Exercise and Lifestyle

Overview

This is lesson 2 of 6 in the unit exploring human body systems. Today’s focus is how diet, exercise, lifestyle and drugs can affect how the body functions, building on pupils’ prior learning about body parts and internal organs.

Learning intentions

• Students will recognise how regular exercise affects different body functions.
• Students will explain how lifestyle choices can support healthy bodies.
• Students will describe how harmful substances (including some drugs) can damage the human body.
• Students will use evidence from an investigation to discuss positive and negative effects on health.

Success criteria

• I can describe at least two changes my body may show after exercise.
• I can explain how lifestyle choices can improve or harm health.
• I can sort examples into “healthy/supportive” and “harmful/unsafe” categories and give a reason.
• I can use scientific vocabulary (e.g. heart rate, breathing, muscles) to justify my ideas.

Curriculum links

• Animals including humans — recognise the impact of diet, exercise, drugs and lifestyle on the way bodies function.
• Notes and guidance — explore how bodies can be damaged, including how some drugs and other substances can be harmful.
• Working scientifically (embedded) — use evidence to answer questions about health impacts.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Starter: Quick check and hook. Teacher displays two short scenarios (e.g. “runs home every day” vs “rarely moves and stays up late”), and asks pupils to vote for which lifestyle seems healthier and why. Students think-pair-share and record one reason linked to how the body functions.

2. 5–12 min · Direct teach: Body changes with exercise. Teacher briefly introduces what pupils are likely to notice during exercise: breathing rate, heart rate, feeling warmer, and muscle activity; emphasises that this is normal when exercising safely. Students complete a teacher-led “what changes?” table with expected observations (no need for numbers yet).

3. 12–25 min · Investigation: Heart-rate and breathing pattern. Teacher sets up a simple, safe class investigation using everyone’s judgement of effort: pupils do two rounds of light exercise for 30 seconds with a 60-second rest between (e.g. brisk marching or step-ups). Pupils measure (a) relative pulse/heart rate using two fingers at the wrist and (b) a simple breathing indicator such as “slow/steady” then “faster/heavier” on a class recording sheet. Students work in pairs: record before, after each round, and during recovery; compare results and look for a pattern.

4. 25–32 min · Model scientific explanation. Teacher uses one pair’s results to co-construct a short explanation: exercise → body needs more oxygen and energy → breathing and heart rate increase → muscles work harder; highlight that recovery shows the body adapting. Students draft a 3-sentence explanation in their books using at least three science terms from a word bank.

5. 32–40 min · Discussion: Healthy vs harmful lifestyle. Teacher introduces a set of prompts/cards: examples of exercise and rest, diet choices, screen time, sleep, and “some drugs and other substances” (kept age-appropriate and general; include warnings about harmful substances rather than detailed drug categories). Students sort cards into two columns (“supports health” / “can harm health”) and add one justification sentence.

6. 40–45 min · Exit ticket: Evidence-based health judgement. Teacher gives an exit ticket: “Using today’s evidence, explain one way exercise supports health and one way lifestyle can harm health.” Students answer independently; teacher collects to identify misconceptions.

Resources

• Stopwatch or timer for each pair
• Classroom heart-rate guide (simple “find pulse at wrist” cue card)
• Printed recording sheet with columns for before/after/recovery (breathing: slow/fast; pulse: count or relative)
• Word bank on the board: heart rate, breathing, oxygen, muscles, energy, recovery, lifestyle, drugs, healthy
• Scenario cards for sorting (exercise, sleep, diet, screen time, harmful substances in general terms)
• Student science books and pencil
• Safety reminders displayed (exercise kept gentle; stop if unwell)

Assessment

• Observe pair work during the investigation: are pupils recording consistently and safely?
• Check the drafted explanation: does the student link exercise to body function changes with scientific vocabulary?
• Exit ticket review: look for misconceptions (e.g. “exercise always harms” or confusion between recovery and damage).

Differentiation

• Support: Provide sentence starters (e.g. “When we exercise, our ___ increases because…”) and a partially completed table for the investigation.
• Support for SEN/EAL: Offer a simplified word bank and allow pupils to underline key terms rather than write full explanations.
• Extension: Ask pupils to compare two different exercise intensities (light vs slightly harder) and predict how heart rate and breathing would differ, using evidence from today.
• Manage misconceptions: If pupils suggest that any change means “damage,” guide them to distinguish normal, temporary changes (recovery) from harmful or unsafe behaviours.