Topic: CEREAL SCIENCE
Source: A seminar presented in Central Illinois Saturday Science Education Seminars for Elementary Teachers
Presenter: Gerry D. Haukoos Science Education Illinois State University Normal, IL 61790
Funded by: Scientific Literacy Center Illinois State Board of Education 1990-1993
Abstract: This seminar presentation emphasized experimental science through investigations using a common commercial product to develop process skills and to imitate the working of a scientist. Activities ranged from probability using Raisin Bran and Dino Pebbles to making careful observations by studying cereal crispiness in milk. These activities can be adapted to several grade levels depending on how they are used. All were designed for the primary grades, but some could be adapted to intermediate grades or even junior high grades.
Special Note: Some activities were patterned after work of Patricia Simpson, St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, MN.
CEREAL SCIENCE (Teacher Copy)
INTRODUCTION
Cereal Science is a set of activities that center around use of breakfast cereal to promote inquiry and problem solving in the classroom. Since prepared cereal is one of the nation's largest competitive food industries, a great variety of different brands are available for study. This set of activities attempts to make use of several different cereal crops in the form of prepared commercial breakfast cereal.
An opening caution to begin our introduction--costs. If the teacher sets out to do a cereal science activity within this packet, check the cost before you begin. Breakfast cereals are expensive. When you add disposable bowls, spoons, and milk, the cost of doing these activities could break your budget. However, if you carefully think through each activity in advance, anyone can do most activities at a minimum of expense. To accomplish the latter, modify the activities so students bring a sample of their breakfast cereal. They can also bring a plastic cereal bowl and a spoon. This modification works especially well with Stays Crispy in Milk and the student's own breakfast cereal study plan. All materials for Best Breakfast Cereal Consumer Science activity can be brought to class weeks in advance. Ask students and other teachers to bring their empty cereal boxes to class. This creates added interest for doing the activities. Another caution, think through each activity and how students might respond to segments within each activity. Often parameters need to be modified as you move through each activity.
Throughout the activities there are data sheets. To develop an understanding of the processes of science, students need to recognize the importance of data sheets as tables to assemble data. Once data are assembled in data sheet tables, assign students the follow-up task of developing an appropriate graph using the data. This will reinforce graphing shills taught or practiced at another point in time.
And finally, urge students to be accurate in making observations. Too often students get caught up in the homespun nature of the activity and get sloppy in their work. The teacher must continually focus the students on the task at hand.
Activities in this packet can be easily modified for virtually any grade level from k - 9. Each activity is designed to develop process skills and promote problem solving as it imitates the working of a scientist.
CEREAL SCIENCE (Teacher Copy)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Lesson 1 Which One.............................................4
Lesson 2 Raisin Bran -- Guess vs Estimate......................5
Lesson 3 Stays Crispy in Milk..................................6
Experiment Planning Sheet.......................................7
Lesson 4 Dinosaur Sampling Technique -- Are There More Red or Green?.........................10
Lesson 5 Best Breakfast Cereal -- Consumer Science............12
Nutritional Value Data Sheet...................................13
Nutrition Labeling.............................................14
CEREAL SCIENCE (Teacher Copy)
Ce're al (Latin: Cerealis, of Ceres, goddess of agriculture) (1) Any grain used for food. (2) Any grass producing such grain.
LESSON 1 WHICH ONE?
Materials corn grains sort trays soybeans containers pea gravel 3 x 5 cards raisins pea seeds sunflower seeds hand lenses
Procedure
1. Introduce activity by discussing the definition of cereal above and/or its relationship to agriculture and food groups.
2. One person from each table pick up sorting trays, hand lenses, and a container of "cereal mixture" for the working team.
3. Working groups pour contents of container onto sorting trays, and teacher asks students to study the items with their hand lenses and discuss: a. Nature of the items. b. Number of different kinds. c. The ones that are cereal.
4. After reasonable study time, ask students to group similar items together and count number of each type.
Discussion
5. Are any of the items cereal? How do you know? Accept different responses but urge all to support their answers with statements based upon previous class readings or activities.
6. Following discussion, students construct a TABLE patterned after example teacher develops on chalkboard. Follow these assembled data with a GRAPH to illustrate relationships among the TABLE data.
Conclusion
7. Review the contents that were sorted and why only one could be classified as a cereal.
CEREAL SCIENCE (Teacher Copy)
LESSON 2 RAISIN BRAN -- GUESS vs. ESTIMATE
Materials 1 box Raisin Bran (15 oz.) 16 cups
Procedure
1. Introduce activity by talking about what students ate for breakfast. Follow with reasons for selecting their chosen breakfast. Inquire how many ate Raisin Bran.
2. Ask students how many raisins are in a box of Raisin Bran and to record it on their paper.
3. Teacher record student results in a column on chalkboard--half the class on one end of chalkboard and the other half on opposite end of chalkboard.
4. Discuss the scientific value of reported results. Move students toward the conclusion that these reports are only guesses. Follow with how they may be useful in determining the largest number in the column, smallest number, and the difference between largest and smallest numbers (among other things). Carry out.
5. Review science process skills and ask if guess is a useful process skill in science. Discuss related process skills of prediction and interpreting data.
6. Elicit student ideas on how to improve raisin data for its study; e.g., actually pour out and count raisins, remove a sample of cereal to count.
7. Set 16 cups together and pour equal amount of the box of Raisin Bran into those cups. Distribute two cups to eight tables for counting.
8. Before they begin, ask students to describe the steps of the sample method being demonstrated.
9. Sample method: Count raisins in cup and multiply its value times number of cups in the room (16). Record cup data in chalkboard columns as before and seek highest and lowest number report plus their difference. Review concept of estimation.
10. Neighboring cups combine Raisin Bran and repeat above process (8 cups). Record on chalkboard.
11. Combine cups again (4 cups), and then again (2 cups). Record as before.
12. Discuss number of guesses falling between final two numbers above. Conclude with a discussion of guess vs. estimate and basic probability.
CEREAL SCIENCE (Teacher Copy)
LESSON 3 STAYS CRISPY IN MILK
Materials cereal milk bowls spoons paper towels
Procedure
1. Introduce with discussion of television advertisements related to crispness or crunchiness of breakfast cereal. Extend discussion to seek out the value of crispness when selecting cereal.
2. Today's task--with the cereal provided, determine (1) which cereal remains crispy longest in milk, and (2) which ingredient(s) may cause these results.
3. Provide each working table four (4) different boxes of cereal for study. In addition, supply dishes, spoons, and milk.
4. Ask students to study questions in #2 above after they as a team define "crispy." Use and/or extend the TABLE below as needed. Number of Seconds Study
Brand ³30 ³60 ³90 ³120³150³180³210³ ³ ³³Rank ³Point³
5. Once the tests have been completed, each team member rank orders cereals for crispiness. Accompany the rank order with crispiness point values (10 - 0) for the level of crispiness in each. Determine a team mean point value for each cereal. Then pursue ingredient question in #2 above.
6. Using mean point values generated by teams, record cereal point values for crispiness on chalkboard. With the variety of cereals provided for team testing (some overlapping), determine the mean crispiness point values for each cereal--then rank order all cereals from most crispy to least crispy.
7. Conclude by discussing the method of science study used.
Note: An alternative method to study crispiness follows on the next pages.
EXPERIMENT PLANNING SHEET Experiment TITLE ________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ Students' Names _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ Duration of Experiment __________________________________________ Observation _____________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ Problem to be Investigated ______________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ Hypothesis ______________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ Manipulated Variable ____________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ Responding Variable _____________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ Controlled Variables ____________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ Plan/Procedure __________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ instructor's Approval__________________
OBSERVATIONS AND/OR DATA:
CONCLUSIONS _____________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ HYPOTHESIS DECISION ____accept ____reject ____suspend judgement INFERENCES ABOUT CONCLUSIONS ____________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ RECOMMENDATIONS _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________
CEREAL SCIENCE (Teacher Copy)
LESSON 4 DINOSAUR SAMPLING TECHNIQUE -- ARE THERE MORE RED OR GREEN?
Materials paper towels or sort trays commercial cereal Dino Pebbles large bowl or food storage bags measuring cups
Procedure
1. Introduce activity by talking about what students ate for breakfast. Follow with reasons for selecting their chosen breakfast.
2. Ask students to predict which color of dinosaur is most abundant in the box of cereal--red, green, blue, orange (class vote). Was that a prediction or a guess? Why?
3. Give each working table (4 students) a bowel or plastic bag of a complete box of Dino Pebbles cereal from which to take samples. Also each working pair receives a sorting tray/paper towel and a measuring cup (3/4 cup ideal).
4. Dinosaur Sampling Technique: Pairs of students scoop out a cup of cereal and count number of dinosaurs in each color group (SAMPLE 1). RETURN CEREAL TO BAG BEFORE second working pair takes their sample. (Why?) Record data on Data Sheet.
5. Repeat two more times (SAMPLE 2, SAMPLE 3). Record all data on Data Sheet and total each column of colors.
6. Have a class go around to seek most abundant dinosaur colors. Are all reports alike? How do they differ?
7. Combine table data on Data Sheet. How are they alike?
8. Record all table data on chalkboard Data Sheet.
Discussion
9. Which color was most abundant? How did all the colors change from Team - Table - Class? What may have caused those changes?
Conclusion
10. Review sampling techniques in science.
CEREAL SCIENCE
DINOSAURS DATA SHEET
TEAM DATA
Sample # Red Blue Green Orange ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÂÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÂÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÂÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÂÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ 1 ³ ³ ³ ³ ³ ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´ ³ 2 ³ ³ ³ ³ ³ ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´ ³ 3 ³ ³ ³ ³ ³ ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´ ³ Total ³ ³ ³ ³ ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ Circle most abundant for team. Which color is most abundant after 3 samples? ________________________
TABLE DATA
ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÂÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÂÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÂÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÂÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ Team A ³ ³ ³ ³ ³ ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´ ³ Team B ³ ³ ³ ³ ³ ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´ ³ Total ³ ³ ³ ³ ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ Circle most abundant for table. Which color is most abundant after 6 samples?_________________________
CLASS DATA
Table 1
Table 2
Table 3
Table 4
Table 5
Table 6
Table 7
Table 8
Total
Circle most abundant for each table. Which color is most abundant after 48 samples?________________________
CEREAL SCIENCE (Teacher Copy)
LESSON 5 BEST BREAKFAST CEREAL CONSUMER SCIENCE
Materials 12 or more different cereal boxes (or) photocopied Nutrition Information
Procedure
1. Introduce with a discussion on breakfast including which cereal they eat. Ask who buys their cereal and how the selection is determined. Record suggested selection criteria on chalkboard for more careful study and discussion.
2. Today's task with the cereal boxes provided:
a. Determine nutritional value of each cereal using the Nutrition Information label on each box (DATA SHEET).
b. Rank order all cereals from the best to poorest using above information (DATA SHEET margin).
c. Conclude with a list of Breakfast Cereal Recommendations (below).
3. Before beginning, REVIEW the attached nutrition labeling guide from October, 1989, Consumer Reports, "The Great American Breakfast."
Conclusion
4. Breakfast Cereal Recommendation:
a_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
b_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
c_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
d_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
e_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
CEREAL SCIENCE NUTRITIONAL VALUE DATA SHEET
Rating Scale: (Better) 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 (Worse)
Cereal Fiber Sugar Micro- Sodium Protein Fat Nut. Calory Sensory Comments CEREAL SCIENCE
NUTRITION LABELING HOW TO READ A BOX LIKE A BOOK1
1. Serving size. Generally, one ounce. Some brands with added fruit and nuts may use a weightier serving; some puffed brands, a lighter one. Helpful labels also note a serving's volume, in cups.
2. Calorie count. Usually around 110 calories per ounce, which is what you'd expect from a food that's largely carbohydrates. High-fiber brands may have fewer calories. Government guidelines allow calorie statements to be off by as much as 20 percent.
3. Nutrients. Listing calories, protein, carbohydrate, and fat is mandatory. Cholesterol, found only in animal products, is generally zero. Since cereals are grain-based products, fat should be low.
4. Nutrients with milk. Many labels specify skim milk, which keeps the fat figures as low as possible. One-half cup of skim milk adds about 40 calories and appreciable protein and calcium. Whole milk adds the same protein and calcium, along with four grams of fat and about 30 extra calories.
5. U.S. RDAs. Gives the percentages provided of the daily quota for protein, vitamins, and minerals for people over age four. Only the items through iron must be listed; the others are optional, unless there's a nutritional claim involving them.
6. Ingredients. In descending order, by weight. Note that sweeteners (brown sugar, corn syrup, honey, maltodextrin, sugar, etc.) are often listed separately. If only one sweetener was used, it might well head some ingredients lists.
7. Carbohydrate information. Starch and other complex carbohydrates should be high, sucrose and other sugars low. Every four grams of sugar is a teaspoon. Some labels list the sugar content of added fruit separately, which makes the numbers look lower. Fiber information is also found here. If none is listed, there's probably little fiber in the product. Some brands give a breakdown of soluble and insoluble fiber.
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1 Consumer Report, October, 1989.