Modern advances in understanding the causes of illness and disease
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain how understanding of the causes of disease and illness has progressed since 1900.
Key learning points
- Lifestyle factors affect people’s health and can cause illness and disease.
- Understanding of the impact of lifestyle factors became more scientific in the 20th century.
- Genes and DNA determine people's characteristics.
- The structure of DNA was discovered in the 1950s.
- Some genes responsible for specific diseases have been identified by scientists.
Keywords
Lifestyle factor - the way that people live, including their diets and levels of exercise
Inherit - to have the same physical or mental characteristics as one of your biological parents or grandparents
Genes - information that is passed on from a biological parent to a child which controls particular characteristics
Common misconception
Lifestyle factors have only been considered important for a person's health in the modern period.
Lifestyle factors like diet have been considered important for many centuries, but before the 20th century this was often based on inaccurate ideas like the Theory of Four Humours.
Teacher tip
Before completing Task B, in pairs, get pupils to identify a specific example which demonstrates the role of each suggested factor (individuals, technology, government) in advancing understanding of genetics.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of sexual content
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match each word to its correct definition.
methods to cure or help manage an illness
methods to protect people from catching an illness or disease
to say what is wrong with someone who is sick
Q2.Any living organism which is too small to be seen without a microscope is known as a .
Q3.What name was given to the outbreak of plague in Britain in 1348?
Q4.Identify the correct statement about Renaissance treatments.
Q5.Match each individual with their contribution to medicine.
Ancient Roman surgeon who wrote about human anatomy
discovered a vaccine for smallpox
argued that cholera was spread by contaminated water
used dissections to correct many of Galen's ideas
developed Germ Theory
improved nurse training and promoted new hospital designs
Q6.Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronological order.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1. are information that is passed on from a biological parent to a child which controls particular characteristics.
Q2.Which of the following lifestyle factors can cause type 2 diabetes?
Q3.Who identified the structure of DNA in 1953?
Q4.How many times more powerful are electron microscopes than optical microscopes?
Q5.Which medieval idea encouraged people to follow a balanced diet?
Q6.Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronological order.
To help you plan your 10 history lesson on: Modern advances in understanding the causes of illness and disease, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 history lesson on: Modern advances in understanding the causes of illness and disease, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 history lessons from the Britain: Health and the people - c1000 to the present day unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.