Lesson Plans : Science
Interpreting Maps – An Exploration of Health Trends in the United States
Tuesday, June 18th, 2013
Estimated Lesson Duration: 90 minutes Overview: Students will use their powers of observation to analyze data from the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The data will be in the form of maps and tables. Students learn to interpret maps to discover the rate of change of obesity, diabetes and other chronic diseases. They can play the role of detective to detect similar trends among health issues. Key Concepts and Standards: Key Concepts: Analyze, data, center for disease control, map, inferences, thesis Standards: OR.SS.8.27 Examine the various characteristics, causes, and effects of an event, issue, or problem. OR.SS.8.28 Investigate a…
Grade Levels: High School, Middle School
Subjects: Health, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies
Key Concepts: Healthy Choices, Using Data
Healthy Habits- Pre-activity for Let’s Get Healthy! fair
Tuesday, June 18th, 2013
Estimated Lesson Duration: 20-40 min Overview: This pre-fair activity helps students orient to what to expect at the fair. The lesson consists of a power point showing the students what to expect at the Let’s Get Healthy! fair, notes embedded in the powerpoint to give the teacher some background on the various stations, a worksheet for the students to fill out during the power point, and worksheet for them to summarize what they learned at the Let’s Get Healthy! fair. Key Concepts and Standards: Key Concepts: To prepare students for the Let’s Get Healthy! fair so they can gain…
Grade Levels: Elementary, High School, Middle School
Subjects: Art, Health, Language Arts, Math, Physical Education, Science, Social Studies, Statistics, Technology
Key Concepts: Fair Preparation, Research Methods
Physical activity – How healthy are you?
Tuesday, June 18th, 2013
Estimated Lesson Duration: Five 45 minute lessons Overview: Students will analyze their own physical activity level, present their data, and compare it to the suggested activity level for adolescents. This lesson is a unit consisting of five smaller lessons. It can be used for physical education or health classes or as part of math, statistics or science classes related to how to collect data and administer surveys. Lesson 1: Gathering information – taking an activity survey Lesson 2: What the Experts Say – Wed-based article review in a “Jigsaw” fashion Lesson 3: Making data make sense – creating an organized…
Grade Levels: Elementary, Middle School
Subjects: Health, Math, Physical Education, Science, Statistics
Key Concepts: Advocacy, Fair Preparation, Healthy Choices, Research Methods, Using Data
Trans-Generational Nutrition
Tuesday, June 18th, 2013
Estimated Lesson Duration: 1 or 2 class periods Overview: Did you know that what you’re eating not only affects your kids, but your grandkids? Students play a modified game of go-fish to learn how our history affects our future. Students will learn about trans-generational nutrition through the metaphor of playing Go Fish. Students will understand the impact of trans-generational nutrition on their long-term health as well as the future health of their children and grandchildren. Students will conduct interviews of their mothers in order to begin investigating the effects of nutrition within their own family. Finally, by writing a letter…
Grade Levels: Middle School
Subjects: Health, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies
Key Concepts: Advocacy, Epigenetics and Development, Healthy Choices
Impulsive Choices – How is my health and how do I improve it?
Tuesday, June 18th, 2013
Estimated Lesson Duration: 2 class periods; Day 1: 10 min; Day 2: 45-55 min Overview: The choices you make in middle school can affect your health now and when you are older. How impulsive you are affects these choices you make. This lesson helps students understand impulsive behavior and their own impulsivity so that they can identify tempting choices and take steps make good choices for their future and not just their present. People with high impulsivity have a higher caloric intake than people with low impulsivity and may have more difficulty in achieving goals. High impulsivity is also associated with addiction. People with…
Grade Levels: High School, Middle School
Subjects: Health, Science
Key Concepts: Healthy Choices, Using Data
Graph Literacy
Tuesday, June 18th, 2013
Estimated Lesson Duration: Three stand-alone lessons, each one class period Overview: This lesson includes three graphing lessons that can be taught independently or as a unit to help students analyze and explain graphs. Includes lessons on 1) using graphs to infer relationships between variables; 2) common mistakes and intentional distortions in graphs; and 3) interpreting a graph and writing a narrative summary. The lessons are intended to help students analyze and explain graphs and are not intended to help students make their own graphs. Key Concepts and Standards: Key Concepts: How to read and explain a line graph, pie…
Grade Levels: Middle School
Subjects: Math, Science, Social Studies
Key Concepts: Research Methods, Using Data
Changes in American Mortality
Tuesday, June 18th, 2013
Estimated Lesson Duration: 90 min Overview: Students will use selected mortality statistics from 1900-2010 to see how the major causes of death in the United States have changed since the early 20th century. Students will be able to read data tables and extract specific information, chart chronological information on a line graph, and interpret that data in a historical context. <Fun fact: Just days after this lesson was written, an article came out in the New England Journal of Medicine with the exact same finding! See the NEJM article here: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1113569> Key Concepts and Standards: Key Concepts: Students will be…
Grade Levels: High School, Middle School
Subjects: Math, Science, Social Studies
Key Concepts: Healthy Choices
