How Green Are Your Greens? Science, Grade Level 6

Transcription

1 DRAFT 1 Lesson Title: How Green Are Your Greens? Grade Level: 6 Subject Area: Science Setting: Classroom and Garden Instructional Time: 120 minutes How Green Are Your Greens? Science, Grade Level 6 Don t you want to go somewhere else today? As a powerful 6 th grade instructor, you want to teach this lesson because Students shouldn t just learn the steps of the scientific method; they should learn the method. You re always searching for lessons that are both authentic and memorable. There are students sitting in your classroom who ve never had a salad. (A close brush with a single piece of lettuce doesn t count.) Instead, your students rely on fries and double burgers for fuel and sustenance. Many, maybe most, of your students have never grown anything from seed and don t know that they can. They will, in fact, be successful and will take this personally and become the proud guardians of some very awesome lettuce. You believe we really do have to become more green because it s the right thing to do 2009 MSU Extension, Children, Youth, Families & Communities, Michigan Nutrition Network DRAFT -School Garden Nutrition Education

2 Grade Level Expectations: S.IP Design and conduct scientific investigations. S.IP Use metric measurement devices in an investigation. S.IP Construct charts and graphs from data and observations. S.IP Identify patterns in data. 3 MNN Behavioral Outcome (USDA Guidance on Apple Sheet): Eat fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and fat free or low-fat milk products every day. Be physically active every day as a part of a healthy lifestyle. Balance caloric intake from food and beverages with calories expended. SNAP-Ed Core Nutrition Messages: (Page 5 of Maximizing the Message): Eat smart to play hard. Snack like a super hero. Eat smart to play hard. Eat fruits and veggies at meals and snacks. Fuel up with fruit and veggies. And soar through your day like a rocket ship. What Type of Gardening Experience? Planting and harvesting lettuce Evaluating plants Goal: To use the scientific method to conduct an investigation to determine student preferences for different cultivars of lettuce or greens Learning Objectives: Students will identify characteristics that can be used and measured to determine a best cultivar. Students will conduct a science experiment from beginning to end, and draw conclusions based on their data. Students will measure and evaluate lettuce cultivars using different measurements. Students will recommend lettuce cultivars for school lunch menus based on their experiment findings. Students will recommend and design follow up experiments. Background Vocabulary Cultivars-different varieties of the same plant Science Process / Scientific Practice a process/practice that includes: A question, Research, Hypothesis, Testing the hypothesis, Data collection and Explanation of the data collected. Hypothesis an educated guess Advanced Preparation

3 Make copies of the Best Salad Greens Experiment worksheets (1 per student) Make copies of the Science Process sheet Obtain 6 different cultivars of salad greens, 6 identical pots, and soilless planting media. Locate a space in the classroom or garden where growing conditions will be identical. Supplies MyPyramid Poster ( ) Best Salad Greens Experiment worksheets Obtain 6 different cultivars of salad greens, 6 identical pots, and soil less planting media. Safety Notes none Procedures Step 1 Activate prior learning by asking students what they need to eat to build and maintain healthy bodies. Review MyPyramid with the class. Ask them how close their actual diets are to the guidelines that are recommended by the USDA. Remind them that healthy choices help prevent diseases. Let the students know that the most common vegetable eaten by kids in the USA is French fries. According to the CDC, less than 10% of Michigan kids consumed fruit 2 or more times per day and vegetables 3 or more times per day. ( This is below the recommended amount. To help students understand the relationship between MyPyramid, the nutrition goals, and the upcoming lettuce experiment, have them complete the page titled Be My Personal Trainer. They will need a copy of MyPyramid to do this. Many sources claim that for the general population, lettuce is becoming the second most commonly eaten vegetable. And for good reason -- Eating a salad is a great way to get many servings of vegetables. Ask students what they think the best salad greens are? Brainstorm ideas with them about which variables make the cultivar the best. (Taste, texture, flavor, color, etc.) Bring a dandelion plant to class. (Dandelion greens are available at most Meijer stores. Other alternatives include spinach, turnip greens, mustard greens, collard greens or kale.) Have students identify it and discuss whether or not the plant is edible. Then eat one of the leaves or have some students do so. Show students a head of lettuce and have them discuss if it is edible. Have a volunteer eat a piece of lettuce. Show students a leaf lettuce plant and have them discuss if it is edible. Have a volunteer eat a piece of leaf lettuce. Have students discuss what all three of these plants have in common. They may tell you that all three are producers, organisms that make their own food. Tell

4 students that all three of these producers are edible as food and are called salad greens. Review Science Process (use science process sheets and web site: Step 2 Have students complete the ASK A QUESTION portion of the Best Salad Greens Experiment worksheet. Give an opportunity for students to share their responses. Students could do this in groups as a brainstorming activity, or as a discussion with the entire class. Have students read then briefly discuss as a class the RESEARCH portion of the Best Salad Greens Experiment. If possible, expand this discussion to have the students do some research on particular salad greens to determine which are the most nutrient dense. Have students complete the HYPOTHESIS portion of their Best Salad Greens Experiment worksheet. Have students read and briefly discuss the DESIGN EXPERIMENT portion of the Best Salad Greens Experiment. Then have students copy the names of the cultivars that will be grown in the experiment on their worksheets. Have students discuss and name the salad green characteristics that they will measure. Students will then generate some other characteristics that could be measured for data collection. Step 3 Have students plant the lettuce cultivars or greens by spreading seeds on the top of the soil and then mixing them into the top ¼ inch of soil. Move the newly planted containers to the growing area. Students care for plants and observe their growth for about 2 weeks. Step 4 After approximately 2 weeks have students collect data: Measure the height of each cultivar and write it in the COLLECT DATA, 1. Plant growth section of the Best Salad Greens Experiment worksheet. Then have students observe the leaves of the salad greens and complete 2. Leaf data section of the Best Salad Greens Experiment worksheet. Have students evaluate the salad greens based on appearance of each leaf. Have students write the results of their observations on the section of the Best Salad Greens Experiment label Leaf Evaluation. Approximately 3 weeks: Repeat above measurements. Approximately 4 weeks: Repeat above measurements and add:

5 Have students evaluate the salad greens based on the taste of a leaf from each of the 6 cultivars. Write the results of your taste tests in section 4 labeled Taste Evaluation. Explain Data Create three separate spread sheets for the data (Google docs). Plant growth; Leaf rating; and Taste Create graphs from the data Have students look back to their hypotheses to see if the data supported their predictions. Use the data to answer the questions in the Explain Data section. Have students draw a conclusion about which salad green they would recommend as the best for school lunches and write the results of their experiment in #3 of the Explain Data section. Have students explain why they made the choice that they did. Have students generate new questions for further experimentation by completing the NEW QUESTIONS section of the worksheet. Assessment Satisfactory completion of the lab report Informal teacher observations Student Pages

6 Be My Personal Trainer Reference Charts Lesson: Best Salad Greens Grade Level 6 Food Item Calories In Activity Calories Out Large French Fry 500 Napping 68 Double ¼ pound 740 *Texting Friends 75 Hamburger, Cheese Chocolate Super Thick 1160 Ballroom Dancing 250 Shake Choco-choco Cookies 260 Active Cleaning 320 Hamburger 250 Brisk Walking (4 mph) 290 Chicken Sandwich 360 Jogging (6 mph) 400 Caesar Salad, 270 Cycling (9 mph) 400 Chicken Caesar Salad, 90 Tennis 400 Chicken Southwest Salad 320 Skating 360 Bacon Ranch Salad, 320 Basketball 550 Chicken Baked Potato with 290 Aerobic Dancing 550 Broccoli and Cheese Walnut Apple Salad 290 Swimming 550 Ham and Cheese 300 Cross Country Skiing 550 Salad Mongo burger with 1090 *Ultimate Dodge Ball 580 Cheese Onion Rings 500 *Bear Wrestling 925 *All calorie values are approximations, especially those for texting, ultimate dodgeball, and bear wrestling. Nutrition Requirements for People 9 13 Years of Age Calories 1700 Milk/Dairy 3 cups Lean Meat/Beans 5 oz Fruits 1.5 cups Vegetables 2 cups Grains 5 oz These sites offer a fun way to see the nutritional value and calories of the foods you select from the menus. On-line meal planning and nutrition calculators:

7 Be My Personal Trainer Name: Lesson: Best Salad Greens Grade Level 6 Hi. My name is Pat. I m the coolest sixth grader ever to walk the earth. I m not making that up. I have all A s, I m a world class skateboarder, I have my own band, I m a millionaire, and I easily break hearts. What people don t know, though, is that I have a little problem that could become a big problem. I m gaining weight every week. I think my problem is my schedule on Mondays, when I m really busy and grab supper on the run. Can you help me before my dream life falls apart? As Pat s trainer, you must first analyze the problem. Below is a diagram that summarizes Pat s Monday intake of calories and output of energy. First, look at the information and then look at two things: 1) Your copy of MyPyramid; and 2) The nutritional requirements for 9 13 year olds at the bottom of the reference charts page. Into which categories of MyPyramid do most of Pat s food picks fit? When Pat picks this meal, which of his nutritional requirements is he ignoring? On the diagram below, use the resource charts to fill in the calorie amounts for Pat s foods and activities and then total both columns: Pat s Food Food Calories In Double quarter pounder with cheese. Large French Fry Chocolate Shake Cookies c Total: Calories In Pat s Activities Activities Calories Out Texting 2 hrs. Ballroom dancing - 1 hr. Walking 1 hr. Napping 1 hr. Total: Calories Out Energy Balance

8 Your next task as Pat s personal trainer is to assign some extra exercise to get rid of surplus calories. Pat s calories in ( ) minus Pat s calories out ( ) equals Unused energy ( ). Unused calories will be stored. Please explain to Pat that this storage is weight gain. Then using the Calories Out chart, assign Pat extra exercises to use up the calories from this Monday s fast food feast: Goal: Do additional exercise to burn unused calories Activities Amount of Time Calories Out TOTAL OUTPUT OF CALORIES Now that Pat has worked off the extra calories from Monday s fast food free for all, explain why this might not be a good way to live: Next, use the Calories In chart to select a better meal plan for Pat for next Monday, and then make a list of exercises to balance calories in with calories out : Food Pat s Food Calories In Total: Calories In Activities Pat s Activities Calories Out Total: Calories Out Energy Balance

9 Your final task is to help Pat understand the choices you made for the new menu. Name something you dropped from the menu and explain why. Name an item you added to the menu and explain why. What items from the Calories In chart take care of Pat s nutritional demands without having a high calorie count? Into which categories of MyPyramid do these low calorie, high nutrition foods fit? What is their main ingredient? Yes!!!! LETTUCE -- an edible member of the daisy family and the vegetable that is number two in popularity! Your final task is to tell Pat why it s a good idea to choose salads and other foods that contain lettuce. Do this by explaining what lettuce has to do with these things: MyPyramid: Nutritional Requirements:. Calories in = Calories out: Bam! Thank you! I m so fit! ~ Pat

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14 Extension Ideas Create graphs using Google docs and the write up (report) using Wikispaces. Have graphs exported to Wiki automatically. Have students change one of the other variables in experiment, such as soil quality, quantity of sunlight or heat, and amount of water. Have students suggest another vegetable for study. Have students use one of their NEW QUESTIONS to design and perform an experiment. Supporting Resources Teacher Resources National Gardening Association, Michigan State University Extension Literature The Runaway Garden, Jeffery L. Schatzer Tops and Bottoms, Janet Stevens The Giant Turnip, Aleksei Tolstoy Websites As an introduction, consider showing this video at the Discovery Education site. Called Plant Parts We Eat (15:34), it includes a section on lettuce. In this program about leaves and flowers, students will learn about the different parts of the plant humans use as food. The six main parts of the flower are discussed: root, stem, leaves, flowers, and seeds. Then, the structures and functions of leaves and flowers are introduced, and examples are given of some plants whose leaves and flowers we eat. Sample videos from the field demonstrate how these plants are grown and harvested for food. DID YOU KNOW? Christopher Columbus introduced lettuce to the new world. Check out all the lettuce types at this web page. Here are the nutrition facts for 1 ½ cups of shredded lettuce. Try to remember to add lettuce to every sandwich. LETTUCE INTRODUCE YOU: POEMS ABOUT FOOD By Laura Purdie Salas A collection of original, food-themed poetry with photographs, demonstrating a variety of common poetic forms.

15 How Scientists Work: What Is the Scientific Method? (21:00) The scientific method is a time-tested set of procedures used to create an accurate view or representation of the world. Using these procedures, anyone can repeat the experiments that lead a scientist to a result or group of results. In this program, junior scientists show how anybody can find new laws of science through perseverance and careful recording of data. Discovery Education. Knock, knock. Who's there? Lettuce. Lettuce who? Lettuce (let us) in and we'll tell you another joke! If you and your students are in the mood for something seriously funny ( but weird) check out the video about lettuce and mourning. Two guys discuss the grieving process while chomping lettuce. Not for the humorously challenged. Find it at youtube.com: DID YOU KNOW? Even though most of those bag salads are pre-washed and labeled Ready to eat, experts say it doesn t hurt to wash it again. SALAD MAKES THE MEAL By Uncle Wiley Mullins. Contains one-hundred and fifty salad recipes, featuring starter salads, desserts, and more than seventy-five main dishes; and includes information on various greens, portioning, shopping and storing tips, and a seasonal produce guide. ISBN-13: Rodale, 2008.