HMS Students Say No to Super Sizing
by Ben Kettler
December 21, 2009
Hiawatha middle school 7th and 8th grade students recently finished a health unit on nutrition. They spent several days with strategies and techniques for learning all the important nutritional aspects of healthy eating habits. They learned helpful strategies for reading and understanding nutrition labels on foods and how to make smart decisions based on the food guide pyramid. ( www.mypyramid.gov )
We finished the lesson by watching the documentary by Morgan Spurlock called "Super Size Me". In this documentary Mr. Spurlock spends 30 days of eating nothing but McDonalds for 3 meals a day. He is tested by a family physician, a cardiologist, and a nutritionist throughout his 30 days. The effects on his vital organs were life threatening and this was a real eye opener for our students. They have learned that making their own educated decisions when buying foods can be much healthier than the way fast food is prepared for them. They finished the unit by using the IDEA problem solving method and the 5 step writing process to write a radio advertisement on healthy eating choices.
