Knowledge

The children have an opportunity to revise the units from the year:

• Movement and nutrition,
• Digestion and food.
• Rocks and soil.
• Electricity and circuits.
• Light and shadows.

Working scientifically

Through the context of the enquiry question ‘How does food affect muscle fatigue?,’ the children investigate how food consumption affects their muscles by completing muscle fatigue tests throughout the day. They predict the outcome, design a results table and convert their muscle fatigue test times from minutes into seconds before plotting them on a bar chart. They analyse model results, learn how to structure a conclusion and then apply these skills to their own results. The enquiry cycle concludes with an evaluation of the trustworthiness of their experiment.

Science in action

The children explore careers related to the unit, including an interview with a sports nutritionist, and they learn how food scientists and nutritionists use a calorimeter to measure the energy content of food.