Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

15 minutes	Part A: What We Think About Sugar
60 minutes	Part B: Infographics - Too Much Sugar
30 minutes	Part C: Gallery Walk
15 minutes	Reflection

Part A: What We Think About Sugar

Preparation:

Create a line on the wall or floor (using string or masking tape) long enough for all students to be able to stand along. At one end of the line, attach a sign saying ‘AGREE’ and at the other end attach a sign saying ‘DISAGREE’. Half way along the line attach a sign saying ‘NOT SURE’.

Step 1.

This activity can be used as a barometer to test students' prior knowledge of the topic of sugar. Begin by asking students to stand up and look at the line. Explain that you will be reading out a list of statements; for each statement, students should choose a point along the line on which to stand. Discuss each statement as you go, using the additional information below each key statement, and ensure students know that they are welcome to change their position along the line if the discussion changes their viewpoint.

Step 2.

Read out the following statements one at a time, allowing students time to consider each and choose where to stand. Note that the statements are purposefully provocative so that students can take a firm stance in response to them. Once students have chosen their position, ask for volunteers to share their views. If they would like to change their position once they have heard from their classmates and the extra information provided, allow them the opportunity to do so.

Statements to read out:

Sugar, in all of its forms, is really bad for you.
- Fruit, vegetables and dairy foods all contain sugars, and these are often referred to as intrinsic sugars. These sugars aren’t usually a problem.
- Added or ‘free’ sugars are what we should be wary of. These are sugars added to foods by the manufacturer, cook, or consumer, plus sugars naturally present in honey, syrups and fruit juices. Some of the names for added sugar that you will find on food labels include dextrose, fructose, glucose, honey, maple syrup, sucrose, malt, maltose, sucrose.
  (Source: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-17/quiz-what-does-six-teaspoons-of-sugar-look-like/7086790)
- One of the biggest problems with sugar is that we often don’t know we're consuming it. When it's in a treat it’s pretty obvious; however there are lots of sugar in foods many of us eat every day (and may think are nutritious) such as breakfast cereal, fruit juice and flavoured yogurt. (Source: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-17/quiz-what-does-six-teaspoons-of-sugar-look-like/7086790)
You can eat sugar in moderation if you want
- World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines recommend that added sugar should make up no more than 10% of total calorie intake.
  (Source: https://www.sugarbyhalf.com/sugartheobesity_crisis)
- The WHO also state that a reduction to 5% of our kilojoules would have greater health benefits.
  (Source: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-17/quiz-what-does-six-teaspoons-of-sugar-look-like/7086790)
- The suggested intake for added sugar for an adult is six teaspoons, or 25 grams.
  (Source: https://www.who.int/nutrition/publications/guidelines/sugars_intake/en)
Sugar is addictive
- When we do something pleasurable, like eating something sweet, our brains release dopamine, the reward chemical. Sugary food and drinks activate this reward system, with studies on rats showing that they react to sugar in much the same way as they react to addictive drugs like cocaine.
  (Source: https://www.sugarbyhalf.com/sugaris_addictive)
Sugar has more health drawbacks than it does benefits
- The consumption of added sugar in our diet causes weight gain by providing excessive and empty calories which offer no true nutritional value. There is a strong body of evidence to support the link between sugar consumption and weight gain.
  (Source: https://www.sugarbyhalf.com/sugartheobesity_crisis)
- Too much sugar is being consumed by more and more of the population, which in turn is increasing the number of people who experience chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular, liver and kidney disease.
- When we consume sugar, the bacteria in our mouths combines with sugar from the food and drink and produces acid. When we eat too much sugar too often, this acid will dissolve the tooth enamel resulting in dental cavities and eventually tooth extraction.
  (Source: https://www.sugarbyhalf.com/reducingsugarintakecanpreventdental_disease)

Step 3.

Summarise the information covered by explaining that while intrinsic (or naturally occurring) sugars are usually okay, lots of the food and drink we consume contain added (or free) sugars, which can negatively impact our health. Restate for the class the World Health Organisation recommendation that we limit our added sugar intake to six teaspoons, or 25 grams, per day.

Ask students to seat themselves in a place where they can see the screen in preparation for the next part of the lesson.

Part B: Infographics - Too Much Sugar

Step 1.

Display the ‘Why Sugar’ page from the SugarByHalf website. It is a starting point for learning about how consuming too much added sugar can affect the human body. Read through the introductory information as a class, then scroll down the page to reveal the six specific impacts of too much added sugar. Click on one of the icons to show students what they can expect to find.

Step 2.

Students will now work in groups to find out more about the effects of consuming too much added sugar. They will create an interesting, engaging infographic poster to teach others about the impact of too much sugar.

Invite students to form six groups. Each group will need access to at least one web-enabled device (you could print out and distribute the information from each of the web pages listed below, but we like to save paper).

If the groups are too large, ask students to form groups of a more appropriate size and allow more than one group to create an infographic on the same issue.

Assign a research focus to each group from the list below:

Makes us obese - https://www.sugarbyhalf.com/makesus_obese
Harms our kids - https://www.sugarbyhalf.com/harmsour_kids
Risks type 2 diabetes - https://www.sugarbyhalf.com/riskstype2_diabetes
Is addictive - https://www.sugarbyhalf.com/sugaris_addictive
Causes disease - https://www.sugarbyhalf.com/causes_disease
Wrecks our teeth - https://www.sugarbyhalf.com/wrecksour_teeth

Step 3.

Before allowing groups to begin, show a couple of examples of infographics that have been created to inform about a health issue. Some great examples (as well as some tips about how to create an effective infographic) can be found here:

https://www.visme.co/infographic-design-101-for-healthcare/

The main tips are summarised below (and on the Student Worksheet):

Find good data
Good data will support the claims made in your infographic
The SugarByHalf webpages include plenty of data and statistics that can be used to create the infographic - there are also a number of links to the original information sources
Create a structure for the data
This could mean starting with overarching, general information, then moving to the specifics
Make choices about the layout
Layout can include
Graphs
Images
Lists
Timelines
Visualised numbers
Each of these layouts serves a different purpose - think about the data that you’re including and how you can best tell a story with it
Make choices about the text to include
There will be opportunities to add to the ‘story’ created by the data, using small amounts of text
Remember to keep any text to a minimum! Nothing that can be ‘said’ with a graphic needs extra words
Publish and display your infographic to create impact!

Note: It may be worth highlighting for students that some of the example infographics that they have viewed are quite long and very detailed. Theirs won’t need to be as expansive!

Step 4.

Allow groups time to read through the SugarByHalf webpage they have been assigned. Encourage groups to click on the hyperlinks within the main text to gain a deeper understanding of the issue (and to gain more data for their infographic).

Next, encourage groups to choose the information that they will include, plan the layout, and then create their infographic! They could work by hand on poster paper, or using an online infographic maker such as Canva (https://www.canva.com/create/infographics/). This advice, as well as planning space, has been included on the Student Worksheet.

Note: If required before delivering this part of the lesson, seek extra information about how to create an effective infographic here:

https://msktc.org/lib/docs/KTToolkit/MSKTCKTToolInfographics_508.pdf

Part C: Gallery Walk

Step 1.

In this part of the lesson, students will participate in a Gallery Walk to learn about the effects of sugar on their body. They will view the infographics produced by other groups and get feedback on their own work. Invite groups to print or finalise their infographic, and attach them to the classroom walls at even intervals.

Ask the class to help arrange classroom furniture so that there is a table at each poster. Place these feedback forms on each of the tables for students to fill out while viewing the posters. The forms ask students to record one thing they like about the work displayed, one thing they wonder about it, and one thing the creator could do next or improve.

Ensure that students can walk freely around to each of the posters.

Step 2.

Invite students to individually rotate around the room and provide feedback to the creators of each infographic. Once feedback has been given, allow groups to reconvene and use their classmates’ feedback to improve their infographics.

Step 3.

Display the class’s finalised infographics in a place where the school’s students and teachers will see and read them.

Reflection

Encourage students to complete the Think-Feel-Do visible thinking routine on the Student Worksheet to reflect on what they learned from each other’s infographics about the effects of too much added sugar on the body. Students are prompted with the following:

Think - What did the infographics make you THINK about the effects of too much added sugar?
Feel - How did you FEEL when you learned about the effects of too much added sugar?
Do - Will you DO anything differently? If so, what?

Differentiated Learning

Extension – Students could print several copies of their infographic and attach them to community notice boards as a means of improving community awareness about the effects of consuming too much added sugar.

If students wanted to explore some of the more extreme consequences of too much sugar, you may want to explore these videos below, from the 2015 documentary Jamie's Sugar Rush. They contain different surgical procedures and outcomes, and may disturb some viewers. They may not be suitable for all audiences. Further, although it is important and useful to know about the possible consequences of too much sugar, we would advise against using these videos in contexts where they might come across as scaremongering. Deliberately making people scared or upset isn't cool.

Jamie's Sugar Rush - Diabetes can affect anyone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jq386inJ1v4

Jamie's Sugar Rush - Six year old Mario is having his teeth pulled
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oj9CRK26DIo

Provisions for Learning Support – Work with groups who require extra guidance to identify the appropriate data to include in their infographic, and have a detailed discussion about how best to present that data - whether it be as a graph, an image a timeline or other manner.

Teacher Reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching:

What did you learn about your teaching today?
What worked well?
What didn't work so well?
What would you share?
Where to next?
How are you going to get there?

Taking it Further

If you would like more information about SugarByHalf or the movement to reduce our sugar intake, check out the SugarByHalf Teachers Network here.

SugarByHalf would also love to share the results of your teaching with the world! If your students are making amazing changes, consider emailing info@sugarbyhalf.com to let them know. They're excited to tell people about your success!

SugarByHalf - Too Much Sugar

Go to

Summary

Learning intentions:

Students will...

Success criteria:

Students can...

Lesson Guides and Printables

Lesson Details

Curriculum Mapping

Resources Required

Additional Info

In this lesson