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Year 6

The impact of alcohol

I can describe the impact of alcohol on the human body.

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Year 6

The impact of alcohol

I can describe the impact of alcohol on the human body.

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Share activities with pupils
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These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Alcohol is an addictive drug that can be found in drinks such as beer, cider and wine.
  2. Alcohol changes a person's ability to think, speak, and see things as they really are.
  3. Alcohol can cause damage to your liver, heart and brain and cause illnesses including cancer and strokes.
  4. Information about the impact of alcohol on the body can be researched using secondary sources of information.

Keywords

  • Alcohol - Alcohol is a type of drug that is found in drinks like beer, wine and cider.

  • Drug - Drugs are substances that change the way our bodies work.

  • Addictive - Something addictive is something that is very hard to stop doing because your body craves more.

  • Impact - The impact of something is the effect it has.

Common misconception

Pupils may think that alcohol is safe for adults to drink because it is not illegal.

Explain that, although it is legal for adults to drink alcohol, it can still be harmful. This can be supported with examples of the impact alcohol has on the body (shared in the slide deck).


To help you plan your year 6 science lesson on: The impact of alcohol, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

This lesson covers sensitive content around alcohol and its effects. You may want to alert relevant pastoral or safeguarding staff about the content that will be covered and encourage them to discuss it with any pupils who are accessing support for related issues.
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Equipment

none required

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Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
supervision-level

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

copyright

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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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What does it mean if something is harmful?
Correct answer: It can hurt you.
It can heal you.
It can help you.
It can cure you.
Q2.
What does it mean if something is risky?
It is a completely safe activity.
Correct answer: You may get harmed if you do it.
It will definitely seriously harm you.
No one knows what will happen if you do it.
Q3.
The organ which is in the centre of our chests that pumps blood around the body is called the .
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: heart
Q4.
The organ which is inside your skull that controls your body is called the .
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: brain, brains
Q5.
A drug is…
a chemical that is illegal.
a pill which is very harmful.
a medicine that can cure illnesses.
Correct answer: a substance which affects the way your body works.
Q6.
If something is addictive, it is…
An image in a quiz
hard to start doing.
Correct answer: hard to stop once you have started.
easy to stop once you have started.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
is a drug found in certain types of drinks that can only be bought by adults over the age of 18, such as beer.
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: alcohol
Q2.
Which of these drinks usually contain alcohol?
energy drinks
Correct answer: cider
lemonade
orange juice
Correct answer: wine
Q3.
When someone has drunk alcohol, which of these effects might they feel?
An image in a quiz
Correct answer: difficult to think clearly
better focus and concentration
Correct answer: unable to see things as they really are
quicker reaction time
Q4.
How can we find out more about the impact of alcohol on our bodies?
observing the packaging of different types of alcohol
comparing the cost of drinks available
Correct answer: carrying out research using secondary sources
Q5.
Alcohol can be , which means it is difficult to stop drinking it once you have become used to it.
Correct Answer: addictive, addicting
Q6.
Drinking alcohol can increase…
Correct answer: the likelihood of injuring yourself.
the opportunity to learn new things.
the speed at which you can run.
Correct answer: the risk of developing some diseases.

Additional material

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