DYC Department of Education Lesson Plan 1

Subject: Hospitality and Tourism

Title: Obesity and the Fast Food Culture– Super Size Me -Film

Grade: 7-10 Open

Date:

Ontario Standards:

• Identify the various reasons for the choices people make about food
• Explain how families, peers, and the media influence an individual’s food choices and habits.

 

• Analyze the responsibilities involved in maintaining nutritional health and well-being

 

• Identify consumer responsibility in the investigation of current food issues

 

• Use research derived from a variety of primary sources (e.g., interviews, observations, statistics, demographic research, and original documents) and secondary sources (e.g., print materials, Internet articles, CD-ROMs, and videos

 

• Distinguish between research evidence and opinion

 

• Evaluate print and electronic resources on food and nutrition for validity, reliability, accuracy, bias, and relevance.

 

Anticipatory Set: As the students enter the class, play the opening song; “Kentucky Fried Chicken and A Pizza Hut”, from Super Size Me. Most students will have learned this song at some time in elementary school; its catchy tune is very memorable.

 

Specific Objectives:

• Students will view significant portions of the film Super Size Me as an introduction to this unit on fast food.

 

• Students will make connections on the types of food they eat and its affect on   their bodies. They will complete a Fast Food Survey of their own food habits.

 

• Students understand the factors affecting the obesity epidemic in North America.

 

o       The increase of fast food consumption

o       The decrease of home prepared meals

o       The increase of store bought prepared, and partially prepared, food.

o       The decrease in the physical activity levels of North American

 

Required Materials:

·                                                                                            DVD or VHS copy of Super Size Me

·                                                                                            TV.

·                                                                                            Super Size Me Question Sheet

Step-By-Step Procedures: (75 minute period)

1.                                                                                                      Play the introduction to the movies as students enter the classroom. Turn off the introduction and explain that the class will be watching a portion of the movie today. (4 minutes)

2.                                                                                                      Hand out the Super Size Me question and answer sheet and ask a student to read the questions aloud. (2 minutes)

3.                                                                                                      Begin the movie at the Toxic Environment chapter. Pause the movie after the first question is answered and give students time to record their answer.

4.                                                                                                      Play the remainder of the movie and allow students time to record their answers at the end of the movie chapter. (30 minutes)

5.                                                                                                      Take up the answers and promote discussion about the issues addressed in the movie. (10 minutes)

6.                                                                                                      Play the Food Test portion of the movie and ask for students’ reactions. (15 minutes)

7.                                                                                                      Produce two bags of fast food fries from different restaurants and ask two volunteers to set up an experiment in the classroom. (10 minutes)

Closure (Reflect Anticipatory Set):

• Hand out the Snack Food Survey and have students complete it. (10 minutes)

Plan for Independent Practice:

• Finish Snack Survey for homework.

Evaluation:

• Formative

o       Ensure all students speak at least once during class discussions.

o       File Film question and answer sheet in students’ folder.

• Summative

o       Check for completion of Snack Food Survey – assign grade for homework completion.

 

Reflective Statement:

 

Other:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Super Size Me – Film notes (Wikipedia)

 

Spurlock's film follows a 30-day time period (February 2003) during which he subsists entirely on food and items purchased exclusively from McDonald's, and the film documents this lifestyle's drastic effects on Spurlock's physical and psychological well-being and explores the fast food industry's corporate influence, including how it encourages poor nutrition for its own profit. During the filming, Spurlock dined at McDonald's restaurants three times per day, and super sized his meals every time he was asked.

 

Spurlock makes it to day 30 and achieves his goal. In thirty days, he "Supersized" his meals nine times along the way (five of which were in Texas). All three doctors are surprised at the degree of deterioration in Spurlock's health. One of them states that the irreversible damage done to his liver could cause a heart attack even if he lost all the weight gained during the experiment. He notes that he has eaten more McDonald's meals than an average American should eat in 8 years.

Criticism

Critics of the film, such as McDonald's, argue that the author intentionally consumed an average of 5,000 kcal per day and did not exercise, and that the results would have been the same regardless of the source of the overeating.

The film addresses such objections by highlighting that a part of the reason for Spurlock's deteriorating health was not just the high calorie intake but also the high quantity of fat relative to vitamins and minerals in the McDonald's menu, which is similar in that regard to the nutritional content of the menus of most other U.S. fast-food chains.

Impact

Subsequent to the showing of the film at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival, the Super Size fries and beverage were retired from the menu and McDonald's replaced them with healthier foods, though McDonald's denied that this was in reaction to the movie^. In Summer 2006, Super Size beverage was brought back under the name 'Summer Size', but only for a limited time. The corporation did, however, issue a press release on their website, denouncing Spurlock's film and blaming the filmmaker for being a part of the problem, and not the solution. Morgan also mentions in the documentary that despite the addition of healthier options around the same time, McDonald's also added the McGriddle breakfast sandwich to their menu; Morgan called it one of the most unhealthy sandwiches they've ever made, saying it has more fat than the Big Mac and more sugar than their pack of cookies

 

 

SUPER SIZE ME               Name__________________

 

 

 

1.                  What percent of the U.S. population is obese?

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.                  Why does the movie compare obesity to smoking?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.                  What are some of the statistics in the movie about diabetes?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.                  Do you think John Robbins has a point about his uncle dieing of a heart attack after eating too much ice cream or high-fat foods?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5.                  How much weight does Morgan gain after 6 days of eating McDonald’s food?

 

 

 

SNACK FOOD SURVEY                Name__________

 

On Average, each week:

 

1. How much pop do you consume?

 

 

 

2. How many bags of snack foods such as chips, pretzels, or cheesies? (Are they large or small bags?)

 

 

3. How often do you eat sweets such as candy or chocolate bars?

 

 

 

4. How often do you eat baked or fried sweets, such as cookies or donuts?

 

 

5. How often do you eat sweetened cereal for breakfast?

 

 

 

6. How often do you eat at fast food outlets, such as Wendy’s, B.K., McDonalds, Pizza Pizza etc.?

 

 

 

7. What fast food outlet do you visit most? How many times per week?

 

 

 

8. What are you most likely to order”

 

 

 

9. How often do you “super-size” your order?