Teacher's guide for LIVING IN THE FAST (food) LANE!

by Janet Cundiff

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Introduction

Use this WebQuest to help 7th - 9th grade students learn about eating healthy. Science, health, and family and consumer science classes can use the activity to develop knowledge and critical thinking. Some basic math skills are used for calculations. Language arts teachers can team up with the others to develop and practice writing skills. The skills of the technology teacher may be tapped to help with the technical aspects of MS Word, Inspiration, or Power Point.

Overview

Main Topic:	Living in the Fast (food) Lane
Subtopics:	calories, fat grams, sodium, as they relate to health issues and proper meal planning
Grade Level:	7 - 9
Subject(s):	Interdisciplinary
Learning Goal:	engaging in critical thinking

Vision and Reality

If the learning goal were achieved in the most ideal of perfect worlds it would look something like:

Students are aware of the nutritional hazards of depending on fast foods or junk food for their meals. They are aware of and concerned about their nutrition and health.

However, what I anticipate probably looks more like:

With the demographics and fast-paced life styles of my students, 'fast food' and 'junk food' are FOOD GROUPS! They choose foods without a concern for health issues such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or weight control.

'Food' is something that definitely grabs kids attention! The ideal situation would be that students are aware of their choices, use good nutritional information to make those choices, and eat well! A look at some of the problems in their food choices could open a door to more healthy eating.

The What - If Inventory

To give the activity its best chance at helping students learn, I assembled this list of possible resources:

Technology Resources




Internet Potential




Possible Collaborations




Special Events




General Resources




Standards

Science:
LS-H-G1
Standard relating fitness and health to longevity

LS-E-A6
Standard recognizing the food groups necessary to maintain a healthy body

Math:
P-2-M describing and representing relationships using tables, rules, simple equations, and graphs

N-5-H selecting and using appropriate computational methods and tools for given situations (e.g., estimation, or exact computation using mental arithmetic, calculator, symbolic manipulator, or paper and pencil)

English Language Arts:
ELA-1-M4 interpreting texts with supportive explanations to generate connections to real-life situations and other texts (e.g., business, technical, scientific)

ELA-1-H4 interpreting complex texts with supportive explanations to generate connections to real-life situations and other texts (e.g., business, technical, scientific)

All of the LA Foundation Skills:
Communication, Problem Solving, Resource Access and Utilization, Linking and Generating Knowledge, and Citizenship

Conclusion

I have not used the lesson yet, but have developed it as a result of an assignment in grad school. As I have the opportunity to try it, I will post my tips for delivery and other pearls of wisdom. In the meantime, if you are brave enough to try it, please send me some feedback. I welcome constructive criticism through email: kajns@cox.net.
Thanks for reading my publication!

created by Janet Cundiff email: jcundiff@ebrschools.org http://www.web-and-flow.com/members/jcundiff/fastfoods/webquest.htm