NUTRITION

The course covers Nutritional information from both a scientific and health perspectives. The first five weeks contains most of the science material and the next five weeks has most of the health. The last ten weeks are mostly projects starting with the individual computer/math project and then the small group video project.

In the first ten weeks are the science/health perspective that seeks to answer several questions

I- Why do you need to eat?

What factors influence what you eat?

How does what you eat effect your body?

Can you eat to be a better.... athlete, thinker, etc?

What can food do for you?

What are the various influences that effect our diet?

II- What is in the foods we eat?

How do you know what is in a food?

What are the different types of nutrients?

How can our nutrient intake be measured?

How do sodium and sugar effect us?

III - What are some of the issues that concerns our diet What are some of the health concerns with the typical local diet?

What is food poisoning and how can it be prevented?

What is the best way to feed your child (any child)?

What are the benefits and problems in breast feeding?

The second ten weeks are project oriented.
In the first week there is a continuation of the topics from the first section with a one week dietary track concurrently running.
Weeks 2 and 3 working on the computer entry, graphing and written analysis of the data from this project.
Weeks 4 through 9 will be a video project were students produce a one to three minute public service announcement for the community to view. The topic chosen my be one some aspect of the course and must show some research beyond what was covered in class.

This course is designed to enhance the basic skills of EVERY student in the class. We work diligently on (LTL skills such as) note-taking from readings, group discussions, videos, exhibits and in-class activities: group work in different settings, close reading from many different sources, revision of individual work and group work and independent work in terms of homeworks and independent research. Additionally there is a strong math component in the computer project section of the second ten week set. The video project helps them to learn the production and research skills needed to produce a worthwhile nutrition video. (note: computer projects and video projects are available for viewing, make arrangements with me.

This work will be assessed with a variety of tools. In the first cycle some are very traditional such as topic quizzes, homeworks done and written material (close readings and journal entries)handed in. The second cycle is almost all projects and they will be assessed in terms of completeness and demonstrated understanding of the work they have done. Mostly these will be based on whether the material has shown competence or master of the material. Other assessment with be done by the students with input from the teacher (such as group work). This will require a good coaching component to make the students competent in this area.

Besides teacher generated activities there are:

Teacher Reference and source materials: (* = source for student readings)

Food: Facts and Fancies; NY State, Department of Education

Discovering Nutrition, Bennett and McNight (1980)

Encyclopedia of Health, Chelsea House (1991)

Introduction to Nutrition (1962)

Jane Brody's Nutrition Book, W.H Norton (1981)*

U. S. Dept of Agriculture, Handbook #9 - contents of foods (1994)

Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies, West Publishing (1994)*

Food for Today, Bennett and McNight (1986)

Foods and Nutrition: A Practical Approach, South-Western (1989)*

Understanding Nutrition, West Publishing (1993)*

Diet and Nutrition Activities, The Center for Applies Research in Education (1993)*

Computer Program: Nutritionist 3, N squared Computing (1989)

Videos: Nova: The Making of a Junk Food Studio Analysis of Commercials

Source Articles for student reading from magazines such as Discover, Consumer Reports, Bicycling, Newsweek, Nutrition Newsletter, Nutrition magazine, US Dept of Agriculture, etc.

Internet- One Macintosh set up to do research on the World Wide Web for the projects section of the course. Another machine may be available this year. Access to web sites from Center for Science in the Public Interest, US Department of Agriculture, Various bulemia/anorexia boards, etc. are possible choices for the students.

The entire course revolves around the data generated by the computer software. Students track their diet for one day and enter which foods and amounts eaten into the computer, which uses that data to generate several charts and graphs. The questions arising from these results are used to generate most of the topics in the course. So the order of topics may be slightly different every time the course is offered. In addition, if students do not ask the right questions the teacher can direct them so all of the topics are eventually covered. In the second part of the class the computer project is a weeks worth of data which is charted and analyzed.

In the beginning of the course the students are given a letter which outlines the types of opportunities for skill building that will be offered. Additionally, as students chose their project they will have to master the research skills needed to complete and present what they have learned.