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Year 5 - Science

Finding out about human height

Human development

Unit Summary

This unit describes the changes humans undergo from birth to old age. It involves planning scientific enquiries, measuring accurately, recording complex data, and presenting findings. Emphasis is on identifying evidence to support or refute ideas, drawing conclusions, and explaining results.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to take accurate measurements and compare human height.

Key Notes

  • Humans continuously grow taller from birth through to the end of puberty.
  • Growth rate is maximum during infancy and adolescence.
  • Girls are often taller than boys at 12 to 14 years, but men are generally taller than women as adults.
  • Humans are taller now than in the past, due to improved nutrition and health.
  • We can find out about changes in height by measuring humans of different ages.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • puberty: Puberty is a time when human bodies go through changes to become adults that are able to reproduce.
  • growth rate: Growth rate is the rate or speed at which something gets bigger.
  • average: An average is a number that is calculated by adding amounts together and then dividing the total by the number of quantities.
  • measure: To measure is to use equipment to find numbers to describe a feature of something such as its length, weight, size or time.
  • result: The result of a test or enquiry is what happened or what was found out.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Pupils may think that humans only grow on their birthdays or in short, intermittent spurts rather than growth being continuous throughout childhood and adolescence.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain the scientific idea in this lesson using two key points.

Humans continuously grow taller from birth through to the end of puberty. Growth rate is maximum during infancy and adolescence.

2. Define this scientific word and use it in context. 'puberty'

Puberty is a time when human bodies go through changes to become adults that are able to reproduce. Include the word in a full scientific explanation, not as a single label.

3. Correct this common scientific misunderstanding.

Mistake: Pupils may think that humans only grow on their birthdays or in short, intermittent spurts rather than growth being continuous throughout childhood and adolescence. Correction: Using the lesson resources to support, explain that growth is continuous throughout youth until adulthood.

More Lessons In This Unit

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