Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

15 minutes	Part A: What is Sugar?
15 minutes	Part B: Where is Sugar Added?
20 minutes	Part C: From Paddock to Plate
10 minutes	Reflection

Part A: What Is Sugar?

In this first part of the lesson, students will learn about the difference between natural and processed sugars. Natural sugars are sugars which occur naturally in different food products, such as fructose in fruit and lactose in dairy products like milk or cheese. Processed sugars are refined and produced from sugar cane or sugar beets - they're generally less good for us.

Step 1.

To begin the lesson, ask the class to suggest examples of sugary foods. List responses on the board.

After gathering a dozen or so examples, note that oranges also have a decent amount of sugar - around three teaspoons each. But that doesn't make oranges unhealthy! Along with that sugar, we're also getting a bunch of great nutrients and vitamins, including Vitamin C. There's a healthy balance between sugar and all the other things.

Step 2.

Explore the idea of sugar in oranges in more depth by watching this clip from That Sugar Film:

That Sugar Film, 'The Science of Sugar - Are all sugars equal' - (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iQvwKNXgWI)

After the video, reinforce the key points by asking how many teaspoons of sugar are in an average glass of orange juice (it's 12). Also note that when the orange is processed, we lose some of the key nutrients and fibres. The rest of this lesson will involve thinking further about what it means to process food.

Part B: Where is Sugar Added?

In this part, students will think about how different foods end up on our plates, and identify points where sugar might be added into those foods. You begin by demonstrating the processes involved in getting a normal dinner meal onto the plate. After your demonstration, students will come up with their own dinner plan, and research how each part is produced, looking especially for places where sugar might be added.

Step 1.

Begin by displaying this image. Use the Production Line Example worksheet to break down the production line for each labelled item on the plate, discussing each different type of food product with students. With each item, start by asking students whether they would consider the item in question to be 'processed'. Ask them to explain their thinking in each case. There aren't any strict right or wrong answers here - it really depends on how you define the term. Use the question as an opportunity to encourage class discussion, emphasising that:

a) all food has some degree of 'process' involved in its production, and
b) that 'processed' doesn't automatically mean bad, but
c) that less processed foods tend to be healthier, as they keep their original nutrients and have fewer opportunities for manufacturers to add unhealthy things, like additional sugars.

You might like to suggest a distinction between 'minimally processed' and 'ultra-processed' foods, drawing on this resource (https://www.abc.net.au/news/health/2019-06-19/ultraprocessed-food-what-is-it-and-how-do-i-avoid-it/11216306). Minimally processed foods are foods that come to us more or less unprocessed: for instance, eggs might be considered minimally processed, because they're refrigerated. Ultra-processed foods require extensive processing, meaning there are more opportunities for manufacturers to add unhealthy things and more opportunities to lose the nutrients from the original, largely unprocessed food.

Step 2.

Once you have walked through the production process for each of the food items on the Production Line Example worksheet, ask your class to identify the steps where sugar may be added. Illustrate that the relatively unprocessed foods, such as lettuce and chicken breast, have very few opportunities for added sugar. More heavily processed foods, such as tomato sauce, have more opportunities. Note in particular that with the tomato sauce, it's not clear what 'other extras' are added in. Most tomato sauces actually do add sugar at this stage in production!

Step 3.

Students will now plan their own dinner and dessert, identifying the necessary production steps for each part, and the steps where sugar may be added.

Ask students to get into groups of three and plan a dinner and dessert. For each key ingredient, they should draw up a table with two columns, roughly matching the example template provided above. The first column should be labelled 'Production Steps', and the second 'Could Sugar Be Added Here?'.

You may wish to encourage more able students to take on more complex meals, such as those that involve a lengthy cooking or baking process. For instance, a homemade pie requires someone to buy pastry and mince, make a sauce, and put it all together - rather than simply buying something pre-made from the shop.

Step 4.

Once students have planned out their dinner and dessert, ask them to predict some of the key steps in creating each ingredient. What is involved in bringing each ingredient all the way to our plates?

Students should use this initial brainstorm as a jumping-off point to begin researching the production steps for their ingredients, listing each in a separate table. They don't need to be too particular about the details - just the general gist is fine. The example production lines that you explained above are a good target, although again, you may wish to extend some students by requiring more detailed production plans from them.

Step 5.

Once the production steps are complete, students should use the second column to identify possible areas where sugar could be added to a product. Each step should be marked either 'Yes', 'No', or 'Maybe'.

The 'Maybe' option should be used to help students identify areas where sugar might be added, in instances where they aren't entirely sure. For example, even if you didn't know that tomato sauce included sugar, you would still be able to identify that step as one where sugar may be added.

Part C: From Paddock to Plate

In this final part, students will identify the jobs associated with different steps in the food production process.

Step 1.

Still in their groups from Part B, students should develop a mindmap of all the jobs involved in their different production lines.

You may wish to scaffold this task by encouraging students to start with the major jobs relevant across all of their steps. For instance, we would expect farmers to play some part in producing almost every food. We would also expect to see supermarkets, with all of their related jobs (checkout operators, stock assistants, managers, marketing, cleaners, etc).

Step 2.

View 'Paddock to Plate', showing how sugarcane is made into sugar:

'Sugarcane - Paddock to plate (for kids)' - (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyNDJHkLyrE)

Students should note down the jobs that they spot during this video. Our list includes planting, fertilising and watering the sugarcane, harvesting (which includes driving the cane harvester or the cane hauler), transporting, and operating and maintaining all the machinery in the mill or the refinery.

Reflection

Students can write a short response to this question:

What are the three most useful facts you have learnt about sugar in today’s class?

Differentiated Learning

Extension - Suggestions for extension are included throughout the lesson. See, for instance, Steps 3 and 4 in Part B.

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 - Tuning in to Sugar

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