Context:
During Student Teaching at Glenn C. Marlow Elementary, I taught a science unit on Food and Nutrition. As a part of this unit, students were expected to experiment on foods to find the fat, sugar, and acid content. They also discussed how each nutrient plays an important role in the human diet.
*Since this unit was created by Foss, I did not write lesson plans and do not have a specific artifact to attach.*
Impact:
Through this science unit, students were exposed to nutrition and how it affects their daily lives. They learned foods to avoid for specific health reasons and which foods they should consume the most. Students were able to interview a student with diabetes in order to see how food restrictions can affect everyday life.
Students were also able to analyze their own diet to see if they made wise food choices. Additionally, they told changes that they would make so that they were under the food pyramid guidelines.
Students tested various foods for the presence of fat, sugar, acid, and vitamin C. They were also required to do an actual experiment as a part of their end of unit assessment.
This unit helped students meet the following NCSCOS Objectives for fourth grade:
Health-
2.01 Identify problems associated with and measures to control common childhood diseases or conditions such as asthma, allergies, diabetes, and epilepsy.
4.01 Identify the major components of the digestive system and summarize the digestion process.
4.03 Utilize the basic information on food labels to make decisions about the nutritional value of various foods.
4.04 Demonstrate the ability to plan healthy meals and snacks that emphasize the principles of My Pyramid.
4.05 Summarize the concept and the benefits of eating in moderation.
4.06 Distinguish between healthy and unhealthy eating patterns.
4.10 Analyze the relationship between physical activity and nutrition and the cardiovascular system.
Science-
4.01 Explain why organisms require energy to live and grow.
4.02 Show how calories can be used to compare the chemical energy of different foods.
4.03 Discuss how foods provide both energy and nutrients for living organisms.
4.04 Identify starches and sugars as carbohydrates.
4.05 Determine that foods are made up of a variety of components
Alignment:
This unit enabled me to meet the following NCDPI Standards:
Standard 3, Indicator 1: This unit was focusing on health and the human body. Through the unit, I taught students how to test foods for specific nutrients, how to determine which foods would be appropriate for certain people, and the concept of calories. Teaching this unit shows that I am competent in the Food and Nutrition component of life science.
Standard 5, Indicator 1: Since healthy eating is an important aspect of a healthy lifestyle, students were given a basic understanding of one thing that is needed for good health. They now know the six basic nutrients that the human body needs and the reasons that the body needs them.
Standard 5, Indicator 2: Obesity was a major health issue that was discussed in this Food and Nutrition Unit. Since obesity is a negative effect from eating too much and exercising too little, the students were able to make suggestions that people could follow to lose weight in a healthy way. The unit also introduced childhood diabetes to many children. Students were able to hear about diabetes from an actual student instead of from a book. Students were able to hear about the dietary restrictions and insulin shots that go hand in hand with having diabetes.
Standard 13: Food choice is a major element of a healthy lifestyle. This unit gave students the opportunity to practice analyzing their daily intake of food. It also gave them the chance to observe which nutrients they consume the most. The unit gave students a basic understanding of what nutrients do to our body.
Standard 17, Indicator 1: To start the experiments, I always demonstrated the safe and correct way to work with the materials. I constantly reminded students that they should not touch or eat anything in science lab unless specifically told to do so. To supervise the students I would constantly walk around the room and observe what they were doing.
Standard 17, Indicator 4: I would demonstrate the correct way to handle the science materials at the beginning of each lesson. This way I would tell students exactly what they should do as well as show them. Modeling and communicating safety reinforced the behaviors that they were expected to follow during lab.
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