Teacher Resources

 

Investigating Food Science 

 

Scenario

 Congratulations! You've just been hired by the Chesapeake Soup Company to work in their Public Relations Department. Chesapeake Soup is aware that it is good marketing practice to educate consumers about food issues affecting individuals, families, society, and the environment. Along with other members of your department, you have been charged with investigating a particular food science topic in order to produce materials which will help consumers make effective decisions about food issues.

  Assessment

You will be graded on your understanding of the topic as presented in the format of your choice.

Scoring tools for Food Science presentations.

Task and Product

As a member of Chesapeake's Public Relations Department, you will need to investigate one food science topic and develop an informational product about it. Choose from among the following:

  additives

  • leavening agents
  • colloidal dispersions
  • emulsions
hydroponics

food preservation

  • fermenting
  • dehydrating/drying
  • freezing
  • canning
  • salting/curing 

genetic engineering of food/biotechnology
packaging design 

 food-borne illness/ sanitation

Your boss may allow your format to be a poster, a brochure, a web page, a PowerPoint presentation, a video commercial, or some other format of your choice.

 Question

Essential Question:

What information about food science would enable a consumer to solve problems or make decisions about food issues?

Subsidiary Questions:

  • What is some background information on _______? (definition, explanation, history, etc.)
  • How is __________ accomplished?
  • How is _________ used at the present time?
  • What are the technological developments related to _________?
  • What are the issues regarding ____________ ?(advantages/disadvantages, problems, solutions, etc.)
  • Why is _____________ important to food science? How has _________ impacted food science?

 Gather

 Choose one of the following research topics:

  additives

  • leavening agents
  • colloidal dispersions
  • emulsions
hydroponics

food preservation

  • fermenting
  • dehydrating/drying
  • freezing
  • canning
  • salting/curing 

 genetic engineering of food/biotechnology
 packaging design 

 food-borne illness/ sanitation

  • You may want to use this note-taking tool
  • Use this planning sheet (My Search Plan) to keep a working list of the resources that you use or use your own source note cards.
  • As you use your various sources, be sure to take effective, detailed notes. Paraphrase the main ideas to avoid plagiarism.
  • Remember to cite your references. Check the MLA guidelines and examples for citing resources. Your school may use a different format, so check with your teacher or library media specialist.

Gather information from a variety of sources.

Print and Nonprint Resources

 Internet
  • Books
  • Encyclopedias

 Organize
  • Remember the question guiding your research:
 What information about food science would enable a consumer to solve problems or make decisions about food issues?
  • Is your note-taking organizer complete?

  Conclude

 Are you ready to prepare your presentation?

  • Create a mock-up of your product for consumers.
  • Share your mock-up with a classmate for Peer Response.
  • Create your final product for presentation the Chesapeake Soup Public Relations department (your class).
  • Create your Works Cited page. Refer to the MLA guidelines and examples for citing resources. Your school may use a different format, so check with your teacher or library media specialist.

Class discussion

  • As you listen to the class presentations of topics, use the Listening for Details sheet to jot down key ideas and important details that would enable a consumer to solve problems or make decisions about food issues.
  • Using your notes from the presentations, write a letter to your boss stating which topic among all that were presented is, in your opinion, the most important one.