Overview
This unit aims to meet some of the key objectives of the strand Living Things in the primary science curriculum. It is designed specifically for the strand unit 'Human life' and is intended for 3rd and 4th class pupils. The three main areas within this unit are All About You, Bones and Movement and a section called Muscles.
The unit is designed to support concept development in the following areas:
- Variety and characteristics of humans;
- Structure of some of the body's major internal organs;
- How air is drawn in through mouth and nose and how it passes through the windpipe to lungs;
- Breathing rate before and after exercise;
- How the body is supported by a skeleton;
- The actions of muscles, bones and joints.
In addition, pupils are encouraged, through undertaking the activities within this website to develop skills of:
- Observing - pupils are guided through observational work to observe their bones
- Predicting - some activities offer pupils an opportunity to make predictions
- Investigating and experimenting - in some activities pupils are given opportunities to investigate in a virtual setting. Suggestions are also made for some real-world experiments
- Analyzing - pupils are invited to interpret information in many of the activities
- Recording and communicating - certain activities encourage further discussion, presentation or the interpretation of data.
Approaches to Learning: Exploring Children's Ideas
Each of the three sections begins by asking children what they already know or already think about the topic they are about to encounter. They are asked to do this by undertaking tasks such as drawing an " inside me picture", or completing an activity such as a drag and drop game which matches bones to their names and positions in the body.
All three areas of the unit take an interactive approach by posing questions such as :
"What happens to air when you breathe in?"
"Does exercise make you breathe more quickly?"
Children are then asked to predict the answer, to undertake a short investigation and/or to read some information to find the likely answers.
Integration: Many elements of this unit on the human body have links with SPHE and also with Physical Education.