How Science Works - Using Asthma on the Run

Science teacher Stuart Murphy takes his Year 8 class through the first lesson in a new scheme of learning in the How Science Works series.

How Science Works is a key component of the KS3 science curriculum. At Sacred Heart High School in Hammersmith, the Year 8s have just started the Live and Kicking Unit of the curriculum, and here they undertake the first lesson of the unit, called Breathless.

The How Science Works video "Asthma on the Run" is used to engage the students at the start and sets up the central theme as well as explain and elaborate on ideas throughout the lesson. Students carry out peak flow tests and measure total lung volume to investigate lung function.

The lessons have been developed around an e model of learning with scientific inquiry as its basis. The lessons are divided up into stages which cover all the important learning functions.