The following lessons can be utilized in conjunction with the background information provided in this unit.
Lesson One - Models of Sucrose, Maltose, and Lactose
The students will use molecular model kits (or Styrofoam balls and toothpicks) to construct the disaccharides sucrose, maltose, and lactose from the appropriate monosaccharide molecules. They will become familiar with the structures of common monosaccharide and disaccharide molecules and will demonstrate how dehydration and hydrolysis reactions can occur.
Sucrose is formed from the combination of glucose and fructose (this reaction is shown in this unit in Figure 1 and should be used as a guideline for the construction of the three disaccharide molecules in this activity); maltose is formed from two glucose molecules combining; lactose is produced from the synthesis of glucose and galactose. The structures of the monosaccharides for this activity can be found in many chemistry, biology, and physiology textbooks.
Some questions that can be used for assessment in this activity:
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1. What is a monosaccharide?
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2. What is a disaccharide?
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3. What type of reaction occurs when two monosaccharides combine to form a disaccharide? (dehydration reaction -- water is lost)
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4. How can the disaccharide be converted back into its original monosaccharide molecules? (hydrolysis reaction -- adding water)
Lesson Two - Caloric Intake and the Children's Energy Needs Calculator
This activity is designed to make students more aware of their caloric intake and expenditure on a daily basis. Students should keep a weekly journal of their food intake, logging the amount of calories they intake everyday. They should also keep track of their physical activity on a daily basis over the course of the same week, and will be asked to rank their activity levels at the end of the week (couch potato, low active, active, very active). At the end of the period of journal-taking, they should use the Baylor College of Medicine website containing the Children's Energy Needs Calculator (http://www.bcm.edu/cnrc/consumer/nyc/vol1_03/energy_calculator.htm)
to determine the estimated amount of calories they should intake daily based on their gender, age, height, weight, and activity level. It is also recommended to adjust the activity levels to allow students to see how the amount of activity performed changes the recommended daily caloric intake.
Lesson Three - Independent Research on products containing dietary supplements
In this activity, students will be asked to research a product currently on the market that contains one of the dietary supplements discussed in this unit. As part of this activity, they will be asked to visit a grocery store or pharmacy to find some of the products that are sold as weight-loss supplements and to identify the active ingredients in each. Some guidelines for students to include in their research could include:
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1. What is the brand name of the supplement you are researching?
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2. What is the active ingredient in this supplement?
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3. How long has this product/ingredient been on the market?
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4. Has this product/ingredient ever been banned from being sold in the United States?
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5. What are some of the health benefits of taking this product?
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6. What are some of the health risks of taking this product?
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7. Provide any testimonies, if possible, from consumers that have taken this product.
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8. Would you support taking this product? Give reasons to support your response.
Students will be asked to write a report on the product they have researched and to design a poster to present to the class on their findings.