Cycle Two begins - What's For Lunch?

Today I began the second unit for my Action Research Project. The title is: What's the lunch? The idea is for the students to collect authentic data about what students at VCS eat for lunch and to use that data for further investigation with student projects.

The assignment for this week is:

• Choose four different lunches to evaluate on your assigned day.
  
• Take a photo of the lunch.
• Write down specifics about the lunch: day of the week, description of item, service size and costs (if hot lunch).
• Research the nutritional value of the lunch: calories, fats, and carbohydrates (g).
  
• We will determine costs of lunches brought from home in class.
  
• Log into Moodle or access the shared spreadsheet at http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p_VM5beL2JAqn6doweazPfw to enter your data.
  

Before the students are asked to analyze the data in Excel, I will review basic formula writing with functions (sum, average, min, max, count) and then introduce 3 new functions (If, Countif, Sumif) with a skill lessons. This week I will observe students using Excel and use a rubric to determine whether the students can complete the first assignment by themselves, with assistance from a friend, or help needed from the teacher.

The lunch information will be entered into the shared spreadsheet and students will work with partners to analyze the nutritional content (calories, fat and carbohydrates), the cost of the lunch and evaluate the waste that is thrown away. Students will determine how to calculate the information in Excel and then individually make graphs that represent the data in a visual manner.

Next week, each student will design a one page poster related to the topic of nutrition, cost or waste. There will be specific formatting requirement for this project, but students can select the message and design.

Finally, students will choose one of two projects to share with the community. They have the choice to do these projects by themselves or with one partner. The first one is to write a letter to the editors of three newspapers explaining their opinion on one of the topics: nutrition, cost or waste. Students who choose this project will use “track changes” for peer evaluation and learn how to set up a mail merge for their letters.

The second option is to create a simple podcast voicing their opinion on one of the three topics: nutrition, cost or waste. The podcasts will be posted to the school Intranet website. Students who choose this project will use “track changes” for peer evaluation of their script and learn how to edit an audio recording with Audacity.

Students will continue to blog about their progress and write private journal entries to the teacher.

That's the plan!