Good and ill health
I can describe what is meant by physical and mental health and can identify factors and symptoms associated with ill health.
Good and ill health
I can describe what is meant by physical and mental health and can identify factors and symptoms associated with ill health.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- People have both physical health and mental health.
- Physical health and mental health range from good to ill.
- Changes in normal body appearance, function and behaviour can be symptoms of ill health.
Keywords
Physical health - Physical health is the condition of your body.
Mental health - Mental health is how you feel, think and act.
Symptom - An unusual change in a person’s normal appearance, function or behaviour might be a symptom of ill health.
Disease - Disease is a persistent deviation from a person’s normal appearance, function or behaviour.
Common misconception
Only thinking about physical and not mental health; thinking health is a binary of "healthy or ill".
The lesson draws upon research on students' understanding of 'health' as a concept to specifically tackle the above misconceptions.
To help you plan your year 8 science lesson on: Good and ill health, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 8 science lesson on: Good and ill health, 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 3 science lessons from the Diet and exercise unit, dive into the full secondary science curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Starter quiz
6 Questions
Exit quiz
6 Questions
A change that could be associated with ill health.
A persistent deviation from a person’s normal state.
The condition of your body.
How you feel, think and act.



