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Grade 6 Science Curriculum

Unit of Study: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN SOCIETY
Suggested Time: 8 Weeks

 

Content Standard 7.4 Technology allows us to improve food production and preservation, thus improving our ability to meet the nutritional needs of growing populations.

  • Various microbes compete with humans for the same sources of food.
Essential Question: How do science and technology affect the quality of our lives?

 

Focus Question #1 How does heat affect the movement of molecules in solids, liquids and gases?

Focus Question #2 How does technology help us to preserve food?

Expected performances (C21) The student will be able to:

a. identify the causes of food-borne illnesses (which includes bacteria or fungi, viruses and parasites).

b. investigate the role of microorganisms in food spoilage.

c. use a microscope to observe and describe microbes involved in food spoilage.

d. investigate methods used to reduce food spoilage (including freezing, canning, freeze-drying, dehydrating, pickling, pasteurizing, chemical additives, irradiation, etc.)

e. describe how these processed prevent food spoilage caused by microbes.

f. evaluate techniques used to increase food safety.

Required Activities:

  1. Establish previous knowledge on the topic of food safety through reading non-fiction articles. “A Few Food-Borne Illnesses” C21a SEPUP Investigating Food Safety pgs. 1-16 (CINQ. 2, 10)
  2. Using a microscope “License to Learn” C21c Lab-Aids Science and Life Issues pgs. C23-C30 (see Appendix)
  3. View prepared slides of bacteria and mold.
  4. Investigate the role microorganisms play in food spoilage. “Optimum Conditions for Microbial Growth” C21b, c SEPUP Investigating Food Safety pgs. 17-32 (CINQ. 1, 3, 4, 5, 8)
  5. Student-designed experiment to investigate the ability of chemicals to inhibit the growth of yeast. “Make It Stop Growing!” C21b, d SEPUP Investigating Food Safety pgs. 33-52 (CINQ. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10)
  6. Examine labels of processed foods and determine the purpose of the added chemical. C21b, d “The Chemical Solution” SEPUP Investigating Food Safety pgs. 53-63
  7. Investigate the ability of some chemical additives to prevent food from turning brown. C21d “No More Brown Bananas!” SEPUP Investigating Food Safety pgs. 69-77 (CINQ. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10)
  8. Use the internet to investigate how freezing, dehydrating, pickling, and irradiation are used to reduce food spoilage and design a chart to show the advantages and disadvantages of each method using the computer lab. www.howstuffworks.com C21d, e (CINQ. 10)
  9. Evaluate techniques to increase food safety. C21f “Safe or Sorry?” SEPUP Investigating Food Safety pgs. 111-113
  10. Performance task provided by SDE (tbd)

Optional Activities:

  1. Engage in webquest to understand how various food preservation techniques slow down the spoilage of food by microscopic organisms. http://www.sciencenetlinks.org/lessons.cfm?Grade3-5&BenchmarkID=8&DocID396 choose grades 3-5, and 8. The Designed World. For related lessons, scroll down to Food Preservation (see Appendix for printed engagement activities) C21a, d, e

Assessments:

Students will be able to name at least three methods of food preservation and describe how the food is preserved. C21d

Students will be able to describe the role of microorganisms in food spoilage, and how food preservation prevents spoilage. C21e

Alternate Assessment:

Students will write a persuasive letter to a friend, teacher, or parent discussing which method they believe is the best to prevent food spoilage.

Resources Needed:

Student:

Internet resource: www.howstuffworks:foodpreservation

Teacher Resources:

SEPUP Investigating Food Safety Module with supplies

Putting Food By , fourth edition

Technology:

www.howstuffworks.com

http://www.sciencenetlinks.org/lessons.cfm?Grade3-5&BenchmarkID=8&DocID396

Microscopes

Computer spreadsheet and graphing programs

Videoflex viewer

CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS:

Mathematics: Creating tables and graphs. Data collections, organization of data

Language Arts: Read, interpret and examine the credibility in different sources of information. Reading comprehension strategies: predicting, questions for pre-reading, identifying words and meanings, reflective questions after reading, paraphrasing or retelling, summarizing, and evaluating

Technology: Use of spreadsheets for data collection and graphical representations. Internet resources. Microscopes

 

Bold face indicates CORE expected performances to be assessed by CMT

Ledyard Public Schools
Revised 5/26/05
Approved by Instructional Council May 20, 2005