Investigating Obesity and the Causes of it.

Introduction

You have a buddy, Baxter, who is really struggling with his weight. He really wants to be a healthy boy now because he knows it will benefit him in the future. He can’t figure out a way to stay healthy, so he needs YOUR help. In order to give him the best help you can you need to see how you live your life. You and Baxter are in this together, so it is only fair you try to stick to the schedule you’re giving to Baxter as well. However before you can do anything you boys and girls are going to research what obesity is, what causes it, and what the long term effects are that it can leave on a person’s life.

Task

Week One:

-          Journal how much sleep you get a night

-          Journal what snacks you eat throughout the day and how many times you have a snack

-          Journal what physical activity you do throughout the day and for how long

Week Two:

-Make a schedule of what a good amount of sleep a night would be

-Make a schedule of how many times you should have a snack throughout the day and what some healthy snack choices would be

-Make a schedule of physical activity you should do and how long you should do it for

Note: Be sure to make you’re new lifestyle schedule realistic, and one that you’re able to follow. 

Process

-In order to do anything you must first figure out what obesity is, how it is caused and how it affects someone.

                             -- http://www.news-medical.net/health/What-is-Obesity.aspx

                -This link provides the definition, the causes of obesity, how it affects people long term and       short term, and interesting facts about obesity.

-After that it is time to research what makes up a healthy diet.

                             -- https://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/diet-exercise-and-sleep

                 -This link provides you with everything you need to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It has how much sleep one should get, what happens with lack of sleep, healthy food choices, and good exercise information

*Use the two links provided to do research.*

Evaluation

Make an organized calender for two weeks.

  • Make TWO rows with SEVEN boxes. (One for each day)
  • This is to track the amount of sleep you get each night, what you have for snacks, and how much exercise you get daily. 

AFTER the TWO weeks:

  • Use your creativity to make a schedule to help get Baxter back to a healthy lifestyle. The schedule must be at least two weeks long. 
Conclusion

Students should know what obesity is, how it is caused, and the effects it has on someone. They should also be able to determine what makes up a healthy lifestyle, and how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. 

  • What are some of the unhealthy SNACKS you chose to eat?
  • What did you replace your unhealthy food from the first week with in the second week?
  • Will Baxter be able to overcome his obesity sticking to your plan you made for him?

Share and Compare:

The white board is split into 3 different sections.

Everyone is to:

  • FIRST COLUMN-write one of the healthy snack choices they chose for Baxter to eat
  • SECOND COLUMN- write how much sleep you suggested for Baxter each night
  • THIRD COLUMN- write an exercise you had Baxter doing and how long you had him doing it for. 
Teacher Page

This fun activity is good for fifth grade and older. The older they are the more detailed they can make their logs/journals. 

You should allow the assignment for roughly 3-4 weeks at least. Most of the work is done outside of class. 

Materials needed in the classroom:

  • Whiteboard or something for students to be able to share and compare their results