What's Eating You? A Food and Nutrition Unitnewmanke/cap/Newman - capstone... · Web viewStudents...

Keith Newman MISEP Cohort 208/11/2008 Capstone Pedagogy

What’s Eating You? A Food and Nutrition Unit

Unit Description and Rationale:This nutrition unit was developed with the backwards design concept created by

Wiggins and McTighe (1998). This method includes looking at objectives, goals, and

state standards with respect to curriculum. It also holds the value of teacher and

student interest with high regards in terms of motivation. The next step within this

process is to then determine what is considered acceptable evidence for student

understanding and proficiency. The final step is to plan learning experiences and

instruction based upon the acceptable evidences devised. With the Pennsylvania State

Standards and the AAAS Project 2061 Benchmarks as guidelines for unit content, I

adapted this particular unit with student well being in mind. Each investigation activity

gives the student a tool to help them make well informed choices for a healthy diet.

This particular unit consists of four investigation activities, one performance

assessment, and a formal assessment. It is designed for 5th and 6th grades in either a

health or science classroom. It was also designed with the Philadelphia School District

in mind, where supplies might not be abundant but still an inexpensive way to undertake

an inquiry approach to nutrition. Students will have an opportunity to share their

concepts with the class prior to each investigation; this is where the teacher will be able

to help guide students away from misconceptions if need be. The performance

assessment will enable students to bring all investigations together to a final product

that will be observed by the class and teacher.

Enduring Understandings:

1. All living things must satisfy their basic needs for energy, water, living

space and stable internal conditions.

2. Lifelong health is determined by genetics and by balancing nutrition and

fitness.

3. Dietary requirements vary for individuals based on age, activity level,

weight and overall health.


4. Scientific processes are used to conduct investigations and build

explanations.

Content Standards: The School District of Philadelphia currently does not have a core curriculum

implemented for Nutrition classes; this is due to the fact that it can either be taught by a

Physical Education teacher or a Science Education teacher. The state, however, has

specific standards which the district must address.

1. Academic Standards for Health, Safety and Physical Education,

PDE 7/2002

10.1.6.C - Analyze nutritional concepts that impact health.

• caloric content of foods

• relationship of food intake and physical activity (energy output)

• nutrient requirements

• label reading

• healthful food selection

2. AAAS Benchmarks – Project 2061

The amount of food energy (calories) a person requires varies with

body weight, age, sex, activity level, and natural body efficiency.

6E/M1a

Scientific investigations usually involve the collection of relevant

data, the use of logical reasoning, and the application of

imagination in devising hypotheses and explanations to make

sense of the collected data. 1B/M1b*

What people expect to observe often affects what they actually do

observe. Strong beliefs about what should happen in particular

circumstances can prevent them from detecting other results.

1B/M3ab


Some living things consist of a single cell. Like familiar organisms,

they need food, water, and air; a way to dispose of waste; and an

environment they can live in. 5C/E1

Essential Questions:

1. In what ways does different eating affect my health? What about fitness

levels and health?

2. How could a healthy diet for one person be harmful for another?

3. Why are there so many health problems in the United States caused by

poor nutrition despite all of the available information?

4. How do humans satisfy their basic need for energy?

5. How do scientific processes help us understand more about nutrition?

Misconceptions / Problems :

Misconceptions can vary within the classroom setting; they can be thought

of as mistakes, misleading ideas, misinterpretations of facts and even

preconceptions of ideas (Blosser, 1987). Students tend to use their own life

experiences to explain (both correctly and incorrectly) the reasoning of scientific

concepts. One main problem is that teachers don’t always know how to correctly

identify misconceptions when they are presented in class. Teaching science as if

there were no prior experiences to the topic at hand is usually the culprit.

Children tend to develop parallel explanations of concepts; they are usually

inconsistent with the actual scientific concept and are most likely created due to a


need to keep the real world and school separate (Blosser, 1987). Blosser also

states that misconceptions can often “slide” by teachers due to students learning

labels and phrasing that can pass for understanding of content. This can usually

be caught by checking for underlying understanding by using ideas in slightly

different contexts. Asking students to provide examples and counter examples,

identifying the critical attributes that counter examples lack, and providing an

environment within the classroom that supports the students’ ideas without fear

of ridicule and/or grading pressure are ways to help students eradicate previous

misconceptions (Blosser, 1987).

In a study regarding the concept of “fattening” foods, 30% of the subjects

felt they could eat as much as they liked if they moderated their fat intake, while

only 28% felt it was important to check the energy content of the foods they

consumed (Timperio, A., Burns, C., Cameron-Smith, D., Crawford, D., 2003).

The study also revealed that over half the subjects (55%) believed that saturated

fats were more “fattening” than unsaturated fat; and few respondents agreed

(16%) that product labeling such as “reduced fat”, “low fat”, “diet” and “lite” are

not “fattening” (Timperio, A., Burns, C., Cameron-Smith, D., Crawford, D., 2003).

Some problems found with students regarding nutrition isn’t primarily

misconception based. While having the knowledge of science helps inform

choices in respect to nutrition and exercising, it does not guarantee healthy

decision making (AAAS, 2008). The concept of “good” nutrition can vary from

healthcare provider to healthcare provider as new information accumulates, but

the core foundation of nutrition is very stable. “Some students believe that food

and water have equivalent nutritional consequences; height and weight are

similarly influenced by the amount of food eaten; and energy and strength result

from exercise but not nutrition” (AAAS, 2008).

Student may have misconceptions with energy and energy sources and

confuse the two concepts. They may also have a problem with the

transformation of food into usable energy, therefore focusing on energy

transformations. This gives the teacher an excellent opportunity to reinforce the


prior knowledge of conservation of energy and where it comes from and where it

goes (AAAS, 2008).

When it comes to scientific inquiry, the problem lies within hoping students

get the entire concept via investigation. This however is not possible and only a

part of the total science experience can be learned through observation and

inquiry (AAAS, 2008). It is important to help facilitate student learning and how

science works but it is also equally important to supplement it with appropriate

readings (AAAS, 2008).

Key Knowledge: – What will students understand as a result of this unit?

1. Students will understand that carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and

vitamins are components of food.

2. Students will understand the information provided to them on food

labels.

3. Students will understand vocabulary associated with nutrition.

4. Students will understand the importance of using investigation

practices in determining nutritional value of foods.

Key Skills: – What will students be able to do as a result of this unit?

1. Students will be able to demonstrate how to properly use nutrient

indicators such as acid, vitamin C, sugar, and fat in foods.

2. Students will be able to make informed decisions by gathering

information about food products.

3. Students will be able to relate the results of investigations and

experiments to the amount of chemicals in foods.

Key Beliefs: – What will students believe about nutrition when they are done?

1. Students will believe that they can influence their health by controlling

their diet.


2. Students will believe that reading labels is an effective way to become

aware of nutrient contents within foods.

Prior Knowledge: – What do students know prior to this unit?

Students should be learning this unit concurrently with energy

transformations. They should be able to understand that energy can be transferred in

different forms such as heat, light, motion of objects, chemical, and elastically distorted

materials.

Students are familiar with the concept that food provides fuel and materials for

growth and repair of body parts (AAAS, 6E/E1a*). Vitamins and minerals, present in

small amounts in foods, are essential to keep everything working well (AAAS, 6E/E1b).

Unit Schedule:

Day(s) 1-3: Pre-Assessment, The Fat Test

Day(s) 4-6: The Sugar Test

Day(s) 7-9: The Acid Test

Day(s) 10-11: Free Lunch (See Appendix A for Expanded Activity and

Activity Sheets, Appendix B for Response Sheet, Appendix C for Assessment

Chart)

Day(s) 12-14: Presentation of Performance Assessment / Formal

Assessment. (Appendix D for Formal Assessment)

Assessment/Investigation/Inquiry Evidence:

Performance Assessment: “A Meal to a Healthier YOU!”

Goal: The student’s goal for this performance assessment is to create a dinner

time meal that is considered nutritious based upon what they have learned in

class. This requires them to use food testing of fat, sugar, acid, and vitamin C. If

possible, students should attempt to calculate the calories of each food either


using labels or additional resources such as www.calorieking.com or

www.calorie-count.com.

Role: Students will be able to act as dieticians trying to help someone choose a

nutritious meal for a healthier life style.

Audience: Students will have to present to the instructor as well as the

classroom.

Situation: Students will be given directions that outline their task and a rubric

that indicates the point value system for each criterion. Students should be able

to justify why they chose each component of the meal based on previous

investigation tools and/or research. Students have the liberty to choose which

person in their household they are preparing the menu for. Students need to pay

specific attention to dietary restrictions and/or health problems that might be

specific to the person they choose. If a student picks someone that has no

dietary restriction, they must indicate who might have an issue with their menu

and why.

Product: Students will complete a poster board and use that as their guide for

their classroom presentation. Their final report should be attached to the

presentation board. Students will also create an advertisement poster explaining

the benefits of their hypothetical meal.

Rubric: 100 point assignment10 points – Identify the person you are creating the meal for. This could be

someone made up to make it more interesting, as you must list health issues if

possible. Also, you must identify possible problems for other people who could

ea this meal.

15 points – You must identify all foods being used for their meal.

30 points – You must use the fat test, sugar test, and acid test (where

applicable) on each item in the meal. It is suggested that student’s use a digital

camera to show work progress for their poster board.

5 points – Accurate use of websites to verify results from above.

http://www.calorie-count.com/

http://www.calorieking.com/


25 points – Poster board with pictures and final report attached. Pictures and

printouts should be used where appropriate (including printouts of food labels

found from above).

15 points – Advertisement of planned meal that details benefits of eating it. This

is basically a nice summary of everything you’ve all done above in a neat little

colorful package!

Connection to “Big Picture”: Students are able to use their knowledge from

previously learned activities to create a meal based upon informed data. This

helps them become “smart” consumers when it comes to nutritional data. This

activity is based on all of the Enduring Understandings:

EU#1 – Humans need to eat to satisfy basic energy requirements. This meal

should be designed to maximize nutritional values.

EU#2 – Students may not be able to maximize there genes, but they can balance

out what they eat by choosing good nutritious menus.

EU#3 – Even if students are not planning for someone with special needs based

on health reasons, they must include suggested caloric values based on the

recommended daily values learned in class. They should also identify how their

meal might actually be “harmful” to others.

EU#4 – Students will be incorporating all of the investigation activities to achieve

this project. They must use scientific processes to complete the investigations as

well as this project.

Pre-Assessment Questionnaire: This is non-graded for the purposes of

determining student misconceptions.

1. Why do humans eat food?

2. What are there different dietary recommendations for different ages?

3. What are foods made up of?

4. What kind of information does food labels tell us?

5. How does a poor diet affect your health?


Investigation Activity 1: The Fat Test – Adapted from the FOSS Food and

Nutrition Kit.

Goal: Students will be able to determine relative amounts of fat in foods by

controlling variables in the fat test; they will able be able to estimate the

percentage of fat in various foods. Students will learn nutritional information

about saturated and unsaturated fats. They will be able to record and compare

data and communicate discoveries by using scientific thinking processes.

Role: Students will perform as scientists in this investigation while the teacher

should serve as facilitator.

Audience: The facilitator is the audience via the FOSS investigation response

sheet.

Situation: The experiment in this activity is for students to determine an

estimated fat content of a food by placing it on brown paper and measuring the

grease stain left behind using a centimeter grid. Students will be introduced to

The Fat Test by the materials required for the investigation. Students will

prepare all necessary materials as well as prepare content/inquiry charts;

students will also be proactive in maintaining a word wall for this unit which is

used for a site tool when students are reading and/or writing within the unit.

Students are to use this opportunity to use cooperative learning practices and

non-teacher directed. The teacher should constantly monitor the word wall as a

non-formal assessment of vocabulary use when students are maintaining the

word wall. There will be groups of four student’s each, sometimes working

individually or in pairs at times. After preparation of materials, students will then

be given their science stories which are found in the FOSS kit (Face the Fats,

The Digestive System), introduced to key vocabulary, devise a method of control

for the experiment, and review fat-test procedures with those controls. At the

end of the experiment, students will be able to compare some food samples for

consistency of results as well as different samples for comparison of fat content.

Product: Students will produce word banks, content/inquiry questions based on

their results, and turn in a response sheet. Response sheets should be graded


for understanding of the concept and provided feedback. It may help to identify

common misunderstandings as a class rather than written feedback.

Connection to “Big Picture”: Students will see that inquiry via scientific

research is a viable method of determining fat content of foods. They will also

learn through their readings that fat isn’t “bad” but should be considered an

integral part of a healthy diet. They will also learn via readings that fat should be

monitored closely due to it having a higher energy value than other nutrients, and

that anything in excess is a poor dietary decision.

Investigation Activity 2: The Sugar Test – Adapted from the FOSS Food and

Nutrition Kit.

Goal: Students will observe that dry yeast becomes active when mixed with

warm water and a cookie. They will also discover that yeast needs sugar to

become active, and produces gas in the process; through this discovery,

students will see that yeast can be used as an indicator or sugar. The overall

goal is for students to be able to test foods to see which ones contain the most

sugar using the yeast method.




sheet.

Situation: This activity requires three parts. The first part will have the

introduction of dry yeast as an indicator for sugar in food. The gas produced

when the yeast metabolizes will be used as the indicator of sugar; by measuring

the volume of carbon dioxide produced students can then test various foods.

The second part will be a sugar test of various cereals. Students will compile

their results to rank breakfast cereals by sugar contents. The third part has the

students testing a wide variety of foods for sugar.

Product: Students will produce word banks, content/inquiry charts with questions

based on their results, and turn in an investigation lab response sheet.

Response sheets should be graded for understanding of the concept and


provided feedback. It may help to identify common misunderstandings as a class

rather than written feedback.

Connection to “Big Picture”: This activity is linked closely to Enduring

Understanding three and four. Where students generally understand that sugar

can be bad for our teeth and there is a connection to diabetes. What they don’t

sometimes understand is why our body requires different nutrition at different

stages or the complexities of diabetes. This will be addressed in this unit using

the Living with Diabetes, A Sweet Story and Sugar Smarts science stories.

There is limited new content in this activity, so students are required to go back

and review their old content/inquiry charts. They should be able to make similar

connections with previous investigations (i.e. not all food are created equal, some

have more sugar, just like others have more fat). Students can then synthesize

situations that would occur if intake of sugar were too high.

Investigation Activity 3: The Acid Test – Adapted from the FOSS Food and

Nutrition Kit.

Goal: Students will observe that acid and baking soda reacts to form carbon

dioxide and that the baking soda can be used as an indicator of acid. Students

will test unknowns (fruit juices) for acid and vitamin-C concentration. Students

will also discover a relationship between sour taste and acid concentration.




sheet.

Situation: This activity requires three parts. The first part will have the

introduction of baking soda as an indicator of acid in food. The gas produced

when the baking soda metabolizes will be used as the indicator of acid; by

measuring the volume of carbon dioxide produced students can then test various

foods. The second part will have the students use the acid test to determine the

relative amounts of acid in a variety of fruits; students will then equate the acid

concentration to the taste of those fruits. Students will then be introduced to


indophenol; this will give us the ability to test vitamin-C concentration in liquids.

Science stories include Your Terrific Tongue, Vitamins, The Scourge of

Seafarers, and Linus Pauling.

Product: Students will produce word banks, content/inquiry charts with questions

based on their results, and turn in a response sheet. Response sheets should be

graded for understanding of the concept and provided feedback. It may help to

identify common misunderstandings as a class rather than written feedback.

Connection to “Big Picture”: The Acid Test is linked strongly to Enduring

Understandings three and four. Students will have several readings that allow

them to connect content to inquiry with the introduction of vitamins. Here they

will see that Enduring Understanding one might be a basic need for energy but,

not all food sources are created equal in terms of components (as seen in

previous investigations). They will read that vitamins are helpful in the body for

various reasons and that foods (like sugars and fats) can have different amounts

of vitamins. The students realize the importance of choosing foods based on

proper vitamin content as needed for a healthy body for various age

requirements.

Investigation Activity 4: Free Lunch – Adapted from the FOSS Food and

Nutrition Kit.

Goal: This activity will introduce the concept of calorie as an energy source.

Students will also learn to read labels on packaged foods for nutritional

information and plan hypothetical lunches based on nutritional information

provided.




sheet (Appendix B).

Situation: The step by step expanded activity can be found in Appendix A.

Students will learn via reading stories and from prior investigations that foods are

often made from combined nutrients. They will guess the identity of lunch items


from lists of ingredients. They will then assemble hypothetical lunches from

items found within the school cafeteria; they will then be analyzed and assessed

for nutritional value and total number of calories based upon food labels and/or

web resources. The readings Food Labels, Healthy Eating: International Style,

Finding a Cause for Rickets, and Healthy Kids will be included in this

investigation activity.

Product: Students will produce word banks, content/inquiry charts with

questions based on their results, turn in a response sheet (Appendix C) as well

as possible ideas for their performance assessment. Response sheets should

be graded for understanding of the concept and provided feedback. It may help

to identify common misunderstandings as a class rather than written feedback.

Connection to “Big Picture”: Free Lunch tackles all of the possible

Enduring Understandings via one way or another. The calorie is introduced as

the unit of energy we need to satisfy one of our basic needs. Students are

balancing their meal to be wholesome for their overall health and longevity; they

will also be using the reading Healthy Kids to determine what proper nutritional

requirements look like for different children; students are also using all of their

investigational studies to synthesize a healthy school lunch.

Extension Activity: Now that students are introduced to calories as the unit of

energy the body uses, they should be introduced to activities as a way to burn off

that energy. Various websites have calculators that can take a person’s weight,

height, and age to calculate a fairly accurate picture of how many calories they

can burn for a given time frame. Students should then use these websites to find

out which activities we could use to burn off our “Free Lunch”.

Sociocultural Ramifications: The addition of the word wall is for helping

students with language barrier issues. For students who aren’t English-language

learners, we could find the readings in their native languages. For handicapped

students I would most likely have a separate rubric that would accommodate

their specific needs (i.e. I’ve had students with cerebral palsy that I’ve given a

computer based lesson to, the FOSS Online Website would be ideal for these


situations). I would provide oral instructions to students with reading disabilities,

frequent progress checks with immediate feedback, and utilize cooperative

learning experiences to minimize frustrations to students with learning

disabilities. This lesson may be sensitive to overweight and/or obese children,

however, the standards and curriculum dictate that it be taught. In this case, I

would send home a letter to parents explaining that this lesson is coming up and

that it will discuss the obesity issues we face in the United States. To help

students feel more comfortable, I will share with them my own personal

experience of weight-loss.

Formal Assessment: End of Module Assessment for Food and Nutrition (FOSS Appendix D).

Additional Resources

http://www.fossweb.com/modules3-6/FoodandNutrition/index.html - This is the complete

teacher and student resource for this unit from FOSS. It includes many of the

reproduction masters that I’ve included here as well as parent letters. You will

also find extension practices for students.

http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/ - The USDA’s guide to Food and Nutrition can be helpful for

student research in the Performance Assessment.

http://csis.pace.edu/~dsachs/nustud.html - Good Health and Nutrition Student Desk.

Reinforces label reading and includes synthesis projects.

http://portal.acs.org/portal/acs/corg/content?

_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=PP_SUPERARTICLE&node_id=1970&use_sec=false&

sec_url_var=region1 – American Chemical Associations guide to Nutrition.

Includes various activities (both online and offline) that help students make the

connection to another branch of science.

http://portal.acs.org/portal/acs/corg/content?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=PP_SUPERARTICLE&node_id=1970&use_sec=false&sec_url_var=region1



http://csis.pace.edu/~dsachs/nustud.html

http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/

http://www.fossweb.com/modules3-6/FoodandNutrition/index.html


http://www.tc.edu/life/foodandhealth.html - This is an alternative curriculum to the FOSS

unit that teaches 5th and 6th grades on Food and Nutrition.

http://kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/body/overweight.html - This is an article on what

being overweight can do to kids overall health. This would most likely be an

assignment that could be given at home to avoid any students feeling

uncomfortable with themselves but, could be used to at least give them facts they

need.

http://health.discovery.com/tools/calculators/activity/activity.html - This is a fitness

activity calculator that students can use to determine the calories burned for each

exercise/activity they perform.

http://kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/fit/bmi.html - Another Kids Health article (with

interactive Java controls) that help with the concept of BMI. Most students will

find that this is fairly new material but can still be used as an extension.

http://www.uen.org/utahlink/lp_res/nutri375.html - This is Volume IV in a series of Food

Nutrition and Science Curriculum projects developed for the Utah State Board of

Education. This would be useful for an MG program or 9-12 classroom.

http://www.calorieking.com – Calorie King is a website that has the nutritional facts of

thousands and thousands different foods.

http://www.calorie-count.com – Similar to Calorie King.

http://www.calorie-count.com/

http://www.calorieking.com/

http://www.uen.org/utahlink/lp_res/nutri375.html

http://kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/fit/bmi.html

http://health.discovery.com/tools/calculators/activity/activity.html

http://kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/body/overweight.html

http://www.tc.edu/life/foodandhealth.html


Appendix A


Appendix B


Appendix C


Appendix D

What's Eating You? A Food and Nutrition Unitnewmanke/cap/Newman - capstone... · Web viewStudents...

Documents

Transcript of What's Eating You? A Food and Nutrition Unitnewmanke/cap/Newman - capstone... · Web viewStudents...