Blog Post #1
In my anatomy and physiology class, we were introduced to a concept called “20 Time,” which is also known as “Genius Hour”. 20 Time sets aside 20% of class time for students to work on a project that interests them. Google originated this idea. Employees were permitted to devote 20% of their time to any project they found interesting, with the only requirement that the project had to benefit the company. Google Docs was created through this program. With such success in the business world, 20 Time is now starting to appear in schools. 20 Time gives students a chance to spend time on topics they are passionate about, and teaches them important life skills such as how to research, how to combine ideas into a purpose, and how to speak publicly.
For my 20 Time project, I am researching sugar addiction in the United States and developing an elementary school curriculum about the topic. This curriculum will equip the next generation with the information and tools they need to make informed decisions about the food they eat. In addition, and perhaps most importantly, they will understand how they personally benefit from a healthy diet. I chose sugar addiction as my 20 Time topic because I am fascinated by the effect various food have on our body and its health. The saying “you are what you eat” is true, and I would like to help people understand how that impacts them.
Once developed, my plan will be to beta test the curriculum with the children that I babysit. In this manner, I will be able to determine if the curriculum will work effectively in a classroom setting. Since the kids that I babysit range in age from 3 to 9 years old, I will also be able to experiment with what works best for various age groups. To measure whether or not the curriculum works, before beginning, I will ask the children what they already know about sugar. We will also document what they eat in a typical day. I will then lead the children through sugar related activities, such as matching various amounts of sugar with each food on a list and measuring out the amount of sugar that their favorite foods contain. During each activity, we will talk about the basics of sugar and its effects on the body. A few weeks later, I will ask them what they remember and have them list the food they ate over the prior few days. By reviewing the results and comparing them with the data collected at the beginning, I will be able to determine how well the curriculum worked.'
My goal for this project is to learn as much as I can about the topic and then apply that knowledge to the development of a new and creative curriculum that will successfully teach elementary students. The curriculum will be fun, hands-on, informative, and memorable. This will help students learn, remember and apply the information in their lives. The end result should be that the students live healthier lives than they otherwise would have.
In my anatomy and physiology class, we were introduced to a concept called “20 Time,” which is also known as “Genius Hour”. 20 Time sets aside 20% of class time for students to work on a project that interests them. Google originated this idea. Employees were permitted to devote 20% of their time to any project they found interesting, with the only requirement that the project had to benefit the company. Google Docs was created through this program. With such success in the business world, 20 Time is now starting to appear in schools. 20 Time gives students a chance to spend time on topics they are passionate about, and teaches them important life skills such as how to research, how to combine ideas into a purpose, and how to speak publicly.
For my 20 Time project, I am researching sugar addiction in the United States and developing an elementary school curriculum about the topic. This curriculum will equip the next generation with the information and tools they need to make informed decisions about the food they eat. In addition, and perhaps most importantly, they will understand how they personally benefit from a healthy diet. I chose sugar addiction as my 20 Time topic because I am fascinated by the effect various food have on our body and its health. The saying “you are what you eat” is true, and I would like to help people understand how that impacts them.
Once developed, my plan will be to beta test the curriculum with the children that I babysit. In this manner, I will be able to determine if the curriculum will work effectively in a classroom setting. Since the kids that I babysit range in age from 3 to 9 years old, I will also be able to experiment with what works best for various age groups. To measure whether or not the curriculum works, before beginning, I will ask the children what they already know about sugar. We will also document what they eat in a typical day. I will then lead the children through sugar related activities, such as matching various amounts of sugar with each food on a list and measuring out the amount of sugar that their favorite foods contain. During each activity, we will talk about the basics of sugar and its effects on the body. A few weeks later, I will ask them what they remember and have them list the food they ate over the prior few days. By reviewing the results and comparing them with the data collected at the beginning, I will be able to determine how well the curriculum worked.'
My goal for this project is to learn as much as I can about the topic and then apply that knowledge to the development of a new and creative curriculum that will successfully teach elementary students. The curriculum will be fun, hands-on, informative, and memorable. This will help students learn, remember and apply the information in their lives. The end result should be that the students live healthier lives than they otherwise would have.
This is an interesting idea, and I really like how your curriculum will be able to be used in an actual classroom setting! I too am interested in health, and promoting a healthier lifestyle is something I am doing in my own project as well. As for meeting your goals, you should create a timeline as to when you will be documenting the kids, when you research the topic, etc. This will really keep you on track for success! I'm excited to see your finished project!
ReplyDelete-Tia
-Tia
This is a good idea! I don't think younger children realize how important the food they eat is. If they are educated on this topic, they can tell their parents what to eat, and hopefully make some impact on the continually worsening epidemic of obesity in America. Good luck!
ReplyDelete-Shereen
Your shark tank presentation left a really big impact on me when you pulled out the different sugared drinks and showed how many packs of sugar were in each of them. It really impacted me because I drink soda in order to stay awake sometimes, and now I know how much sugar is really going into my body, even from a small can. I think if I had known earlier, I wouldn't drink as much sugar but now it has become a habit for me, so I like your idea of teaching the kids at a younger age. I hope the children you babysit cooperate and listen carefully to whatever lesson you come up with because it is definitely something worth teaching!
ReplyDelete-Mena Wang
Your project immediately comes off to me as very interesting. I would also suggest talking about how the soda industry incentives this kind of diet by adding a ton of sugar to balance out the natural acid taste that the soda has. Of course, the children would be have to be accountable for keeping track of the sugar they are intaking, so make sure you have a way of doing this.
ReplyDelete