Cross Curriculum
Lesson Plan: Math
Student Resource: "Study
Finds Soft Drink Consumption Up, Health Down"
Media Type: Research Report/Array
Objectives
After completing this lesson, students will be able to:
- Evaluate the nutrient density of soft drinks as compared
with milk.
- Identify specific micronutrients that are essential for
good health during the teen years and in the future.
- Explain the role of nutrients in the body and in staving
off disease.
Introducing the Lesson
Point out or remind students that we make decisions every
day—some small, some not so small. Ask students to provide
examples of major and minor decisions. Record some of their
responses on the board under appropriate headings. Observe
that some decisions, which appear on the surface to have minor
consequences, can have far-reaching and sometimes devastating
consequences. Note that they are going to learn about one
such decision—the choice of beverages at mealtime and
as a snack.
Ask for a show of hands of students who regularly consume
soft drinks and/or milk. Then ask: How many of you would say
you drink twice as much soda pop as milk? Have students enter
this piece of data on a sheet of paper. Elicit the number
who drink twice as much milk as soda, and have students note
this data entry as well. Finally, have students note the total
number of respondents present today and record that number.
Teaching Strategies
Explain that students are about to find out, among other
things, how their beverage consumption habits compare with
those of teens across the nation. Give out copies of the research
report, or direct students to the Web site featuring the report.
After students have completed the reading, use the following
questions and problems to be done either in class or as a
homework assignment.
Follow Up
- If a teen drinks two 12-ounce cans of soda per day, how
much sugar, according to the research report, will he or
she consume in a week? Explain your findings.
- Create a line graph, either on the computer or by hand,
that represents the change in beverage consumption habits
among teens in the 1970s compared with those since the turn
of the twenty-first century.
- Which micronutrients—vitamins and/or minerals—do
teens miss out on when they choose soda over milk? Which
of these micronutrients begins to disappear from the body
during the adult years? What disease risks are increased
by the lack of these nutrients?
- Look back at the facts you recorded about your own class's
habits regarding the drinking of milk versus soda. How would
you use these data to go about determining whether your
class is typical of the national trend?
- Express in quarts the quantity of water that health experts
advocate drinking each day. Based on this statistic, tell
how many gallons of water you should drink in a year.
Integrating Math and Health
As a class, launch a campaign titled "The Numbers Don't
Lie." The purpose of this campaign is to raise the consciousness
of other teens in your school with respect to the importance
of milk and water as a regular part of their eating plans.
Use number facts from the article or from other print or Web
resources. Your campaign may take the form of posters, charts,
and/or an after-school rally. Ask participants to complete
a brief questionnaire assessing the effectiveness of your
efforts.
