Science at key stage 3 (Year 7)
Unit 7I: Energy resources
Section 9: a. How do living things use energy?
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Objectives |
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- that we (and all living things) need energy for every activity
- that food is the energy source of animals
- that energy is measured in joules
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Activities |
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Outcomes |
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Children: |
- Review with pupils their ideas about food as the energy resource for plants and animals. This will have been covered at key stage 2, although the word 'energy' will not have been used. Link this use of the word 'energy' to its use in situations they have just studied.
- Use pupils' knowledge of 'calorie counts' for slimming or body-building to introduce the idea of measuring energy input. Introduce the joule as the unit of energy. Demonstrate that it is quite a small unit,
eg lifting an apple by 1 metre takes about 1 joule of energy. Look at the energy ratings of food,
eg a chocolate bar. Ask pupils to consider the question
If you ate the chocolate bar how high would you have to lift the apple before all the energy is used up? Tell them about the famous physicist John Tyndall, who worked out that the energy he needed to climb the Matterhorn was contained in a ham sandwich, so that was all the food he took with him.
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- know that living creatures need energy to live
- identify the energy contents of a sample of food,
eg from a label
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Points to note |
- Teachers will be aware of the need for sensitivity in discussing slimming and diet.
- Pupils may think that exercise gives them energy, because of the link with health. Stress that exercise is an activity, and like others requires an energy input.
- Pupils will learn about the need for a balanced diet in unit 8A 'Food and digestion'. This unit concentrates on the 'energy food' types,
eg sugars, carbohydrates and fats.
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This unit is divided into sections. Each section contains a sequence of
activities with related objectives and outcomes. You can view this unit by
moving through the sections or print/download the whole unit.
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