7th Graders Only - Final Environmental Sustainability Work

Hey All,

In addition to the final requirements in your journal (posted May 3rd), please do a brief self- and peer-assessment for your planned town.

For yourself and each of your teammates, please identify one thing done well, and one thing that could have been improved upon. Please be as honest and descriptive as possible.

All of your work must be handed in by this Thursday at the absolute latest!

All Students - Thursday's Quiz

Please make sure that you are comfortable working with the following information for Thursday's quiz:

Understanding the "macronutrients" of carbs, proteins, and fats. All of this info is in your notes, including:
*composition of each
*sources for each
*importance of each
*different types of each

Be able to explain the four shifts in food in recent generations that Michael Pollan writes about:
*Whole Food to Refined Food
*Complexity to Simplicity
*Leaves to Seeds
*Food Culture to Food Science

Be able to apply the concept of whole foods vs. processed food-like products (according to Pollan) to your diet.

All Students - What to have in your notebook

Hey All,

Thursday is our last science class (fight those tears). We will be having a quiz (see details in the above post), after which I will be collecting your science notebooks. From earliest to most recent, the following items from our food unit should be in your notebooks:

1. Food log
2. Research on Carbohydrate, Protein, Fat, Sodium, or Potassium
3. Notes on the food chain (from the Chaparral House garden)
4. Reflection on Unhappy Meals (see the May 5th blog entry)
5. Reflection on your diet (see the May 13th blog entry)
6. Notes on Carbs, Protein, and Fat from May 19 and 20.

Dietary Reflection

Hey Everyone,

Please do the following two analyses of a representative breakfast, lunch, and dinner:

1. (The Michael Pollan Filter) Look at each item in these three meals and determine whether you are eating whole foods or processed food-like products.

2. Based on the handout and the information that we have about carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, do you feel like you are consuming an appropriate balance of these? Remember, not all carbs and fats are equal!

Sorry this got posted so late!

Food Science

Hi All,

Sorry I'm out today.

Finish reading Michael Pollan's "Unhappy Meals", and please write good thoughtful responses to the following prompts for Thursday, May 8th:

1. As you think about your diet, do you feel that you consume more "real food" (as defined by Michael Pollan), or processed food-like products? Please cite specific examples to explain your sense of your own diet.

2. Michael identifies four problematic shifts in how our diets have changed over the last few generations. In a sentence or two for each shift, explain why it is something to be concerned about:
From whole foods to refined
From complexity to simplicity
From leaves to seeds
From food culture to food science

3. Michael gives many tips at the end of the article about how to shift from a nutritionism-based diet to eating real complex foods. Which of these tips could be most useful to you? Why do you find these tips useful? Be specific!

FYI, if you Google "Unhappy Meals" you can refer to the article if necessary.

Environmental Sustainability and Stewardship

Hey 7th Graders,

Thanks for a great week and all of your hard work. Please make sure that you have completed and handed the following work into me by Friday, May 9th:

Journal with:
1. Research Index Card
2. Reflection on the economic, cultural, and environmental importance of the Works Progress Administration
3. Completed Save the Bay Worksheet
4. Point Reyes Observations
5. Any other notes from the week
Outside of journal:
6. Conservation, Preservation, Restoration Art
7. Town Plan

Remember that we will be presenting our Towns on Friday, May 9th, explaining how our choices reflect our interest groups.

Update and Additional Information

Hi Everyone,

Keep studying, and please email if you need clarification!

Please note that we will not get to the discussion of the Genographic Classmates in Wednesday's Science Workshop, but I will make the test a bit shorter than I otherwise might to accommodate a discussion on Thursday. However, the information in the genographic reading packet will help you to further understand the project and how it uses all of the material that we have been studying.

One thing that I want to make sure you all understand is the basics of the cell theory. There are three parts, and very simply put:
1. All living things are made of one or more cells.
2. Cells are the smallest living units, which provide organization for organisms.
3. All cells come from the division of existing cells.

Good luck!