Teenage Obesity and the Problems it Presents for High School Students

The purpose of the unit is to expose high school students to scientifically based investigations of food. Students will work over a two-week period of time analyzing the properties of polarity, pH, and fuel value of foods. Connections between molecular structure and function will be identified using laboratory investigations, data analyses and surveys.

Students will be actively engaged in hands on experimentation. They will have the opportunity to collect data, examine labels on food, plot graphs and diagram several macromolecules eg. lipids, carbohydrates, proteins and nucleic acids. Upon completion of this unit, students will have a better understanding of organic compounds.

The grade level for these students is 10th grade. The Biology curriculum is offered to the students during their second year of high school. General Physical Science is a prerequisite course because students need to know the basic structure of the atom and the major types of bonding.