Year 6 Science: Exercise and the body
Part of the Year 6 Science diet, exercise, drugs and lifestyle chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Exercise and the body
Exercise is any movement that makes the body work harder. Regular exercise helps the body in many ways:
- the heart beats faster during exercise, and becomes stronger with regular activity;
- the lungs take in more air, to supply more oxygen to the muscles;
- the muscles become stronger, and the bones become stronger when they are used.
UK guidance says that children should aim for at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity each day.
The table shows Sam's active minutes for the week, with the total.
| Day | Active minutes |
|---|---|
| Monday | 60 |
| Tuesday | 45 |
| Wednesday | 75 |
| Thursday | 60 |
| Friday | 30 |
| Saturday | 90 |
| Sunday | 60 |
| Total | 420 |
Key ideas
- Regular exercise makes the heart and the lungs work better.
- Muscles and bones become stronger with regular exercise.
- Children should aim for at least 60 minutes of activity each day.
- Exercise is any movement that makes the body work harder.
Method. Find the tallest bar.
- Compare the bars. The tallest bar is for Saturday, at 90 minutes.90
- Write the name. So the day with most minutes is Saturday.Saturday
- Write the answer. Saturday
Check. 90 is more than any other day. ✓
Method. Count the days with 60 minutes or more.
- Read the table. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday reached 60 minutes or more.five days
- Count. That is 5 days.5
- Write the answer. 5
Check. Tuesday (45) and Friday (30) did not reach the target. ✓
Method. Divide the total by 7 days.
- Read the total. The total for the week is 420 minutes.420
- Divide. Divide 420 by 7 days.420 divided by 7 is 60
- Write the answer. 60 minutes
Check. 7 times 60 is 420. ✓
Watch out
Watch out: a day with many minutes does not make up for days with few. The guidance is about each day, so every day counts.
Exam tip
Exam tip. When you find a mean, add all the values first, then divide by the number of days, which is 7 here.
Try it (with your teacher, or a grown-up at home). For one day, keep a record of the minutes you were active, such as walking, running or playing. Compare your total with the 60 minute target, with a grown-up. Do not overdo it: stop if you feel unwell.
Exercise 4B Exercise and the body
Method. Find the 75 in the table.
- Read the table. The row with 75 minutes is Wednesday.75
- Write the name. So the day is Wednesday.Wednesday
- Write the answer. Wednesday
Check. Wednesday was above the target. ✓
Method. Read the table.
- Read the row. The row for Tuesday shows 45 minutes.45
- Write the number. So the number is 45.45
- Write the answer. 45
Check. 45 is less than the target of 60. ✓
Method. Add the seven days.
- Add. Add all seven days together.60 + 45 + 75 + 60 + 30 + 90 + 60
- Write the total. The total is 420 minutes.420
- Write the answer. 420
Check. The table shows the total as 420. ✓
Method. Find the smallest number.
- Compare the numbers. The smallest number is 30, on Friday.30
- Write the name. So the day is Friday.Friday
- Write the answer. Friday
Check. The bar for Friday is the shortest. ✓
Method. Count the days with 60 or more minutes.
- Read the table. Five days had 60 minutes or more.five
- Write the number. So the answer is 5.5
- Write the answer. 5
Check. Two days were below the target. ✓
Method. Find the days below 60.
- Read the table. Tuesday had 45 and Friday had 30, which are below 60.45 and 30
- Write the names. So the two days are Tuesday and Friday.Tuesday and Friday
- Write the answer. Tuesday and Friday
Check. Both were below 60. ✓
Method. Divide the total by 7.
- Divide. Divide the total of 420 minutes by 7 days.420 divided by 7
- Write the mean. The mean is 60 minutes.60
- Write the answer. 60
Check. 7 times 60 is 420. ✓
Method. Read the body effects.
- Read the list. Regular exercise makes the heart, lungs, muscles and bones stronger or better.stronger
- Pick one. Any one of these is correct.one part
- Write the answer. Accept any one of: heart, lungs, muscles, bones.
Check. Exercise helps many body parts. ✓
Method. Subtract Friday from Saturday.
- Read the numbers. Friday had 30 and Saturday had 90.30 and 90
- Subtract. The difference is 90 minus 30.90 - 30 = 60
- Write the answer. 60
Check. 30 + 60 = 90. ✓
Method. Check the guidance, which is about each day.
- Check the guidance. The guidance is for at least 60 minutes each day.each day
- Decide. Tuesday and Friday were below 60, so he did not reach the target every day.no
- Write the answer. no
Check. A week total hides the days that were too short. ✓
Method. Think about the muscles.
- Think about the muscles. During exercise, the muscles work harder and use more oxygen.more oxygen
- Think about the lungs. So the lungs take in more air to supply oxygen to the blood.supply
- Write the answer. Accept any sentence that says the muscles need more oxygen during exercise, so the lungs take in more air to supply it.
Check. Breathing faster is the lungs meeting that need. ✓
Method. Think about the heart as a muscle.
- Think about the heart. The heart is a muscle that works harder during exercise.muscle
- Think about strength. Regular exercise makes it stronger over time.stronger
- Write the answer. Accept any sentence that says regular exercise makes the heart muscle work harder, which makes it stronger over time.
Check. Regular activity trains the heart. ✓
Method. Compare the two days.
- Think about no exercise. With no exercise, the heart, lungs and muscles are not challenged.not challenged
- Think about 60 minutes. With 60 minutes, these parts work harder and build strength.build strength
- Write the answer. Accept any sentence that says exercise keeps the heart, lungs, muscles and bones active and strong, which a day with none does not do.
Check. Regular activity is how the body builds strength. ✓