How does this knowledge apply to me?
This key culminating unit brings together all the understanding the students have acquired investigating the composition of food, digestion and metabolism, metabolic diseases, and how to evaluate nutritional research. But this leaves the question: How can I apply this information to my life?
Lesson 1
How can you use what you know to evaluate nutritional claims? (1)
In this lesson, students will be assigned a topic to research for their final project and will work in small groups to design a tool-checklist that they will use for the remainder of Unit 5 (and perhaps outside of class!) to evaluate nutritional claims and dietary recommendations. This checklist will be a guide that prompts them to consider the key factors of nutrition and metabolism and their relationship to metabolic diseases discussed in Units 1-4. This lesson also outlines the final project, which is the focus of the remainder of the Metabolic Disease module.
| Objectives | – Recall and explain the large concepts presented throughout the Metabolic Disease module. – Design a checklist that can be used to evaluate nutritional claims and dietary recommendations. |
| Activities | Worksheet: Designing a checklist to evaluate nutri-tional claims and recommendations. |
| Materials | Printed Materials: – Activity worksheet – Teacher’s Guide – HW worksheet |
| Homework | Practice searching for information online by completing the Lesson 5.1 homework worksheet. |
Lesson 2
Searching for scientific resources
In this lesson students will learn how to use online resources to efficiently find and evaluate materials that either validate or dispel their project topic. You and your students may find it helpful to reach out to your school’s librarian to cover this lesson, since they are experts in quickly finding and evaluating information! Your librarian will also be able to tell you about free and open resources for your students.
| Objectives | – Efficiently find appropriate resources for information, including consumer health websites, scholarly databases and thesauri. – Evaluate information for currency, relevance, accuracy, authoritative-ness, and purpose. – Discuss the different audiences and purposes of varied information resources and the impact that has on research strategy. |
| Activities | Searching consumer health sources for information. |
| Materials | Printed Materials: – Activity worksheet – HW worksheet Other Materials: – Internet access |
| Homework | Complete the Lesson 5.2 homework worksheet and begin researching the final project. |
Lesson 3
How can you use what you know to evaluate nutritional claims? (2)
Over the course of the next four lessons the students will design and perform a 15-minute group presentation on their assigned topic. The main objective is for students to apply the information they have learned in each of the units to evaluate a nutritional claim, showing how they can use information from the course in real-life decision making about nutritional choices. The next two lessons are intended to be in-class preparation periods; however, this preparation can be lengthened or given as out of class work. If done in-class, using the library and the internet will be beneficial.
| Objectives | Students will be able to use the checklists they have designed to evaluate claims made for a spectrum of well-known diets and nutritional supplements. |
| Activities | Work on group presentation about a current nutritional topic. |
| Materials | Printed Materials: – Presentation assignment worksheet Other Materials: – Internet access |
| Homework | Work in groups to complete the presentation. |
Lesson 4
How can you use what you know to evaluate nutritional claims? (3)
This lesson is intended to be in-class preparation periods; however, this preparation can be lengthened or given as out of class work. If done in-class, using the library and the Internet may be beneficial.
| Objectives | Students will be able to use the checklists they have designed to evaluate claims made for a spectrum of well-known diets and nutritional supplements. |
| Activities | Work on group presentation about a current nutritional topic. |
| Materials | Printed Materials: – Presentation assignment worksheet Other Materials: – Internet access |
| Homework | Work in groups to complete the presentation. |
Lesson 5
How can you use what you know to evaluate nutritional claims? (4)
Final presentations with peer and teacher evaluation will be based on how well each group addresses each relevant point as shown in the rubric. The emphasis is to use new knowledge and evidence to evaluate the merits of nutritional claims.
| Objectives | Students will present their nutritional claims with evidence addressing points on the presentation rubric |
| Activities | Student group presentations using rubric as a guide. |
| Materials | Printed Materials: – Presentation rubric |
| Homework | Study for exam. |
Teacher Prep: Unit 5 Lesson Overview Videos
In the YouTube embed below, click the order listing in the upper right to toggle the display for the full playlist.
