Chew On This: Everything You Don't Want to Know About Fast Food by Eric Schlosser & Charles Wilson This book is about the the rising obesity epidemic and how it is partially to blame on the food that we consume. This book gives readers the startling truth behind the fast food industry and what is actually going into the food that we eat. In regards to teaching, this book could be used in multiple ways. This book is great for getting students to think critically about real life issues. For example, students could be asked to think about the chemicals and dyes that go into certain foods to make them flavorful and whether or not there is another way to make our food taste/look good? Another example would be for students to think about what their own school is serving them at lunch. This book could potentially lead students to lead a campaign for healthy food in their cafeterias. For activities that cross between content areas, a project could be developed about designing an advertising campaign directed at children for a fast food restaurant chain, using techniques described in the book. Students will take on the roles of marketing director, writers, toy designers, farmers, flavorists, etc... Each student will describe their role and discuss how the techniques they used to market and sell their food were or were not ethical. For a mathematical project, students could make a budget for what the average fast food manager makes and determine how much the manager can spend on their living expenses each month. As for a science/nutrition activity, students could describe and illustrate how unhealthy fast foods can affect the liver, aorta, heart, etc... based on what is described in the book as well as other sources. This book would be an excellent choice for teachers to use in their classroom. It can clearly be used to teach a multitude of lessons - many more in addition to what was listed above! In today's world it is important for adolescents to be educated about what goes into their bodies because of how much it can affect them as they get older.
This book is about the the rising obesity epidemic and how it is partially to blame on the food that we consume. This book gives readers the startling truth behind the fast food industry and what is actually going into the food that we eat.
In regards to teaching, this book could be used in multiple ways. This book is great for getting students to think critically about real life issues. For example, students could be asked to think about the chemicals and dyes that go into certain foods to make them flavorful and whether or not there is another way to make our food taste/look good? Another example would be for students to think about what their own school is serving them at lunch. This book could potentially lead students to lead a campaign for healthy food in their cafeterias.
For activities that cross between content areas, a project could be developed about designing an advertising campaign directed at children for a fast food restaurant chain, using techniques described in the book. Students will take on the roles of marketing director, writers, toy designers, farmers, flavorists, etc... Each student will describe their role and discuss how the techniques they used to market and sell their food were or were not ethical.
For a mathematical project, students could make a budget for what the average fast food manager makes and determine how much the manager can spend on their living expenses each month.
As for a science/nutrition activity, students could describe and illustrate how unhealthy fast foods can affect the liver, aorta, heart, etc... based on what is described in the book as well as other sources.
This book would be an excellent choice for teachers to use in their classroom. It can clearly be used to teach a multitude of lessons - many more in addition to what was listed above! In today's world it is important for adolescents to be educated about what goes into their bodies because of how much it can affect them as they get older.