Topic title: Cafeteria Bacteria
Year group: 7
When taught: Spring Term
Overview: Want to know what happens to your lunch once eaten? In term 3 students will study “cafeteria bacteria” and find out the answer! From enzymes to bacteria, pupils will go on to study some ideas about microbiology, developing their understanding of different types of microbes and how they can be useful. Students will then look at what happens when pathogens infect the body, how we can prevent viral disease by vaccination and treating bacterial diseases with antibiotics.
What the students targets for this topic?
| I know what a balanced diet looks like. |
| I know what each of the food groups are. |
| I can describe what each food group provides for the body. |
| I can safely carry out food tests to identify each food group in a piece of food. |
| I know I need fuel for respiration. |
| I can describe starch as a long molecule and glucose as a small molecule. |
| I can describe what the roles of enzymes are. |
| I know what a microorganism is. |
| I know what a pathogen is. |
| I know a disease can be caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa. |
| I can state uses of good bacteria. |
| I know what antibiotics are and the rules for taking them to make sure they are effective. |
| I know when you get ill your body produces antibodies. |
| I know that a vaccine is a weak or dead version of a disease. |
| I can describe the body’s defence and immune system. |
Why is this important to know?
- This topic underlines the important skills students will need as they embark on their secondary school science journey. The skills learnt in this topic come up in some form in all other topics.
- If students learn to take careful measurements now, they get into good habits for the future.
- The topic is designed to be engaging with lots of practical work set in context.
- The context helps students see some wider applications of science I.e. Forensics.
Where does this link into our past and future learning?
- This topic builds to the Key Stage Two ideas of describing the importance for humans of exercise, eating the right amounts of different types of food.
- Ideas and skills resurface from the earlier CSI topic when concepts of bacterial growth are discussed.
- Skills and knowledge in this topic are vital for students to understand how to live a healthy and balanced lifestyle. It also provides valuable insights into topics such as diseases and vaccinations, which have been a large part of students’ lives since the COVID-19 pandemic.
- These skills are used beyond KS3 and are revisited in the communicable diseases unit in the KS4 Curriculum.
How will we be assessed on this topic?
- There will be an end of unit test in class to formally assess the skills developed. There will be online homework quizzes to help students practice their skills.
What makes a strong piece of work in this topic? What are teachers hoping to see?
- Attention to detail.
- Using correct key terms (see below).
- Strong and clear explanations of biological processes, giving explanations for each step.
- A clear graph using skills learned from Topic 1 CSI Bourton.
- At the highest-level students will be able to describe and explain the different stages of the body’s response to a pathogen, detailing the different roles of the immune system.
What key words are there in this topic?
What can I try if I want to stretch and challenge myself on this topic?
- Research a bacterium, virus, or fungus that you have heard about, find out how it is spread and how it can be treated.
- Write a healthy eating diary to track the foods you are eating to see if you eat a balanced diet.
- Read up on how scientists make vaccines to new viruses, lots has been written about from the COVID vaccines.
What wider reading can be done on this topic?
NHS Eatwell Guide – click here.
How do Vaccines Work – click here.
