Life processes and living things

Science

Secondary

A KS3/4 video on how diet changes when following a fitness regime

Help secondary pupils explore the links between science and fitness in this Key Stage 3/4 classroom video for PSHE and science lessons, where food expert Stefan Gates meets a triathlete to discuss his training diet. The video is a useful scientific illustration of the effect of different foods on the body and how the amount of food we need to stay healthy can vary considerably depending on lifestyle. Gastronuts presenter Stefan Gates meets triathlete Matt Sharp to find out about the relationship between diet and fitness. A triathlon is a punishing combination of cycling, running and swimming, and Matt has to train at least thirty hours a week. Stefan is amazed by the amount Matt eats in a day but his diet is scientifically worked out to provide not only the necessary protein, calcium, fibre and vitamins to keep his body in peak condition but also the carbohydrate needed to provide the energy for so much intense exercise. The video fits into a detailed lesson plan for secondary science lessons at Key Stage 3 and 4 and should prompt discussion, based on scientific evidence, about the effects of diet on health.

Eating to Win

Thinking about the scientific link between health and diet

Food adventurer Stefan Gates gets pupils thinking about the science linking their health and diet by preparing a crispy worm salad, in a video designed for use in Key Stage 2, 3 and 4 science and PSHE lessons. Gastronuts presenter Stefan Gates prepares and eats a salad using crispy worms, jellyfish and giant ants. Stefan makes the point that although people may eat very different foods around the world, they still contain essential nutrients like protein and vitamins. Stefan then explains how some foods are healthier than others, and he wonders if there's ever any reason why certain foods should be banned. This introduction to the idea of choice and restriction of food, and how diet and nutrition are linked to health, can be used to encourage primary and secondary pupils to think about healthy and unhealthy foods and to debate how much control there should be over the food we eat.

Eating Whatever You Like?

A fictional news report for KS2/3/4 announcing a ban on junk food

Use this fictional TV news report, announcing a proposed ban on under 16s eating junk food, to teach Key Stage 2, 3 and 4 PSHE and science lessons on healthy eating and nutrition. During the video, a news anchor explains that the fictional British Institute of Eating Control (BIEC) wants to ban under 16s from eating certain types of food deemed unhealthy, including pizza, chips, burgers and fizzy drinks. A BIEC representative gives reasons for the proposed ban and a reporter canvases the reaction of real people who would be affected if the ban were to be imposed, including a nutritionist, a parent, children, and a school cook. The video fits into a detailed lesson plan for primary and secondary science lessons at Key Stage 2, 3 and 4 and should prompt discussion, based on scientific evidence, about whether there should be any control over the food we eat.

News Report

A Key Stage 3/4 science lesson on discussing healthy eating

Education consultant, Matthew Tosh, introduces tips on how to run a good discussion in a Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 science classroom. The Junk Food Science lessons use a range of discussion-based learning approaches to engage students in structured conversation about food and healthy eating. The science teachers are both from Woodkirk High School near Wakefield. They have created learning environments which encourage secondary students to communicate effectively, learn from each other and try out new ideas. This video highlights their tips for facilitating successful discussion as well as seeing the Junk Food Science lessons in action with groups of Year 8 pupils.

Running Discussions in a KS3/4 Class

Discussing the nutritional value of a fictional snack bar

Get Key Stage 2, 3 and 4 pupils thinking about the connections between health and diet with this classroom resource for science and PSHE lessons about whether a fictional snack bar should be banned, licensed or endorsed. A simulated video conference between the marketing executive and the developer of the new 'Fruit Munchy Square' is shown. The characters, played by actors, discuss the ingredients of the fictional snack bar and their marketing approach. There's also a spoof advertisement for the 'Fruit Munchy Square' as well as a video podcast by a representative of the 'Healthy Meals Cooperative', also played by an actor, who criticises the fashion for fast food. The video fits into a detailed lesson plan for primary and secondary science lessons at Key Stage 2, 3 and 4 and should prompt discussion, based on scientific evidence, about the effects of diet on health.

Snack Bar

Introducing a Key Stage 3 science lesson based on health and diet

Watch a Key Stage 3 class use the News Report video, based around a fictional TV news story, in a secondary science and PSHE lesson encouraging students to discuss the science linking health and diet. Dan Hanard, a physics teacher at Woodkirk High School, Wakefield, delivers the lesson to a group of Year 8 students, using the lesson plan, video and text-based resources provided. Science education expert Matthew Tosh provides analysis of how the lesson went. The students watch the fictional TV news report about a proposed ban on for under 16s on the consumption of certain foods, like burgers, chips, fizzy drinks and some pizzas. Dan organises the students into small groups to consider the arguments put forward by the people interviewed in the news report. He's pleased at the scientific evidence the students bring to the debate. At the end of the lesson, the students decide in their groups whether or not they would support the ban and outline their reasons to the rest of the class. This lesson can also be taught at Key Stage 4.

Teaching the KS3/4 News Report Lesson

A look at the nutritional value of a snack bar in KS3/4 science

See how one secondary delivered a Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 science lesson on the health qualities of a new, fictional, snack bar, using the Junk Food Science Snack Bar videos and resources. Teacher Shugufta Bargir delivers the science and PSHE lesson Woodkirk High School, Wakefield, and science education expert Matthew Tosh provides analysis of how it went. After a starter activity, students watch the video which features three different people talking about a fictional new snack bar called the Fruit Munchy Square. The students work in groups, as Scientific Advisory Committees, discussing the claims made by the contributors in the video to decide whether the claims are based on fact or opinion. They must then make up their minds whether the Fruit Munchy Square should be banned, licensed or endorsed. Shugufta is pleased with the way her students engage with the lesson and with the scientific ideas they bring to the debate.

Teaching the KS3/4 Snack Bar Lesson

Discovering the sugar content in breakfast cereals for KS2/3/4

Food expert Stefan Gates does an explosive experiment to test the levels of sugar in breakfast cereals, in a video for use in Key Stage 2, 3 and 4 science and PSHE lessons looking at the links between diet and health. Gastronuts presenter Stefan is keen to know exactly what's in the food he eats and does an explosive experiment to find out just how much sugar is in two different breakfast cereals. This video introduces the idea of checking what food contains, and is designed for use with primary and secondary pupils. It can be used as part of a lesson discussing whether a fictional snack bar - the 'Fruit Munchy Square' - should be banned, licensed or endorsed by the fictional British Institute of Eating Control. The experiment shown in this video should not be attempted at home, and only carried out under careful and expert adult supervision.

Professional Development for Quality Teaching

Subjects

> Secondary Science

> Life processes and living things