The current 10th-grade curriculum is partially aligned with the NGSS. For example, during the first marking period, the biology curriculum expects that the students will be able to understand the basics of biochemistry, macromolecules, and their structure and function. However, the curriculum fails to expose the students to the importance of reading Nutritional Facts Labels, portion sizes, and the importance of a balanced diet. Hence this unit will provide 7-12th grade teachers opportunities to introduce the importance of these two topics as a real-life example while discussing the basics of biochemistry. This information is particularly important for the inner-city student population that the author serves. These two topics can be emphasized as the motivating factors behind the unit.
This unit has the potential to fill the gaps in the current curriculum such that students will gain solid background knowledge about biomolecules, reading Nutritional Facts labels, calculating portion sizes, and learning about the importance of a balanced diet and its role in combating illnesses such as obesity and even Type-2 Diabetes. The students in the author's 10th-grade biology class are an inspiration behind this unit. Every day students have opportunities to purchase snacks and beverages from the school store as well as from staff members who raise funds for after school programs. The snacks are normally catered to young adults' needs and often contain an array of healthy goods such as fruits and water as well as unhealthy foods such as soda and candy. The author observes that the students who are enrolled in sports at school purchased water, orange juice, and fruits whereas students who are not enrolled in sports at school purchased potato chips, beverages such as soda, and candy. The author takes this opportunity to introduce the Nutritional Facts Labels to the students. Through this process, students will understand that a 12-ounce can of Coca Cola contains 39 grams of total carbohydrates and 39 grams of added sugar. They will be able to convert the grams into teaspoons and conclude that 39 grams of sugar is equal to 7.8 teaspoons. Another truth that will be revealed during this process is that the added sugar is in the form of high fructose corn syrup which is sourced by Genetically Modified Crops (GMO).
During this unit, students can also have a conversation around the idea of, which is healthier drinking orange juice or soda and why, whether you are better off eating frosted flakes or corn flakes and why, and lastly eating nutritional snacks or junk food. The ultimate goal is for the students to design a balanced diet for themselves and understand the rationale behind it. For example, if the student is an athlete or exercises regularly, they might need more calories because they have more opportunities to burn those calories. Whereas, those students who do not participate in after school activities or do not exercise regularly, might not have the opportunity to burn the calories that they consume. As high school could be considered as formative years in an individual’s life, this unit aims to help students make good dietary choices that will positively affect their lives in adulthood. Another hope is that students might pass the knowledge that they obtained during this unit to their friends and family members and hence the potential to improve public health.
This two-week unit (5 blocks of 90-minute long periods) is designed for the students to understand the importance of Nutrition Facts Labels and how to read them. Next, the focus shifts to a balanced diet, how to achieve it, and the role it plays in maintaining good health. The unit is designed with the 10th- grade, inner-city high school students in mind. First, the students will be provided with the basic biochemistry background about the structure and function of the biological molecules: carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. Next, they will bring a Nutritional Facts Label from one of the cereals they have for breakfast, learn to read food labels and understand portion sizes. After that, they will learn how to calculate the calories and the amount of work they need to do to burn the calories they consume. The students will be recommended to download “My Fitness Pal App” on their smartphones where they can keep track of all of the foods they eat during a day as well as the types of activities they perform. This will give them ideas about how many calories they need to consume to keep up with the activities throughout the day. Lastly, they will create a model revolving around the “My Plate” concept with the main idea around the number of calories they should consume to perform activities effectively during a school day. For example, a student who plays sports after school or walks a dog, babysits, or helps around the house might need to consume enough calories to be able to perform these activities effectively.
This unit attempts to answer the following questions:
- What are the structure and functions of biological molecules?
- What is the importance of a Nutrition Facts Label?
- How could students utilize the “My Plate” concept in making healthy food choices?