Teacher sheet · Ages 6–7 · about 45–50 minutes
My body's defenders
Lesson page: echoesof.science/school/immune-system/ages-6-7/ · Pupil worksheet: echoesof.science/school/immune-system/ages-6-7/print/
Learning aims
- Know that the body has defences against harmful germs.
- Name skin, mucus, tears and white blood cells as defenders.
- Know how and why to wash hands with soap for about 20 seconds.
Lesson plan
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 5 min | Starter: how could a germ get into your body? Collect ideas. |
| 10 min | Read the text; point to skin, nose, eyes. |
| 15 min | Glitter-germs experiment. |
| 5 min | Game: Keeps germs away? |
| 5 min | Quiz and worksheet. |
Materials for the experiment
- A little hand cream or cooking oil
- Fine biodegradable glitter (the 'germs')
- Two bowls of water
- Liquid soap
- Paper towels
Safety: Use biodegradable glitter and keep it away from eyes and mouths. Check for skin allergies before using hand cream; use a soap the school already uses. Wipe up spilled water so nobody slips.
Common misconceptions
| Pupils may think… | Actually… |
|---|---|
| Rinsing with water is enough. | Soap lather traps and removes germs much better than water alone. |
| All germs make you ill. | Most microbes are harmless; the immune system deals with the harmful ones. |
| Hot water kills the germs on your hands. | Warm and cold water remove the same number of germs; it is the soap and scrubbing that matter. |
Worksheet answers
- Drawing with soap, lather, and backs of hands or fingers.
- Skin, nose mucus, tears or spit.
- With soap and water.
- So that germs on our hands do not get into our mouths with the food.
Quiz answers
- What does your immune system do? Helps stop germs making you ill. The immune system protects us from infection.[1]
- Which part of you is like a wall against germs? Your skin. Skin helps keep germs out.[2]
- What do some white blood cells do to germs? Gobble them up. Some white blood cells engulf germs.[2]
- How long should you scrub your hands with soap? About 20 seconds. Scrubbing for 20 seconds removes more germs.[6]
- What helps trap germs so water can wash them away? Soap. Soap lather traps and removes germs.[7]
Going further
Make a class poster of the handwashing steps: wet, soap, scrub for 20 seconds, rinse, dry.
Sources used in this lesson
- [1] Overview of the Immune System (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIH, USA)): reliability High
- [2] Concepts of Biology, 17.2 Innate Immunity (OpenStax, Rice University): reliability High
- [6] About Handwashing (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (USA)): reliability High
- [7] Hand Hygiene Frequently Asked Questions (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (USA)): reliability High
Full list with links and a note on each source's reliability: echoesof.science/school/immune-system/sources/
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