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Investigating what we eat "Tomato Sauce Investigation"

Learning Level: Gr 3

Theme Area:

Description: Investigating what we eat "Tomato Sauce Investigation" In their maths focused unit students completed an individual inquiry project to examine 10 different brands of Tomato Sauce available in Australia. They learnt about grams, millilitres, percentages and what the term "recommended daily intake" means. Students extracted the information from the tomato sauce package and entered it into tables in Excel and then graphed their findings. Students then wrote a report to compare the various products. They considered the nutritional value of the products as well as the economic value for money for each product. Students also considered the marketing/representation of the information and wrote a persuasive piece on whether the information on the packaging is clear and accurate. Students were required to be decisive and select one product and justify why they chose it over others. The school principal visited their class and they each presented their reports to her and were required to nominate the "best" tomato sauce from the 10 and justify their position. The principal encouraged friendly and thoughtful debate.

Measures of Success: Students know how to locate and interpret a nutrition label. Students understand how to compare quantities (e.g. grams of salt per 100ml) and the importance of comparing the same volume of a product to make an accurate comparison. Students understand the foods they consume contain a number of ingredients and can consider the nutritional value, sugar or salt content, fibre etc). Students are aware of the concept of "recommended daily intake" requirements. Students can express quantities in grams, percentages and know how to compare each. Students learnt about the importance of considering the cost/economic factors that need to be taken into account when selecting food. Students learnt about marketing strategies and how to interpret and question information critically. Students could provide evidence they could critique the information available to them, make a judgement and justify their position on their preferred product.