Science Year 6 Biology Strand: Human Reproduction & Relationships
Pre-Session 1
Same & different
/ Objectives: To appreciate that there are physical differences between members of the same species.Sc2 1a/b Know that the life processes common to humans, other animals & plants include nutrition, movement, growth & reproduction. 3d Learn about the parts of the flower. 4c Understand that the variety of plants & animals makes it important to identify them & assign them to groups.
PSHE 2a Research, discuss & debate topical issues, problems & events. 4f Understand that differences & similarities between people arise from a number of factors, including cultural, ethnic, racial & religious diversity, gender & disability.
Breadth of study: Sc 1a Study a range of domestic & environmental contexts that are familiar & of interest to them. PSHE 5g Consider social & moral dilemmas that they come across in life.
Resources needed
/ Selection of flowers (or pictures of flowers in resources), hall or playground, access to internet. All Kinds of People by Emma Damon ISBN: 9781857070675 (optional).Whole class teaching:
Show chn pictures of African elephant and Asian elephant without labels (see resources). What are these? Both elephants. Ask whether or not they are the same. Asian (or Indian) elephant - smaller size, smaller & different shaped ears, smaller tusks, more rounded back & a fourth toenail on each of their hind feet, than African elephants. African elephants have grey skin & Asian elephants have grey to brown skin (often look different colours if dust covered). Explain that we can classify all living things by their different characteristics; the variety of living things makes it important to identify them and assign them to groups. One major division is between animals and plants.
Now show chn a selection of flowers (or pictures of flowers – see resources). Ask what these are. Discuss the fact that they are all flowers and yet they look very different. What are the similarities? They all have the same flower parts – petals, stamens, stigma and sepals, etc. The function of this part of the plant is the production of seeds – reproduction of the plant. What are the differences? The colour, shape & size of the petals, the way the seeds are dispersed, etc. These are all physical differences. Which flower do chn like the best? Take a vote. Ask individual chn to explain why they chose that particular flower – what makes it better?
What characteristics might we look for in a flower to make it the best – pleasant smell, bright colours, petals that last a long time, size of flower, flower at a particular time of the year, etc.
Are the chn’s favourites actually better flowers? Not all chn had the same favourite and that would be true of any group of people. We do however, allow these physical differences to create a hierarchy of the good and the not so good and yet all the flowers are capable of producing seeds. Discuss local flower shows where particular physical characteristics score points or where displays can earn medals; look at - the Chelsea Flower Show. Other plants may be considered good because they provide food, dyes, medicine, and so on.
Go to a larger space, e.g. the hall or playground. Physical differences can be seen between different people too. Ask chn to get themselves into a line in order of their height & then separate into two groups depending whether they are left or right handed & then whether they are girls or boys. If approp use the hair colour cards (see resources) and ask the class to sort themselves into the relevant groups depending upon their hair colour. If all the chn in your class have the same colour hair, focus on other differences (eye colour), e.g. divide chn into three groups, those who can jump high, those who can jump far and those who don’t like to jump at all! Then sort chn according to whether their arm span (distance between finger tips when arms are spread wide) is greater or less than or equal to their height. Point out that chn can be sorted using many different characteristics – and they are all lovely chn! Could use All Kinds of People by Emma Damon to emphasise that we are all different but special!
Group activity:
Give chn a selection of pictures of dogs (see resources) – discuss them in the same way in their groups – list differences: colour, length of hair, size of animal, shape of head, length of ears, etc. and list similarities: four legs, tail, bark, growl, tail that wags, etc. Ask chn to explain to the rest of their group, which dog is their favourite dog and why? Chn describe their favourite dog & explain why they chose it in one or two sentences and then add an illustration.
Plenary:
Discuss mongrels and pure bred dogs. Discuss the characteristics that would be useful in a dog – e.g. good sense of smell to find skiers buried in snow or to discover drugs or arms that are hidden; obedience to work well as a sheepdog, intelligence to learn the skills to help a blind person, etc. Ask: Which characteristics would a dog need to be a fantastic family pet? - Well-behaved, lovable, loyal, friendly, reliable, not too large, etc. Are there any physical characteristics that are needed? Possibly size is important… but otherwise it doesn’t really matter what the dog looks like for it to be a super pet.
I can:
1. Understand that there are physical differences between members of the same groups of animals or plants.
2. Understand that physical differences can lead to a hierarchy of good/not so good.
3. Understand that physical differences are not necessarily important to function or ability.
© Original plan copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users
Y6 Biology – Human Reproduction & Relationships – 14 Sessions With thanks to The Oxford Trustfor funding support
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