New
New
Year 8

Stomach illness

I can describe symptoms of common stomach illnesses, how to treat myself at home, and when to seek medical help.

New
New
Year 8

Stomach illness

I can describe symptoms of common stomach illnesses, how to treat myself at home, and when to seek medical help.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Common stomach illnesses include gastroenteritis, food poisoning and indigestion.
  2. Symptoms of these illnesses can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach pain.
  3. Home treatments may involve rest, hydration and over-the-counter medications.
  4. Maintaining good hygiene can help prevent many common stomach illnesses.
  5. It is important to seek medical help if symptoms are severe or persistent.

Keywords

  • Indigestion - discomfort or pain in the stomach associated with difficulty in digesting food

  • Gastroenteritis - an inflammation of the stomach and intestines, often causing vomiting and diarrhoea

  • Hygiene - practices that help maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases

  • Hydration - maintaining an adequate amount of water in the body to support its functions

  • Over-the-counter medication - medicines available without a prescription to relieve symptoms of common illnesses

Common misconception

All stomach pain is caused by food poisoning.

Stomach pain can be caused by various factors, including indigestion, gastroenteritis and stress. It's important to recognise different symptoms and their potential causes.


To help you plan your year 8 rshe (pshe) lesson on: Stomach illness, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Establishing prior learning by asking pupils what they have learned in Biology for cross-curricular learning opportunities could be useful here.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the words to the definitions.
Correct Answer:cold,a common viral infection of the nose and throat

a common viral infection of the nose and throat

Correct Answer:flu,a more severe viral infection causing fever, body aches and fatigue

a more severe viral infection causing fever, body aches and fatigue

Correct Answer:rash,an area of irritated or swollen skin, often red and itchy

an area of irritated or swollen skin, often red and itchy

Correct Answer:allergy,a reaction by the immune system to things that are usually harmless

a reaction by the immune system to things that are usually harmless

Q2.
Which of the following are true statements?
Correct answer: Most minor illnesses can be cared for at home.
Most minor illnesses will require medical attention.
Most minor illnesses will always require prescription medication.
Correct answer: Most minor illnesses need rest and hydration to improve.
Most minor illnesses will always require over-the-counter medication.
Q3.
Complete the sentence: Anaphylaxis is ...
Correct answer: a severe, potentially life-threatening reaction
an irritating reaction that can be treated at home
Correct answer: a condition that will need medical attention
a rash that can be treated with natural oils
Q4.
A sting can be be painful, you can get this from ...
Correct answer: an animal
Correct answer: a plant
Correct answer: an insect
a needle
a splinter
Q5.
Complete the sentence: Most shops will only sell over-the-counter medication to someone who is , or over.
Correct Answer: 16, sixteen, 16 years old, sixteen years old
Q6.
Antihistamines are an over-the-counter medication that can help with symptoms of ...
a cold
a headache
Correct answer: an allergy
the flu
indigestion

6 Questions

Q1.
Match the words to the definitions.
Correct Answer:indigestion,discomfort or pain in the stomach associated with digestion

discomfort or pain in the stomach associated with digestion

Correct Answer:gastroenteritis,an inflammation of the stomach and intestines

an inflammation of the stomach and intestines

Correct Answer:hygiene,practices that help maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases

practices that help maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases

Correct Answer:hydration,maintaining an adequate amount of water in the body

maintaining an adequate amount of water in the body

Q2.
Which of the following statements are true?
Correct answer: Hydration is important when you are sick as you need to replace lost fluids.
Hydration is not important when you are sick as it will make you feel worse.
Correct answer: Water is the best fluid to help maintain levels of hydration.
Sugary drinks are good to improve levels of hydration.
Q3.
Which of these is not a symptoms of gastroenteritis?
nausea
vomiting
diarrhoea
abdominal cramps
Correct answer: bitter tasting fluid in your mouth
Q4.
Antacids are an over-the-counter medicine that can be used to treat ...
Correct Answer: heartburn
Q5.
Food poisoning is most likely to be a result of contaminated food ...
Correct answer: that was not prepared hygienically
Correct answer: that was not stored properly
Correct answer: that was kept at the wrong temperature
that was cooked properly
that was reheated properly
Q6.
Which of the following are examples of maintaining good hygiene?
washing hands after eating
Correct answer: washing hands before eating
Correct answer: cleaning surfaces
Correct answer: wiping down keyboards
washing hands before using the toilet