Cereals

Gaines, Patricia A.             O. W. Holmes School
                                471-4625             
                                              

Objectives:

I.  Students will learn to read labels to determine amounts of sugar 
    and salt in cereals.
II. Students will understand that neither commercials nor taste are
    necessarily good indicators of a nutritious cereal.
 
Apparatus Needed:

VCR tape on "cereal commercials"
Cereal coupons (1 or 2 per child) 
Chart - cereal pictures from advertisements (use same brands as 
        coupons)
Empty cereal boxes - regular size (1 per child)
Plastic sandwich bags and ties (2 per child)
Labels
Sugar
Salt
Balance
Large wall chart on "sugar and salt" contents for each cereal
Worksheets - same as chart above - (1 per child)
Large box of Total cereal 
1 magnetic stirrer
1 or 2 stirring rods
1 large beaker (2 liter)
1 large flask filled with water
Several magnifiers - hand lenses, plastic clear bottles filled with  
                     water, magnifying sheets
Small boxes of cereal, 1 serving size (1 per child)
1 large garbage bag

Recommended Strategy:
 
1.  Watch VCR tape.  Discuss contents.
2.  Have each student match coupons to pictures on cereal chart, naming   
    the product.
3.  Have students tell about cereals (delicious, sweet, good, 
    nutritious, not good, etc.)
4.  Elicit from students what today's lesson is all about (cereals).
5.  Tell students we are going to check on the amount of sugar and
    salt in cereals.

      (Prior to lesson, weigh out sugar and salt amounts indicated on 
      each box label, and place each in a baggie.  Tie and label.  
      Place the 2 bags (salt and sugar) in correct empty cereal box.  
      Put all cereal boxes in large garbage bag, hidden from 
      students.) 
      
6.  Give each student a cereal box from garbage bag.  Have them read
    front, back and sides.  Then take out 2 labeled plastic bags. 
    Keep them tied.  Name contents and weight of each.  
7.  Match labeled ingredients and weight with information on box 
    label.  (Have sodium and sugar premarked on label if necessary.)
8.  Have students line up according to sugar weight (most grams to
    least) holding their cereal box in one hand and sugar bags in
    other hand. Discuss.  Compare.
9.  Follow same procedure for salt (line up, etc.).
10. Have students help fill out large wall chart and then complete
    own individual charts.
11. Observe "iron" experiment.  Describe.
      (Place stirring rod on magnetic stirrer.  Turn on and watch it 
       spin around. Discuss why.  Then place rod in large beaker. Add
       Total cereal and water.  Turn on.  Note cereal getting soggy.
       Check stirring rod after 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes.)
12.  Name ingredient that Total has that was observed in experiment.
                           ** THEN  **
13.  Have each student select a small box of cereal to keep.  Note
     their selection!!!
14.  Open and observe a few cereal grains with magnifiers.  Compare
     with a few grains of Total.

Ask students these questions.

Can you see the sugar in the cereal?   (no)
Can you see the salt in the cereal?   (no)
Can you tell if your cereal is nutritious by looking at it?   (no)
Can we judge a nutritious cereal by watching commercials?   (no)

How can we tell if a cereal is good for us?

               READ     THE     LABEL     !!!