An Overdose of Sugar- Can the Community Be Saved? PBL Unit
This unit was designed by Doris Jadoun and Ola Alanani for Grade 5 students
CORE 21 UNIT PLANNING WORKSHEET
Names: Doris and Ola
Grade Level: Grade 6
Areas to be integrated: Food and digestion\ Data and statistics Science and Math
Duration of the Unit.Four weeks
Statement of the problem to be solved
In what ways can we save our school community from overdose of sugar that would harm their life?
Entry document
The harmful effects of sugar
Obesity-and-the-Coronavirus (Students will watch from the beginning up to minute 2:44
Standards
21st century skills and standards + content standards Global skills
Global skills
Objectives
❏ Interpret the results of a survey and identify the factors that may affect the reliability of a survey.
❏ Design frequency tables.
❏ Find and use the range, mean, median, and mode of a data set.
❏ Summarize numerical data displayed in a graph or table
❏ Assess a set of data and report clusters, gaps, and outliers.
❏ Interpret and make line plots.
❏ Interpret box-and-whisker plots to show the distribution of data.
❏ Make/use a frequency table in preparation for constructing a
histogram.
❏ Analyze given information and use relationships to solve the
problem.
❏ Evaluate and make sense of quantities to solve the problem.
❏ Plan and create a balanced meal.
❏ Recognize the functions of various nutrients.
❏ Explore sugar's effects on digestion.
❏ Identify the organs of the digestive system and relate it with its
function.
❏ Investigate the effect of nutritional deficiencies.
❏ Understanding of enzymes biological catalysts in breaking down food to simple chemicals.
Assessments
Formative assessments:
We will check students' progress and understanding on a regular basis. See documents
Summative assessments:
Students will create a presentation that answers the essential questions explaining the Science and Math concepts associated with the topic in the Health Awareness day. They will also include their research and present the plan that they have developed for assisting their school community as well as their society. They will be assessed on the quality of their presentation , skills and the content with a rubric as a scoring guide.
Rubrics
Formative and summative assessments rubrics: See rubrics
❏ How can we raise awareness among society by relating
Sequence of instructions
We will introduce the unit entry document and discuss the problem with students.
In Science classes, students will explore the digestive system and the digestive process through Science Classes. They will do an investigation to learn which organs are involved in the digestive process, how this process takes place and how it is affected by sugars in the body. They will also discuss and evaluate the results of their investigation to confirm their understanding of how the digestive system works with other systems in the body.
In a Science class, students will understand the function of enzymes as biological catalysts in breaking down food into simple chemicals.
Students will create a survey of their choice and apply it on their classmates with keeping in mind creating clear and unbiased questions.
In an integrated class, students will begin measuring the size of the problem presented at the beginning of the lesson by creating a survey to be completed by the school community.
In another integrated class, students will conduct the survey on the school community.
When the survey is complete, students will have data of all the food they ate and sugar they had the day before.
In an integrated class, students will calculate the amount sugar each student has eaten from the data collected.
In a math class, students will summarize the data in frequency tables. They will record the data in three frequency tables, one for males, one for females, and another one for the whole school community.
Essential questions:
❏ In what ways can we save our school community from overdoses of sugar that would harm their life?
❏ How is learning about the digestive organs necessary for human survival?
❏ How can the school community impact the greater population to improve health in our society with the overconsumption of sugar and Covid 19?
In Science classes students will identify the constituents of a balanced diet and the functions of various nutrients. They will be able to create a balanced meal.
In a Science class, students will understand the effects of nutrient deficiencies.
In a math class, students will interpret the data collected on a line plot then find clusters, outliers, and gaps. Which will give them a general idea about the distribution of the data.
In a math class, students will analyze the data collected by finding the mean, median, and mode.
Students will interpret the data collected on a box and whisker plot which will show the distribution of data.
Students will interpret the data collected on two histograms which will show the distribution of the data for the females and another one for the males.
In an integrated class, Students will compare the data they plotted on graphs with the recommended daily allowance of sugar for males and females of the school.
In an integrated class, students will brainstorm solutions to reduce sugar intake among their school community in small groups.
Students will work in small groups divided randomly. Each group will prepare a presentation to explain their solutions of the problem.
Students will apply their solutions in the school community which will include short-term and long-term plans.
Students will present their work on the “Health Awareness Day” to most of the school community. Their solutions might include asking for more healthy food in the school cafeteria,
Students will work in different groups to raise awareness about the harm of the overconsumption of sugar in society and how it is related to COVID-19. Their work might include publishing articles, designing websites and talking about it through online sessions, and many other solutions that might be thought of.
Students will write feedback (self evaluation) on their work, how it can be improved and what would they change.
Differentiation
❏ Students will be given options with the form of their summative assessment. Students with high English skills can do a presentation. Students with developing English skills can prepare a video which will allow them to pause and correct their mistakes then present the video in the science fair. We also gave another option for students with exemplary technology
Vocabulary
A balanced diet - digestion- absorption- diabetes- the alimentary canal- enzymes - bias samples and questions- frequency table- line plot- clusters - gaps-
Outliers- box-and-whisker plot- histogram.
Audience
Samples of lesson plans
❏ We will do mini workshops when needed throughout the unit to reinforce the concepts and skills of some students.
❏ We will differentiate during the lessons. Students will achieve the same goals but in different ways depending on their ability, interests, or level as shown in the lesson plans.
Special needs
Some students will need to improve and correct the missing concepts that the prior knowledge assessment results showed. From our perspective, one to one teaching method during students’ free time would be the best way to meet each student’s needs.
Potential problems
❏ Students may face problems managing their time.
❏ Some students may be reluctant to take part in the survey.
❏ Students may omit data when they organize raw data into
frequency tables.
❏ Lack of understanding from parents if they aren’t familiar with
the process.
❏ Students with poor social and communication skills can be limited in their ability to interact during the survey stage.
Level of rigor
During this unit students will be working in quadrant C and D of rigor and relevance.
They are thinking and working to solve problems and real life problems. They are using the 21st century skills to achieve their goals. They will use a higher level of thinking by analyzing, evaluating and creating.
Instructional tools
Text book, practice book, power point, video maker programs, smart board and colored pencils, online resources.
Students, teachers, parents members of the society and the administration of the school.
Lesson plans