“Give us this day our daily bread,” is one sentence from the Lord’s Prayer that is recognized globally. A modern day interpretation of the sentence could now read “Give us this day our daily poison,” signifying the toxic chemicals humans ingest on a daily basis. These chemicals enter our bodies through a variety of avenues – by breathing, eating, or drinking. The majority of toxins ingested wind up residing in the vital organs (heart, lungs, kidneys, brain), or fatty tissues in our body for an extended period of time. Most of these toxins will be excreted but those that are left behind will wreak havoc by altering genes, especially by creating harmful mutations in our DNA.
The importance of finding food sources is of the utmost priority for survival. As humans evolved, so did the search and procurement of adequate food supplies. Hunting for, and gathering food usually insured the food’s safety, and could be consumed without causing too many problems to one’s physiology. Lives were progressing along maintaining a “somewhat” symbiotic relationship with nature until the advancement of the Industrial Revolution. The revolution led to new ways of finding and harvesting food. With the advent of machinery, farming undertook new ways to bring food to the table. For many humans, gone were the needs for plowing the land, planting crops, harvesting food by hand, and knowing exactly what was on, and in the food found on our table. Instead, as time had progressed, we acquired most of our food from markets, and assumed they were safe for human consumption.
Present day life, especially in Silicon Valley, has families eating fast food more so than not. Generally, meals that are pre-packaged, or prepared elsewhere, are what lands on the table. My students are of middle school age and due to “economic reality” there is no one home to fix their meals. Their parents are usually working two to three jobs daily to make ends meet. If for some reason parents don’t work, many have ICE concerns. They do not want to venture out of the home for fear of getting caught and possibly deported. With the very real possibility of eating “processed” meals I want my student to be aware of what lies hidden in their foods that could potentially make them sick, or acquire the possibility of mutationally changing their genetic codes to alter their health.
I feel it imperative to introduce a curricular unit that educates students about the toxic chemicals they eat that threatens their health. They would research whether use of high levels of pesticides, or herbicides are common practices in their region; examine labels on cans of food for listed chemicals and foreign substances they will ingest; and check whether the nutritional value of the food, meets the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) standards.
Background
George Shirakawa Sr. Elementary School has an enrollment of 871 students. Enrolled student percentages are broken down into the following groups: Asians 41%, Hispanics 43%, Caucasians 4%, African American 2%, and other ethnicities 10%.
Shirakawa Elementary School is one of twenty-one schools in the Franklin McKinley School District, a Title 1 district, located in the East Side of San Jose, CA. The Shirakawa neighborhood is comprised of families that are generally: Asian and/or Hispanic; single parent households; families with members that have gang affiliations; homes where English is not the native language, nor is it spoken at home; grandparents and/or other guardians raising students (due to parental issues), and a handful of middle-class families.
Shirakawa Elementary is a K-8 campus where older students are role models, and help younger students with their schoolwork. Many siblings attend Shirakawa so teachers get to know the families, and their students’ needs more than a traditional elementary school model.
I want to stress topics that are of critical importance to areas of applied knowledge that all 21st century students need to possess. Special Ed, ELL’s, ED students will be included and encouraged to participate with general education students throughout the unit. Those students are usually the populations that are overlooked in courses, yet they need to be as informed as all other students when it comes to critical matters facing our world.
In adopting CCSS and NGSS one major criterion is Project Based Learning melding with traditional curricula to facilitate a deeper knowledge and understanding of content. I know in my personal practice, Design Challenges have instilled in the students a means to assimilate specific theories and principles on a much deeper level. In my research, I will find means to teach this unit to accommodate their learning styles.
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