Changes in adulthood
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe changes in humans as they develop through adulthood.
Key learning points
- Adulthood, the period in a human’s life whereby full physical and intellectual maturity have been attained
- Adulthood is commonly thought of as beginning at around 20 years
- Physical changes in early adulthood include reaching full height and gaining muscle
- Middle age, a stage of adulthood, begins at around 40 years of age
- The stages of human development in adulthood can be recorded in a variety of ways
Keywords
Human - People are a type of animal called humans.
Develop - To develop is to grow or change gradually.
Adult - An adult is a mature form of a plant or animal.
Adulthood - Adulthood is the time that a human spends as an adult.
Chronological order - Chronological order is the order that things happen.
Common misconception
Pupils may think that height is dependent on age, so taller adults must be older than shorter ones.
Explain that by the time humans reach adulthood they have stopped growing. At this point, their height is not related to their age. Use examples of familiar adults such as staff members to make this clear.
Teacher tip
There are lots of apps available that can artificially age a photo to give an idea how a person may look as they get older. If possible, allow children to explore these apps so they can see how they will look different in the future.
Equipment
None required
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What are muscles for?
Q2.When we talk about our intellectual development we mean the way our ____________ develops.
Q3.When we talk about our physical development we mean the way our develops.
Q4.Match the stage of human development to the correct explanation.
The youngest humans
A human that has just learned to walk
A young human growing taller and learning new skills
A human who is developing from a child into an adult
Q5.Which of these changes usually happen during puberty?
Q6.What is the name for the human development stage between childhood and adulthood?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Starting with the earliest, order the stages of human development.
Q2.Around what age does the middle age stage of adulthood begin?
Q3.By which stage have humans fully developed physically and intellectually?
Q4.Adulthood is generally thought of as beginning at around years.
Q5.Which of these body changes happens during middle age?
Q6.Which of these would not be a good way to record the changes that happen during adulthood?
To help you plan your 5 science lesson on: Changes in adulthood, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 5 science lesson on: Changes in adulthood, 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.
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Explore more key stage 2 science lessons from the Human development unit, dive into the full primary science curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.