Ms. Rosenbaum

Frederick Douglass Academy

7^th Grade Mathematics

INTRODUCTION

Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. It is the cause of many major health issues such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. A leading contributor to childhood obesity is unhealthy eating. Teenagers eat at least one meal every week day at school and thus, nutritional quality of school food has a significant impact on teenagers eating habits and choices. Most school cafeterias nationwide lack foods that are rich in whole grains, vitamins and nutrients. Junk foods that are high in fat, sugar and calories and low in nutrients prevail in schools. Improving food choices in schools can have an important impact on helping teenagers to choose healthy foods. Soda machines, M & M dispensers and cafeteria candy are always in eyesight of the hungry middle school student. There is no escape! Sports teams even sell candy bars to raise enough money for their programs. Imagine, sporting teams, with their high level of physical fitness are creating obesity. Moreover, many after school programs and field trips are paid for by selling junk food. This is a recipe for severe illness and even death. Studies have shown that overweight students have many problems other than health. Obesity also leads to psychological problems, for both boys and girls, which can last into adulthood.

You now have a chance to make a change! In this web quest you will become a Public Policy Analyst. You will study the problem of childhood obesity and the role played by the public school. You will find ways that students can make healthier choices in the cafeteria. You will share your findings and suggestions to the student body at the Frederick Douglass Academy.

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! You can help students benefit from nutritious meals instead of constantly consuming junk food that can lead to obesity.

TASK

Your task is to research the problem of unhealthy school food and how students can have a nutritious lunch by making health-conscious choices. Your group of four will complete the six steps in the public policy analyst to decide on one best public policy solution that will result in more nutritious and healthy lunch options for FDA students. After completing the six steps in the process, your group will make a poster that be hung in the cafeteria that informs students about how to make healthy choices in the student cafeteria. Make sure poster is attractive and informative.

PROCESS

· To complete the “TASK” students will be divided into groups of four to work cooperatively to complete the task. Each group will have the following structure:

Role #1: Project Manager/Lead Researcher--Keeps track of the group's daily work and reports to the teacher any problems. This role also involves leading the group’s research and directing the other group members to the websites listed and also any additional sites recommended by the teacher. The Project Manager/Lead Researcher will compile all the research of the group, removing irrelevant or unnecessary information. He/she may also choose to do additional research on the issue or policy.

Role #2: Creative Consultant--Illustrates the poster and makes recommendations about putting together the final project

Role #3: Editor--Edits/revises the text on the policy analysis worksheets/poster

Role #4: Graph Maker/Number Cruncher--Organizes the research/facts/numbers/statistics and makes graphs for the poster

NOTE: ALL STUDENTS WILL BE RESPONSIBLE TO HELP RESEARCH THE INTERNET

· All groups will use the “Public Policy Analyst” to complete the task. Click on the links below to access the “PPA”. Each step contains a worksheet that will be completed by the group using the INTERNET sites in the RESOURCE section of the web quest. These worksheets will then be used as research notes to complete the task.

THE PUBLIC POLICY ANALYST

STEP # 1: DEFINE THE SOCIAL PROBLEM

STEP # 2: GATHER THE EVIDENCE FOR THE SOCIAL PROBLEM

STEP # 3: FIND CAUSES FOR THE SOCIAL PROBLEM

STEP # 4: EVALUATE EXISITING PUBLIC POLICY

Complete School Meal Comparison Worksheet

STEP # 5: DEVELOP SOLUTIONS FOR THE SOCIAL PROBLEM

STEP # 6: SELECT THE BEST SOLUTION

RESOURCES

General Search Engines

· www.google.com

· www.yahoo.com

· www.ask.com

Unhealthy Eating in Schools

· Junk food in schools http://www.smallplanetinstitute.org/press_kit/Newark%20Star%20Ledger%202.5.01.pdf#search=%22unhealthy%20school%20food%22

· Junk food in schools http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/09/07/health/main821860.shtml

· Junk food marketed in schools http://www.preventioninstitute.org/sa/pdf/SAAB_market.pdf#search=%22unhealthy%20school%20food%22

Healthy Eating

· Food Pyramid Guide http://www.mypyramid.gov/

School Food Websites

· NYCDOE School Food Product Nutritional Information http://www.opt-osfns.org/osfns/forms/NutritionInformation.pdf

· Improving School Food http://www.uic.edu/spha/glakes/spotlight/healthy_schools.html

Obesity as a Social Problem Websites

· Obesity in America http://health.msn.com/reports/obesity/newyork.aspx

· The hidden cost of obesity http://msnbc.msn.com/id/13958810/

· New York Times Obesity articles http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/obesity/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier

· Obesity: A weighty Issue for Children http://www.ehponline.org/members/2003/111-13/focus.html

EVALUATION

	4	3	2	1
PPA Policy Followed	All questions were answered completely and rationales for the answers were clearly stated.	All questions were answered completely, but rationales for the all the answers were not clearly stated.	Not all questions were answered completely, or greater than 2 rationales for the all answers were not clearly stated.	All questions were not answered completely.	____
Poster Presentation	- Clear and full presentation of material - Includes information from all 6 steps of the Public Policy Analyst. - Demonstrates full control of language conventions	- Clear presentation of material - Includes information from most steps of the Public Policy Analyst. - Demonstrates control of language conventions with very few mistakes	- Basic presentation of material - Includes information from less than 4 steps of the Public Policy Analyst. - Some errors in language conventions get in way of presentation	- Insufficient and/or unclear presentation of material - Includes information from less than 4 steps of the Public Policy Analyst. - Significant errors in language conventions which get in way of presentation	____
Process: Teamwork	It is evident that a mutual effort and cohesive unit created the final product.	The team worked well together, but could have utilized each other's skills to a better degree.	The team had problems working together. Little collaboration occurred.	The final product is not the result of a collaborative effort. The group showed no evidence of collaboration.	____
Process: Originality	The ideas expressed by the body of work demonstrate a high degree of originality.	The ideas expressed by the body of work are mostly original.	The ideas expressed by the body of work demonstrate lack of originality.	There were no original ideas expressed in this project.

CONCLUSION

From completing this web quest you should have learned the significance of the social problem poor school nutrition.

Many students make poor nutritional decisions at school. This problem impacts school performance, student health and physical development. You also have learned the importance of the Public Policy Analyst in our society and the possible policy solutions that can alleviate this critical problem.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION

NEW YORK STATE STANDARDS ADDRESSED

Mathematics, Science, and Technology

Standard 1:    Analysis, Inquiry, and Design

Students will use mathematical analysis, scientific inquiry, and engineering design, as appropriate, to pose questions, seek answers, and develop solutions.

Standard 2:   Information Systems

Students will access, generate, process, and transfer information using appropriate technologies.

Standard 3:   Mathematics

Students will understand mathematics and become mathematically confident by communicating and reasoning mathematically, by applying mathematics in real-world settings, and by solving problems through the integrated study of number systems, geometry, algebra, data analysis, probability, and trigonometry.

English Language Arts

Standard 1:   Language for Information and Understanding

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for information and understanding. As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas; discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information.

Standard 3:   Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for critical analysis and evaluation. As listeners and readers, students will analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented by others using a variety of established criteria. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to present, from a variety of perspectives, their opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information and issues.

Standard 4:   Language for Social Interaction

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for social interaction. Students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language for effective social communication with a wide variety of people. As readers and listeners, they will use the social communications of others to enrich their understanding of people and their views.

Health, Physical Education, and
Family and Consumer Sciences

Standard 1:   Personal Health and Fitness

Students will have the necessary knowledge and skills to establish and maintain physical fitness, participate in physical activity, and maintain personal health.

Standard 2:   A Safe and Healthy Environment

Students will acquire the knowledge and ability necessary to create and maintain a safe and healthy environment.

Social Studies

Standard 4:   Economics

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of how the United States and other societies develop economic systems and associated institutions to allocate scarce resources, how major decision-making units function in the United States and other national economies, and how an economy solves the scarcity problem through market and nonmarket mechanisms.

Standard 5:   Civics, Citizenship, and Government

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the United States and other nations; the United States Constitution; the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.