources to research an 24, Activity 1 15 37–40, 47–51
answer to a question. 32, Activity 1
33, Activity 1
4TWSc.08 Collect and record observations and/or measurements 23, Activity 1 14, 17 35–37,
in tables and diagrams. 27, Activity 1 41–44,
33, Activity 2 47–51
Analysis, evaluation and conclusions
4TWSa.01 Identify whether results support, or do not support, a 23, Activity 1 35–37, 41–44
prediction. 27, Activity 1
4TWSa.02 Describe simple patterns in results. 26, Activity 1 19 41–44
27, Activity 1
28, Activity 1
4TWSa.03 Make a conclusion from results and relate it to the 23, Activity 1 16, 18 35–37, 47–51
scientific question being investigated. 32, Activity 1
4TWSa.04 Present and interpret results using tables, bar charts 26, Activity 1 16, 19 41–44
and dot plots. 27, Activity 1

34
 Unit 2 Health, medicine and disease

Science in Context LB pages WB pages TG pages

4SIC.01 Describe how scientific knowledge and understanding 34, Science in 21 47–51
changes over time through the use of evidence gained by enquiry. context
These learning objectives are reproduced from the Cambridge Primary Science curriculum framework (0097) from 2020. This Cambridge International
copyright material is reproduced under licence and remains the intellectual property of Cambridge Assessment International Education.

Cross-curricular links LB pages WB pages TG pages

Mathematics 26, Activity 1 19 42
27, Activity 1 43
28, Activity 1 43
29, Activity 1 46
English 31, Activity 1 21 46
33, Activity 2 49
34, Activity 1 49
Global Perspectives® Challenge: How healthy is your diet? 24, Activity 1 39
26, Activity 1 42

Focus on why living things need food

Learner’s Book Learning objectives
pages 22–23
Revision of:
Workbook page 13
• 2Bp.01 Know that humans need to manage diet,
maintain hygiene and move regularly to be healthy.
Unit 2 Flashcards • 4TWSp.02 Know that there are five main types of scientific
enquiry (research, fair testing, observing over time,
identifying and classifying, and pattern seeking).
Unit 2 Audio
• 4TWSp.03 Make a prediction describing some possible
outcomes of an enquiry.
• 4TWSc.08 Collect and record observations and/or
measurements in tables and diagrams.
• 4TWSa.01 Identify whether results support, or do not
support, a prediction.
• 4TWSa.03 Make a conclusion from results and relate it to
the scientific question being investigated.

Background information
This unit builds on the learners’ understanding of what makes a healthy diet. It includes reviewing the
different food groups and a balanced diet as well as the need to be active and hygienic in order to be
healthy. It introduces the idea that even though we may be healthy, we can still become ill due to the
spread of infectious diseases. An area some learners may need help with is that all living things can become
‘ill’ and have diseases, including plants and animals other than humans. Although many learners may have
taken pets to the vets, they may not connect animal illness with similar ideas for humans.
This first section focuses on all living things needing food, and the reasons for this, rather than the food itself
being healthy. Animals need the energy in food to be able to carry out life processes. Plants also need energy,
which they obtain from the Sun’s light, to respire, to grow and to reproduce. Be aware that plants kept in the
dark become taller as they search for light but are much paler and their stems are weaker as they have put all
their growth energy into getting taller rather than in strength per se. Some learners may see this as growing
more as the plants are taller than their counterparts in the light.
When animals are still, energy is still required for bodily functions such as heart beating, respiration and the
digestion of food. Learners may think food is only required if they are being active.

35
Unit 2 Health, medicine and disease

Starter activity suggestions

• To assess what learners remember, have a range of foods, or images, for them to sort into food groups.
• Review with learners the requirements for living things. This could be as part of a display, or using the
acronym MRS GREN which learners may have met previously.
• Bring in two plants, one that looks healthy and one that is not so healthy, such as a tomato plant that
has not been watered for several days or has been planted in very sandy soil. Discuss with learners what
to do to help the ‘poorly’ plant become healthier.
• Model for learners how to work through a What if…? question, perhaps considering a question such as
What if you did not have any breakfast?, which could lead to:
I will feel hungry
I won’t be able to think straight
I may not concentrate on my work
I will not get good marks
My teacher may keep me in at lunch-time to finish work
I will be even more hungry, and so on.
• Introduce learners to the word ‘variable’ and its meaning (change). Carry out some simple change
activities such as instructions for learners to familiarise them with the word, such as ‘Vary your seating
position with a partner’ and ‘Vary the pencil you are writing with’, for example.
• Use the Flashcards and Audio (boost-learning.com) of new words and concepts to support learners
throughout the unit.

Activity notes and answers

Page 22 What do living things need?
What do you remember about staying healthy? This knowledge organiser is a useful way for learners to
show what happens if something is missing, which is often easier than working on what is right. We all find
it easier to spot mistakes and what is wrong rather than what is right. Examples might include:
Food – not enough energy to move about
Shelter – not have any offspring as not safe (learners may offer this option)
Air – will die as not able to breathe, and so on.
What do you remember about food groups?
Special (scientific) name for what we eat – diet
rice, bread, potatoes and pasta – help us to move and play (carbohydrates)
meat, fish, eggs and beans – keep muscles, eyes and skin healthy (proteins)
milk, cheese and yoghurt – make our bones and teeth strong (dairy/proteins)
fruit and vegetables – give us water and keep us healthy (fruit and vegetables)
cakes and sweets – give us energy but can be bad for us (sugars/fats)
Page 23 Why do living things need food?
Let’s talk What if…? questions are a really good way to allow learners to be creative and to take steps
from one consequence to another. Learners should eventually come to the conclusion that they would die,
but there may be lots of other consequences along the way. Encourage learners to consider the What if…?
question in the context of a plant.
Activity 1 This is an opportunity for learners to carry out an observation over time enquiry in full, by comparing
two plants, but this is left for learners to identify after setting up the enquiry. Establish with learners where a
plant gets energy from (Sun’s light), and discuss how they could test what happens to a plant if it does not
have sunlight. This is principally a simple experiment to keep a plant in the dark to remove light. Establish why
one plant needs to be kept in normal light conditions and what else should be kept the same. This is the same
principle as in a ‘fair test’, however, this test is not a ‘fair test enquiry’ as each plant is different as well as the
conditions it is placed in. Encourage learners to consider how they will record at each stage to be able to show
how each plant changes each day over a week, to establish the observe over time enquiry type.
a The plant placed in the dark will become yellow and not grow well.

36
 Unit 2 Health, medicine and disease

b Put one plant in the dark and leave one in the light to make a comparison.
c A combination of photographs or drawings along with measuring the plant and recording this would
be the most detailed answer. Discuss with learners about using before and after images, or taking
photographs every day for a week to see how the plant changes in more detail.
d This will be recorded as discussed above.
e Learners’ prior knowledge of plants should allow them to have made Workbook
a correct prediction. answers
f The plant would die. Page 13 Food groups
Activity 2 Learners may think this is a fair test enquiry as they had to keep 1 This activity reviews
things the same. Asking a key question should elicit that more than one thing the groups foods
changed (plant and conditions). Ask questions such as: belong in.
• How many variables or things were changed in the enquiry? 2 As this is a review
exercise, there is an
• How many variables or things should you change in a ‘fair test’ enquiry? additional focus on
The text in the Learner’s Book page 23 gives hints as to the enquiry type. This the type of enquiry
is an observation over time in essence, however, by using two plants learners being carried out
may conclude it is a comparison activity. The key point is to ensure that learners (identify and
do not think this is a fair test and recognise that there are factors they cannot classify).
control as each plant is individual.

Further activities
Ask learners to complete Workbook page 13.

Success criteria
While completing the activities, assess and record learners.
Learning objectives Success criteria
4TWSp.02 Know that there are five main Learners can state which type of enquiry they are
types of scientific enquiry (research, fair using when testing the plants and sunlight (observe
testing, observing over time, identifying and over time) and that grouping and sorting are
classifying, and pattern seeking). classification enquiries.
4TWSp.03 Make a prediction describing Learners can make a simple prediction about what
some possible outcomes of an enquiry. will happen to a plant when kept in the dark.
4TWSc.08 Collect and record observations Learners can identify a way of recording information
and/or measurements in tables and diagrams. about the energy plants need to stay alive.
4TWSa.01 Identify whether results support, Learners can use their observations about the plant
or do not support, a prediction. to compare to the prediction they made.
4TWSa.03 Make a conclusion from results Learners can describe what has happened to the
and relate it to the scientific question being plant and give simple reasons for this, such as the
investigated. plant needs sunlight to live well, or to grow well.

Focus on getting energy from food

Learner’s Book Learning objectives
pages 24–25
• 4Bp.03 Know that plants and animals need energy to grow,
Workbook pages 14–16 live and be healthy, and plants get their energy from light
while animals get their energy from eating plants or other
Unit 2 Slide 1 animals.
Visual 7

37
Unit 2 Health, medicine and disease

• 4TWSc.01 Use observations and tests to sort, group and

classify objects.
• 4TWSc.07 Use secondary information sources to research
an answer to a question.

Background information
Animals can be classified as ‘herbivores’ (those that only eat plants), ‘carnivores’ (those that only eat other
animals) and ‘omnivores’ (those that eat both animals and plants). Share this with learners and check
their understanding of the terms. All animals ultimately get the energy they need from the Sun’s light as
carnivores eat herbivores, which eat plants. What an animal eats is called its ‘diet’. Some learners may
consider that a ‘diet’ is when humans are trying to reduce their mass (lose weight), rather than what they
eat, although this has been addressed in Stage 2 topics on food groups. Recognising that not all food is
healthy, although it does all give us energy, is reinforced in these sessions.
The purpose of the activities on page 24 of the Learner’s Book is to develop an understanding of how food
provides the nutritional needs of the human body and how learners can make healthy choices about food
and a balanced diet.
A balanced diet consists of a range of different types of foods that provide nutrients, vitamins and energy
for the body to function. The plate of food on Learner’s Book page 24 shows the different foods that
humans need to eat. These foods are placed into groups. All food is used to enable the body to work, so
food is a form of energy or fuel.
Energy is an abstract concept as it cannot be seen or felt. It is only the effects of the energy as it transfers
that we can observe. The energy is observed as something changing. This topic will be considered as a
physics concept in a later unit in Stage 4, however, it is important to be consistent with language and
approaches in this biological topic to prevent misconceptions later.
Energy in biological systems (plants and animals) is chemical energy that is stored as materials (chemicals)
such as sugars, fats and proteins. The amount of energy in foods is measured in kilojoules or calories. Some
foods, such as vegetables, contain a slow-release source of energy. This means it takes longer for the food
to be broken down into sugar. Other foods, such as white bread or pasta, contain high-release sources of
energy. Foods high in sugar and fat make it easy to take in more kilojoules than the body needs.
The type and amount of food required for energy is related to lifestyle, health and age. An adult male
requires about 10 500 kilojoules (kj) (equivalent to 2 500 calories). An adult female requires about 8 400
kilojoules (2 000 calories), while a child in Stage 4 needs between 6 300 and 7 100 kilojoules (1 500 to 1 700
calories) on average. An athlete, however, requires about 23 000 kilojoules (5 500 calories) a day because of
being so physically active. In contrast, an elderly person may move less and so needs fewer kilojoules than
the average for an adult.

Starter activity suggestions

• Share some menus or images of meals/plates of food and discuss with learners which they think is
healthier and why.
• Introduce the healthy eating dinner plate on Learner’s Book page 24.
• Compare the amount and types of food necessary for different people, for example, by showing pictures of
people at different ages doing different things (people working outside, people working in an office, babies,
elderly people). Ask learners to put them in order of activity. Then introduce the idea of food being fuel to
help you stay alive. Ask: Which pictures show the need for a high amount of fuel and a low amount of fuel?
• Discuss, with sensitivity, why it is important not to overeat. What happens if we eat too much?
• Invite an athlete in to talk about the types of foods they need to eat. If you can get different athletes
they may be able to talk about different diets.
• Display the Unit 2 Slide 1 (boost-learning.com). Re-introduce the different food groups by discussing a
balanced diet. Ask: What foods have you eaten from each group today?

38
 Unit 2 Health, medicine and disease

Unit 2 Slide 1 answers

a A balanced diet means eating a variety of foods from each section of the healthy eating dinner plate.
b fresh vegetables: cabbage starchy foods: bagel, chapati, couscous high protein foods: chickpeas
dairy foods: cheese high fat or high sugar foods: soda, doughnut, cake

Activity notes and answers

Page 24 Where do animals get their energy?

Activity 1
a The biggest groups are fresh vegetables and fruits and starchy foods. These foods give us energy and
help to repair and maintain the body.
b The smallest group is the high fat or high sugar foods group. These foods are less useful to the body and
too much of them can make teeth decay and make people put on weight.

 lobal Perspectives®
G  lobal Perspectives®
Challenge
What makes a healthy
lifestyle?
Activity 1 Learners discuss
what makes a healthy or
balanced diet. They should
discuss the food groups
and how much of each
food group they should eat.
G  lobal Perspectives®
Challenge
How much sugar do we eat?
Activity 1 Ask learners why they
think that the high fat or high
sugar foods group on the balanced
diet plate is the smallest group.
Learners can research the effects of
having too much sugar in their diet
and create a poster or presentation
to teach other learners.
G
Challenge
How can we reduce the
amount of sugar we
consume?
Activity 1 Learners can list
the food and drinks that
they consume which are
high in sugar and suggest
healthier alternatives.

Let’s talk This is a simple classification enquiry for learners. From plants – fruit and vegetables; rice
potatoes, bread and beans
From animals – meat and fish Animal products – dairy produce
Cakes and biscuits are both produced from animal and plant products. Learners should be able to identify
this fourth category.
Page 25 What is energy used for?
Activity 1
Athlete – much of it is yellow with green and some red; Grandmother – green, yellow and red. Girl – more
red than yellow and too little green. Grandmother’s menu card provides the most balanced diet because
it has a greater range of food types and therefore more vitamins and minerals and healthier food options.
The girl’s menu card contains too little from the green-light group and too much from the red-light food
group. The athlete’s food card is also balanced, with a range of foods from the yellow and green-light
groups, including some red-light foods.
The athlete runs and trains hard, so he requires more food (energy) for movement.
Grandmother’s menu contains more yellow-light and green-light foods than red-light foods, which are
better for energy.

Further activities
• Ask learners to do some research to investigate the health benefits of eating bananas. Ask: Will eating
bananas actually help to boost exam scores? Why? Why not? Ask learners to present their findings to the
class and debate the health benefits of this fruit.

39
Unit 2 Health, medicine and disease

• Ask learners to complete Workbook pages 14–16.

Workbook answers
Page 14 Energy and kilojoules
1 a Green traffic light – water, boiled potatoes, tomatoes, rice
Yellow traffic light – chicken, beef, cheese (hard), yoghurt
Red traffic light – chocolate cake, iced doughnut, fizzy drink, pizza
b Tick – boiled potatoes, rice
c H – cheese (hard)
d Iced doughnut because it has high amounts of fat and sugar.
2 healthy energy foods – chicken, water, beef, cheese (hard), boiled potatoes, tomatoes, yoghurt, rice
energy foods that are less healthy – chocolate cake, iced doughnut, fizzy drink, pizza
Page 15 Vitamins and minerals
1 Content related to vitamins is not required learning at Stage 4. This is an activity around research.
a  vitamin C, vitamin B12 b  calcium, magnesium, iron, sodium
c and d  Iron helps to keep the blood healthy in the body.
2 calcium – for strong bones vitamin C – to help heal cuts
vitamin D – to make strong bones and teeth vitamin A – for healthy eyesight
iron – to help make new blood
3 Support learners to conduct research on one vitamin and one mineral.
Page 16 Food and health benefits
1 a dinner 1 – only the salad is healthy, the burger and chips are high in energy but have a lot of fat
and sugar.
b dinner 2 – this dinner has a good balance of food groups and is high in vitamins and minerals and
low in fat and sugar.
c dinner 3 – this is not a balanced meal, vegetables have health benefits, but pizza is high in fat.
2 Content related to vitamins is not required learning at Stage 4. This is an activity around research.
a  dinner 1 b  dinner 1 c  dinner 2
d  dinner 2 – it has the most vitamins and minerals and the least fat and sugar

Success criteria
While completing the activities, assess and record learners.
Learning objectives
4Bp.03 Know that plants and animals
need energy to grow, live and be healthy,
and plants get their energy from light
while animals get their energy from eating
plants or other animals.
4TWSc.01 Use observations and tests to
sort, group and classify objects.
4TWSc.07 Use secondary information
sources to research an answer to a
question.
Success criteria
Learners can state where animals get their food. They
can describe how some foods have more energy stored
in them than others. They can describe what animals
need the energy for.
Learners can group foods by where they come from, such
as animal, plant or produced from animals or plants.
Learners can describe why some foods groups are larger
in a balanced diet, such as less fats because these are
high in energy but also sugar that is not healthy.

40
 Unit 2 Health, medicine and disease

Focus on the heart and investigating movement and breathing

Learner’s Book Learning objectives
pages 26–28
• 4Bp.04 Describe the importance of movement in
Workbook pages 17–19 maintaining human health.
• 4TWSp.01 Ask scientific questions that can be investigated.
Worksheet 3 • 4TWSp.02 Know that there are five main types of scientific
enquiry (research, fair testing, observing over time,
Unit 2 Slide 2 identifying and classifying, and pattern seeking).
Visual 9 • 4TWSp.03 Make a prediction describing some possible
outcomes of an enquiry.
• 4TWSc.06 Carry out practical work safely.
• 4TWSc.08 Collect and record observations and/or
measurements in tables and diagrams.
• 4TWSa.01 Identify whether results support, or do not
support, a prediction.
• 4TWSa.04 Present and interpret results using tables,
bar charts and dot plots.

Background information
The purpose of the activities on pages 26–28 of the Learner’s Book is to further deepen learners’
understanding of the need for exercise to keep healthy. During the activities, learners will plan and carry
out an investigation about heartbeat and breathing to practise the scientific enquiry skills of identifying
generalisations and patterns in results. This means being able to discover what happens to heart rate when
exercise is increased and to see if there is any generalisation that can be made – such as that exercise
increases heart rate, as part of developing pattern seeking enquiries. Encourage learners to generalise and
recognise that this is the pattern.
The heartbeat is the two-part pumping action of the heart and happens about once every second. The
pulse is a direct measure of the heart rate or the number of beats the heart is making per minute. Your
pulse rate is different when you are resting. A resting pulse rate is counted after you have been resting for
five minutes before checking the pulse rate. The pulse rate after exercise will go up, as the heart needs to
beat more because the body needs more oxygen to help the muscles work.
The oxygen exchange rate is how quickly carbon dioxide is swapped for oxygen in the lungs. The amount of
carbon dioxide in the blood triggers the brain to make the body breathe faster and the heart beat quicker.
The heart beats faster for more intense (endurance) activities. For example, swimmers, who swim fast and
train every day, have stronger and more effective hearts. In addition, they have a better resting pulse rate
and better oxygen exchange rates than those who do not exercise. Walking to school, riding a scooter,
skateboarding, rollerblading, or cycling on level ground or ground with few hills are not as vigorous exercises
as swimming, running and jumping, gymnastics, martial arts or football. These are vigorous activities and
they help to build strong muscles and bones, as well as keeping the heart healthy. However, it is better to
have some form of exercise, rather than none.

Starter activity suggestions

• Review with learners what a variable is and what the word means. Show two blue coloured triangles on
the board. One large and one small. Ask learners what is different or has changed between them (size).
Put a different colour triangle on the board the same size as one of the existing ones. Ask learners what
the variables are (colour and size).

41
Unit 2 Health, medicine and disease

• Ask learners to place their middle finger on their cheek directly under the middle of their eye. Then run a
line down their faces to under their chins. Ask them to press slightly on their throats. What they can feel is
a pulse and is the result of their heartbeat.
• Ask learners to count the beats for 10 seconds. Then ask them to jump on the spot for 20 seconds to see
what happens to their pulse. While jumping, learners should be able to feel their heart beating on their
wrists, but the carotid artery is in the neck and is easier to feel.
• Introduce the idea of a normal heartbeat as one sits or lies still, and that as more exercise is undertaken,
the heartbeat gets faster. Introduce the table on Learner’s Book page 26 showing the effect of each
activity on heartbeat.
• Repeat some of the exercises and ask learners to stop and observe each other and themselves, keeping
quiet. Ask what else they notice after exercise. Ask: How do you feel? (hot, sweaty, breathless) Ask: What
happened to your breathing after doing exercise?
• Reinforce the idea of ‘patterns’ with learners. Draw three circles on the board. Ask learners what the next
shape might be (circle). Clear the board. Draw a circle, square, circle and ask learners what the next shape
will be (square). Explain that a pattern is something that repeats and allows you to predict the next part
of the pattern. Link this to the pattern of exercise and breathing, when doing this activity.
• Display Unit 2 Slide 2 (boost-learning.com), to show how the heartbeat changes with different exercises.
Discuss the answers and how they could check if the idea that there should be more hearts on the chart
for more active activities is correct (carry out the task again). Explain that this is being scientific.

Unit 2 Slide 2 answers

a The chart is not accurate. There should be more hearts for the active activities, such as swimming and
running, because these activities make your heart beat faster than normal. There should be less hearts
for watching television, walking and playing board games because these activities are less active, so
the heartbeat would be normal.
b running, playing football and swimming
c watching television, playing board games
d running: 3 hearts, swimming: 3 hearts, walking: 1 heart, watching television: 1 heart, playing board
games: 1 heart, playing football: 2 hearts

Activity notes and answers

Page 26 Keep your heart healthy

Activity 1 Using a rating scale provides an opportunity to make Global Perspectives® Challenge
cross-curricular links with Mathematics. What makes a healthy lifestyle?
a Watching TV, reading a book and playing a computer game Activity 1 Ask learners to discuss how
do not make the heart beat faster, so these activities are not eating a balanced diet and taking
exercise. part in sports or doing exercise leads
b Swimming and playing basketball were best because they to living a healthy lifestyle.
made Jose’s heart beat faster, making his heart strong and
building strong muscles.
c Jose could try running, dancing and gymnastics because these activities would make his heart beat
faster.
d Depending on the fitness of learners, start with reading a book and then ask them to add two new
activities (one endurance) and record the effect on their heartbeat using the heart symbol.
The more exercise or the more active the activity the faster the heartbeat. Encourage learners to use a
comparative sentence for this. You may need to model this from the descriptive answers.

42
 Unit 2 Health, medicine and disease

Page 27 Exercise investigation

Activity 1 Again, make cross-curricular links with the rating scales used in Mathematics.
This activity builds on the heartbeat activity on Learner’s Book page 26. Remind learners that they must
not hold their breath or try and change the number of times they breathe by artificially slowing their
breathing, as this would be scientifically unreliable (as well as not being good for them). A minute is a
long time to count breaths, so you could ask them to count for 30 seconds and then double the number.
Learners could use a stop clock or a watch or a clock on the wall. Discuss with learners why the exercise
should be timed (so that the experiment is controlled – try not to say it is to make the enquiry ‘fair’ as this
is not the case).
Discuss with learners why this is not a fair test enquiry, for example: each person is different as well as the
exercises. However, patterns in the data can be noted. For example, learners could make a generalisation:
the harder we exercise, the greater the number of breaths that are needed.
Page 28 Can you trust your results?
Activity 1 Again, link this activity to the range of rating scales used in Mathematics.
a Running required more breaths per minute.
b Sitting exercises the heart the least because this activity does not exercise the body, so the bar chart
shows the fewest number of breaths per minute.
c The bigger the bar, the more heartbeats and more breaths taken. More breaths and more heartbeats
mean the exercise was more vigorous.
d and e The more vigorous or active the exercise the higher the number of breaths and heartbeats
(breathing rate and heart rate – although learners may not use these words yet). Again, work with
learners to turn their description into a comparative pattern sentence using ‘er’ words.

Further activities
• Ask learners to make a poster to encourage others to take part in different types of exercises – vigorous
and moderate.
• Ask: What playground games are good for your health? Ask learners to make a list of games they play in
the playground and to rate them in terms of health benefits or how well the games exercise the heart.
• Ask learners to design a new playground game that raises heartbeat and breathing rates. Try the new
games and ask other learners to evaluate them, commenting on how well they exercise their heart and
how enjoyable the games are.
• Ask learners to complete Workbook pages 17–19.
• Ask learners to complete Worksheet 3 (boost-learning.com) to supplement Activity 1 on Learner’s Book
page 28.

Workbook answers
Page 17 Healthy heart
1 walking, running fast, running slowly (jogging), sitting still
2 one heart, two hearts, four hearts, five hearts, five hearts
3 No, there could not be an activity without a heartbeat. A beating heart is what keeps us alive.
Page 18 Breathing and exercise 1
1 Check learners’ bar chart on Workbook page 19.
2 a  They are climbing up flights of stairs.
b They took more and more breaths per minute. This was because their heartbeat was quicker.
c This was before Joy had started climbing the stairs/doing exercise.
d 14 breaths per minute more on level 3 than on the ground floor.

43
Unit 2 Health, medicine and disease

Workbook answers Bar chart to show exercise and breathing

40
Page 19 Breathing and exercise 2 35
34

Number of breaths
1 Bar chart should look similar to the 30 32
29 29

per minute
one on the right. 25 26
20 24
2 observe over time 15 18
20
3 This reinforces the previous 10
description in the Learner’s Book: 5
the more/harder you exercise 0
Ground Level 1 Level 2 Level 3
the faster your heart beats.
Stair level
Key: Joy Maris

Worksheet 3 answers
If necessary, remind learners of the meaning of vigorous and moderate exercise before they complete
the activity.
a False   b True   c True  d False   e True

Success criteria
While completing the activities, assess and record learners.
Learning objectives
4Bp.04 Describe the importance of movement in
maintaining human health.
4TWSp.01 Ask scientific questions that can be
investigated.
4TWSp.02 Know that there are five main types
of scientific enquiry (research, fair testing,
observing over time, identifying and classifying,
and pattern seeking).
4TWSp.03 Make a prediction describing some
possible outcomes of an enquiry.
4TWSc.06 Carry out practical work safely.
4TWSc.08 Collect and record observations and/
or measurements in tables and diagrams.
4TWSa.01 Identify whether results support, or
do not support, a prediction.
4TWSa.04 Present and interpret results using
tables, bar charts and dot plots.
Success criteria
Learners can describe how different amounts of
movement affect their heart and breathing. They
can state that being active helps us to be healthy.
Learners can ask questions about how exercise
affects them and investigate these.
Learners can state what type of enquiry they
have carried out in the investigations (pattern
seeking and observe over time). They can
recognise that this is not a fair test.
Learners can make a prediction about how
exercise will affect their breathing and heart
rates.
Learners can exercise and breathe normally during
the exercise, not holding their breath.
Learners can record the heart and breathing in
simple tables.
Learners can identify a pattern from their
results and say if their prediction was correct, for
example, I thought my breathing would be faster
with more exercise and I was correct as I breathed
5 more times with running than when sitting still.
Learners can use their results to draw bar charts
and use these to help identify a relationship
between exercise and breathing and heart rate.

44
 Unit 2 Health, medicine and disease

Focus on the safe use of medicines to treat illness and disease

Learner’s Book Learning objective
pages 29–31
• 4Bp.01 Know that medicines can be used to treat some
Workbook page 20 illnesses, and describe how to use them safely.

Unit 2 Slide 3

Background information
The purpose of the activities on pages 29–31 of the Learner’s Book is to assess learners’ existing knowledge
and experience of medicines, given that some learners, or their family or friends, may have taken medicines
at some point in their lives. Assessing what learners already know is important, so encourage them to share
experiences and knowledge. However, treat such discussions sensitively. Also, be aware that some learners
might consider drugs as illegal and not associate them with medicines.
A drug is a chemical or material that changes how the body works. The word ‘drugs’ is also used for medicines. All
medicines are drugs, but not all drugs are medicines. If taken properly, medicines usually make people feel better.
Medicines can either be bought from a pharmacist or be prescribed by a doctor. Medicines can be administered in
different ways. Tablets, capsules and syrup (such as cough mixture) are swallowed. Medicines can be breathed in
(as with inhalers), injected (for example, insulin) or rubbed in (creams and ointments).
Safe use of medicines is important. Anyone using medicines must follow the instructions, and never
share their medicines with anyone else. Store them out of the reach of children or learners. Many people,
including learners, take some drugs as medicines regularly. For example, asthmatics use inhalers, while
diabetics take insulin. Most people only use medicines occasionally, such as when they have a headache,
cold or cough, or perhaps when they have a verruca (wart).

Starter activity suggestions

• Ask learners what illnesses they know about. Help them to distinguish between illness and things like
broken bones. Make a list on the board. Ask how they knew they were ill. What symptoms did they have?
• Show learners a plant that has leaves that are drooping and dropping off (this can be created from a
plant that has had too much water, so has ‘rot’ or a fungal infection). Discuss the symptoms the plant
has for its illness.
• In small groups of four, ask learners to think about what they know about medicines. They could create
a mind map, making links from one idea or word to another. Make sure all learners know that they can
write on the mind map. Encourage them to read what other learners have written and not repeat notes.
• If culturally appropriate, ask learners to discuss what they think drugs are and if they know that medicines
are drugs. Explain that medicines are drugs. However, they are not the same as illegal drugs, which they
might have heard about and which can very seriously harm, or even kill, people who take them. These drugs
are called illegal because it is against the law to take them. To make the distinction clear, make a list
of medicines on the board using learners’ ideas, such as paracetamol, ibuprofen, aspirin, antibiotics,
eczema cream.
• Ask a pharmacist or a nurse to visit to talk about medicines and their packaging and how to keep safe
with them.
• Use Unit 2 Slide 3 (boost-learning.com) to bring learners’ discussions on medicines together.
• Focus on inhalers as a medicine.
Some learners might wish to share Unit 2 Slide 3 answers
their experience with this medicine. a A medicine used for asthma.
Encourage them to explain why they b and c To help them breathe more easily.
use it, how their body feels before and
d You inhale a puff of medicine, as prescribed by a doctor.
after using the inhaler.

45
Unit 2 Health, medicine and disease

Activity notes and answers

Page 29 Illness and disease
Activity 1 Using a tally chart provides an opportunity to make cross-curricular links with Mathematics.
This may be best run as a whole-class event using the list of illnesses generated in the starter activity. Ask
learners which of these illnesses they think that more learners in the class have had. Ask them for ideas on
why, for example, coughs and colds are generally quite common, but chickenpox or influenza (flu) may be
less common. Then this could be either an individual activity with learners asking each other and recording
or as a whole class, hands up tally chart on the board.
Let’s talk What illness have most learners had? (or something similar)
Answer: Survey
Challenge yourself! The answers will depend on what each family has had as illnesses. Encourage learners
to collate their results into a larger tally chart as a class and their family’s illness. Ask if the same illness is
still most common.
Page 30 How can medicines help us?
Let’s talk Learners will need to draw on their own experience and from the conversations in class to answer
the questions.
Example answers:
a to help to make us better; make us well when we are ill
b the pharmacy, chemist or doctor
c Encourage learners to link medicine to illness, also the relief of symptoms.
d No, they might make the other person ill.
e Some medicines can be harmful if too many are taken, or if the wrong person takes them.
Challenge yourself! Learners should be able to state that the medicines are kept in a cupboard, perhaps
out of their reach. Example answers of medicines:
• cough medicine
• paracetamol
• liquid child-strength painkillers, such as liquid paracetamol, or Calpol (brand name)
• cream for bites and stings (some learners may refer to these by brand names)
Page 31 Science in context: Medicine safety
Activity 1 Reading instructions provides an opportunity for cross-curricular links with English and ESL.
a in the morning and the evening
b The instructions say ‘Take these tablets with food’.
c Tablets should be kept in a cool place, out of reach of children.
d no more than 2 tablets in 24 hours
Activity 2 Ask learners to first plan what information needs to be on their leaflet. This is an opportunity
for learners to peer-assess each other’s work using the given criteria. For example: Is it attractive (nice-
looking)? Does it have a title to say what the leaflet is about? Are there clear paragraphs with headings?
Does it have any pictures?

Further activities
• Ask learners to produce a bar chart of the information created in the illness tally chart on page 29.
• Learners could draw their own medicine and write the information label to go with it. For example, they can
draw a bottle of cough mixture, a tube of cream, an inhaler. Remind learners to look back at the medicine
information on Learner’s Book page 30 Activity 1, to help them think about what to write. Some learners
could create labels using a Word document and print out the labels to put in their books or on a display.
• Ask learners to complete Workbook page 20.

46
 Unit 2 Health, medicine and disease

Workbook answers
Page 20 Medicine crossword
1 Across: 1. cupboard 3. medicines 5. pharmacy 6. tablets
Down: 2. prescription 4. drugs
2 a  They might be ill, have a cold, a cough or other illness.
b Some people lock medicine cupboards: to make sure that children do not take the medicines. If
children were to take the medicine (or take too many) they could become ill or even die.
c  Medicines that have been prescribed for someone else might make another person ill.
d pharmacist  doctor

Success criteria
While completing the activities, assess and record learners.
Learning objectives Success criteria
4Bp.01 Know that medicines can be used to Learners can name medicines they have had and
treat some illnesses, and describe how to use what illness it was treating, such as a painkiller
them safely. for headaches or cream for stings. Learners can
describe where medicines are kept and why, such as
in a locked cupboard.

Focus on infectious diseases and vaccinations

Learner’s Book Learning objectives
pages 32–35
• 4Bp.02 Know that plants and animals can have infectious
Workbook pages 21–22 diseases, and vaccinations can prevent some infectious
diseases of animals.
Worksheet 4 • 4TWSp.01 Ask scientific questions that can be investigated.
• 4TWSc.01 Use observations and tests to sort, group and
Unit 2 Flashcards classify objects.
Visual 8 • 4TWSc.08 Collect and record observations and/or
measurements in tables and diagrams.
Unit 2 Audio
• 4TWSa.03 Make a conclusion from results and relate it to
the scientific question being investigated.
• 4SIC.01 Describe how scientific knowledge and
understanding changes over time through the use of
evidence gained by enquiry.

Background information
An infectious illness is one that is passed from one organism to another very quickly. There have been many
reports of illnesses such as Ebola that have meant that people have been quarantined to help stop the
disease from spreading. In the developed world many such illnesses have been eradicated due to increased
hygiene and access to the correct medicines to prevent them, although new strains of illness, such as the
coronavirus in 2020 have infected whole populations. Preventing an illness often involves providing a dead
version of the illness, or a milder live form, in the form of an injection, called a ‘vaccination’. This allows the

47
Unit 2 Health, medicine and disease

living thing to develop its own immunity to the illness on a not virulent form. When the living thing comes
into contact with the real live illness, it will be able to destroy it in their body so they do not become ill.
These activities provide an opportunity to review personal hygiene with learners such as washing hands
properly and using something to prevent them from coughing and sneezing over other people.
The challenge will be to shift learners’ ideas about plants and that they can have infectious illnesses too.
Rural communities may have encountered crops that have failed due to blight, rust, mildew, and so on.
Learners may have questions about whether they can ‘catch’ an illness from another type of animal or
a plant. This is not generally the case, although diseases such as distemper (rabies) in dogs can produce
similar symptoms in a human if they are bitten, and humans can get worms from animals too, often
through poor hygiene.

Starter activity suggestions

• Ask learners for ideas of illnesses they have had and which might be infectious. Discuss what the word
‘quarantine’ means.
• Model how an infectious disease could spread through the use of an
inexpensive hair gel with glitter. Provide three learners with this on
Work safely !
their hands and the rest simply with plain hair gel. Ask learners to Check learners are not
move around the room and shake hands with each other as they allergic to glitter or hair gel.
meet each other. After a minute, learners hold up hands that have
glitter on them. Record the number. Continue shaking hands for a further minute and check how many
learners now have glitter on their hands. This can also be used to reinforce hand washing as it is quite
hard to remove all the glitter!
• Discuss how learners know the two children on Visual 8 (boost-learning.com) are ill – what symptoms can
they see? (cough and sneeze)
• Share with learners some images of crops that have failed. Discuss what the plants look like.

Activity notes and answers

Page 32 Infectious or not?

Activity 1 It may help to split learners into groups to research only one or two of the illnesses, then to share
what they have found as a slide, so images can be added of the illness.
Salmonella, cancer, heart disease and diabetes are not infectious.
Hepatitis, rubella and influenza, malaria, Ebola and chickenpox are infectious.
Examples of what learners may have in their tables:
Name Other names Symptoms How we get it How we get better
Salmonella food chills; going to the eating and drinking medicines to prevent
poisoning toilet lots; being sick dirty food or eating going to the toilet;
food not cooked antibiotics
properly
Cancer – loss of weight; pain in it just happens, chemotherapy;
the infected area or sometimes inherited radiography
elsewhere from parents
Heart cardiovascular chest pain; chest inherit tendency; medicines to reduce
disease disease tightness; shortness of unhealthy diet; lack blood pressure
breath of exercise; being
overweight
Diabetes – feeling very tired; cuts tendency inherited injections of insulin;
and bruises don’t from parents managing sugar in diet
heal; feeling hungry

48
 Unit 2 Health, medicine and disease

Name Other names Symptoms How we get it How we get better

Hepatitis – fatigue; being sick; coming into contact injection of a medicine
tummy ache; passing with infected person’s for six weeks
dark urine blood
Rubella German fever; rash; sore throat spread by coughs and painkillers
measles sneezes (paracetamol) and
plenty to drink – no cure
only helps symptoms
Influenza flu high fever; shakes; spread by coughs and painkillers
sneezing sneezes (paracetamol) and
plenty to drink – no cure
only helps symptoms
Malaria ague, jungle, chills; fever; headache; infected blood from medicine but injections
marsh or going to toilet lots others passed by are given to prevent it
swamp fever mosquito bites rather than cure it
Ebola – fevers; aches; being contact with infected no cure
sick person’s blood, sweat
or other bodily fluids
Chickenpox Varicella spots; itching; contact with other painkillers
low fever people who have it; (paracetamol) and
touching their spots plenty to drink – no cure
only helps symptoms
Covid-19* Coronavirus loss of taste; being passed by touching no cure but the immune
breathless; high surfaces with the virus system fights it and
temperature, etc. on, or breathing in the vaccines have been
virus from other people approved to prevent it
*The information provided is correct at the time of publishing but does not include subsequent developments in research.
Page 33 Plant infectious diseases
Activity 1
Rust – a fungus that makes orange coloured spots on leaves. Leaves can drop off. Transferred by wind and
water transferring from one leaf to another. Happens in low light and high humidity warm conditions. Can
spread between different species of plants.
Blight – makes plants turn brown and die. Common in tomatoes and potatoes. It is a fungus spread by the
wind. No cure, but can be prevented by using fresh earth that isn’t infected and ensuring plenty of space
around plants
Mildew – caused by a fungus that causes blisters on leaves. Wind, water and insects transfer the fungus to
other plants.
All three diseases are infectious.
Activity 2 Making posters creates opportunities for cross-curricular links with English and ESL.
Learners should peer-assess their posters using the criteria. Ask learners what key points also need to be
included such as:
• washing hands before eating
• not being close to an infected person
• covering up coughs and sneezes
• not sharing drinks and food.
Page 34 Science in context: How else can we stay well?
Ensure learners grasp the concept, purpose, and importance of vaccinations.
Activity 1 Reading the story provides opportunities for cross-curricular links to English and ESL. There are
many internet pages on Edward Jenner and the story of his development of a vaccination.

49
Unit 2 Health, medicine and disease

If learners research the questions posed in the Learner’s Book their answers would be:
• How old were you when you made the first vaccination? 47 years old
• How did you come up with the idea of a vaccination? I observed that women who milked cows got
cowpox but never got smallpox.
• Who was James Phipps? He was the eight-year-old boy that I tested the vaccine on.
Other questions could be:
• What is cowpox? A less virulent (serious, harmful) form of smallpox.
• What are the symptoms of smallpox? high fever, rash, being sick, blisters that leave scars
Let’s talk The ‘jab’ refers to the sensation from the needle piercing the skin to inject the vaccine.
Page 35 What have you learnt about health, medicine and disease?
Activity 1 First ask learners to play the game on Worksheet 4 (boost-learning.com). Then do this activity
for learners to further consolidate and apply their learning from the unit. Allow learners to work in pairs to
share their knowledge. Talking to someone else can help them to remember a wider range of ideas.
a true  b false  c false  d true  e false  f true  g true
Activity 2 Answers could include any of the following:
• Lock them in a cupboard.
• Only take medicines you have been prescribed.
• Do not take other peoples or animal medicines.
• Follow the instructions on the packaging.
Activity 3
vaccination/inoculation/jab
using hands to cover your mouth and nose when sneezing and coughing
washing hands after coughing on them

Further activities
• Learners could turn the interview with Jenner into a role play.
• Ask learners to complete Workbook page 21.

Workbook answers
Page 21 Vaccinations prevent diseases
1 Let learners read the story silently on their own first. Then discuss the picture as a class. Give learners
time to read the story again on their own. Then they can answer the questions with a partner.
2 a  Edward Jenner b smallpox c cowpox d Yes
e smallpox f No g No h  immune and vaccinated

Success criteria
While completing the activities, assess and record learners.
Learning objectives
4Bp.02 Know that plants and animals can
have infectious diseases, and vaccinations can
prevent some infectious diseases of animals.
4TWSp.01 Ask scientific questions that can be
investigated.
Success criteria
Learners can state the names of three infectious
diseases of plants. They can describe what a
vaccination is and name the person who developed
them. Learners can describe that a vaccination
stops them from getting a disease.
Learners can ask their own questions about Edward
Jenner and research the answers to these.

50
 Unit 2 Health, medicine and disease

Learning objectives Success criteria

4TWSc.01 Use observations and tests to sort,
group and classify objects.
4TWSc.08 Collect and record observations
and/or measurements in tables and diagrams.
4TWSa.03 Make a conclusion from results
and relate it to the scientific question being
investigated.
4SIC.01 Describe how scientific knowledge
and understanding changes over time through
the use of evidence gained by enquiry.
Learners can group and sort diseases by whether
they are infectious or not.
Learners can share their research findings in tables
or as posters, which they peer-assess.
Learners can find out about illnesses and their
symptoms and use their information to group
illnesses.
Learners can recognise that we have not always
had vaccinations and can describe how these were
developed.

Assessment ideas
• Learner’s Book page 35 provides opportunities for self and peer-assessment through assessment-
based activities and discussions.
• Use the Flashcards and Audio recordings (boost-learning.com) to assess that learners know and
understand the new words and concepts covered in this unit.
• Ask learners to self-assess using the checklist on Learner’s Book page 35, as well as the self-check
table on Workbook page 22.

51