Other Subject Areas: Science - applying a knowledge of calories Health - nutrition, how many calories are healthy English/Language Arts - create written analysis and reflection for public distribution/sharing
Duration: 6 Weeks (This project was originally planned for a class with 40-minute class periods.)
Project Idea:
Students will use the calorie information from McDonald's menus to determine the amount of exercise needed to burn the calories from each food item.
Students will create a meal from their favorite fast food restaurant that can be burned off running 1 mile, 5 miles, or 10 miles.
Students will create and administer a survey to determine the effectiveness of including calorie counts vs. exercise on menus.
Students will organize and analyze survey data, creating graphs for presentation purposes.
Students will create an infographic about what they learned and present the information to a health class.
Driving questions: Main question:
How much fast food can I eat and still be healthy?
Sub Questions:
How long does it take to burn off different menu items at McDonalds?
How do other fast food restaurant menus compare to McDonalds?
How many calories do you need each day to stay healthy?
How many calories do you need each day to gain weight?
How many calories do you need each day to lose weight?
What do calories measure?
How much exercise does it take to burn off calories?
Does everyone burn off calories at the same rate?
Why is calorie information included on menus?
When did they start including calorie information on menus?
Is posting calorie information on menus the most effective way to help people make better food choices?
Content Standards: CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.RP.A.3 Use proportional relationships to solve multistep ratio and percent problems.
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.8.EE.B.5 Graph proportional relationships, interpreting the unit rate as the slope of the graph.
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSN.Q.A.1 Use units as a way to understand problems and to guide the solution of multi-step problems; choose and interpret units consistently in formulas; choose and interpret the scale and the origin in graphs and data displays.
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSS.ID.A.1 Represent data with plots on the real number line (dot plots, histograms, and box plots).
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSS.ID.C.7 Interpret the slope (rate of change) and the intercept (constant term) of a linear model in the context of the data.
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSA.CED.A.2 Create equations in two or more variables to represent relationships between quantities; graph equations on coordinate axes with labels and scales.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology's capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically. (Common Core Standards Initiative, n.d.)
21st Century Skills: The 21st Century skills that will be developed during this project include:
Core subject skills - using math to solve real world problems, learning how to make healthy choices
Critical thinking and problem solving skills - taking a problem and coming up with practical and creative solutions
Communication and collaboration skills - working effectively in a group setting and public speaking
Information and media literacy skills - learning how to conduct online and live research
Flexibility and adaptability skills - accepting setbacks and critiques in a positive way and using them to improve
Productivity and accountability skills - setting and meeting goals, managing time effectively and actively participating
Leadership and responsibility skills - learning individual strengths and using them to the groups best advantage
(Framework for 21st Century Learning, n.d.)
Entry Event: Have students share their favorite fast food. Ask if they have ever thought about how many calories their favorite food contains. Do they know? Can they guess? Would knowing the calorie count stop them from ordering it? Show Fast Food Calorie Quiz, pausing to allow students to guess which fast food item has more calories and again to allow for discussion when the answer is revealed. For more information go to the Entry Event page.
References Common Core Standards Initiative. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.corestandards.org Framework for 21st Century Learning. (n.d.). In P21. Retrieved May 19, 2016 from http://www.p21.org/our-work/p21-framework