Nutrition, Metabolism, and Diabetes

Classroom Activities

My classroom lessons will follow the Understanding By Design, UBD, model. ¹⁰ The backward design model centers on the idea that the design process should begin with identifying the desired results and then work backwards to develop instruction. There are three main stages: identifying desired outcomes, determining acceptable evidence of competency (assessment), and planning instructional strategies and learning experiences that bring students to this competency level.

In stage one, Wiggins and McTighe refer to it as "enduring understanding" and includes the following elements, enduring value beyond the classroom, resides at the heart of discipline, requires uncovering abstract or often misunderstood ideas, and offers potential to engage students. Furthermore by answering key questions, "essential question" students deepen their learning about content. The enduring understanding and essential question are discussed prior to each daily lesson and are used to set-up or "open" the lesson for the day. At the end of each daily lesson, I will return to the enduring understanding and essential question. We will discuss the content of the daily lesson and this will act as the "closure" for each lesson.

Investigation One

Lesson Overview

During this lesson, students will learn about calories. This lesson will take place in the beginning days of the unit. It should take approximately three class periods during science. The students will have completed a Daily Food Log (Appendix B) detailing their food intake for three days and will need these on Day 3 of this lesson.

Enduring Understanding: Our bodies depend on the food

Essential Question: What is a calorie?

Materials

Class T-W-L chart, copies of "Learning About Calories" article (Appendix C) for each pair of students, plain piece of paper for each student, completed Food Log from each student (Appendix B), calorie counter website

Day One- 30 minutes/ Procedure

As a pre-assessment, together we will fill in a large, poster sized T-W-L (What do you THINK? What do you WANT to learn? What have you LEARNED?) chart about calories. More commonly thought of as a K-W-L chart (What do you KNOW) however some students may have misconceptions about the topic and I would like them to discover the truth through the lesson so I have replaced KNOW with THINK. During the pre-assessment, we will complete the "T" and "W" portions of the chart. Students will be given a few minutes to silently brainstorm ideas they think they already know about calories. Students will volunteer and I will place their thought on the large chart. All ideas are accepted as this is the way to get the students excited about the topic. After we have filled the think space, we will move onto "W". Once again students will be given a few minutes to brainstorm questions and will call out ideas they want to learn about calories. This sets the stage for what we will cover during the lesson. I will add pertinent questions to the chart to ensure that the content I want the students to discover is on the chart. When the classroom chart is filled in, students will receive an individual copy and will select 5 ideas from the think and want column to keep in their science folder. As students find the information that answers the questions they have personally chosen, they fill in the "L" section of their individual paper. This is a good way for students to take ownership over their learning. The classroom chart will be left hanging in the classroom. The "L" portion will be saved until the end of Day Three and act as a post-assessment.

Day Two- 45 minutes/ Procedure

We will begin Day Two with a review of Day One and the ideas students recorded. Then, students will participate in a "think-pair-share" activity. Students will be introduced to the term calorie. They will be given 2 minutes to "think" about what they think a calorie might be. After the think time, students will be placed into "pair" groups and will be responsible for reading the article, "Learning About Calories". Partners will "buddy read" article. After they have finished reading, students will write "Fast Five Facts". Each student will get a plain piece of paper and trace their hand. (You may need to model this and show students how to make hand larger.) Students will then write the word, "Calories" on the palm of the traced hand and one fact they have learned about calories in each finger. As the students are working, I will be walking from group to group ensuring that students are on-task as well as completing activity accurately. After students are finished, pairs will "share" their facts with each other and then other partner sets in the classroom. We will come together as a class to share the facts and clear up misconceptions. Students will be able to change or add facts to their "hands" during the discussion section. I will add in any facts gained from the book Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy ¹¹ that the students did not discover on their own. After sharing, students can cut out hand and post in classroom.

Assessment

I will check the "hands" activity for completion and accuracy.

Day Three-45 minutes/ Procedure

Day three will begin with a quick review of our T-W-L chart and the information they learned during Day Two. Students will then need their completed Daily Food Logs (Appendix B). Students who were unable to complete the food logs will be given a completed log created by me. We will go to the school computer lab where each student will have internet access. Students will visit a calorie counting web site ¹². They will look up the food choices from their logs and add in the calorie amounts to their logs. The calories will be calculated for each meal, then each day, and then totaled for the three days the data was collected. Students will complete this using the team-pair-solo procedure. Later we will use the logs to graph the data. After we are finished calculating calories, we will return to out T-W-L chart. At this time, we will complete the "L" portion expressing what we have "Learned". Students will brainstorm for a minute or two while reviewing their work from the activities they have completed. They will give their responses and I will record them on the chart. After the chart is full, students will record the things that most excited them onto their individual charts.

Assessment

I will check for completion as an informal assessment

Investigation Two

Lesson Overview

During this lesson, students will be responsible for learning about digestion. This lesson will take place during the third week of the unit. It should take approximately seven 45 minute class periods. The lesson will take place in the school computer lab so that each student has access to a computer.

Enduring Understanding: Our bodies digest the food we eat.

Essential Question: How does the process of digestion work?

Materials

Students will need to have access to computers, The Digestive System (Appendix D)

Procedure

The class will go to the school's computer lab. Students will use a variety of search engines and non-fiction test to research information about the digestive system. Students will receive a copy of The Digestive System handout (Appendix D) to guide their research then hand in. After students have completed research, students will decide to work independently or in groups and then how they will report information to class. Several options can be but are not limited to: power point, posters, written play, poetry, model.

Assessment

Students will be assessed for completion and accuracy using The Digestive System handout. Students' presentations will be assessed based on a 5 point rubric.

Investigation 3

Lesson Overview

Students will learn that physical activity is important to a healthy lifestyle. They will learn that physical activity has caloric value. Your body burns calories at rest and while active. Prior to this lesson, students will have completed a Daily Activity Log (Appendix E) for three days. Students will then use food log and activity log to check for a balance. This lesson will take approximately two 45 minute class periods.

Enduring Understanding: Our bodies need more than food to be healthy.

Essential Question: What types of activities will benefit you?

Materials

Daily Activity Log (Appendix E), calorie burned website, Daily Food Log (Appendix B), balances, blocks signifying calories.

Procedure

Students will need Daily Activity Log. Students who were unable to complete the activity logs will be given a completed log created by me. We will go to the school computer lab where each student will have internet access. Students will visit a calorie counting web site ¹³. They will look up the activity choices from their logs and add in the calories used to their logs. The calories used will be calculated for each activity, then each day, and then totaled for the three days the data was collected. Later we will use the logs to graph the data. Next students will check to see if their calories in are balanced with their calories out. Using balances and blocks representing calories, students will place blocks on one side of the balance to represent the calories they have eaten and blocks on the other side of the balance to represent the calories they have burned.