life and living [grade 6 english]

WESTERN CAPE PRIMARY SCIENCE PROGRAMMEAn example of a learning experience in the Natural Sciences

LIFE LIVINGGrade 6

&1 What do all living things do and need?

2 Plants provide us with food and other things

3 What food do we get from plants?

4 How do plants get their food?

5 Plants make their own food in a process called photosynthesis

6 Testing a green leaf for starch

7 Starchy foods are our staple foods

8 We say thank you for our food

9 Home-cooked food and processed food

10 Eating a balanced diet

© Western Cape Primary Science Programme (PSP)

We all depend on plants

We welcome the wide use of these materials. Please acknowledge PSP. ©PSP 2006/7

LIFELIVING

Grade 6

&An example of a learning experience in the Natural Sciences

RationaleThese materials were written to support teachers in their work with learners around thecontent area of Life and Living. This is not a complete work schedule. It is an exampleof a learning experience. It offers possibilities for teachers to include other learningexperiences and to extend and develop it further. This example learning experienceshows how you can work towards the three Learning Outcomes in the Natural Sciences ofthe National Curriculum Statements (NCS).

LO1: Scientific InvestigationsA The learner will be able to act confidently on curiosity about natural phenomena,

and to investigate relationships and solve problems in scientific, technological andenvironmental contexts

LO2: Constructing Science KnowledgeA The learner will know and be able to interpret and apply scientific, technological and

environmental knowledge

LO3: Science, Society and the EnvironmentA The learner will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the interrelationships

between science and technology, society and the environmentWe know that children are naturally curious and observant. Children learn about theworld by observing, asking questions and trying to make sense of what they experience.Science teaching should allow these natural tendencies to keep growing. Encourageyour learners to ask questions. Questions are an opportunity to engage the class inobservations and discussions.

In Science we want students:A to develop a lively curiosity about the world around them

A to be confident to raise questions

A to link their questions to what they observe in their home environments and inthe world.

This can lead to a rich thinking, talking and writing environment. Children who havethis curiosity will learn and become creative human beings too.

AssessmentThe assessment tasks in this group of learning experiences are directly linked to theLearning Outcomes of the NCS. They are designed to encourage learners to show whatthey know, to show what they are thinking and to record and show you their questions.

Courses presented by Nontsikelelo Mahote, Rose Thomas, Wendy Hitchcock and Nadiema Gamieldien

Booklet designed by Welma Odendaal

Illustrated by Janet Ranson, Nicci Cairns and Wendy Hitchcock

Western Cape Primary Science Programme (PSP)Edith Stephens Wetland ParkLansdowne Road, Philippi, 7785P O Box 24158, Lansdowne 7779 South Africa Tel: 021 691-9039 Fax: 021 691-6350 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.psp.org.za

Acknowledgement PetroSA

ContentsSECTION 1We all depend on plantsLearning experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3–42Assessment tasks

LO2 Understanding the process of photosynthesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13LO1 Investigating staple foods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23LO3 Making better food choices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Suggested workscheme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

SECTION 2Teacher resources Learner task cards to photocopy

Task card 1 What do all living things do and need? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46Task card 2 What foods do we get from plants? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48Task card 3 Sustaining our food plants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Assessment task for LO2Understanding the process of photosynthesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51Task card 4 Write a recipe for photosynthesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Task card 5 Test a green leaf for starch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Task card 6 Test different foods for starch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Assessment task for LO1Investigating staple foods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Task card 7 Analysing home-cooked meals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60Task card 8 Comparing home-cooked food with processes foods . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Assessment task for LO3Making better food choices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Task card 9 Reflecting about Life and Living . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67Information on GM foods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68Poem in Isixhosa: UMNGA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69Story in Afrikaans: Dirkie mens en snytjie brood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Teaching aids for photosynthesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

SECTION 3Extracts from the National Curriculum Statements for Natural Sciences Grades R – 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76Core knowledge and concepts for Life and Living (NCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 – 81Learning Outcomes and assessment standards (NCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 – 87

SSEECCTTIIOONN 11SECTION 1We all depend on plants

1. What do all living things do and need? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32. Plants provide us with food and other things . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53. What food do we get from plants? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64. How do plants get their food? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95. Plants make their own food in a process called photosynthesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Assessment task for LO2Understanding the process of photosynthesis

6. Testing a green leaf for starch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177. Starchy foods are our staple foods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Assessment task for LO1Investigating staple foods

8. We say thank you for our food . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .279. Home-cooked food and processed food . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2810. Eating a balanced diet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

Assessment task for LO3Making better food choices

Readings: Luxury foods and diseases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41The Secrets of African Women . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Suggested workscheme 43

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1 What do all living thingsdo and need?

1. Ask: What do all living things do? Encourage all answers, but leadlearners to link their examples to the seven life processes.

2. Explain that all living things carry out these seven life processes to stayalive. Ask: What do living things need to carry out these processes? Use thepicture below in your discussion.

3. An easy way to remember the life processes is to use the first letter ofeach process (MRS GREN).

4. Draw a picture of a child on the board and write the seven processesaround the picture. Learners say what they need in order to carry outeach process.

M There are seven lifeprocesses: movement,reproduction, sensitivity,growth, respiration,excretion, nutrition.

M All living organisms carryout these seven lifeprocesses.

M To carry out our lifeprocesses we need food,water and air.

Key concepts Teacher task

LIFE PROCESS Common examples that learners might give

Movement Moving towards light, food or water; walking; running;swimming; flying

Reproduction Having babies; laying eggs; making seeds

Sensitivity Seeing, feeling, sensing pain, tasting, hearing, smelling

Growth Getting bigger; growing

Respiration Breathing; using air

Excretion Urinating, sweating

Nutrition Eating, drinking, chewing, swallowing

Movement

Reproduction

Sensitivity

Growth

Respiration

Excretion

Nutrition

Energy for MOVEMENT

NUTRITION

Food for GROWTH and REPRODUCTION

SENSITIVITY soI can feel

Oxygen forRESPIRATION

Water formy cellsand blood

Water for EXCRETION (sweat and urine)

What does my body need to carry out its life processes?

Introduction

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Learner Task Card 1What do all living things do and need?Look at the picture ‘My body needs ...’ Make sure you know what each life processis. Write sentences to explain what your body needs to carry out each process.

MOVEMENT

My body needs to eat and digest food to give me energy. I use the

energy to move. My body needs space to move around in. My body

also needs exercise to strengthen my bones and muscles. If my bones

and muscles are strong, I can move.

RESPIRATION

My body needs to breathe clean air that contains oxygen.

SENSITIVITY

I use my sense organs to smell, taste, touch, see and hear things in

the world around me. My senses help me to smell and taste my food.

I use my sense of touch to avoid pain and to know when I have hurt

myself.

GROWTH

My body needs healthy food including proteins, starches and fresh

fruit and vegetables to grow properly.

REPRODUCTION

My body will need healthy food to grow and develop properly so that

one day I can find a partner and have children.

EXCRETION

My body needs to have plenty of water so that my kidneys can make

urine (ukuchama) and my skin can sweat.

NUTRITION

My body needs to eat and digest food to get energy.

My body needs healthy food and a balanced diet to grow and stay

healthy.

see learner task cardfrom page 46 to copy.

Consolidation Learners act out the seven life processes in their groups.

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2 Plants provide us withfood and other things

1. Discuss why plants are so important in our lives. Provide headings fromthe mind map below.

2. Ask what we need plants for. Each learner writes one idea on a piece ofpaper.

3. Collect the pieces of paper and use them to construct a large mind map.4. Ask the class to arrange their ideas under the different headings.

The diagram gives you some subheadings you can use for your mind map.These are suggestions only. Use your own or learners’ ideas too, and addnew ideas at any time.

M Plants provide animals withfood to eat and oxygen tobreathe.

M We get many productsfrom plants.


5. Learners can copy the mind map into their books.

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3 What food do we getfrom plants?

1. Learners write down what foods they eat. 2. Use the table to record the foods they eat and find out what plant each

food comes from.

See learner task card 2 to photocopy on page 48

Teacher task

Learner Task Card 2What foods do we get from plants?

What foods do you eat regularly? What plants do these foods comefrom?

Fried chips, mashed potato Potatoes

Bread Wheat plant (also rye plant)

Salad Tomato plant, cucumber plant, lettuceplant, onion plant

White sugar, syrup, sweets Sugar cane

Cabbage Cabbage plant

Lentils, beans or chick peas Bean plants

Chocolate Cocoa plant

Oil Sunflower plant, canola plant, olive tree

Tea Tea bush

Spinach Spinach plant

Onion Onion plant

M All animals depend onplants for food.

M Some animals eat otheranimals that have eatenplants for their food.

M People get some food fromplants and some fromanimals.

M People rely on food thatcomes from just a fewimportant plants.

M Some foods are calledstaple foods. Staple foodsare the foods that give usmost of our energy to live.Rice, maize and wheat areimportant staple foods.

Key concepts

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3. Read the information that follows or assist learners to read it to eachother. Explain what the word ‘sustain’ means.

Learner Task Card 3Sustaining our food plantsFood for our bodiesTo stay healthy, we need to eat a balanced diet. A balanced diet contains foods from the main groups. The main food groups are: carbohydrates, proteins, minerals and vitamins, fats and oils, and fibre. M Carbohydrates give us energy. We get them from starchy foods such as bread, rice and potatoes. M Proteins help our bones to grow. We get them from foods like meat, eggs, milk, beans and nuts. M Minerals and vitamins are found in fruits and vegetables. They help us to fight diseases. M Fats and oils help our skin and hair to stay healthy. We get them from butter, margarine, oil and

nuts. M Fibre helps our digestion. Fibre is the hard, chewy part of plants such as apples,

pumpkin and wheat.

Staple foods All around the world the main food that people eat is called their staple food. Staple foods provide people with the main carbohydrate (starchy) part of their diet for each day. Staple foods give us energy. Some of the important staple foods around the world are rice, maize and wheat. In most places, people eat the staple foods that grow most easily in their areas. In South Africa, our staple foods are maize, wheat and potatoes. In West Africa, cassava and yam are staple foods.

In Asia, rice is a popular staple food. Sorghum, oats and sweet potatoes are also staple foods in some areas of the world where they grow. People who live in cities can eat a variety of staple foods from around the world, which they can buy in shops.

Grass feeds the world!Almost all the staple foods come from plants that belong to the grass family.

Maize, wheat, rice, oats, rye, barley and sorghum all come from kinds of grasses. The sugar caneplant is also a grass. We also get our meat and milk indirectly from grasses because cows, goats andsheep all feed on grass.

Traditional foodsTraditional foods come from local crops. Farmers collect the seeds from their crops each year toplant the next season's crops. This helps them to sustain the crop (keep it going year after year).

Some traditional foods grow wild and seed themselves, for example, wild spinach (umfino), marulafruit, prickly pears, msoba-soba berries, sour figs (suurvye) and blackberries all grow wild.Traditional foods can provide us with important minerals and nutrients. Foods in shops are not asfresh. When they get packed and transported, they lose a lot of their minerals and nutrients.

Improving the harvest Farmers often try to increase the amount of food that they can harvest from their crops. They add manure or fertilisers to the soil to provide their crops with mineral salts. They also use chemicals to control pests and diseases, which can attack their crops.

We all depend on farmers to sustain our food plants around the world.

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4. Learners answer the following questions about the readings. a) What is a ‘staple food’?

It is the food that forms the main part of our diet.

b) What important food group is found in all staple foods? What do weneed it for?

Carbohydrates (or starch) is found in all staple foods.

We need starch for energy.

c) What family of plants provide most of the world’s staple foods?

Staple foods come from plants belonging mainly to the grass

family, for example, maize, wheat and rice.

d) What do we mean by a traditional food?

Traditional food usually grows close to where people live.

e) What do farmers do to increase the amount of food from their crops?

They add fertilisers and compost to the soil and they spray

the plants with poisons to kill any diseases.

f) Name some traditional foods that grow wild. Say which ones you haveeaten.

Traditional foods that grow wild: marula fruit, blackberries,

umfino.

(Learners’ answers will vary.)

Consolidation Facilitate a class discussion about the following questions:M The world’s population depends on just a few types pf plants for almost

all our food. Is this a problem or not?M Why must we look after and sustain our traditional food plants?M Would we be able to survive without plants?M Who should look after our food plants and their seeds? Should it be big

companies? Should it be the governments of the world? Should it befarmers? Should it be scientists? Why?

Make sure learners understand that we cannot live without the plants thatprovide us with food.

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4 How do plants get theirfood?

1. Bring a plant in a pot to school for the learners to look at. 2. Explain the following information to the class.

Teacher task

We know that animals and humans need food to grow. In the past peoplethought that plants got their food from the soil. Now we know that plantsmake their own food. Remember, the food groups are carbohydrates, proteins,fats and oils, and vitamins. Plants cannot get these from the soil. Plants onlyneed mineral salts and water from the soil to help them make their own food.

Van Helmont’s experiment

In 1577 a man called Jean-Baptiste van Helmont didan experiment over 5 years in which he grew a smallplant into a big plant by feeding it nothing butwater. He weighed the plant and the soil at thebeginning. After five years he weighed the plant andthe soil again. Van Helmont found that the soilweighed the same but the plant had grown in size.Its mass after five years was 76 kg. The soil still hadthe same mass as at the beginning. Where did theplant get enough food (energy) to grow to that size?

SMALL PLANT:90 kg dry soil; plant weighs 2 kg.

5 years later

only water was added

PLANT HAS GROWN BIG90kg dry soil; plant weighs 76kgnow

What do plants need to grow?

M Plants need energy to grow.M Plants do not get energy

food from the soil.M Plants only get water and

mineral salts from the soil.

Key concepts

10

3. Draw a picture of the plants on the chalkboard like Van Helmont’sexperiment.

4. Ask: What must we give the small plant to make it grow into a big plant?Must we give it: M Water? M Sunlight? M More soil? M Fertiliser? M Mineral salts from the soil? M Anything else? M Could you grow if you were only given water and soil to live on?

5. Have a discussion with the class about these questions. M What was van Helmont trying to prove with his experiment?

He was trying to prove that the plant got its food from the soil.

M What did he discover?

He found out that the weight of the soil did not change and

therefore that the plants did not ‘eat’ the soil.

M Why were his results a surprise?

People knew that animals eat plants or other animals to get

their energy and people assumed that plants used up the soil

in the same way.

M Where do you think plants get their food and energy?

Plants make their own food.

ConsolidationLearners make a poster showing what a plant needs to grow.

Plants grow better ifwe feed the soil. Thissoil food is calledcompost or humus. Itreleases mineralsslowly back into thewater of the soil. Wecan also feed the soilwith chemicalfertilisers. They areconcentrated forms ofmineral salts. Plantscannot get theirenergy from thesemineral salts.

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5 Plants make their ownfood in a process calledphotosynthesis

1. The diagram and information below summarise the process ofphotosynthesis. Using this diagram, make a display on the board or wallto explain how plants make their own food through photosynthesis.Explain the process carefully to the class. You will find an explanation onthe next pages.

Teacher task

Animals and humans releaseCarbon dioxide (CO2)water and mineral salts

Water and mineralsalts

Animals and humansuse Oxygen (O2)

Light energy

Leaves release Oxygen (O2)

Leaves use Carbon dioxide (CO2)

Leaves make glucoseand starch

Photosynthesis

M Plants make their own food(starch) in the processcalled photosynthesis.

M Photosynthesis takes placeinside the cells of greenleaves.

M During photosynthesis theplant uses sunlight energy,carbon dioxide and waterto make glucose sugar.

M Plants also change glucosesugar into starch, whichthey store in their roots,leaves and stems.

M During photosynthesis, theplant uses carbon dioxideand gives off oxygen intothe atmosphere.

Key concepts Explaining photosynthesis

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Plants are the only living things that make their

own food. All other living things depend on plants for

their food.

Green plants take water andsunlight and carbon dioxide, and

use them to make food. In the process they put oxygen back into the atmosphere.

So, green plants arethe only things that

can make food?That’s right.

People and animals can’t makeglucose and starches. Even

factories can’t do this. Withoutplants we would have no food,

no fuel and no oxygen.

Photosynthesis Photosynthesis means to build up food using light energy. Photosynthesis comes fromthe words ‘photo’ meaning light and ‘synthesis’ meaning to make something.Photosynthesis is what plants do to produce food using light energy.

Nearly 200 years after van Helmont’s experiment, scientists found out that green plantsmake their own food. The leaves take water and carbon dioxide gas from the air anduse the energy from sunlight to make food in the form of glucose sugar, and starch. Wecall this process photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is a chemical reaction that takes placein green leaves.

Oxygen (O2) and carbon dioxide (CO2)During photosynthesis, plants give out oxygen gas. All the oxygen in the air comesfrom photosynthesis. People and animals need oxygen so that we can breathe. Wecannot live without plants and photosynthesis. We breathe out carbon dioxide, which ispoisonous to us. But plants use it up again during photosynthesis.

Plants are the only organisms that can make their own foodPlants are the only organisms that can absorb light energy from the sun and convert itinto chemical energy in the form of glucose. Then the glucose can be used by animals.

Summary Photosynthesis is a chemical reaction. We write it like this:

Water + carbon dioxide + sunlight energy R glucose sugar + oxygen

H2O + CO2 + sunlight energy R C6H12O6 + O2

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Learner task card to photocopy on page 51

A. Read and discussIn the sunlight

Green plants absorb light energy from the sun.

In the roots

The roots take up water and mineral saltsfrom the soil into the plant.

In the leaves

Leaves absorb the gas carbon dioxide.

Plants make a food called glucose sugar.

Then the plants convert glucose sugar to starch so that theycan store it.

Leaves release oxygen gas into the air.

In the plant

Plants store the sunlight energy as food (starch) in their flowers,seeds, fruits, roots, leaves and stems.

In the environment

Humans and animals eat plants for food.

Humans and animals breathe out carbon dioxide gas.

Humans and animals breathe in oxygen gas.

Learner Task

Assessment Task for LO2

Understanding the process of photosynthesis

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B. Use the drawing below (or make your own) to show the process of photosynthesis.

On your drawing make arrows and write labels to show where:M Sunlight energy goes M Water and mineral salts go M Carbon dioxide goesM Oxygen goes M The plant makes glucose sugar and starch

C. Write a few sentences to explain why photosynthesis is important for life on Earth.

Photosynthesis produces starch and glucose for all living things.

Photosynthesis uses up carbon dioxide and gives us oxygen to breathe.

Plants are the only things that make their own food.

All life depends on plants and photosynthesis.

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Suggested guide for assessment of LO2

Understanding the process of photosynthesis

Consolidation1. Ask learners to write a recipe for photosynthesis.

Assessment task Assessment criteria: LO2

Draw a picture of plants and animals (or use thepicture given) to show the flow of substancesduring photosynthesis

The learner must …Make a clear drawing with arrows pointing in thecorrect direction to show:I Sunlight energy from sun to plantsI Water and mineral salts from the soil into the

roots of the plantI Carbon dioxide from the animals and humans

into the leafI Oxygen from the leaf to the animals and

humansI Starch from plants to humans and animals

Write a few sentences to explain whyphotosynthesis is important

To earn a code 4 assessment (80%)

Show the correct understanding of the followingfacts:I Only plants can make their own food by

photosynthesis. People and animals also dependon that food.

I Plants use CO2 from the air, water and mineralsalts from the soil and sunlight energy to makeglucose sugar and starch.

I All animals and humans get oxygen from plants.I Plants use up the poisonous CO2 in the air.I Give exceptionally full, correct and clear

explanations of photosynthesis.

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Learner Task Card 4Write a recipe for photosynthesisPretend you are an old plant telling a young plant how to make starch

A recipe for starch

How to make glucose and starch

Ingredients

What substances do you need to make this food?

Water, carbon dioxide and sunlight.

Method

What steps must you follow to make the food?

1. Take up water from the soil through your roots.

2. Take carbon dioxide from the air into your leaves.

3. Let the sunlight shine on your leaves.

4. Use water, carbon dioxide and sun energy to make glucose sugars.

5. Join the glucose sugars together to make starch.

Questionsa) What is left over after the plant has made glucose and starch?

Oxygenb) Where does this leftover substance go and who uses it?

Oxygen goes into the air. Humans and animals use it for breathing.c) Where does the plant make its food?

The plant makes its food in the green leaves.

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IntroductionM Photosynthesis occurs in

green leaves when they areexposed to sunlight.

M During photosynthesis, theleaf makes glucose sugarand then changes it intostarch which the plant canstore easily.

M Glucose sugar is soluble(can dissolve) in water butstarch is easier to storebecause it is insoluble(cannot dissolve).

M We can use iodine solutionto test for the presence ofstarch in plants.

Key concepts

6 Testing a green leaf forstarch

1. Remind learners that all living things are made of cells and that eachleaf is made of millions of cells.

2. Tell learners that photosynthesis occurs inside the cells of green leaves.The leaves trap the light energy from the sun and change it intochemical energy. The chemical energy is stored inside the glucose andstarch. Starch and glucose are food substances because they containchemical energy.

3. Explain that we can test a leaf for starch. If there is starch in the leaves,it shows us that photosynthesis has occurred. Demonstrate the positivestarch test on a piece of cut potato. Show how a drop of iodine changesthe colour from brown to purple, or blue-black or black when starch ispresent.

4. Work through the task with the learners. Afterwards, read the poemabout food factories with the class.

Preparation5. Prepare sets of equipment for groups to do the experiment (as illustrated

in Task Card 5). Try the experiment beforehand to find leaves that show agood positive result.

You will need:M a small jar (e.g. a jar from baby food)M a styrofoam cupM ethanol or methylated spiritsM kettle to boil waterM iodine solution with dropperM waxed paper cut into squares (or the lids of plastic ice-cream boxes)

Learners will need to pick a leaf from a plant that has been in the sun for afew hours.

Teacher task

straw

brown iodine solution

cut potato

iodine turning black

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Consolidation1. Learners answer these questions.a) Did we find starch in the leaves we tested?

Yes

b) How could we tell that there was starch in the leaf?

Because the iodine tested positive.

c) What does iodine do when starch is present?

It turns blackish-purple.

d) Where do plants make their food?

In their leaves.

Learner Task Card 5Test a green leaf for starchFollow the instructions in the diagrams below. Then answer the questions that follow.

1. Put a leaf in a baby food jar. Cover it withboiling water and leave for 2 minutes. Boilingwater destroys the membranes of the cells.

2. Put the leaf in a baby food jar. Cover it withmethylated spirits (or ethanol). The methylatedspirits removes the green chlorophyll from theleaf. After a while, the leaf should be white orpale green and hard.

3. Place the baby food jar in styrofoam cup ofboiling water.

4. Dip the leaf in hot water. Hot water makes theleaf soft again.

5. Put the leaf on a square piece of waxed lunchwrap (or a plastic lid). Put a drop of iodinesolution onto the leaf. The iodine will turnblack where starch is present.

1

2&3

4

5

boilingwater

baby food jar

leaf

hot water

methylated spirits

styrofoam cup withboiling water

iodine solution

SAFETY PRECAUTION!Do not work with ethanol or

methylated spirits near anopen flame. It is highly

flammable and may explode.

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Food factories

Green plants are busy factoriesThat keep us all alive.Without them we would have no meat,No honey from the hive.

Though energy from sunlightSupplies our every need,Without green plants to capture it,Where would we be indeed?

All day we use up oxygenWith every breath we take,Forgetting that without the plants,Our lives would be at stake.

So, though we think we’re clever,Our brains amount to nilIf we forget our livelihoodDepends on chlorophyll.

From: Nature Poems and Puzzles, Jill Cadle

Cholorophyll is thechemical that makesleaves green. Photosynthesis onlytakes place in greenleaves.

20

IntroductionM Plants make starch. Starch

is also is called acarbohydrate food.

M Plants can store starch indifferent parts of the plant.

M Some foods contain starch.M Iodine changes from brown

to dark purple or blackwhen starch is present.

M The foods that contain themost starch and form themain part of our diet arecalled staple foods.

Key concepts

7 Starchy foods are our staplefoods

1. Explain the following information to learners.

Testing different foods for starch2. Before the next lesson, ask learners to bring different items of food from

home, for example, cooked rice, cereals, porridge, bread, carrots, flour,fruits, and so on. Bring samples of the following foods for your learnersto test:M potato M sugarM hard-boiled egg M cooked beansM cheese M flourM cooking oil M maizena

Teacher task

Plants make many different substancesDuring photosynthesis, plants make a sugary liquid called glucose. The plantconverts glucose to starch (carbohydrate) and stores it in the leaves. Chemicalreactions inside the plant’s cells can also change glucose and starch into othersubstances such as proteins, oils, vitamins and fibres. Plants can also makepoisonous substances or chemicals that irritate the skin. Plants do this toprevent animals from eating their leaves. For example, chilli plants make achemical that makes your skin burn.

Foods usually contain a mixture of food substancesAll foods from plants contain a mixture of the main food groups - proteins,starch, sugars, oils, vitamins and fibres. All foods contain some of these foodgroups. Water does not contain any of these food groups so we do not call ita food. Some foods contain one of the food groups in large quantities. Forexample, beans contain large quantities of proteins. Mealies, on the otherhand, contain starch in large quantities. The foods that contain mostly starch(carbohydrate) are called our staple foods. Our staple food usually makes upthe biggest part of our diet. We need staple foods because the starch in themgives us energy.

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3. Provide small plastic bottle tops so that each food samplehas its own bottle top. You will also need iodine solutionin small bottles and cut straws to act as droppers.

4. Explain to the class that some of the foods we eat containstarch. Look at the range of food samples and ask themwhich foods they think do contain starch.

5. Explain that iodine solution turns from brown to purple,black or blue-black when starch is present. Demonstratehow to test a small sample of food with one drop ofiodine on a cut potato. Ask learners to work in groups totest the food samples for starch and to complete LearnerTask Card 6.

Learner Task Card 6Test different foods for starchA. Make predictions.1. What colour is your iodine solution? ………………………………………………………………

2. What colour will your iodine turn when you drop it onto a starchy food?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

3. List the foods that you think will contain starch:

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

B. Test different foods.1. Put a small sample of each food in a plastic bottle top. Make sure that the

different foods do not touch each other.

2. Test each food with a drop of iodine. Do not touch the food with the dropper.This could contaminate the other foods.

3. Record your observations in the table.

Note to the teacherYou can purchase iodine solutionfrom a pharmacy. When you do the test for starch, puteach food sample onto a separateplastic bottle top to prevent thosethat contain starch fromcontaminating those that do not. Do not place the food on paperplates, cardboard, roller towel or anyother paper products as these allcontain starch and will cause thetest to show incorrect results.

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4. Were your predictions correct?

C. Write your conclusion with your teacher.What I learned from this experiment:

We have found that many foods contain starch.

Some foods go very black immediately when iodine is added.

Other foods take some time to turn black after the iodine has

been added.

Cooking oil, egg white, cheese , carrots, onion and sugar do not

contain starch.

Food Plant it comes fromColour wheniodine is added

Is starchpresent?

Maizena seeds of maize plant or mielie black yes

Sugar stem of sugar cane plant brown no

Cheese milk from cows that fed ongrass brown no

Flour seeds of wheat plants black yes

Egg white chickens that fed on mielies brown no

Cookingoil sunflower seeds brown no

Potato stem of potato plants black yes

Cookedbeans seeds of bean plants black yes

Bread seeds of wheat plants black yes

Rice seeds of rice plants black yes

Oatsporridge

seeds of oat plant black yes

Pasta seeds of wheat plnt black yes

Banana fruit of banana tree black yes

Carrot root of carrot plant brown no

Onion stem of onion plant brown no

Learner Task Card 6 (cont.)

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ConsolidationAsk and think about1. Facilitate a class discussion using the following questions:M Were your predictions correct?M Did you all get the same results for the foods you tested? Can you

explain why or why not?M Which foods contain starch? M Which foods do not contain starch?M Which of these foods do you think is the most important part of your

diet? (They are all important.)The starchy food that provides the biggest part of your diet is called astaple food.

2. Explain that the next part of the investigation is to find out which of ourfoods are staple foods.

Assessment task for LO1Investigating staple foods A. Discuss questions for investigation 1. What makes a food a staple food?

A staple food is the starchy food that provides the main part of your diet.

2. How did you find out which foods contain starch?

We did a starch test on the foods that we eat to see which ones contain starch.

3. Which foods do you know definitely contain starch?

Bread, rice, potatoes, oats, pasta

4. How would we decide which of these starchy foods are staple foods? In your groups write downsome questions to ask your family to find out what staple foods they eat regularly.

What foods do we eat every day?

What do you have for breakfast most mornings?

What do you usually have for lunch?

5. Discuss which starchy foods you eat most often yourself. These are your staple foods.(Learners’ answers will vary according to their diets.)

Teacher task


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Assessment task for LO1 (cont.)Learner task

B. Conduct investigations, collect and record data.1. Do this survey. Bring some food you eat often at home to test to see if they are carbohydrates

(contain starch). Identify which are the staple foods for your family. Give reasons why you thinkthey are staple foods.

Bread – yes, it tests positive for starch, and we eat it every day.

Samp – yes, it tests positive for starch, and we eat it very often.

2. Now that you know which foods are carbohydrate foods (contain starch), carry out a surveyabout the following carbohydrate foods.

3. Count how many times a day you eat each carbohydrate food. Then complete the table below.Add more lines to the table if you need to add more examples.

4. Work out the total amount for a week and record on the table below.

5. Show your findings in a bar graph. Examples for teacher: Graphs to show carbohydrate foods eaten by different people

Jane’s staple foods How many times I eat these foods each day

Staple food Mon Tues Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Total

Potato – 1 – – 1 – – 2

Rice 1 – 1 – – 1 1 4

Mielie meal 1 1 1 1 1 – - 5

Bread 1 1 2 1 1 2 2 10

Pasta – – – 1 – – – 1

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Draw a graph of our group’s results6. Copy and complete the table below for your group, showing how many times a week each person

in your group eats the carbohydrate food.

7. Draw a bar graph for each group using the total number of times your group eats each starchy food.

Graph to show how many times a week our group eats starchy food

Number of times carbohydratefood (starch food) is eaten eachweek

Jane Sipho Thami Total

Potato 2 1 2 5

Rice 4 2 6 12

Mielie meal 5 10 7 22

Bread 10 7 4 21

Pasta 1 1 2 4

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Suggested guide for assessment of LO1 Investigating staple foods

Consolidation1. Discuss the following question with the class: M What do you think is the most important staple food in your family

and in your community? M How would you know or find out?


A. Conduct and record investigations

The learner must …I Bring samples of foods and test them for starchI Record information in their own tableI Identify the staple foods they eatI Carry out the survey about these staple foods accuratelyI Record their counting accurately on a table

B. Collect and record data I Draw an accurate graph of their results (showing correctplotting, correct axes, scale, heading and labels)

C. Evaluate and interpret data I Show correct understanding of what we mean by a staple foodI Correctly identify staple foods – their own and others’ (the

starchy food that they eat the most of)

C. Evaluate and discuss dataDiscuss these questions in your group and then write answers to them on your own.1. Explain what we mean by a staple food.

Staple foods are starchy foods, which we eat often. They form a large

part of our diet.

2. Look at your graphs. Compare them and decide what is the staple food for each person.

This is the food/s eaten most often in the week.

3. Does every person have the same staple food? Give reasons.

Different people will have different staple foods, for cultural reasons.

4. Compare the staple foods for the learners in your class. What can you say about staple foods inyour class?

We all eat staple foods but peoples staple foods are different/are not different.

5. How easy was it to count the number of times you ate staple foods during the week? Do youthink your counting was accurate? How could you have improved this survey to make it moreaccurate? Learners’ answers will vary.

Ideas for extension: Find out about a food garden in your area.

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M All our food comes fromplants or from animals thathave fed on plants.

M All the energy that plantsuse to make starch comesfrom the sun.

M Reverence and gratitude forour food connects us tothe Earth and is commonto all religions.

Key concepts

8 We say thank you for ourfood

1. Read the following ‘Thank you’ poem aloud to the class.

Writing a ‘thank you’ poemWork in pairs. 1. Read the poem. 2. Choose one of your staple foods and help each other to write your own

“Thank you” poem for that food. You must start with “Thank you for...”3. Say your poem to the class. Remember to say it clearly and with respect.

Teacher task

Learner task

Thank you for my slice of breadThank you for my slice of bread

Don’t thank me, thank the shopkeeper where the bread was bought.

Thank you shopkeeper for my slice of bread.

Don’t thank me, thank the baker who made the bread.

Thank you baker for my slice of bread.

Don’t thank me, thank the wheat flour that the bread was made from.

Thank you wheat flour for my slice of bread.

Don’t thank me, thank the wheat seeds from which the flour was made.

Thank you wheat seeds for my slice of bread.

Don’t thank me, thank the wheat plant that made me.

Thank you wheat plant for the bread.

Don’t thank me, thank the sun which gave me the energy to grow.

Thank you sun for my slice of bread.

Don’t thank me, thank God for the bread.

Thank you God for my slice of bread.

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M We need food for energy,to move, to grow and torepair damage to ourbodies.

M We need a balanced dietwhich containscarbohydrates, proteins,fats, minerals and vitamins.

M Food can lose itsnutritional value duringprocessing.

M Fresh foods contain higherlevels of nutrition thanprocessed foods.

M We should choose foodsthat keep our bodieshealthy and strong.

Key concepts

9 Home-cooked food andprocessed food

1. Explain the main food groups to the class. Look at the food groupdiagram, the background information on staple diets, the table of energyvalues and the bread label and explain the following concepts:M We can divide food into three main food groups. (See diagrams that

follow.) We need to eat a balanced diet, which includes food fromeach group to keep us healthy.

M All foods contain some energy. We measure this energy in kilojoules(kJ). The table that follows shows you some examples of energyvalues of foods we eat.

M The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) is the amount of kilojoulesthat a person needs to eat every day. (See the backgroundinformation on page 31.) We get this energy by eating differentfoods. People that are growing and doing hard manual work or a lotof physical exercise need to eat more.

M The law says that companies that produce food must print the energyvalue, ingredients and additives of processed food on the packaging.

M Traditionally grown and prepared foods provide people with plenty offibre, vitamins and minerals. These substances help to keep your bodystrong and healthy. Traditional foods do not contain extra sugar, salt,fat or chemicals.

Getting the right balanceM We need to eat balanced meals to stay healthy. To do this, we must

try to choose food from all three food groups. There are healthy foodsfrom each group that are not expensive. For example: brown bread(carbohydrate), peanut butter and milk (protein); samp and beans(carbohydrate and protein); mielie meal and amasi (carbohydrate andprotein).

Teacher task Explaining about food groups

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GROUP 1:Proteins (Body-building foods)

Group 3: Carbohydrates,fats and oils(Energy foods)

GROUP 2:Vitamins

and mineral(Foods that protect

us from disease)

Why do we need to eat from the three mainfood groups?

Calcium and otherminerals to build ourbones and teeth

Proteins to build andheal our bodies e.g.brains and muscles

Water toprovide liquidin our blood

Fats and oils are storedunder our skin until we need them for energy

Roughage tohelp our foodmove throughour intestines

Starch and othercarbohydrates togive us energy forliving and musclemovement

Vitamins to keep our organs healthy and working well

FibreIt is important to eatfood that has fibre in it.Fibre helps your food tomove properly throughyour digestive systemand preventsconstipation. Raw fruitsand vegetables,wholewheat flour, brownrice and beans allcontain fibre. Whiteflour has had all thefibre removed. Try toreduce the amount offoods that you eat thatare made with whiteflour e.g. white bread,cakes, pastries, andbiscuits. Rather eatwholewheat products.

The food groups

30

Food Amount Kilojoules (kJ)

Sugar, white 1 teaspoon 64

White bread 1 slice, 40 g 300

Jam 1 table spoon 557

Peanut butter 1 tea spoon 123

Cooked beans 1/2 cup = 85 g 437

Margarine 1 teaspoon 152

Egg 1 boiled 379

Potato 1 large boiled 293

Potato chips fried in oil 1 small serving 955

Cola 500 ml 900

Diet cola 500 ml 0

Potato crisps 1 packet 30 g 668

Chicken, fried in oil 1 drumstick 774

Pie, Chicken 1 small pie 2431

Biscuit 1 lemon cream 300

White rice 1/2 cup cooked 435

Maize meal porridge 1/2 cup, stiff (cooked) 463

Chocolate (milk) 1 bar, 100 g 2241

Meat (mutton stew) 1/2 cup 865

Spinach 1/2 cup = 85 g, cooked 82

Pumpkin 100 g boiled 176

Oil 1 teaspoon 184

Samp 1/2 cup cooked 485

Onion 1 cooked 46

Food energy table

See Learner Task Card to photocopy on page 60. The task card includes the food energy table and diagram of food groups.

A. Foods we eat at home1. Ask the learners to say what they usually eat for breakfast, lunch and

supper. Encourage all anwers. 2. Show the food values table to the learners and make sure they

understand that the first column shows the kind of food, the secondcolumn gives a quantity and the third column shows the number ofkiloJoules contained in that quantity. Ask questions about the table tomake sure that they can read values from it, for example:M How many kilojoules in 1 cup of mutton stew? and so on.

B. Foods in the past, present and future1. Read the following recipe to the learners for a traditional home-cooked

meal.

Recommended Daily Allowance(RDA)In order to live and stay healthy, every personneeds to get a basic amount of energy every day.We get that energy every day from our food. Thisis called the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA)of food. The energy content of the food ismeasured in kilojoules (kJ). The RDA for growinggirls aged 12 to 15 is 9 000 kJ. For growing boysaged 12 to 15 it is 11 000 kJ. Our staple foods,such as bread, rice or mealie meal, provide uswith most of this daily energy. Other foods giveus less energy but we need them to build andrepair our bodies. We also need a daily allowanceof proteins from meat or beans or nuts. We alsoneed minerals such as iron, for building up strongmuscles, blood and bones, and to fight diseases.

Teacher task

RDA for boys aged 12–15is 11000kJ

RDA for girls aged12–15 is 9 000kJ

Umngqusho onembotyi (Samp and beans)380 g samp260 sugar beans2 litres water1 large onion, choppedSalt to taste1. Wash the samp and beans. Cover them

with water and soak them overnight. 2. The next morning, drain off the water.3. Put the water in a large pot and bring to

the boil. Add the samp and beans. Makesure there is enough water to cover them.

4. Cook the mixture for 3 hours, addingwater when necessary until theingredients are soft.

5. Add onion and salt and mix well.

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A meal of umngqusho onembotyi (samp andbeans)

A. Home-cooked food1. Look at the food energy table and the three

food groups. Use the information from thetable, and the diagram of the different foodgroups, to help you fill in the table.

B. Foods in the past, present and future1. Find out about foods your parents or grandparents used to make at home. Speak to members of

your family or community to find a recipe of a traditional meal in your culture. 2. Write and draw the recipe, using the following headings: name of food or meal, ingredients,

method (what to do)3. Then share the foods and recipe you have written. Include any interesting details about the

foods and when and how you eat them.

Learner task card 7 Learner task card to photocopy on page 56

Ingredients Food group/s Energy Substancesadded to thefood

Samp Carbohydrate 485 kJ Salt

Beans Proteins 437 kJ Salt

Onion Vitamins andminerals 46 kJ

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2. Explain the following to the learners.M Fresh foods prepared at home are usually more nutritious than

processed foods.M Traditional and home cooked foods such as fresh vegetables,

umngqusho (samp and beans), mealie meal and home-made breadprovide more than just the starch for energy. They are rich in proteinsand minerals, which are important for growth. Traditional home-cooked foods also contain fibre, which is essential for the digestivesystem.

M Processed foods can damage your health. The United States ofAmerica is one of the wealthiest countries in the world. But one outof every three Americans is seriously overweight (too fat). This can bevery dangerous.

M All over the world, people are starting to demand fresh foods that aregrown in a natural way. These foods are grown without addingchemicals or insecticides to them. We say they are organically grown.Many people buy organic foods because they want to avoid eatingchemicals that can damage their health.

C. Analysing a home-cooked meal1. Look at the example of a traditional recipe on the previous page and help

learners to complete the table. (You will have to refer to the diagram offood groups and the table of energy content of foods on pages 29 – 30)

1. Explain the following to the learners.

2. Discuss the following questions with the learners:M What does the term ‘processed food’ mean? M What are your favourite foods to eat at home? M What are your favourite foods when you go out to eat?

3. Make a class list of the top ten processed foods that learners in the classlike to eat (e.g. fried chips, crisps, soft drinks, sweets, polony).

For the learner task that follows, you will need the label from a packet ofVienna sausages and a cola can.

Teacher task

Processed foodMost people do not have the space or time to grow their own food, so theybuy their food from a shop. A lot of the food we buy ready-prepared from theshops is processed. Processed means that the raw ingredients have been dried,mixed, cooked or baked already. Processing helps to stop food from going bad.We freeze food, dry it or preserve it with salt, sugar and/or chemicals, and weput it into cans or bottles. In the preserving process, many foods lose theirvitamins and minerals. Often the food is ground up and the fibre is removed,for example in making white flour. Sometimes a chemical is added to whiteflour to bleach it and make it look really white. Sometimes fat and salt, sugaror chemicals are added to food to preserve it or to improve the flavour. Somechemicals added to food are:

M sodium benzoate – a chemical added to preserve food M monosodium glutamate – a chemical added for flavourM tartrazine – a yellow or red chemical for colouring the food

This means that processed foods are less nutritious than fresh foods. Theymay also contain chemicals, which may be unhealthy for us.

Fast foodsFast foods such as chips, hamburgers and pizzas are highly processed foods.They are prepared with a lot of white flour, sugar, oil and salt. They are lowin fibre. They are high in energy but low in good nutrition. Sometimes weenjoy eating fast foods, but we should only eat them sometimes – not everyday!

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See page 63 for learner task to photocopy

Learner Task Card 8Comparing home-cooked food withprocessed foods and fast foodsA. Processed and fast foods1. Look at the example of the fast foods in the picture.2. Find a Vienna sausage packet and a cooldrink can.

Look at the ingredients written on the package.Then fill in the table, as you did for the traditionalmeal. (Use the food energy table and the food groupdiagram to help you.)

B. Comparing a home-cooked meal with a fast-food meal

A hot dog on a white roll withfried chips and a coke is a

typical example of a fast-foodmeal that consists of

processed foods

fizzy cooldrink

fried chips

white roll

tomato saucemargarine

sausage

Food ingredient Food group Other substances added tofood

Estimated energyvalue in kilojoulesper single portion

Traditional food: samp and beans

Samp Group 3 salt 485

Beans Group 1 437

Onion Group 2 46

Total amount of energy per meal 968 kJ

Processed food: hot dog, coke and chips

Vienna sausages Group 1 colourants, flavourants,preservatives, salt, sugar, spices

467

Tomato sauce None of themain foodgroups

colourants, flavourants,preservatives, salt, sugar, spices

19

White roll Group 3

risingbaking powder, preservative,salt, sugar

400

Margarine Group 3 food colourants, preservative,salt, sugar

150

Fried chips Group 3 salt 1 292

Coke Group 3 food colourant, sugar 900

Total amount of energy per meal 13 228 kJ

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C. Comparing the two kinds of mealsDiscuss the difference between the two kinds of meals.1. Which meal includes all three food groups?

Samp and beans/traditional meal2. Which meal contains the most added salt, sugar and chemicals?

Hot dog, coke and chips/the processed food.3. Which food group provides the most kilojoules in each meal?

Group 3 - the carbohydrates fats and oils4. Write sentences to compare these two meals.

Comparing home-cooked food with fast foodsThe home cooked meal is made from food which only has salt added to it.

The fast food meal has had many chemicals added to it.

The main difference is that the traditional home-cooked meal is made with food from

all three food groups. The food is not processed very much. The processed meal has

no food from group 2 (vitamins, minerals and fibre). The kilojoule (energy) content is

extremely high. This is because the potatoes are fried in oil and the cooldrink

contains a lot of sugar. The processed meat contains very little fibre because most

of the fibre has been removed.

5. Which meal would you choose? Why? Would you eat it every day? Would this be good for you?Explain why or why not.Learners’ answers will vary. Encourage all reasonable answers.

Group 3:Carbohydrates, fats and

oils – energy foods

Group 2:Vitamins and

minerals –protective foods

Group 1:Proteins – body-building foods

The Food Energy Table The food groupsFood Amount Kilojoules (kJ)







Egg 1 boiled 379



Cola 500 ml 900

Diet cola 500 ml 0

Potato crisps 1 packet 30 g 668






Chocolate (milk) 1 bar, 100 g 2241


Spinach 1/2 cup = 85 g, cooked 82


Oil 1 teaspoon 184


Onion 1 cooked 46

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Consolidation1. Explain the following to the learners.

2. Give the learners the following task:M Imagine yourself 100 years from now. What types of food will you be

eating? Why? Where do you think the food will come from? Hownutritious will it be? Draw and write to tell about this.

Dangerous eating habit Possible diseases as a result

Eating too much fat and sugar Obesity (being too fat)

High cholesterol leading to heart disease

Eating too much sugar and refined foods High blood sugar, eventually leading to diabetes

Eating too much refined food Digestive problems, eventually leading to colon cancer

Eating too much salt High blood pressure which can cause strokes and heartattacks

Eating too much sugar and foodscontaining preservatives and colourings

Serious allergies, problems with concentrating andstudying, learning problems

People in cities eat too much processed food and food from which the fibrehas been removed (called refined food e.g. white flour and white bread). Theyalso eat too much sugar, fat and salt. This can lead to health problems suchas heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure and other ailments.

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10 Eating a balanced diet

Assessment task (LO3)1. Ask leading questions to find out what learners know, or explain the

points through discussion. Some questions you may ask are:M Where do we get our food from?M What do we need from our food?M What kinds of food give us the things we need?M Why do people buy processed food?M What is processed food? What does it have added to it?M Why should we avoid processed foods?M What makes you want to buy a food product?

M We need food for energy,to move, to grow and torepair damage to ourbodies.

M We need a balanced dietfrom all three food groupsto stay healthy.

M We need food that is freshand good for us and thathas not lost its nutritionalvalue during processing.

M We need to choose to eatthe most healthy foods forour bodies.


The discussion should lead to the following points:M We get food to eat from our environment.M Food is digested slowly in your stomach. Digestion releases glucose sugar into your

blood over a long period of time.M We need to eat fresh, nutritious food which is processed as little as possible.M Most people in cities buy their food from a shop or supermarket.M Most food in shops is processed and packaged so that it lasts longer. It is also processed

to make it taste better. M Many luxury and snack foods taste nice because they have had fat, sugar and chemical

flavourings added.M Processed food can be difficult for our bodies to digest because they contain too little of

the substances our bodies need (fibre, minerals and vitamins) and too much ofsubstances that can damage our bodies (fat, salt, sugar and chemicals).

M Food manufacturers have to print information about the ingredients on the foodpackages. It is our responsibility to read and use that information.

M Attractive labels and advertisements on packaging can influence which foods we buy, butit is important to check what the food contains.

M We can keep our bodies healthy by choosing to eat the food that we know is good for us M Luxury foods are usually those that are highly processed. They have had sugar or salt

and fat added to them and they are expensive. For example, chocolates, very richcheeses, cream cakes, pastries, sweets, expensive processed meats such as salami, etc.

Avoid describing food as ‘healthy’ or‘unhealthy’, as these terms are relative. Anyfood eaten in excess can lead to healthproblems. Similarly, fast foods are not damagingto our health if we only eat them occasionally.Instead compare foods, asking questions suchas: Which should we eat regularly? Whichshould we only eat sometimes? Which is highin fat? Which is high in fibre? Why should weeat this more often than that? And so on.

2. Ask learners to bring examples of food packetsand examples of different foods they eat. Theymust read the information on the food packetsand then decide whether the foods are ones theyshould eat often or not. For example, on thebread packet that follows, the bread contains allthree food groups and few chemicals. So yourlearners might conclude that bread is good toeat often.

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Assessment task for LO3 Making better food choicesA. Read the food labels

Collect examples of food packaging, pictures of food, and samples of different foods that youeat. Here is an example of a bread packet and how to read it.

Learner task

This tells youhow much energy

the breadcontains.

The breadcontains these

substances.

Preservativesare chemicals that

prevent breadfrom going bad.

Therecommendeddaily allowance

(RDA) indicates howmuch of each

substance a personover 13 years old

should eat perday.

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Suggested guide for assessment of LO3

B. Make a poster to compare healthier and lesshealthy food choices1. Read the food packets that you have brought to find out:

a) the nutritional value of the food (how many kJ each servingcontains)

b) the food groups it belongs to. Also use the food group diagram. Decide whether the food issomething you should eat more often or less often.

2. Before you put your food on the poster, tell your group which sideyou will put it on and why. Next to each food write the reason whyyou think that it is more or less healthy. Make sure that you includeexamples of the three main food groups.

C. Write a paragraph to answer each question below.1. Why do we need a healthy diet for our bodies?2. How can you make your own diet healthier?


A. Make a poster to comparehealthy and unhealthy foodchoices

To achieve code 4 (80%)

PresentationThe learner must...I Lay the poster out clearlyI Write neatly and legiblyI Use pleasing overall presentationContentI Provide examples of foods from all three food groupsI Use at least five relevant examples of healthy and unhealthy

foodsI Show understanding of healthier and unhealthier eating habits

I Write their reasons extremely logically and clearly and show acomplete understanding of which foods they should eat regularlyand which foods they should avoid

B. Write two paragraphs toexplain:

To achieve code 4 (80%)

I Why we need a healthy diet for our body environmentI How you can make your own diet more healthyI Show understanding of the concept of a healthy diet and its

relation to the life processesI Include at least three relevant suggestions about how to improve

their own diet

I Show a personal sense of responsibility and commitment fortaking care of their own health by choosing healthier foods overless healthy foods

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Consolidation1. Discuss the following questions with the class:

M Why is it a good idea to eat more traditional foods?M Why do we process some foods?M What gets removed or added to foods during the processing?M What is luxury food?M What health problems can we get from eating too many luxury and

processed food?M Who should decide what kind of food we eat?M Why is it important to choose our food carefully?M How does our food affect our bodies?

Extension activity for LO3Read the articles that follow on the next few pages. Discuss these questionswith your class:

M Why do we like to eat luxury foods such as chocolates, chips andsweets?

M Do you know anyone in your family, or your community who issuffering from a diet-related disease? What useful suggestions couldyou give them?

M Do you know of any family or community members who are notgetting enough food? How can you help them?

M What suggestions can you give your family about choosing good foodthat will not cost too much?

M What do you bring or buy to eat at school? Is it enough? Is ithealthy?

M Does your school get food from the school-feeding scheme? Whatfood does your school get? Is it healthy? Why?

Ideas for projectsM Find out about a

food garden projectin your area andtake your class tovisit it.

M Start a food gardenproject at yourschool.

M Make a differenceby finding ways tohelp people who donot have enoughfood.

M Contact organisa-tions such as SEEDfor help to growfood gardens. PO Box 40 Philippi 7781, Tel: 371 3180 or447 7686

Cape Town has a higher rate of lifestyle-related illnesses than most other cities in thecountry. A two-month study found that CapeTown has the highest rate of diabetes andthe second highest rate of heart disease andstrokes in men.

Researcher Adam Cooke led a studywhich surveyed nine cities in South Africa.Polokwane in Limpopo came out tops withthe fewest lifestyle-based illnesses. Cookediscovered that Cape Town has shockinghealth statistics. He found that people eat very poorlyand do not exercise enough. He says that even thosewho had moved from rural areas were changing theirrelatively healthy diet to one with less fibre. “These are

diseases of lifestyle. “Many people move into Cape Town from

the rural areas, looking for jobs. Thesepeople change their healthy rural dietdrastically once they move to the city. Peopleeat less fresh produce in the city because it iseasier to buy processed food. Also, there isless land available to people for growingtheir own vegetables.

Lunelle Arendse, a dietician from theHeart Foundation, says that diabetes is often

the consequence of not taking responsibility for healthand not cultivating healthy lifestyle habits,” saysCooke.

Adapted from an article in Cape Argus, 21 November 2005

Processed foods take a bite out of city’s health

41

Many people choose foods that arerefined and high in fat and sugar,because they are easy to eatand taste sweet.Chocolate, cakes,puddings, biscuitsand sweets all tastesweet. They are easyto digest and high inkilojoules. They are alsoeasy to eat because they arealready prepared. However,eating too much sugary, fattyfood is dangerous because it canlead to illnesses, such as:

I obesity – becoming dan-gerously overweight; can lead toother diseases

I diabetes – when the body cannotcontrol the amount of sugar in theblood

I high cholesterol and heart disease– the body stores the fat in theveins and arteries, which causesthem to get blocked; this can leadto heart attacks

I high blood pressure - this can leadto strokes and heart attacks

I allergies – these can lead to asthma and skin problems can be

caused by eating too much sugar,refined white flour and chemicalpreservatives such as sodiumbenzoate

I behaviour problems – eating toomuch sugar, refined white flourand chemical preservatives andflavourings such as tartrazine canlead to hyperactivity and inabilityto concentrate.Also, foods that are high in fat and

sugar give you a very quick burst ofenergy. A short while later, you will

feel quite tired. Luxury foodsare highly processedfoods.

They can bed e l i c i o u ssometimes,but theyshould notform themain part ofyour diet.

M a n ypeople have problemswith food. These problemsoften affect young people.Some young people

overeat (eat too much) andothers undereat (eat too little).

People that overeat may eatcertain foods for comfort when theyare facing personal difficulties.Some people eat a lot of sugary, fattyfood when they are depressed,lonely, scared or don’t feel goodabout themselves. Often, they try tomake themselves feel better byeating snacks, sweets and fast foods.Some people get addicted to these“comfort foods”.

This addiction becomes a kind ofmental illness.

Isijabane Semifino Yembuya(Wild pumpkin leaves, pumpkin and mielie mix)

1 small pumpkin, cubed

140 g wild pumpkin leaves

250 g fresh mielies, crushed

2 chilli peppers, finely chopped

750 ml water

salt to taste

Bring water to the boil. Add pumpkin, wild pumpkin leaves, crushed mielies and chilli peppers.

Cook until soft, stirring occasionally. Add salt and simmer for a few minutes. Serve hot.Taken from: South African Indigenous Foods (IndiZAFoods)

Luxury foods and diseases

42

The Secretsof AfricanWomen

The government has providedmoney to publish a recipebook called “South AfricanIndigenous Foods”, which

includes recipes for meals from allregions of South Africa.

When European settlers landed inSouth Africa, they discovered that theindigenous people had remedies formany kinds of diseases. Indigenouspeople also knew how to farmeffectively, and they knew about goodnutrition.

Today, researchers recognise thatwomen in traditional communitiesmanage the natural resources aroundthe home – for example the garden.Women usually know and understandtheir environment and use it as asource of traditional remedies. Theyare also the ones who keep thisknowledge alive, using it and passingit on from generation to generation. Ina community, women usually keep thecultural traditions alive. We say thatwomen are the keepers of indigenous knowledge.

Today, many people are realising thatindigenous foods are very important. Forcenturies, Africans have kept their familieshealthy by using the food and natural medicinesavailable to them. African women learnt aboutthe nutritional value of the foods by cookingfor their families and developing recipeswhich form the staple of African diet.

In the past, Europeans did not realise thatthese traditional African foods are highlynutritious. As obesity and diet-relateddiseases increase in South Africa, peopleare concerned that a healthy, traditionalway of eating is disappearing. The recipebook aims to bring traditional foods backto our tables.

Adapted from: Mail and Guardian 12–18 August 2005

43

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45

SSEECCTTIIOONN 22SECTION 2Teacher resources Learner task cards to photocopy

Task card 1 What do all living things do and need? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46Task card 2 What foods do we get from plants? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48Task card 3 Sustaining our food plants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Assessment task for LO2Understanding the process of photosynthesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51Task card 4 Write a recipe for photosynthesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Task card 5 Test a green leaf for starch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Task card 6 Test different foods for starch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Assessment task for LO1Investigating staple foods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Task card 7 Analysing home-cooked meals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60Task card 8 Comparing home-cooked food with processes foods . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Assessment task for LO3Making better food choices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Task card 9 Reflecting about Life and Living . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67Information on GM foods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68Poem in Isixhosa: UMNGA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69Story in Afrikaans: Dirkie mens en snytjie brood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Teaching aids for photosynthesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

What do all living things do and need?1. Complete the picture, What does my body need to carry out its life processes?

Draw pictures and make labels to show the seven life processes.

What does my body need to carry out its life processes?

Learner task

TASK CARD 1 Task card to photocopy

46

47

2. Write sentences to explain what your body needs to carry out each process.

MOVEMENTe.g. My body needs to eat and digest food to give me energy.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

RESPIRATION

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

SENSITIVITY

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

GROWTH

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

REPRODUCTION

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

EXCRETION

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

NUTRITION

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

TASK CARD 1 (CONT) Task card to photocopy

48

Learner task


What foods do you eat regularly? What plants do these foods come from?

Fried chips, mashed potato

Bread

Salad

Sugar cane

Cabbage

Lentils, beans or chick peas

Chocolate

Oil

Tea bush

Spinach

Onion

What foods do we get from plants?

49

Learner task


Food for our bodiesTo stay healthy, we need to eat a balanced diet. A balanced diet contains foods from the main groups. The main food groups are: carbohydrates,proteins, minerals and vitamins, fats and oils, and fibre. M Carbohydrates give us energy. We get them from starchy foods such as

bread, rice and potatoes. M Proteins help our bones to grow. We get them from foods like meat,

eggs, milk, beans and nuts. M Minerals and vitamins are found in fruits and vegetables. They help us

to fight diseases. M Fats and oils help our skin and hair to stay healthy. We get them from

butter, margarine, oil and nuts. M Fibre helps our digestion. Fibre is the hard, chewy part of plants such

as apples, pumpkin and wheat.

Staple foods All around the world the main food that people eat is called their staplefood. Staple foods provide people with the main carbohydrate (starchy)part of their diet for each day. Staple foods give us energy. Some of theimportant staple foods around the world are rice, maize and wheat. In most places, people eat the staple foods that grow most easily in theirareas. In South Africa, our staple foods are maize, wheat and potatoes. InWest Africa, cassava and yam are staple foods. In Asia, rice is a popularstaple food. Sorghum, oats and sweet potatoes are also staple foods insome areas of the world where they grow. People who live in cities caneat a variety of staple foods from around the world, which they can buy in shops.

Grass feeds the world!Almost all the staple foods come from plants that belong to the grassfamily. Maize, wheat, rice, oats, rye, barley and sorghum all come fromkinds of grasses. The sugar cane plant is also a grass. We also get ourmeat and milk indirectly from grasses because cows, goats and sheepall feed on grass.

Traditional foodsTraditional foods come from local crops. Farmers collect the seeds fromtheir crops each year to plant the next season's crops. This helps them tosustain the crop (keep it going year after year). Some traditional foodsgrow wild and seed themselves, for example, wild spinach (umfino),marula fruit, prickly pears, msoba-soba berries, sour figs (suurvye) andblackberries all grow wild. Traditional foods can provide us with importantminerals and nutrients. Foods in shops are not as fresh. When they getpacked and transported, they lose a lot of their minerals and nutrients.

Sustaining our food plants

50

Learner task

TASK CARD 3 (CONT.) Task card to photocopy

Improving the harvest Farmers often try to increase the amount of food that they can harvest fromtheir crops. They add manure or fertilisers to the soil to provide their crops withmineral salts. They also use chemicals to control pests and diseases, which can attack their crops. We all depend on farmers to sustain our food plants around the world.

Questionsa) What is a ‘staple food’?b) What important food group is found in all staple foods? What do we need it

for?c) What family of plants provide most of the world’s staple foods?d) What do we mean by a traditional food?e) What do farmers do to increase the amount of food from their crops?f) Name some traditional foods that grow wild. Say which ones you have eaten.

Understanding the process of photosynthesisA. Read and discuss the information about photosynthesis below.

In the sunlight

Green plants absorb ………………………………………from the sun.

In the roots

The roots take up ………………………

and …………………………………………

from the soil into the plant.

In the leaves

Leaves absorb the gas ………………………

Plants make a food called ………………………

Then the plants convert glucose sugar to …………………………so that they can store it

Leaves release ……………………………………

into the air.

In the plant

Plants store the sunlight energy as food (starch) in their

………………………………………………………………………

In the environment

Humans and animals ………………… plants for food.

Humans and animals breathe out ………………………………………………

Humans and animals breathe in ……………………………………………

51

Assessment task for LO2 Task card to photocopy

52

B. Use the drawing below (or make your own) to show the process of photosynthesis.

On your drawing make arrows and write labels to show where:M Sunlight energy goes M Water and mineral salts go M Carbon dioxide goesM Oxygen goes M The plant makes glucose sugar and starch

C. Write a few sentences to explain why photosynthesis is important for life on Earth.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Assessment task for LO2 (cont.)

53

Learner taskPretend you are an old plant telling a young plant how to make starch.

A recipe for starch

How to make glucose and starch

Ingredients

What substances do you need to make this food?

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Method

What steps must you follow to make the food?

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Questions

a) What is left over after the plant has made glucose and starch?

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b) Where does this leftover substance go and who uses it?

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c) Where does the plant make its food?

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Write a recipe for photosynthesisTASK CARD 4 Task card to photocopy

54

Learner Task


Follow the instructions in the diagrams below. Then answer the questions that follow.

1. Put a leaf in a baby food jar. Cover it with boiling waterand leave for 2 minutes. Boiling water destroysthe membranes of the cells.

2. Put the leaf in a baby food jar. Cover it withmethylated spirits (or ethanol). The methylatedspirits removes the green chlorophyll from theleaf. After a while, the leaf should be white orpale green and hard.

3. Place the baby food jar in styrofoam cup ofboiling water.

4. Dip the leaf in hot water. Hot water makes theleaf soft again.

5. Put the leaf on a square piece of waxed lunchwrap (or a plastic lid). Put a drop of iodinesolution onto the leaf. The iodine will turnblack where starch is present.

boilingwater

baby food jar

leaf

hot water

methylated spirits

styrofoam cup withboiling water

rinse in hot water

iodine solution

SAFETY PRECAUTION!Do not work with ethanol or

methylated spirits near anopen flame. It is highly

flammable and may explode.

Test a green leaf for starch

Questions

a) Did we find starch in the leaves we tested? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

b) How could we tell that there was starch in the leaf? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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c) What does iodine do when starch is present? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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d) Where do plants make their food? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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1

2&3

4

5

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A. Make predictions.

1. What colour is your iodine solution? ………………………………………………………………

2. What colour will your iodine turn when you drop it onto a starchy food?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

3. List the foods that you think will contain starch:

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B.Test different foods.1. Put a small sample of each food in a plastic bottle top. Make sure that

different foods do not touch each other.

2. Test each food with a drop of iodine. Do not touch the food with the dropper as this could contaminate the other foods.

3. Record your observations in the table.


Test different foods for starch

56


4. Were your predictions correct? ………………………………………………………………

C. Write a conclusion with your teacherWe learnt from this experiment

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Food Plant it comes from Colour when iodine isadded

Is starchpresent?

Maizena

Sugar

Cheese

Flour

Egg white

Cooking oil

Potato

Cooked beans

Bread

Rice

Oats porridge

Pasta

Banana

Carrot

Onion

Learner task

57

Staple foods A. Discuss questions for investigation 1. What makes a food a staple food?

2. How did you find out which foods contain starch?

3. Which foods do you know definitely contain starch?

4. How would we decide which of these starchy foods are staple foods? In your groups write downsome questions to ask your family to find out what staple foods they eat regularly.

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5. Discuss which starchy foods you eat most often yourself. These are your staple foods.

B. Conduct investigations, collect and record data1. Do a survey.

a) Bring some foods you eat often at home to test for starch. Identify which are the staplefoods for your family. Give reasons that you think they are staple foods.

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2. Now that you know which foods are carbohydrate foods (contain starch), carry out a surveyabout the following carbohydrate foods:

3. Count how many times a day you eat each carbohydrate food. Then complete the table below.Add more lines to the table if you need to add more examples.

4. Work out the total amount of staple foods for a week. Then record it on the table.

Assessment task for LO1 Task card to photocopy

Jane’s staple foods How many times I eat these foods each day

Staple food Mon Tues Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Total

Potato

Rice

Mielie meal

Bread

Pasta

Learner task

58

5. Show your findings in a bar graph.

Graph to show how many times a week I eat each starch food

Different starchy foods

3. Copy and complete the table below for your group, to show how many times a week each person in your group eats the carbohydrate food.

4. Draw a bar graph for each group using the total number of times your group eats each starchy food.

Assessment task for LO1 (cont.) Task card to photocopy

Tota

lnum

ber

oftim

esth

atIe

atst

arch

yfo

odea

chw

eek.

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

Number of times a week I eat this food

Number of timescarbohydrate food (starchfood) is eaten each week

Name Name Name Name TOTAL

Potato

Rice

Mielie meal

Bread

Pasta

Learner task

ASSESSMENT TASK FOR LO1 (CONT.) Task card to photocopy

59

Tota

lnum

ber

oftim

esea

chfo

odis

eate

nin

our

grou

p

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

Graph to show how many times a week our group eats each starchy food

potato rice mielie meal bread pastaDifferent starch foods

C. Evaluate and interpret dataDiscuss these questions in your group. Then write answers to the questions on your own.

1. Explain what we mean by a staple food.

2. Look at your graphs. Compare them and decide what is the staple food for each person.

3. Does every person have the same staple food? Give reasons.

4. Compare the staple foods for the learners in your class. What can you say about staple foods in your class?

5. How easy was it to count the number of times you ate staple foods during the week?

6. Do you think your counting was accurate?

7. How could you have improved this survey to make it more accurate?

Learner task

60

1. Look at the food energy table and thethree food groups. Use the informationfrom the table and the diagram of thedifferent food groups, to help you fill inthe table.


Ingredients Food group/s Energy Substances added to the food

Samp

Beans

Onion

A. Analysing home-cooked meals

A meal of umngqusho onembotyi (samp and beans)

Food groups

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Learner taskTASK CARD 7 (CONT.) Task card to photocopy

Food Amount Kilojoules (kJ)







Egg 1 boiled 379



Cola 500 ml 900

Diet cola 500 ml 0

Potato crisps 1 packet 30g 668






Chocolate (milk) 1 bar, 100g 2241


Spinach 1/2 cup = 85g, cooked 82


Oil 1 teaspoon 184


Onion 1 cooked 46

Food energy table

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Learner task


B. Foods in the past, present and future1. Find out about foods your parents or grandparents used to make at home.

Speak to members of your family or community to find a recipe of a traditionalmeal in your culture.

2. Write and draw the recipe, using the following headings:M Name of food or mealM IngredientsM Method (what to do)

3. Then share the foods and recipe you have written. Include any interestingdetails about the foods and when and how you eat them.

Recipe

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63

Learner task


Comparing home-cooked food with processed foods and fast foods

A. Processed and fast foods1. Look at the example of the fast foods in the picture.2. Find a Vienna sausage packet and a cooldrink can.

Look at the ingredients written on the package.Then fill in the table, as you did for the traditional meal. (Use the food energy table and the food group diagram to help you.)

Food ingredient Food group Other substances added tofood

Estimated energyvalue in kilojoulesper single portion

Traditional food: samp and beans

Samp Group 3 salt 485

Beans Group 1 437

Onion Group 2 46

Total amount of energy per meal 968 kJ

Processed food: hot dog, coke and chips

Vienna sausages

Tomato sauce

White roll

Margarine

Fried chips

Coke

Total amount of energy per meal 13 228 kJ

Learner task

64

Group 1: Proteins – (body-building foods)

Group 2: Vitamins and minerals – (protective foods)

Group 3: Carbohydrates, fats and oils – (energy foods)

C. Comparing a home-cooked meal and a fast food meal1. Which meal includes all three food groups?

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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2. Which meal contains the most added salt, sugar and chemicals?

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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3. Which food group provides the most kilojoules in each meal?

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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4. Write sentences to compare these two meals.

For example:The home cooked meal is made from food which only has salt added to it. The fast foodmeal has had many chemicals added to it.

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for you? Explain why or why not.

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A. Read food labels1. Work in groups. Collect examples of food packaging, pictures of food, and

samples of different foods that you eat. Here is an example of a bread packetand how to read it.

Making better food choicesAssessment task for LO3 Task card to photocopy

65

Learner task

This tells youhow much energy

the breadcontains.

The breadcontains these

substances.

Preservativesare chemicals that

prevent breadfrom going bad.

Therecommendeddaily allowance

(RDA) indicates howmuch of each

substance a personover 13 years old

should eat perday.

66

Learner taskB. Make a poster to compare healthier and less healthy food choices.1. Read the food packets that you have brought to find out:

a) the nutritional value of the food (how many kJ each serving contains).b) the food groups which the food belongs to. Also use the food group diagram. Decide whether the food is healthier or less healthy.

2. Before you put your food on the poster, tell your group which side you will put it on and why.Next to each food write the reason why you think that it is more or less healthy. Make sure thatyou include examples of the three main food groups.

C. Write a paragraph to answer each question below.1. Why do we need a healthy diet for our body?

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2. How can you make your own diet more healthy?

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Assessment task for LO3 (cont.) Task card to photocopy

67

Learner task Reflecting on Life and Living1. Write and draw to tell about anything that you found interesting in this work on Life and Living. 2. Explain why you found that part interesting.3. Also write some questions about anything that you would like to know more

about in Life and Living.

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TASK CARD 9 Task card to photocopyAssessment task for LO3 (cont.) Task card to photocopy

68

What are GM foods?Genetically Modified (GM) plants are crops that scientists have developed bychanging the DNA (the chemical in cells which provides genetic information) inplants and animals. For example some fish have a part of their DNA that helpsthem to survive in very cold conditions. Scientists have developed tomatoes withsome of this fish DNA so that the tomatoes do not get damaged by frost. Scientistsencourage farmers around the world to use GM crops. The scientists say that GMfoods will help farmers to increase the amount of food that they can produce.

Problems with GM foodsM The scientists are employed by very big companies to do their research. Once

they have developed the GM seeds, they sell them to farmers at very highprices.

M GM seeds are usually very expensive. The scientists alter (change) the plant sothat the crops do not produce good seeds of their own. So the farmers have tobuy fresh seeds every year. In this way the seed company earns more money.

M The crops are strong (they resist pests and diseases well), so they survive betterthan other local plants, causing other local species to die.

M Local insect and animal populations can get damaged if the GM foods are notgood for them to eat.

M Another problem is that the farmers often stop growing traditional crops.Although some traditional crops do not produce such a high yield, they aresometimes more able to adapt to changes in the climate such as drought.People feel that it is important to sustain (keep growing) many of thetraditional crops so they can be used in the future if the climate changes.

M We are not sure if food produced from GM crops is safe to eat. In manydeveloped countries, people refuse to eat GM crops in case they cause illnesses.Seed companies then try to sell the unwanted seeds to less developedcountries.

Information on GM foods

SSEECCTTIIOONN 33Extracts from the National Curriculum Statements for Natural Sciences Grades R – 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Core knowledge and concepts for Life and Living (NCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 – 81

Learning Outcomes and assessment standards (NCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 – 87

76

77

LLiiffee PPrroocceesssseess aannddHHeeaalltthhyy LLiivviinngg

Unifying statement: Livingthings, including humans andinvisibly small organisms, canbe understood in terms of lifeprocesses, functional unitsand systems.

IInntteerraaccttiioonnss iinnEEnnvviirroonnmmeennttss

Unifying statement:Organisms in ecosystems aredependent for their survivalon the presence of abioticfactors and on theirrelationship with otherorganisms.

BBiiooddiivveerrssiittyy,, CChhaannggee aannddCCoonnttiinnuuiittyy

Unifying statement: The hugediversity of forms of life canbe understood in terms of ahistory of change inenvironments and incharacteristics of plants andanimals throughout the worldover millions of years.

Core Knowledge and Concepts in Matter and Materials

Natural Science

1 Many of our body partscorrespond to parts ofanimals, such as limbs,heads, eyes, ears, feet, andin many cases animals usethem for the samepurposes we do.

2 Animals and plants haveneeds similar needs toours, for food, water andair.

3 We depend on plants andanimals for food, and webreed certain animals andgrow certain plants ascrops.

4 We see cultural diversityin the kinds of foodpeople like to eat.

5 Some animals, like fliesand ticks, carry germswhich can make peoplesick.

6 There is a large variety ofplants and animals, whichhave interesting visibledifferences but alsosimilarities, and they canbe grouped by theirsimilarities.

7 Plants and animals changeas they grow, and as theyears pass, and as theseasons change.

Foundation Phase

Intermediate Phase

1 Green plants produce theirown food and grow byusing water and substancesfrom the air and soil.Energy from light isneeded to change thesesimple substances intofood and plant material.Green plants are the onlyorganisms that canproduce food in their ownbodies.

5 Animals cannot maketheir own food, and sosome animals eat plantsfor food while someanimals eat other animals.All animals ultimatelydepend on green plants fortheir food.

10 New plants can grow fromcertain parts of a parentplant. This is calledvegetative reproductionand does not need seeds.The new plants have allthe characteristics of theparent plant.

CORE KNOWLEDGE AND CONCEPTS IN LIFE AND LIVING

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Revised National Curriculum Statements Grades R–9 (Schools)

LLiiffee PPrroocceesssseess aanndd HHeeaalltthhyy LLiivviinngg



2 Living things need foodfor energy, to move, growand to repair damage totheir bodies (‘tissues’).Animals includinghumans have digestivesystems for gettingnutrients from food.Humans need a balanceddiet from certain groupsof food to be healthy.

3 All living things canrespond to theirenvironment in variousways; animals, includinghumans, have specialisedsense organs.

6 Ecosystems are self-contained areas where awide variety of plant andanimal species live andreproduce. They dependon each other and on thenon-living environment.The life and reproductionof all the organisms in anecosystem depend on thecontinuing growth andreproduction of plants.

7 Organism habitats are theplaces where they feed,hide, reproduce and, inmany cases, shelter theyoung until they have abetter chance of survival.Animal species live intheir habitats in a varietyof social patterns (such asbeing solitary, pairing forlife, or living in packs,prides, herds or troops).

8 Ecosystems depend onsoil. Soil forms by naturalprocesses from rock anddead plant and animalmaterial, but it takes anextremely long time toform. Substances whichplants take from the soilmust be replaced to mainfertility of the soil. (Linkswith soil in Planet Earthand Beyond)

11 Sexual reproduction is theprocess by which twoindividual plants oranimals produce anothergeneration of individuals.The next generation’sindividuals look like theparents but always haveslight differences(‘variation’) from theirparents and from eachother.

12 South Africa has a richfossil record of animalsand plants which livedmany millions of yearsago. Many of thoseanimals and plants weredifferent from the oneswe see nowadays. Someplants and animalsnowadays have strongsimilarities to fossils ofancient plants andanimals. We infer from thefossil record and othergeological observationsthat the diversity of livingthings, naturalenvironments andclimates were different inthose long-ago times.(Links with fossils inPlanet Earth and Beyond)

Intermediate Phase

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Natural Science




Intermediate Phase

Senior Phase

4 Living things can movethemselves; animals,including humans, canmove themselves fromplace to place. Manyspecies of animals movethemselves by means ofmuscles attached to somekind of skeleton which iseither inside or on thesurface of the body.

9 Water plays an importantrole in ecosystems,sustaining both plant andanimal life. Industrial,agricultural and domesticactivities may have aserious impact on thequality and quantity ofwater available in an area.(Links with Planet Earthand Beyond)

1 Humans go throughphysical changes as theyage; puberty means thatthe body is ready forsexual reproduction.

2 Human reproductionbegins with the fusion ofsex cells from motherand father, carrying thepatterns for somecharacteristics of each.

3 Conception is followedby a sequence of changesin the mother’s body, andduring this period thefuture health of theunborn child can beaffected.

4 Knowledge of how toprevent the transmissionof sexually transmitteddiseases, including theHIVirus, must befollowed by behaviourchoices.

10 Human reproduction ismore than conceptionand birth; it involvesadults raising children,which requiresjudgement and valuesand usually depends onthe behaviour of otherpeople in a communityand environment.

11 Each species of animalhas characteristicbehaviours which enableit to feed, find a mate,breed, raise young, livein a population of thesame species, or escapethreats in its particularenvironment. Thesebehaviours have arisenover long periods oftime that the speciespopulation has beenliving in the sameenvironment.

16 Offspring of organismsdiffer in small ways fromtheir parents andgenerally from eachother. This is calledvariation in a species.

17 Natural selection killsthose individuals of aspecies which lack thecharacteristics thatwould have enabledthem to survive andreproduce successfully intheir environment.Individuals which havecharacteristics suited tothe environmentreproduce successfullyand some of theiroffspring carry thesuccessful characteristics.Natural selection isaccelerated when theenvironment changes;this can lead to theextinction of species.

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Revised National Curriculum Statements Grades R–9 (Schools)




5 Green plants use energyfrom the sun, water andcarbon dioxide from theair to make food byphotosynthesis. Thischemical reaction iscentral to the survival ofall organisms living onearth.

6 Animals, includinghumans, require protein,fat, carbohydrates,minerals, vitamins andwater. Food taken in isabsorbed into the bodyvia the intestine. Surplusfood is stored as fat orcarbohydrate.

7 Animals, includinghumans, have a circulatorysystem which includes theheart, veins, arteries andcapillaries, and whichcarries nutrients andoxygen to all parts of thebody and removes wasteproducts. Oxygen, which isprovided by the breathingsystem, reacts with foodsubstances to releaseenergy. (Links withEnergy and Change)

12 All organisms haveadaptations for survival intheir habitats (such asadaptations formaintaining their waterbalance, obtaining andeating the kind of foodthey need, reproduction,protection or escape frompredators).

13 An ecosystem maintainsnumerous food webs andcompetition for foodamong differentindividuals andpopulations. South Africahas certain ecosystemswhich have exceptionalbiodiversity. All uses ofthese areas must be basedon principles ofsustainable development.

14 Pollution interferes withnatural processes thatmaintain theinterdependencies anddiversity of an ecosystem.

18 Variations in humanbiological characteristicssuch as skin colour,height, and so on, havebeen used to categorisegroups of people. Thesebiological differences donot indicate differences ininnate abilities of thegroups concerned.Therefore, suchcategorisation of groupsby biological differences isneither scientifically validnor exact; it is a socialconstruct.

19 Biodiversity enablesecosystems to sustain lifeand recover from changesto the environment. Lossof biodiversity seriouslyaffects the capacity ofecosystems and the earth,to sustain life.Classification is a meansto organise the greatdiversity of organisms andmake them easier tostudy. The two maincategories of animals arethe vertebrates andinvertebrates, and amongvertebrates the five classesare amphibians, birds, fish,reptiles and mammals.

Senior Phase

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Natural Science




8 All living things, includinghumans, have means ofeliminating wasteproducts which areproduced during lifeprocesses. Water plays animportant role in thisprocess.

9 Water makes up a largeproportion of all livingthings, and their healthdepends on water passingthrough them in variousways, using structures(such as kidneys, skin orstomata) which can fulfilthis function.

15 Many biological changes,including decompositionand recycling of matter inecosystems and humandiseases, are caused byinvisibly small, quickly-reproducing organisms.

20 Human activities, such asthe introduction of alienspecies, habitatdestruction, populationgrowth, pollution andover-consumption, resultin the loss of biodiversity.This becomes evidentwhen more speciesbecome endangered, or,ultimately, extinct.

21 Extinctions also occurthrough natural events.Mass extinctions haveoccurred in the pastsuggesting that hugechanges to environmentshave occurred. However,these changes occurredvery slowly, compared tothe fast rate at whichhumans can destroy plantand animal species. (Linkswith Planet Earth andBeyond)

22 The cell is the basic unitof most living things, andan organism may beformed from one or manycells. Cells themselvescarry on life processessuch as nutrition,respiration, excretion andreproduction, whichsustain the life of theorganism as a whole.

Senior Phase

86

Learning Outcome 3: Science, Society and the EnvironmentThe learner will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the interrelationships between scienceand technology, society and the environment.

WESTERN CAPE PRIMARY SCIENCEPROGRAMME TRUST (PSP)

The PSP is an in-service education organisation that supports primary schoolteachers in the field of Natural Sciences and related learning areas particularly intownship primary schools in the Western Cape. We are based at the Edith StephensWetland Park, Philippi, situated close to many disadvantaged communities in theCape Flats.

The PSP has been operating since 1984 and has built up good relationships withover 200 primary schools from all the township areas, including the Boland andWest Coast rural areas. More than 1050 teachers from grades 4 to 7 and 126,000children benefit from the work of the PSP.

The PSP works in an environment where most teachers and learners have tooperate in a 2nd or 3rd additional language. We therefore also work on developinglearners’ communication skills while focusing on science related learning areas andenvironment.

The PSP currently operates with a complement of 9 staff.

CONTACT DETAILSWestern Cape Primary Science Programme (PSP)Edith Stephens Wetland ParkLansdowne RoadPhilippi, Cape Flats, 7785.

P.O. Box 24158 Lansdowne 7779South AfricaTel: (021) 6919039 ( Fax: (021) 6916350e-mail: [email protected] (website: www.psp.org.za)

NPO: 015-822Registration Number: IT2806/99

life and living [grade 6 english]

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