Roberta A. Mazzucco
This unit is written for third graders but can be adapted for use with higher grades. The suggested teaching time for the unit is from 5 to 6 weeks. The unit seeks to address the fact that many students do not understand where our food supply comes from beyond the local food store. By making them understand our dependence on the land for our survival, they can see why we need to take environmental issues seriously.
The general outline of the unit consists of three main questions. First—Where does our food supply come from? This section includes discussion of agriculture in Connecticut, the United States, and how foreign foods are increasingly becoming part of the American diet. Secondly, how do different pollutants find their way into our food? This section discusses how pesticides find their way into the food chain. Finally, how do food additives affect our food? This section speaks to the many types of additives put in and on foods to make them more appealing. It also discusses the need for children to be wise consumers and understand how advertisers can manipulate them. The unit also has a list of references and a group of class activities.
(Recommended for Science and Social Studies, grade 3-5)
