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Catchy Title: Eat Your Sprouts Part I
Theme/Topic of Lesson: Nutrition and Cancer Prevention
Time Commitment: two 50-Minute Periods/Blocks
Subject Area(s):
Science
Grade Level(s): 6,7,8
Standards Alignment:
Class Challenge Question: Can My Eating Habits Prevent Cancer?
Overview:
Diet has been linked to the prevention of cancer. It is believed that the antioxidants found in some foods prevent damage to DNA caused by cancer. By establishing a healthy eating regime, students can help decrease the chances that they will get cancer.
Students will conduct a lab on the oxidation of an apple. The students will learn that the oxidation process can be halted when lemon juice is applied to the flesh of an apple because the lemon juice contains vitamin C, an antioxidant. Students will learn about other antioxidants and will learn about free radicals. In addition, the students will learn how they can get the necessary antioxidants through the foods that they eat. Accommodations will be made for students with IEP's and 504 Plans. Additionally, all technology will be in accordance with COMAR regulations that ensure technology inclusion for all. Students will work in teacher-selected cooperative pairs on two WebWalks using Internet connected computers. Groups should pair more able with less able students. Students should be familiar with the scientific method and be able to record an observation.
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Skills and Processes
(9-12) | Maryland Content Standards
Students will explain how the nature of science has affected scientific inquiry, technology, and the history of science. | Maryland State Indicators
1.12.3
use observations, research, and select appropriate scientific information to form predictions and hypotheses.
The student will formulate a working hypothesis. (CLG 1.2.3.) | Skills and Processes
(9-12) | Maryland Content Standards
Students will explain how the nature of science has affected scientific inquiry, technology, and the history of science. | Maryland State Indicators
1.12.1
access and process information from readings, investigations, and/or oral communications. (SFS 3.2.) (SFS 4.1.)
The student will read a technical selection and interpret it appropriately. (CLG 1.5.6.)
The student will learn the use of new instruments and equipment by following instructions in a manual or from oral direction. (CLG 1.3.4.)
The student will use relationships discovered in the lab to explain phenomena observed outside the laboratory. (CLG 1.2.7.)
The student will create and/or interpret graphics (scale drawings, photographs, digital images, etc. (CLG 1.5.4.) | Life Science
(6-8) | Maryland Content Standards
Students will use scientific skills and processes to explain the dynamic nature of living things, their interactions, and the results from the interactions that occur over time. | Maryland State Indicators
3.8.3
analyze concepts (i.e., diseases, deficiencies, toxins, and other factors) that promote or disrupt the structure and function of living organisms. (MLO 3.3.) | Basic operations and concepts
(Gr. 6-8) | ISTE Technology Standards
1. Basic operations and concepts
| ISTE Technology Performance Indicators
Apply strategies
Apply strategies for identifying and solving routine hardware and software problems that occur during everyday use.
| Technology research tools
(Gr. 6-8) | ISTE Technology Standards
5. Technology research tools
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Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources.
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Students use technology tools to process data and report results.
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Students evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on the appropriateness for specific tasks.
| ISTE Technology Performance Indicators
Use content-specific tool
Use content-specific tools, software, and simulations (e.g., environmental probes, graphing calculators, exploratory environments, Web tools) to support learning and research.
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Learning Objectives:
The Students will:
- Make observations and record them.
- Predict what will happen to an apple that is cut open and exposed to the air.
- Discuss the observations made during the apple lab.
- Maintain a food journal.
- Compute the average number of fruits and vegetables consumed by the class per day.
- Use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources.
- Use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity.
Assessment
Rubrics are provided to assess the "What's Happening to My Apple?" worksheet and the Alternative Food Pyramids" worksheet.
Rubrics are provided to assess the "Food Guide Pyramid" WebWalk and the "Cancer and Your Diet" WebWalk.
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Resources
| Print Materials | Stopping Cancer before it Starts The American Institute for Cancer Research. Stopping Cancer before it Starts. New York: St. Martin Griffin, 2000. | | Internet Sites | Dole 5 A Day This educational Web site offers resources to students and teachers. The site is supporting the program "5 A Day," which was created by the National Cancer Institute and the Produce for Better Health Foundation in an effort to encourage children to eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. The site offers nutrition-based songs and activities. Elementary teachers can access information on how to receive a free nutrition CD and teachers can find useful lesson plans covering a variety of disciplines. | | http://www.dole5aday.com/ | West Virginia Dietetic Association This investigation/research site offers a wealth of nutrition information. This site also offers an online quiz testing your knowledge of the USDA food guide pyramid.
| | http://www.wvda.org/pyramid/ | | Food Guide Pyramid This interactive publication/research site displays the USDA Food Guide Pyramid along with information about what constitutes a serving size and tips on how to prepare foods in healthy ways. | | http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/food/food-pyramid/main.htm | | Ethnic and Special Audience Food Guide Pyramids This site contains links to many ethnic food pyramids including Japanese, Arabic, Cuban, Mexican, Indian, and Thai. There are additional links to pyramids for special audiences including vegetarian, children 7-10, and pre-schoolers. Adobe Acrobat Reader may be required for some links. If Adobe Acrobat Reader is needed, it can be downloaded at http://www.adobe.com/. | | http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/etext/000023.html |
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Materials
Per class- Computer with Internet access
- VCR and monitor
- Timer or clock with second hand
Per student team/group of 2- 1 apple
- 2 note cards
- 1 plastic knife
- 1/2 lemon
- 1 paper plate
- Computer with Internet access
- Food Pyramid Web Walk (View)
- Cancer and Your Diet Web Walk (View)
- Alternative Food Pyramids Web Walk (View)
Per Student- What's Happening to My Apple Activity (View)
- Fruit and Vegetable Log (View)
- Five a Day Homework (View)
Vocabulary
- Oxidation - the process whereby free radicals take electrons and transfer them, leaving a new free radical.
- Free Radical - by-product of normal metabolism which is missing an electron from its chemical structure and is therefore highly unstable.
- Antioxidant - any vitamin, mineral or other nutrient that fights and disarms the harmful effects of damaging atoms in the body called free radicals.
Procedures
Students will work collaboratively in pairs for part of the lesson, and individually for part of the lesson. The students will need access to a computer lab with enough computers so that each pair of students has a computer. The computers must be connected to the Internet. Since the students will primarily be working in pairs, few accommodations need to be made for students beyond those listed in IEP's, 504 Plans, or as dictated by COMAR regulations.
Day 1: Exploring Apples and Pyramids
Daily Challenge Question: What should I eat?
1 Day
Set-up Directions:
The teacher will arrange the room so that students may sit together in teacher-selected pairs. At each set of desks, there will be an apple on a paper plate, a 1/2 lemon, 1 apple, 1 note card and a plastic knife. The "What's Happening to My Apple?" worksheet, the "Fruit and Vegetable Log" worksheet, and the "Fruit Guide Pyramid" WebWalk, and the "Family Five a Day" homework worksheet should be photocopied so each student pair has a copy.
Teacher Presentation & Motivation:
The teacher will ask the students what they ate the day before. On the overhead or blackboard, the teacher will list responses. It is assumed that candy and junk foods will be listed. After listing the items, the teacher will ask, "Are all of these foods good you?" When students identify something as nutritionally sound or unsound ("good for you" or "not good for you"), the teacher will ask "Why?" to activate prior knowledge from the students.
Activity 1 - Apple Experiment (10 minutes)
Teacher will ask each student to pick up their copy of "What's Happening to My Apple." The teacher will select one student to read the instructions aloud as the others follow along. The teacher will ask the students if they have any questions before they begin.
Students will follow the instructions as written on the "What's Happening to My Apple?" worksheet. The students will be instructed to make observations at the one minute mark and the five minute mark. They will then move the apple halves and make no further observations until the last few minutes of class.
Activity 2 - Food Pyramid (20 minutes)
Next, the students will receive the "Food Guide Pyramid" WebWalk handout. Student pairs will be asked to move to the computers. Students will be given about 20 minutes to complete the WebWalk. The teacher will circulate around the room to offer assistance to students in need.
After the students have explored the USDA Food Guide Pyramid, the class will discuss some of the major points that were covered. Students will discuss several examples of what constitutes a serving size as well as if they feel their diet resembles the food guide pyramid.
Activity 3 - What do I Eat? (15 minutes)
The students will find out if their daily diet of fruits and vegetables meets the recommendations set forth by the Food Pyramid. The teacher will distribute the "Fruit and Vegetable Log" and will review the instructions with the students placing special emphasis on what makes up a serving size.
On the chalkboard, the teacher should record the results of the total servings of fruit and vegetables each of the students in the class ate based on the information they just recorded on the "Fruit and Vegetable Log." From the data on the board, the students will compute the class average on the back of the worksheet. The class will discuss the class average and compare it to the goal of eating 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day and to the national average of around 2.5 servings per day. The teacher will challenge the students to increase their fruit and vegetable intake if they are not reaching the goal of eating 5 servings.
Activity 4 - What's Happening to the Apple? (5 minutes)
The last thing that the students will do at the end of the class period is write another observation of what is happening to the halves of the apples.
Wrap Up:
The teacher will distribute the "Family Five a Day" homework worksheet.
The students will use this handout to track the fruit and vegetable intake of each of the members of their household. The teacher will make enough copies of the handout to track the fruit and vegetable intake of the family for a day, week or whatever duration of time the teacher desires. The teacher will ask if the students noticed any changes in their apples. After allowing time for responses, the teacher will ask the students to predict what the apples will be like tomorrow.
Day 2: Antioxidants and Cancer Prevention
Daily Challenge Question: Why should I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables?
1 Day
Set-up Directions:
Students will again be working on the computers. Students should be paired with the same partner. The handouts "Cancer and your Diet" and "Alternative Food Pyramids" should be photocopied. The teacher will need to check off the alternative food pyramid that each group will be exploring and comparing to the USDA food pyramid. Each group will explore one alternative food pyramid and will therefore have one alternative food pyramid checked on the handout.
Teacher Presentation & Motivation:
The teacher will remind the students' attention to the apple experiment that was started the previous class. The teacher will ask the students what they think will have happened to the apples.
Activity 1 - What happened to the apple? (5 minutes)
The students will retrieve their apples from wherever they have been stored to make their final observations and draw conclusions about the results on the worksheet "What's Happening to my Apple?" After the students have made their final observation about the apple half with lemon juice and the apple half without, the class will engage in a discussion of what they believed happened. A student will probably offer that the air made the apple turn brown but that the apple with lemon juice did not brown nearly as much. The teacher will tell the students that what took place with the lemon juiceless apple was oxidation. The other apple half was protected from the oxidation by the lemon juice, which has vitamin C in it and is an antioxidant.
Activity 2 - Antioxidants WebWalk(25 minutes)
The students will then go to the computers in teacher-selected pairs to learn more about antioxidants and their relationship to cancer. Pass out the "Cancer and Your Diet" WebWalk. The students should be able to complete the WebWalk in approximately 25 minutes. During this time the teacher will circulate around the room offering assistance when necessary.
Activity 3 - Alternative Foods Pyramid (20 minutes)
As students finish the WebWalk, they will receive the final worksheet entitled "Alternative Food Pyramids." Through this activity, the students will learn that the USDA food pyramid was not based on the actual diet of a culture but was designed to be an ideal diet. Several alternative food pyramids have been designed; however, they were based on the actual eating habits of several healthy cultures. During the last 10 minutes of class, elicit volunteers to present the information that they collected on their assigned alternative food pyramid. After pairs have presented information about each of the alternative food webs, general comments will be made about the similarities and differences between the pyramids.
Wrap Up:
Ask the students what conclusions they can draw from their WebWalks. They should say that it is important to include the requisite amount of fruits and vegetables in one's diet to keep oneself healthy and to help avoid cancer.
Enrichment Options
Cross-Curricular Extensions
Language Arts
- Students will write a poem about eating the recommended 5 fruits and vegetables a day.
- Students can write a play for K-2 students about the importance of eating 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day.
Fine Arts
- Students can paint a mural in the cafeteria depicting the importance of eating fruits and vegetables everyday.
Mathematics
- Teachers can assign basic math problems from the Dole 5 a Day Web site. The problems can be found in the educator's section under lessons. ( http://www.Dole5aday.com)
Social Studies
- Students can study fruits and vegetables that are grown in a variety of geographic regions. In addition, the students can study the climates of each region and also the length of the growing seasons.
Technology
- Students can create a PowerPoint presentation to show what they have learned.
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As a reflective practitioner, note how this lesson could be adjusted after its initial implementation. How successful were the students? What did the assessment demonstrate about the students' learning? What skills do the students need to revisit? What instructional strategies worked and what made them successful? What will you change the next time you use this lesson? Why?
Author: Felicity Ross and Douglas Fireside
Modified by: Mike Brown
Program: BioHealthLink
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