Nemours KidsHealth
Food Allergies: Grades 6-8
Over two lessons, scholars use articles and discussions to define what a food allergy is and identify the most common food allergens. Small groups prepare a skit showcasing how the body exhibits an allergic reaction. Learners examine...
Nemours KidsHealth
Diabetes: Grades 9-12
"We Can Manage" is the theme of the first of two activities in a Kids Health resource that asks scholars to design a leaflet that educates others about diabetes, and suggests ways they can support peers with diabetes. The second activity...
Nemours KidsHealth
School Lunch: Grades 9-12
Go! Slow! Whoa! As part of a study of the nutritional value of foods available on the school campus, groups label those that are fine anytime as "Go" foods. Those that are okay a few times a week get the "Slow" label while those...
Nemours KidsHealth
Food Safety: Grades 9-12
Food poisoning, salmonellosis, E. Coli, shigellosis, tapeworms—all these words can strike fear into eaters. Alas, the five-second rule is not necessarily true! Two activities teach teens safety rules for food purchasing, preparation,...
Nemours KidsHealth
Healthy Snacking: Grades 9-12
Snacks—even the word can conger up a hunger. Rapidly growing teens, especially, rely on snacks to get them from one meal to the next. After reading a series of articles about nutrition and healthy snack choices, pupils fill out a report...
Nemours KidsHealth
Food Labels: Grades 9-12
Check the label! That's the big idea in a lesson about using the nutrition facts on food labels rather than advertising hype to make healthy choices about what to eat. After reading background articles and learning how to read nutrition...
Nemours KidsHealth
Breakfast: Grades 9-12
Sleep and food are brain fuels, and teens require a lot of both, but getting high schoolers up in time to have a healthy breakfast before they charge off to school can be a challenge. To meet this challenge, scholars first set up a...
Radford University
Corn and Popcorn
Have a popping good time. Using probability and statistics skills, learners determine which type of popcorn to buy based on the percentage of kernels popped. After analyzing corn and popcorn sales to make a prediction of future sales,...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Pedigrees and the Inheritance of Lactose Intolerance
What, exactly, causes lactose intolerance? Scholars view a video describing a Finnish study that determined why some people are tolerant while others are intolerant. They then use the data from the study to reenact the experiment and...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Milk—How Sweet Is It?
Have you ever wondered why some people are lactose intolerant? Participants test simulated patients in a hands-on lab activity to find out! They learn about lactose intolerance by performing an experiment, analyzing data, and drawing...
Delaware Health and Social Services
My Life. My Plan.
A colorful packet gets teens thinking about their life plan. Do they want to go to college? Do they want to be in a relationship? Do they want to be sexually active? The packet provides tips on how to develop healthy relationships, make...
Penguin Books
The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Young Readers Edition
As the saying goes, you are what you eat. A useful set of lesson plans encourage young readers to take a second look at their eating habits. Pre- and post-reading questions bring in reflective writing and discussion while extension...
PBS
Soul Food Junkies: Portions
Serve up a rate of percents. The Math at the Core resource investigates the percent of daily value of sodium and saturated fats in different foods. Pupils determine the number of serving sizes they eat of popular snack foods and...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Lactose Intolerance: Fact or Fiction
Around the world, about 2/3 of adult humans are lactose intolerant. Scholars work in small groups to discuss a few statements about lactose intolerance. Then, they watch a video on the topic and readdress each statement. Whole-class...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Got Lactase? Blood Glucose Data Analysis
Many physicals include a blood glucose test, but what are doctors actually testing? Scholars graph and interpret blood glucose data, allowing them to observe the differences in lactase persistence and draw conclusions. They then connect...
Serendip
Carbohydrate Consumption, Athletic Performance and Health – Using Science Process Skills to Understand the Evidence
Should athletes carb load before an event or consume carbohydrates during the competition? Scholars discuss how to set up a hypothesis and experiment to answer a question relating carbohydrates and athletic performance. Then, they read...
Serendip
Vitamins and Health – Why Experts Disagree
Should people take vitamins or get the needed minerals through diet? Experts disagree based on many different factors. Scholars compare study findings and discuss the differences. They learn the importance of comparing results across...
Serendip
Should You Drink Sports Drinks? When? Why?
New research proves even rinsing your mouth with carbohydrates without swallowing improves performance of the central nervous system. While some think sports drinks are amazing, others say they are a waste of money. Scholars learn about...
PBS
The Lowdown — Exploring Changing Obesity Rates through Ratios and Graphs
Math and medicine go hand-in-hand. After viewing several infographics on historical adult obesity rates, pupils consider how they have changed over time. They then use percentages to create a new graph and write a list of questions the...
Delaware Health and Social Services
My Life. My Plan: Women
Nationwide, over 40 percent of pregnancies are unintended. A lesson designed for women of childbearing age asks them to consider their goals and provides information about reproductive health. Learners view a PowerPoint presentation and...
Serendip
Food, Energy and Body Weight
High schoolers learn why humans need calories, how they control weight with food choices, and the impact of exercise on energy. Scholars then apply their understanding to a case study of lunch choices and exercise.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
How the Body Uses Fat
Not all fat is bad—eating good fats actually helps with weight loss. Learn how the body uses fat through a 27-slide presentation that breaks down the path fat takes from entering to exiting the body. Understanding why fat is helpful and...
101 Questions
Sugar Packets
Depending on your eating habits, you just may not want to know the answer to the inquiry-based question! The task is to determine the number of sugar packets in one 20-ounce soda. Learners use nutritional information from the sugar and...
Kenan Fellows
How Does an Unhealthy Diet Influence our Health and Well-Being?
You are what you eat, or so they say! After surveying family and friends on a week of eating habits, learners analyze the data for patterns. They compare different variables such as fats and cost, fats and calories, or fats and LDLs.