Grade 7 Literacy Bundle: Omnivore’s Dilemma

CULMINATING TASK:

Write an informative/explanatory essay of approximately one page in which you analyze how various authors organize and develop their argument regarding the omnivore’s dilemma. Begin by introducing Pollan’s argument and previewing what will follow in your essay. Continue by explaining how Pollan organized the chapter to develop his argument. Cite textual evidence from at least two sources. Use transitions to help the reader clarify relationships among the ideas you are explaining. End your essay with a concluding statement or section. Your essay should be written in a formal style for an audience that is familiar with the text and follow the conventions of standard English, including simple and compound sentences and spelling.

Write an informative/explanatory essay of approximately one page in which you analyze how various authors organize and develop their argument regarding the omnivore’s dilemma.

  • Introduce Pollan’s argument and preview what will follow in your essay.
  • Explain how Pollan organized the chapter to develop his argument.
  • Cite textual evidence from at least two sources
  • Use transitions between ideas
  • Write using a formal style for an audience that is familiar with the text
  • Follow the conventions of standard English

Omnivore’ Dilemma Bundle Components Overview

Component / Explanation of Component / Omnivore’s Dilemma
Goals / What do we want students to know, do, and care about? / Navigate argumentative/
informational texts
Identify the author’s argument
Use textual evidence from multiples sources to support an argument
Formulate opinions
Common Core Learning Standards / Highest priority/most relevant CCLS addressed in the unit. / RI.7.1 Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as
inferences drawn from the text.
Standards:
RI.7.5 Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to
the whole and to the development of the ideas.
W.7.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information
through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
RI.7.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 6–8 text complexity
band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
L.7.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or
speaking.
L.7.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling
when writing.
Big ideas/essential understandings / Important core concepts, understandings, or theories. They go beyond discrete skills and focus on larger concepts, processes, or themes. / Knowledge of the features of and format of a nonfiction text enhance the understanding of the text.
Recently, humans have been faced with a dilemma when choosing what to eat.
Understanding and being able to articulate opinions on matters of national interest are essential to good citizenship.
Essential questions / Over-arching questions that provide focus for the curriculum and are aligned based on a key concept, enduring understanding, and/or big idea to prompt inquiry. / How do authors develop and organize their argument?
What is the average American’s criterion for choosing food?
Why are Americans missing a food culture?
Cover Sheet (Use template)
Unit overview / 1-2 sentences describing the unit in which the task is embedded. / This unit uses various texts as a means to teach students how to analyze informational texts and how to write an informational essay.
Task name / Full name of the task / The Omnivore’s Dilemma
Grade / K,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 or 9-10 or 11-12 / 7
Subject / English
Depth of Knowledge Level of the Task / Using Webb's DOK, enter 1-4. / DOK 4
Task Description / 1 sentence description of the task. / Write an informative/explanatory essay of approximately one page in which you analyze how various authors organize and develop their argument regarding the omnivore’s dilemma.
Materials needed for task administration / Indicate what materials are needed for task administration. Include any texts used for the task. Mention any other materials, such as calculators, student notes, journals, etc. /
  • Omnivore’s Dilemma
  • “School Buses No Place for Junk Food Ads”
  • “Cafeteria Cams Track Students’ Calorie Consumption at School”
  • MyPlate.gov
  • “My Plate Might Actually Work”
  • “What’s in Your Bowl?”
  • “Nutrition Plate Unveiled, Replacing Food Pyramid”
  • Eat This, Not That
  • Food, Inc.
  • Supersize Me
  • Current articles

2. Performance Task
Student copy of the task / Student version of the task, designed in a way that is clear for all learners. / Write an informative/explanatory essay of approximately one page in which you analyze how various authors organize and develop their argument regarding the omnivore’s dilemma.
  • Introduce Pollan’s argument and preview what will follow in your essay.
  • Explain how Pollan organized the chapter to develop his argument.
  • Cite textual evidence from at least two sources
  • Use transitions between ideas
  • Write using a formal style for an audience that is familiar with the text
  • Follow the conventions of standard English

Unit topic and length / 1-3 sentences describing the unit topic and the duration of the unit. / Argumentative writing and the eating habits of Americans.
Three to four weeks.
Content / Subject matter; key concepts; facts; topics; foundational information addressed in the unit using the language of the standards wherever possible. / Food, choices, health, dilemmas, argumentative writing
Vocabulary / Vocabulary addressed in the unit. / Omnivore, Carnivore, Herbivore, Dilemma, Decision, Argumentative Writing, Nutrition, Obesity, Diet, Fad, Consumers, Protein, Fat, Sodium, Carbohydrates, Grains, Agriculture, Diabetes, Factory Farm, Organic, Synthetic, Asthma, Hypertension, Calories, Consumption, Moral, Ethical
Resources / Websites / WORDLE, VISUAL THESAURUS, WORD SIFT, FLOCABULARY, PHOTOSTORY 3, VOICETHREAD, ADOBE READER, HYPERTEXT, WORD SIFT, VISUWORDS, SHAHI
Extension Activities / Send an email to a politician for healthier school lunch options
Create a cookbook
Prepare various cultural dishes
Invite a nutritionist or health expert to lecture the class
Invite any speaker who has firsthand experience with health issues relating to diet

Prerequisites:

  • Know how to navigate various websites
  • Shahi
  • Visual Thesaurus
  • Wordle
  • Visuwords
  • Edmodo
  • Wallwisher
  • Adobe Reader
  • Know how to write a five paragraph essay
  • How to plan for the stages of writing
  • How to organize thoughts
  • Writing mechanics
  • Know how to read/use a rubric
  • Know various learning strategies
  • Highlighting a text
  • Note-taking

Skills needed before writing the culminating task:

  • Identify argumentative texts
  • Identify an author’s argument
  • Cite textual evidence
  • Distinguish between fact and opinion
  • Understand how an author develop his/her argument
  • Identify features of a nonfiction text (headings, subheadings, images, graphs, photographs)
  • Use transitions
  • Write using formal style
  • Write an introduction, body, and conclusion of an informative essay
  • Write using simple and compound sentences
  • Write for a specific audience

The Omnivore’s DilemmaGrade 7 Literacy Unit

Week 1 – Lesson 1

Introduction: What is a dilemma?

AIM: What is “The Omnivore’s Dilemma”?

PROCEDURE:

  1. DO NOW: List a variety of breakfast foods.
  2. ElicitDo Now answers quickly to emphasize the vast number of cereals.
  3. Why do you think there are so many different kinds?
  4. People have different tastes.
  5. People like different things.
  6. People want choices.
  7. Discuss the difference between decision and dilemma
  8. Dilemma: complicated, serious situation. A choice between equally unfavorable options. A state of uncertainty. A tough choice.
  9. Decision: a choice you make.
  10. As a class, brainstorm other real-world examples of dilemmas
  11. Discuss food choices, including flavors, brands, ingredients, etc.
  12. Introduce the text Omnivore’s Dilemmaby showing a Wordle (work text picture) of the text
  13. Elicit from students what the text will be about
  14. MINI-LESSON: Define and break down major terms for the texts.Use Visuwords and/orVisual Thesaurus and/or Shahi. Break students into eight groups.

  1. Omnivore Visuwords
  2. Omnivore Visual Thesaurus
  3. Herbivore Visuwords
  4. Herbivore Thesaurus
  5. Carnivore Visuwords
  6. Carnivore Visual Thesaurus
  7. Dilemma Visuwords
  8. Dilemma Visual Thesaurus
  9. Decision Visual Thesaurus
  10. Decision Visuwords

  1. GROUP WORK: Look up your group’s term in Visuwords or Visual Thesaurus. Print, draw, or write down what your find. Look up other unknown terms if included. Present findings to class.
  2. What does the word mean?
  3. What other words/ideas are the word associated with?
  4. WHOLE CLASS SHARE: Speaker from each group will share results of online inquiries.
  5. INDEPENDENT WORK: What dilemmas do we as omnivores face in our daily lives? Are all of our dilemmas the same?
  6. HOMEWORK: Do you think your life would be easier or harder if you had no food choices at all? Discuss what your life would be like is you did not have these choices.

Grade 7 Literacy Unit

Week 1 – Lesson 2

Connections: World and Self

DO-NOW: On what criteria do you base your food choices?

AIM: How do food choices affect our lives?

PROCEDURE:

  1. Elicit do-now answers. Create a web on the board. Possible responses include:
  2. Price
  3. Taste
  4. Nutritious ingredients
  5. SHARED READING: Time Healthland article, “What’s in Your Bowl? New Report Fingers the Least-Nutritious Cereals” by Catherine Guthrie.
  6. Discuss information. Would this affect students’ food choices? Would it affect what they fed their children?
  7. MINI-LESSON:
  8. Who should decide what children eat? Parents? The kids themselves? The government? The schools?
  9. How do we support our opinion with facts and details?
  10. MODEL supporting argument.
  11. Introduce Supporting an Opinion worksheet (worksheet from materials received with unit overview)
  12. Introduce Developing a Line of Argument- Multiple Perspectives: Point/Counterpoint worksheet (worksheet from materials received with unit overview)
  13. GROUP ACTIVITY: Assign each group a “side” of the issue. Using worksheets, students will develop arguments (skill from previous unit on persuasive writing).
  14. CLASS ACTIVITY: Debate on who should decide what children eat.
  15. INDEPENDENT READING: Time Healthland article, “Cafeteria Cams Track Students’ Calorie Consumption at School” by Meredith Melnick.
  16. HOMEWORK: Do you feel that tracking students’ meals is morally or ethically right or wrong? Does the school have the right or obligation to be involved? Use information from the above article to support your response.

DIFFERENTIATION OPTION: During independent reading, do a shared reading with ELLs.

The Omnivore’s DilemmaGrade 7 Literacy Unit

Week 1 – Lesson 3

Creating Background Knowledge

AIM: How do we identify an author’s point of view?

PROCEDURE:

  1. DO NOW: Explain whether or not animals have the same rights as people. (Think about your pets, zoo animals, stray dogs/cats, birds, squirrels, etc.)
  2. Elicit do-now answers.
  3. Further discussion
  4. Why are animals treated so differently from humans?
  5. Why is it not socially acceptable in the United States to eat dogs or cats
  6. Discuss author’s point of view
  7. What is the author’s position on the topic?
  8. Why did the author write the text?
  9. What is the author trying to prove?
  10. What does the author want you to think or feel?
  11. Show clips from Food, Inc.
  12. DURING FILM ACTIVITY: Fill in Factory Food Vs. Organic Food inFood, Inc. handout
  13. Share out answers from During Film Activity
  14. INDEPENDENT ACTIVITY: Fill in The Company You Keep.
  15. HOMEWORK: What was the most powerful part of the film and why?

Name______Class______

Factory Food Vs. Organic Food in Food, Inc.

Describe what happens during this scene.
Explain why the author included this scene.
Explain how this scene makes you feel.

Name______Class______

THE COMPANY YOU KEEP

Place yourself on the following scale

I’ll only buy food from

I’ll buy what I like to eat, companies whose

No matter who makes it. values I agree with.

1 2 3 4

Explain your position in three or four sentences.

Explain whether or not the film has affected your point of view on food.

The Omnivore’s DilemmaGrade 7 Literacy Unit

Week 1 – Lesson 4

Introduction: What is a dilemma?

AIM: What is “The Omnivore’s Dilemma”?

PROCEDURE:

  1. DO NOW: List as many cereals as you can in two minutes.
  2. Elicit Do Now answers quickly to emphasize the vast number of cereals.
  3. Why do you think there are so many different kinds?
  4. People have different tastes.
  5. People like different things.
  6. People want choices.
  7. Discuss food choices, including flavors, brands, ingredients, etc.
  8. Introduce the text Omnivore’s Dilemma by showing a Wordle (work text picture) of the text
  9. Elicit from students what the text will be about
  10. MINI-LESSON: Define and break down major terms for the texts. Use Visuwords and/or Visual Thesaurus. Break students into eight groups.

  1. Omnivore Visuwords
  2. Omnivore Visual Thesaurus
  3. Herbivore Visuwords
  4. Herbivore Thesaurus
  5. Carnivore Visuwords
  6. Carnivore Visual Thesaurus
  7. Dilemma Visuwords
  8. Dilemma Visual Thesaurus

  1. GROUP TASK: Create an informational multimedia presentation with PowerPoint, Photostory 3, or iMovie that illustrates the prevalence of corn and/or soybeans in American diets. Include text, images, and audio.
  2. WHOLE CLASS SHARE: Speaker from each group will share results of online inquiries.
  3. INDEPENDENT WORK: What dilemmas do we as omnivores face in our daily lives? Are all of our dilemmas the same?
  4. HOMEWORK: Do you think your life would be easier or harder if you had no food choices at all? Discuss what your life would be like is you did not have these choices.

Objectives:

  • Students will be able to recognize, recall and explain the new USA food guide “My Plate.”
  • Students will assess their own eating habits.

AIM: How recall information from an article

Materials

  • Paper Plates
  • Grocery Flyers
  • Glue Sticks
  • Scissors
  • MyPlate.gov
  • “MyPlate Might Actually Work”
  • “Nutrition Plate…” article

Procedure:

  • Do Now: What did you eat for breakfast today?
  • Introduce the new US food guide by reviewing the old pyramid and explaining the changes. Ask students to tell you the differences between the old “My Pyramid” and the new “Choose My Plate” food guides.
  • Read the article “Nutrition Plate Unveiled, Replacing Food Pyramid”
  • Discuss the MyPlate icon and ask questions based on what you see. For example:
  • How many baby carrots are one serving?
  • If I pile my food up into heaps according to the picture I’m fine right?
  • How much is a small portion?
  • Have students research the answer to these questions and report their findings to the class. Answers can be found on

Activities

  • Create a nutritionally sound plate according to our government guidelines.
  • Write an explanatory essay that reflects on your current eating habits.

Extensions

  • Calculate the calories, vitamins, minerals, fat of each of their plates of food by entering the food items and portion sizes into Menu Planner.
  • Compare your plate to another student’s plate. What are the similarities and differences? Which plate is healthier and why? What changes would you make to either plate to make it healthier?
  • Using the MyPlate organizer, create a healthier MyPlate than the one you created in class.

Assessment

  • Rubric (included in assignment directions)
  • Don’t forget to hang up your student’s “myplates” in the hallway or in your classroom to foster student discussion when you’re not teaching! Free learning- capitalize on it!

MYPLATES Food Guide Assignment

Directions: Using paper plates, create three plates—one for breakfast lunch and dinner that align with the USDA food guide standards. Cut out a picture of each food item from a grocery store flyer, magazine, or internet and glue the pictures of the food to the appropriate section of the plate. Label each plate with the quantity of each item. For proper portion sizes visit . Finished plates should be neat, legible, and creatively presented.

Task: Write an essay that reflects on your current eating habits.

Introduce the essay by explaining whether or not you currently eat according to the USDA food guide recommendations.

Discuss the recommendations that you would make to your diet to better fit the guidelines.

Conclude by explaining which action you can reasonably implement to eat healthier.
MYPLATES

Grading Rubric

Name: ______Class:______

4 / 3 / 2 / 1
Application
Bringing together the information learned to see the completed product / Excelled at accurately labeling food groups and serving sizes recommended for each food group. / All food groups identified all but only one or two of the food groups and can identify the serving sizes of food items. / Only able to correctly label a few of the food groups that comprise the entire food Guide and has difficulty identifying the serving sizes of the groups labeled.
Design
Personalized MyPlate shows effort, originality and creativity. / Presented Food Guide in an original way. Used many different food items, colors and illustrative techniques. Food Guide is concise accurate and easy to understand. / Presented Food Guide in a presentable way. Information is mostly accurate and understandable. Lacks some originality and creativity. / Basic plate design. Some information is accurate however plates lack thought and creativity.
Reflection
Personal reflection on current eating habits with recommendations to fit food guide and reasonable steps to take to get on track. / Assessment of personal nutrition is honest, and specific recommendations are made along with reasonable action plan. / Assessment of personal nutrition is made but lacking either specific recommendations or reasonable action plan. / Some assessment of personal nutrition is made but is vague or recommendations and action plan missing or unacceptable.
Mechanics

The Omnivore’s Dilemma