Secret Mission: Food Choice Investigations
Grade 8 Health & Science Investigation Exploring the Impact of Food Choices on Health and Environment
Mission Briefing: Your Investigation Assignment
Each team receives a SECRET MISSION CARD Investigate ONE food choice topic thoroughly Find 3 reasons why your topic matters Gather evidence from previous research + 1 new credible source Present findings to answer: Why should people care?
Mission Card 1: GMOs Investigation
Investigate: Why do GMOs matter in today's food system? Approved sources: FDA, CDC, World Bank, National Academies Find 3 reasons GMOs are important Gather 2 pieces of previous research + 1 new evidence Mission goal: Why should people care about GMOs?
Mission Cards 2 & 3: CSAs and Organic Food
CSA Mission: Why do Community Supported Agriculture programs matter? Approved sources: USDA, AMS, SARE, Extension services Organic Food Mission: Why does organic food matter to consumers and environment? Approved sources: USDA, ERS, NIH, Consumer Reports Both teams: Find 3 reasons + evidence + new research
Mission Cards 4 & 5: Pesticides and HFCS
Pesticide Mission: Why does pesticide use matter to health, farming, and environment? Approved sources: EPA, CDC, WHO, NCBI HFCS Mission: Why does High-Fructose Corn Syrup matter in modern diets? Approved sources: CDC, NIH, Harvard School of Public Health, FDA Critical health and safety investigations
Mission Card 6: Food Deserts Investigation
Investigate: Why do food deserts matter to communities and health? Approved sources: USDA, CDC, Feeding America, ERS Explore access to healthy, affordable food Examine impacts on community health and economics Social justice aspect of food choices
Mission Debrief: Connecting the Evidence
How do your findings connect to each other? What patterns do you see across different food choice issues? Which evidence was most surprising to your team? How might these issues affect your own food choices?
Mission Accomplished: Food Choice Impact
'Every food choice we make is a vote for the kind of world we want to live in.' - Understanding the complex web of factors that influence our food system empowers us to make informed decisions as consumers and citizens.