Linking Food and the Environment (LiFE)

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Farm to Table & Beyond (grades 5 or 6)

Overview
This module explores and deepens students' understanding about food systems. Students, by exploring why we have a food system, then learn about how food is processed, followed by investigating waste and pollution created through our food system, and exploring the environmental impacts of our food system. The module ends with the students investigating their own food choices. They decide if and what they want to change about how they eat. Then they discuss, debate, and defend their choices. 

Driving Question:
Module: What is the system that gets food from farm to table and how does this system affect the environment?

Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Making Science Real, Meaningful, and Successful
Getting Acquainted with Farm to Table & Beyond
How to Use this Book
Materials
Science Standards Matrices
Project Planner
Kitchen Chemistry

Unit 1: Becoming Food Scientists
Driving Question: What is a food scientist?
Lesson 1: Corn Investigations
Lesson 2: Exploring Grapes
Lesson 3: Making Grape Juice
Lesson 4: Pre-Assessment

Unit 2: Interacting Parts
Driving Question: What is the system that gets food from farm to table?
Lesson 5: From Field to Store
Lesson 6: Food Packaging
Lesson 7: Materials and Manufacturing
Lesson 8: Transporting Food
Lesson 9: Food System Synthesis

Unit 3: Food Processing
Driving Question: What happens to food as it goes from farm to table?
Lesson 10: Analyzing Food Change Data
Lesson 11: Becoming Food Processors
Lesson 12: Pancake Science
Lesson 13: Degrees of Processing
Lesson 14: Growing Microorganisms
Lesson 15: Drying and Salting
Lesson 16: Making Pickles

Unit 4: Environmental Effects
Driving Question: What are the environmental effects of our farm-to-table system?
Lesson 17: Fossil Fuels and Society
Lesson 18: The Carbon Cycle
Lesson 19: Fossil Fuels and Environment
Lesson 20: Sinks of Pollution
Lesson 21: Pollution and the Food System
Lesson 22: Food System Choices

Unit 5: Waste and Pollution
Driving Question: How can we reduce the amount of food-related waste and pollution we produce?
Lesson 23: Beyond the Trash can
Lesson 24: Waste Inventory
Lesson 25: Analysing Cafeteria Waste
Lesson 26: Taking Action
Lesson 27: Making Action Work

Unit 6: Making Choices
Driving Question: How can we use the science we learned to make ecologically sound food choices?
Lesson 28: Food System Posters
Lesson 29: Bringing It All Together

Bibliography
Web-Based Resources
Purchasing Resources
Glossary