Study Hub

Study Guides

This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.

Back to Study HubBrowse Year 6 Science Guides

Year 6 - Science

Mushrooms and mycoprotein (non-statutory Climate Change & Sustainability)

Keeping healthy

Unit Summary

This unit examines how diet, exercise, drugs, and lifestyle impact body function. It focuses on planning scientific enquiries, controlling variables, taking precise measurements, and recording complex data. Emphasis is on presenting findings, drawing conclusions, and evaluating scientific evidence.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to investigate the growth of mushrooms and describe sustainable protein sources.

Key Notes

  • A mushroom is not a plant; it is a fungus.
  • Mushrooms are high in protein and are one of the most sustainable foods to grow and eat.
  • Mushrooms grow best in dark, moist conditions and continue to provide food over several weeks.
  • Mycoprotein is a sustainable protein made from fermented fungus.
  • Mycoprotein is made into 'meatless' foods such as burgers, mincemeat and 'chicken'.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • protein: Protein is in foods like meat, fish, and eggs. It helps your body grow and repair.
  • sustainable: If something is sustainable, it meets the needs of people now without having a negative impact on the needs of people living in the future.
  • fungus: A fungus is a type of micro-organism that feeds on organic matter.
  • mycoprotein: Mycoprotein is a sustainable protein made from fermented fungus.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Pupils often think that a mushroom is a plant.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

A mushroom is not a plant; it is a fungus. Mushrooms are high in protein and are one of the most sustainable foods to grow and eat.

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

Protein is in foods like meat, fish, and eggs. It helps your body grow and repair. Include the word in a full scientific explanation, not as a single label.

3. Correct this common scientific misunderstanding.

Mistake: Pupils often think that a mushroom is a plant. Correction: Explain to pupils that mushrooms are not plants (or animals), rather they are the fruit bodies of a group of micro-organisms called fungi (singular fungus).

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 6 Science guide library.