Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v3 - Primary 1
Reasons for Taking Substances into the Body
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Reasons for Taking Substances into the Body
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Subject: Social Studies
Class: Primary 1
Term: 1st Term
Week: 5
Theme: Social And Health Issues
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Watch on YouTubePupils should be able to give reasons for taking substances in to the body mention the effect of taking substances in to the body.
A. What are Substances? A substance, in this context, refers to any solid or liquid material that can be taken into the body through the mouth (eaten or drunk). These can be natural or processed. For Primary 1, the focus is on common items they interact with daily.
B. Types of Substances and Reasons for Taking Them: Food: Explanation: Food refers to anything we eat to get energy, grow, and stay healthy. Examples common in Nigeria include rice, eba, yam, beans, fruits (like oranges, mangoes), vegetables (like ugu, spinach), and proteins (like fish, chicken).
Reasons for Taking Food: Hunger: To satisfy the feeling of emptiness in the stomach.
Energy: Food gives the body strength to play, learn, and do daily activities.
Growth: Eating healthy food helps children grow taller and stronger.
Health: Food provides important nutrients that protect the body from sickness and keep it working well.
Water: Explanation: Water is a clear, tasteless liquid essential for life. It is found in wells, boreholes, rivers, and sold as bottled or sachet water in Nigeria.
Reasons for Taking Water: Thirst: To quench the feeling of wanting to drink.
Hydration: Water keeps the body well-liquidated, helping all its parts work correctly.
Health: Water aids digestion, helps regulate body temperature, and carries nutrients around the body.
Medicine: Explanation: Medicine (or drugs) are special substances given to people by doctors or adults (parents/guardians) to treat sickness, reduce pain, or prevent illness. Examples include paracetamol for headache/fever or malaria tablets.
Reasons for Taking Medicine: Sickness: To get well when the body is not feeling good (e.g., fever, cough, stomach ache).
Pain Relief: To stop or reduce pain in the body.
Healing: To help the body recover from illness or injury.
Prevention: Some medicines (like vaccines) are taken to stop people from getting sick in the first place. Crucial
Note: Emphasize that medicine must only be taken when given by a trusted adult or doctor, and never on their own or from strangers.
C. Effects of Taking Substances into the Body: Good Effects (from appropriate intake of beneficial substances): Energy and Strength: Feeling strong and active after eating food.
Growth and Development: Getting taller and bigger from healthy eating.
Feeling Healthy: Being free from sickness, having a clear mind.
Healing and Recovery: Getting better when sick after taking medicine.
Quenching Thirst: Feeling refreshed after drinking water. Bad Effects (from harmful substances or misuse of beneficial ones): Sickness/Illness: Vomiting, stomach ache, headache, diarrhea, fever (e.g., from eating spoiled food or drinking dirty water).
Weakness/Loss of Energy: Feeling tired, unable to play or learn.
Poisoning: Severe sickness that can happen from taking harmful chemicals (e.g., kerosene, bleach) or unprescribed drugs.
Death: In extreme cases, taking very dangerous or toxic substances can lead to loss of life.
Adverse Reactions to Medicine: Taking the wrong medicine, too much medicine, or medicine not prescribed can cause bad effects even if the medicine itself is good.
Examples Relevant to Nigerian Context: Good: Eating a plate of rice and stew gives energy to play Ludo. Drinking clean sachet water quenches thirst after running around. Taking malaria tablets prescribed by the nurse makes a sick child feel better.
Bad: Drinking water from a dirty gutter can cause cholera or typhoid (stomach ache and vomiting). Eating spoilt food from a street vendor can lead to food poisoning. Accidentally drinking kerosene (thinking it's water) can be very dangerous and even deadly. Taking medicine from an unknown person can make one sicker.
Phase 1: Introduction (5 minutes)
Teacher Activity: Greets pupils. Reviews the previous lesson briefly (e.g., "Last week we talked about what makes us happy, like playing and eating good food. Today, we'll talk more about why we eat and drink, and what happens when we do."). Asks pupils, "What did you eat for breakfast today?" and "Why did you eat it?".
Pupil Activity: Respond to greetings and questions, sharing their breakfast and initial thoughts on why they ate.
Phase 2: Exploration and Explanation (15 minutes)
Teacher Activity: Introduces the term "substances" by showing real items or pictures: a plate of food (e.g., garri and soup), a bottle of clean water, a small, clearly labelled medicine bottle (e.g., Paracetamol syrup, explaining it's only for sickness and not to be touched without an adult). Asks, "Why do we eat food?" and "Why do we drink water?" Records pupil responses on the board. Explains the reasons for taking food (hunger, energy, growth, health) using simple language. Explains the reasons for taking water (thirst, health). Explains the reasons for taking medicine (sickness, pain, healing, only when given by a trusted adult/doctor). Introduces the idea that some substances are good for us, and some are bad for us. Shows a picture of dirty water or a picture of a household chemical (e.g., detergent, ensuring pupils understand it's NOT for consumption). Asks, "What happens if we eat good food?" (Pupils say: "We become strong! We grow!"). Asks, "What happens if we drink dirty water or put something bad in our mouth?" (Pupils say: "We get sick! Stomach ache!"). Explains the good effects (energy, growth, healing) and bad effects (sickness, pain, poisoning, death) simply, using Nigerian context examples.
Pupil Activity: Observe the items/pictures shown by the teacher. Respond to "why" questions, sharing their ideas. Listen attentively to explanations. Identify good and bad substances from the teacher's examples. Participate in discussions about good and bad effects, giving simple answers.
Phase 3: Activity/Practical Demonstration (10 minutes)
Teacher Activity: Divides pupils into small groups. Provides each group with picture cards (or simple drawings) showing: Good substances: bowl of rice, yam, clean water, child taking prescribed medicine.
Bad substances: dirty water, child accidentally drinking kerosene (symbolic, not explicit), unlabelled bottle. Instructs each group to sort the pictures into "Good for my body" and "Bad for my body" piles. Walks around, observes, and provides guidance.
Pupil Activity: Work in groups to sort picture cards. Discuss within their groups the reasons for their choices. Present their sorted piles to the class, briefly explaining one reason for each choice.
Phase 4: Class Discussion and Summary (5 minutes)
Teacher Activity: Leads a brief class discussion on the sorting activity. Re-emphasizes the main reasons for taking good substances and the serious effects of taking bad ones. Asks pupils to repeat key messages (e.g., "Eat good food to be strong," "Drink clean water to be healthy," "Never taste anything without asking an adult").
Pupil Activity: Participate in the discussion, answer questions, and repeat key safety messages. The teacher should read out each question clearly and guide pupils to answer orally or by showing fingers for choices. Provide immediate feedback and explanation.
Question: Why do we eat a plate of Jollof rice? (Give one reason)
Expected Pupil Response: To get energy / Because I am hungry / To grow big and strong. Worked Solution &
Commentary: The correct answer should align with getting nourishment and energy. Eating Jollof rice provides energy for daily activities and helps the body grow. The teacher should affirm any of these correct responses.
Question: Your younger brother is sick and has a fever. Your mother gives him some medicine. Why does she do that?
Expected Pupil Response: To make him feel better / To cure his sickness / To stop the fever. Worked Solution &
Commentary: This question targets the reason for taking medicine. The core idea is that medicine helps to alleviate sickness or pain. The teacher should praise responses that highlight healing or relief.
Question: What can happen to your body if you drink water from a very dirty gutter? (Mention two things)
Expected Pupil Response: I will get a stomach ache / I will vomit / I will get sick / I will have diarrhea. Worked Solution &
Commentary: This question focuses on the negative effects of consuming a harmful substance. Dirty water contains germs that can cause various illnesses. The teacher should accept any two common symptoms of waterborne diseases.
Question: If you eat good food like beans and plantain every day, what will happen to your body? (Mention two good things)
Expected Pupil Response: I will grow tall / I will be strong / I will have energy to play / I will not get sick easily. Worked Solution &
Commentary: This question reinforces the positive effects of healthy eating. Beans and plantain are nutritious Nigerian foods. The teacher should look for responses related to growth, strength, energy, or general well-being.
A. Differentiation: For Struggling Learners (Remediation): Visual Aids: Use more real-life objects (e.g., a real orange, a bottle of water, an empty medicine packet) or large, colourful pictures to explain concepts.
Simplified Language: Break down explanations into shorter, simpler sentences.
Repetition: Repeat key concepts and terms multiple times, encouraging choral responses.
Peer Support: Pair struggling learners with more capable peers for group activities.
Practical Engagement: Allow them to demonstrate by pointing to pictures or acting out scenarios (e.g., "drinking water when thirsty").
Tracing/Drawing: Ask them to trace or draw simple pictures of good food or clean water. For High-Achieving Learners (Extension/Enrichment): Advanced Discussion: Encourage them to explain why certain substances are good or bad in more detail (e.g., "Why is it important for water to be clean?").
Creative Expression: Ask them to draw a comic strip or create a short rhyme about why they eat healthy food or why they should not touch unknown substances.
Categorisation Task: Provide a wider range of substances (e.g., different types of fruits, local drinks, common spices) and ask them to categorise them based on their primary benefit or potential risk.
Scenario-Based Problem Solving: Present simple scenarios (e.g., "You see your younger sister about to drink a coloured liquid from a bottle under the sink. What should you do and why?") and have them suggest solutions.
Personal Safety and Health: Pupils learn to distinguish between safe (e.g., clean water, food) and potentially unsafe substances (e.g., unknown liquids, unprescribed pills). This directly applies to preventing accidental poisoning from household chemicals or medications, a significant safety issue in Nigerian homes. Teachers can advise pupils to always ask an adult before eating or drinking anything they are unsure about.
Hygiene and Food Practices: Understanding the effects of dirty water or spoilt food reinforces the importance of hygiene. Pupils can be encouraged to always wash their hands before eating, insist on clean drinking water (e.g., from a sachet or filtered source), and avoid eating food that looks or smells bad, especially from unregulated street vendors.
Community Health Awareness: The lesson can be extended to understand community efforts to provide clean water (e.g., boreholes, water treatment) and promote food safety. Children learn to appreciate public health messages related to vaccination (a preventive substance) and safe food handling.