Science KS 3 Unit 8A Food and digestion

In this unit pupils learn:

• about different foods and how they can be combined to produce a balanced diet.
• how food is broken down by digestion so it can be used by the body, for energy, growth and repair.

In scientific enquiry pupils:

• consider the extent to which evidence about diet can lead to firm conclusions.
• use a model to explore digestion.
• use chemical tests to identify food types.
• present and interpret data from secondary sources.
• draw conclusions from observations and explain these using scientific knowledge.
• investigate a question about nutrition using secondary sources of information.

This unit is expected to take approximately 8 hours.

OTHER RESOURCES

• secondary sources to explore the constituents of food, eg diet software, CD-ROMs, dietary information leaflets, video clips of TV advertisements, other literature, which may include articles from magazines
• a range of foodstuffs for testing, sufficient to provide several samples rich in each of the major chemical groups in food, including foods that are found in the diet of other countries
• illustrative material relating to advertising claims for foods, eg from magazines
• database and spreadsheet software
• simulation software illustrating digestion and transport of substances in the blood
• a collection of food packaging, including cereal packets showing nutritional contents
• media reports, magazine, newspaper and television advertisements relating to food and diet