How to Build Strong, Healthy Bones
Unbeatable Bones
Upper Primary
Lesson 1
Lesson Overview
Students will gain an understanding of how strong, healthy bones are developed and learn about the benefits of eating
calcium-rich foods, like dairy foods. They will investigate the disease ‘osteoporosis’ and come to understand the potential
detrimental effects of a calcium deficient diet.
Aims and Outcomes
Students will develop:
• an understanding of the elements needed for our bones to remain strong and healthy
• insight into the possible effects of a calcium-deficient diet on the human body
• confidence when interacting with others to gain knowledge on the topic
Australian Curriculum
Year 5
Key Learning Areas: English; Science; HPE
Strand: Literacy; Science Understanding, Science Inquiry Skills; Personal, Social and Community Health
Code: ACELY1702, ACELY1700; ACSSU043, ACSIS090; HPE4.5
Year 6
Key Learning Areas: HPE; Science; English; ICT
Strand : Personal, Social and Community Health; Science Inquiry Skills
Code: HPE2.8; ACSIS027, ACSIS029
ScOT Catalogue Terms
Data Processing; Data Representation; Reading; Predictions (Stories); Text Purpose, Oral Presentations; Animal
Behaviour; Adaptation (Evolution); Growth (Animals); Habitats; Climate; Health; Plant Growth; Listening; Reasoning;
Conversations; Modality
General Capabilities
Literacy; Information and Communication Capability, Critical and Creative Thinking, Personal and Social Capability,
Numeracy
Cross-curriculum Priorities
Sustainability
Curriculum Connections
English: Reading for Information; Speaking & Listening
Socio-emotional: Teamwork and Decision-making
ICT: Internet Research
For more dairy facts and fun visit dairy.edu.au/discoverdairy
How to Build Strong, Healthy Bones
Unbeatable Bones
Upper Primary
Lesson 1
Teacher Notes
Resources/Materials
• Unbeatable Bones presentation
• Osteoporosis fact sheet
• Interesting Questions appendix 1A
• Strong Stan Skeleton Game Instructions 1 appendix 1B
• Strong Stan Skeleton Game Instructions 2 appendix 1B
• Strong Stan Skeleton Game Instructions 3 appendix 1B
• Strong Stan Skeleton Game Instructions 4 appendix 1B
• Strong Stan image enlarged to A2 size (cut out and laminate the 33 bone pieces)
• Healthy Bones worksheet
• Unbeatable Bones Quiz interactive game
Useful Resources
www.dairyaustralia.com.au/nutrition
www.dairy.edu.au/discoverdairy
www.osteoporosis.org.au
Language/Vocabulary
Calcium, osteoporosis, nutrient, Recommended Dietary Intake (RDI)
Higher Order Thinking Skills
Blooms Taxonomy: Knowledge; Comprehension; Application and Analysis
Gardeners MI’s: Linguistic; Spatial
Extension/Open-ended Questions
Why do you think children are consuming less dairy as they grow older?
How might this affect our society?
For more dairy facts and fun visit dairy.edu.au/discoverdairy
Key Learning Areas: Focus Question:
English, Health How are strong, healthy
bones made?
Lesson Introduction
1. Brainstorm with the class what the students already know about bones. Use these questions to elicit known facts: Why
do we have bones? What do bones need to grow strong and healthy? What happens if bones don’t get what they
need to become strong and healthy?
2. Show students the Unbeatable Bones presentation as an introduction to the topic.
3. As a class, identify calcium as one of the core nutrients needed for bones to be strong and healthy. Explain to the
students that osteoporosis is a disease where bones have lost calcium and other minerals, making them fragile and
more likely to break. Link to their own experiences and ask students if they know any older people who suffer from this
condition and if they face any difficulties when undertaking daily tasks.
Main Teaching
1. As a class, read and discuss the facts on the Bone Health and Osteoporosis webpage.
2. In groups of two or three, students are each given a section of information from the above link to examine more closely.
For example: What is Osteoporosis? Nutrition and Bone Health - Calcium, Nutrition and Bone Health - Vitamin D etc.
3. Using appendix 1A, students work collaboratively to create five Interesting Questions and answers relating directly to
this information. The questions must be interesting, arouse curiosity and provide information. It may be helpful to give
the students a few examples of the types of questions they may ask. For example: true or false statements, multiple
choice, one word answers.
4. As a class, identify and discuss the bones on the skeleton in appendix 1B, Strong Stan Skeleton Game Instructions 1
Teacher collects the completed questions ready for the class game.
5. Preprepare the bones in Strong Stan Skeleton Game Instructions 3 and Strong Stan Skeleton Game Instructions 4.
6. Teacher reads out a question and chooses a student to answer. If the question is answered correctly the student
chooses a bone to add to the skeleton outline (use appendix 1B to display on the floor, Strong Stan Skeleton Game
Instructions 2). If the question is answered incorrectly, the teacher takes a bone off the skeleton. The game ends when
all 33 bone pieces have been placed on the outline.
7. Students complete the Healthy Bones worksheet in pairs or small groups, identifying important facts about
osteoporosis and maintaining good bone health.
Plenary
1. Students participate in the ‘Stand up, Hand up, Pair up’ cooperative learning strategy to discuss the answers to the
above worksheet. Teacher asks the questions as they appear on the worksheet. Teacher calls “Stand up, Hand up,
Pair up”. Students then stand, put their hand up and pair up with a student from a different table. Pair discussion
takes place. Students discuss their answers with a partner.
2. As a class, complete the Unbeatable Bones Quiz interactive game.
For more dairy facts and fun visit dairy.edu.au/discoverdairy
Homework
Unbeatable Bones
Upper Primary
Lesson 1
Homework Aims and Outcomes
Students will inform their families how they may help to prevent osteoporosis by sharing their knowledge and
understanding learnt during today’s lesson.
Year 5
Tips to Prevent Osteoporosis
Learning Area: English
Strand: Literature
Code: ACELT1608
Homework task/s
• Using the Osteoporosis fact sheet, find five tips on how to help prevent Osteoporosis.
• Make a sign for your fridge that lists your five tips to display in your home.
• Share these tips with your family.
Extension
Draw a diagram showing the differences between an osteoporotic bone and a healthy bone.
Year 6
Dairy Food Audit
Learning Area: English
Strand: Literacy
Code: ACELY1709, ACELY1816, ACELY1710, ACELY1712, ACELY1713
Homework task/s
• Conduct an interview to investigate the amount of calcium-rich foods that are consumed by the members of your family
(a parent or adult relative).
• Design a set of questions (minimum of five). For example, “What dairy foods have you used in the meal you prepared
tonight?” or “Do you have milk, cheese and yogurt in your refrigerator right now? If so, how much of each?”
• Record these answers to share with your class members.
• Remember to use the conventions of spoken interaction when conducting your interview including; voice volume, tone,
pitch and pace, eye contact etc.
For more dairy facts and fun visit dairy.edu.au/discoverdairy
Homework
Unbeatable Bones
Upper Primary
Lesson 1
Extension
Recommend dietary intake (RDI) for calcium Using the adjacent chart provided find out:
The Recommended Dietary Intake (RDI) of all the for various groups
Age (years) Calcium (mg/day) members in your family using the headings below:
1-3
500
Children
Name
of Family Member:
4-8
700
Age:
9-11
1000
Boys
RDI:
12-13
1300
14-18
1300
Repeat
for the remaining family members.
9-11
1000
Girls
12-13
1300
14-18
1300*
19-70
1000
Over 70
1300
19-50
1000
Over 50
1300
Pregnant women
Over 18
1000
Breastfeeding women
Over 18
1000
Men
Women
RDI reference: NHMRC 2005, Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand
For more dairy facts and fun visit dairy.edu.au/discoverdairy
Worksheet
Unbeatable Bones
Upper Primary
Lesson 1
Name:
Date:
Healthy Bones
Read the osteoporosis fact sheet with the class and then answer the following questions in small groups.
1. What do bones need to become strong and healthy?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. What is osteoporosis?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Who are the most ‘at risk’ groups of people for developing osteoporosis?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. What will help prevent osteoporosis?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. What foods are calcium-rich?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6. Use the table in the article to calculate your Recommended Dietary Intake (RDI) of calcium.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7. How many serves of dairy foods per day would help to prevent osteoporosis?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8. List some other nutrients needed for strong, healthy bones.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Focus Question: How are strong, healthy bones made?
OUTCOMES: ACELY1702, ACELY1700; ACSSU043, ACSIS090; HPE4.5 (Yr5); ACELY1712, ACELY1709,
ACELY1710; ACSSU094, ACSIS107; HPE4.5 (Yr6)
For more dairy facts and fun visit dairy.edu.au/discoverdairy
Appendix 1A
Unbeatable Bones
Upper Primary
Lesson 1
Interesting Questions
Fuel for
In groups of two or three, students read the information
from Life
the Osteoporosis fact sheet and design five interesting
questions. Ten examples have been listed below.
Lower Primary
1. Osteoporosis is a condition where muscles have lost calcium and other minerals: True or False?
Answer: False: ‘bones’ not ‘muscles’
2. Osteoporosis affects one in two females over the age of ____?
Answer: 60 years
3. At what age are our bones the strongest? a) age 10 b) age 70 c) early 20’s
Answer: c) Early 20’s
4. Name one way we can achieve a healthy maximum bone density?
Answer: Exercise or consume calcium-rich foods, like dairy foods
5. Name one lifestyle factor that can increase the risk of osteoporosis?
Answer: Smoking, alcohol, inactivity etc.
6. Is calcium a ‘vitamin’ or a ‘mineral’?
Answer: Mineral
7. What does RDI stand for?
Answer: Recommended Dietary Intake
8. What is the Recommended Dietary Intake of calcium for a child aged 4-8 years a) 700mg/day b) 1300mg/day or
c) 1000 mg/day?
Answer: a) 700 mg per day
9. What is your RDI for calcium?
Answer: Answers will vary. Refer to the chart to determine.
10. Vitamin D helps the body to absorb calcium: True or False?
Answer: True
Focus Question: How are strong, healthy bones made?
OUTCOMES: ACELY1702, ACELY1700; ACSSU043, ACSIS090; HPE4.5 (Yr5); ACELY1712, ACELY1709,
ACELY1710; ACSSU094, ACSIS107; HPE4.5 (Yr6)
For more dairy facts and fun visit dairy.edu.au/discoverdairy
Appendix 1B
Unbeatable Bones
Upper Primary
Lesson 1
Strong Stan Skeleton Game Instructions 1
Below is an image of Strong Stan and the names of his bones, you may want to display this on the Interactive Whiteboard.
For more dairy facts and fun visit dairy.edu.au/discoverdairy
Appendix 1B cont.
Unbeatable Bones
Upper Primary
Lesson 1
Strong Stan Skeleton Game Instructions 2
Enlarge Strong Stan to A2 size.
Laminate the bones on the next 2 pages
then use Blue-tac to place them inside
this image, as per labelled skeleton.
For more dairy facts and fun visit dairy.edu.au/discoverdairy
Appendix 1B cont.
Unbeatable Bones
Upper Primary
Lesson 1
Strong Stan Skeleton Game Instructions 3
Enlarge Strong Stan’s bones to A2 size.
Cut out the bones. Laminate the bones then use Blue-tac to place them inside the grey A2 version of
Strong Stan. Students should aim to place the bones in the correct places, as per labelled skeleton.
For more dairy facts and fun visit dairy.edu.au/discoverdairy
Appendix 1B cont.
Unbeatable Bones
Upper Primary
Lesson 1
Strong Stan Skeleton Game Instructions 4
Enlarge Strong Stan’s bones to A2 size.
Cut out the bones. Laminate the bones then use Blue-tac to place them inside the grey A2 version of
Strong Stan. Students should aim to place the bones in the correct places, as per labelled skeleton.
For more dairy facts and fun visit dairy.edu.au/discoverdairy