Teachers TV: Muscles: Using a Longbow

This short clip is ideal for use as a lesson starter in KS2 science, particularly with Year 4 children. It shows how the muscles work together to make our bodies move. An archer demonstrates how the muscles in her arm work together to enable her to fire an arrow using a longbow. A diagram is used to show the pair of muscles involved in this action - one muscle lifts the archer's arm and the other lowers it. The question for pupils is: Where else have you got pairs of muscles like this in your body? What do they do? See the accompanying teachers' notes by primary science adviser John Stringer for further notes explaining the science behind the problems, and suggested extension activities.