Hydration and Hygiene

WALT

We Are Learning To:

• Understand the importance of drinking water for a healthy lifestyle
• Recognise how water helps keep us healthy through hydration and hygiene
• Identify practical ways to stay hydrated and maintain personal hygiene daily

Curriculum for Excellence Alignment

Health and Wellbeing (HWB 2-33a, HWB 2-34a)

• I understand that drinking water is important for my body to work well and to help me stay healthy (HWB 2-34a)
• I understand how to maintain personal hygiene and why this is important to my wellbeing (HWB 2-33a)

Success Criteria

• I can explain why drinking water is good for my body
• I can describe at least two ways to stay clean using water
• I can suggest when I should drink water during the day and how it helps me
• I can take part in activities showing ways to keep clean and hydrated

---

Resources Needed

• Clear plastic cups, water bottles for each student
• Large poster boards and markers
• Visual story cards illustrating hydration and hygiene routines (dyslexia-friendly fonts, visuals)
• Handwashing demonstration items (soap, paper towels, glitter or washable paint for germs demo)
• Timer or stopwatch
• Whiteboard and coloured pens

---

Lesson Structure (45 Minutes)

1. Starter Activity (5 minutes)

“Water Detective” Question Game

• Ask: “What do you think water does for our bodies?”
• Students share ideas briefly with a partner, then share with class
• Teacher writes key words on the board: hydrate, healthy, clean, wash

2. Teaching Input (10 minutes)

Interactive Hydration Explanation

• Teacher explains simply why water is needed: muscles, brain, skin, digestion
• Show quick visual story (using dyslexia-friendly cards) of a day in the life of a child staying hydrated
• Demonstrate how much water the body loses even when not exercising (using visuals)
• Discuss when we should drink water (after playing, before meals, when thirsty)

Personal Hygiene Introduction

• Explain how water is essential for keeping clean
• Using the germs demo (glitter or washable paint on hands), show how washing hands removes germs
• Explain germs cause illnesses, so clean hands and body mean staying healthy

3. Main Activity (20 minutes)

Group Task: Hydration and Hygiene Posters

• Divide class into 4 mixed-ability groups (7 students each)
• Each group receives a poster board and markers
• Group 1 & 2: Create a hydration poster featuring when and why to drink water
• Group 3 & 4: Create a hygiene poster focusing on handwashing and general cleanliness
• Teacher circulates, asks prompting questions, supports learning, and encourages use of diagrams or simple sentences
• Dyslexic learners can use labelled pictures only if writing is challenging
• Extension learners encouraged to add extra facts or science behind water functions

4. Sharing and Discussion (7 minutes)

• Groups display posters around the room
• One representative from each group explains their poster
• Teacher summarises key learning points with class

5. Plenary (3 minutes)

“My Hydration Plan” Quick Write

• Students write or draw in a sentence what times they will drink water tomorrow and one hygiene habit they will remember
• This can be done on a sheet or in a jotter
• Teacher collects a small sample for assessment

---

Differentiation Strategies

• Provide sentence starters, word banks, and picture prompts for learners who find writing challenging
• Use visual and tactile learning tools (e.g., glitter germs demo) for sensory learners
• Pair peers for support; encourage verbal explanations for those with lower literacy
• Extension task: research and share an interesting fact about water in the body or cultural hygiene practices

Assessment for Learning (AfL)

• Observe group discussions and presentations for understanding
• Review “My Hydration Plan” for individual grasp of concepts
• Use thumbs-up/thumbs-down or traffic light cards during explanation to check comprehension continually

Dyslexia-Friendly Reading Tips

• Use clear, large fonts (e.g., Comic Sans, Arial) on all printed materials
• Apply coloured backgrounds lightly (off-white, pastel shades) to reduce visual stress
• Keep language simple and sentences short
• Include supportive images for key vocabulary and instructions

---

Extension Activity for Early Finishers or Advanced Learners

• Create a simple “Water Diary” for 2 days to track how much water they drink and how often they wash hands
• Investigate how much sugar is in sugary drinks compared to plain water, then present findings

---

This lesson balances knowledge with fun, multisensory learning that is accessible to all learners, and fits precisely into the Curriculum for Excellence outcomes while encouraging lifelong healthy habits.