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WESTERN CAPE PRIMARY SCIENCE PROGRAMME

An example of a learning experience in the Natural Sciences

LIFE & LIVING


Grade 6
We all depend on plants
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)


An example of a learning experience in the Natural Sciences

LIFE
Grade 6
&L IVING

We welcome the wide use of these materials. Please acknowledge PSP. ©PSP 2006/7
Rationale
These materials were written to support teachers in their work with learners around the
content area of Life and Living. This is not a complete work schedule. It is an example
of a learning experience. It offers possibilities for teachers to include other learning
experiences and to extend and develop it further. This example learning experience
shows how you can work towards the three Learning Outcomes in the Natural Sciences of
the National Curriculum Statements (NCS).
LO1: Scientific Investigations
A The learner will be able to act confidently on curiosity about natural phenomena,
and to investigate relationships and solve problems in scientific, technological and
environmental contexts
LO2: Constructing Science Knowledge
A The learner will know and be able to interpret and apply scientific, technological and
environmental knowledge
LO3: Science, Society and the Environment
A The learner will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the interrelationships
between science and technology, society and the environment
We know that children are naturally curious and observant. Children learn about the
world by observing, asking questions and trying to make sense of what they experience.
Science teaching should allow these natural tendencies to keep growing. Encourage
your learners to ask questions. Questions are an opportunity to engage the class in
observations 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 in
the world.
This can lead to a rich thinking, talking and writing environment. Children who have
this curiosity will learn and become creative human beings too.
Assessment
The assessment tasks in this group of learning experiences are directly linked to the
Learning Outcomes of the NCS. They are designed to encourage learners to show what
they 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 Park
Lansdowne Road, Philippi, 7785
P O Box 24158, Lansdowne 7779 South Africa
Tel: 021 691-9039 Fax: 021 691-6350
E-mail: info@psp.org.za Website: www.psp.org.za

Acknowledgement PetroSA
Contents
SECTION 1
We all depend on plants
Learning experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3–42
Assessment tasks
LO2 Understanding the process of photosynthesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
LO1 Investigating staple foods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
LO3 Making better food choices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Suggested workscheme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

SECTION 2
Teacher resources
Learner task cards to photocopy
Task card 1 What do all living things do and need? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Task card 2 What foods do we get from plants? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Task card 3 Sustaining our food plants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Assessment task for LO2
Understanding the process of photosynthesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Task card 4 Write a recipe for photosynthesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Task card 5 Test a green leaf for starch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Task card 6 Test different foods for starch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Assessment task for LO1
Investigating staple foods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Task card 7 Analysing home-cooked meals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Task card 8 Comparing home-cooked food with processes foods . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Assessment task for LO3
Making better food choices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Task card 9 Reflecting about Life and Living . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Information on GM foods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Poem in Isixhosa: UMNGA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Story in Afrikaans: Dirkie mens en snytjie brood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Teaching aids for photosynthesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

SECTION 3
Extracts 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
SECTION 1
SECTION 1
We all depend on plants
1. What do all living things do and need? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
2. Plants provide us with food and other things . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
3. What food do we get from plants? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
4. How do plants get their food? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
5. Plants make their own food in a process called photosynthesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Assessment task for LO2
Understanding the process of photosynthesis
6. Testing a green leaf for starch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
7. Starchy foods are our staple foods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Assessment task for LO1
Investigating staple foods
8. We say thank you for our food . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
9. Home-cooked food and processed food . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
10. Eating a balanced diet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Assessment task for LO3
Making better food choices
Readings: Luxury foods and diseases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
The Secrets of African Women . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
Suggested workscheme 43
What do all living things
1 do and need?
Key concepts Teacher task Introduction
M There are seven life 1. Ask: What do all living things do? Encourage all answers, but lead
processes: movement,
reproduction, sensitivity, learners to link their examples to the seven life processes.
growth, respiration,
excretion, nutrition. LIFE PROCESS Common examples that learners might give
M All living organisms carry
out these seven life Moving towards light, food or water; walking; running;
processes. Movement
swimming; flying
M To carry out our life
processes we need food,
Reproduction Having babies; laying eggs; making seeds
water and air.

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

Growth Getting bigger; growing

Respiration Breathing; using air

Excretion Urinating, sweating

Nutrition Eating, drinking, chewing, swallowing

2. Explain that all living things carry out these seven life processes to stay
alive.
Ask: What do living things need to carry out these processes? Use the
picture below in your discussion.
3. An easy way to remember the life processes is to use the first letter of
each process (MRS GREN).
4. Draw a picture of a child on the board and write the seven processes
around the picture. Learners say what they need in order to carry out
each process.
What does my body need to carry out its life processes?
Movement NUTRITION
Food for GROWTH
Reproduction and REPRODUCTION

Sensitivity
Water for SENSITIVITY so
Growth my cells I can feel
and blood
Respiration
Excretion Oxygen for
Energy for MOVEMENT

RESPIRATION Water for


Nutrition EXCRETION
(sweat and urine)

3
see learner task card
from page 46 to copy.

Learner Task Card 1


What do all living things do and need?
Look at the picture ‘My body needs ...’ Make sure you know what each life process
is. 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.

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

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Plants provide us with
2 food and other things
Key concepts Teacher task
M Plants provide animals with 1. Discuss why plants are so important in our lives. Provide headings from
food to eat and oxygen to
breathe. the mind map below.
M We get many products 2. Ask what we need plants for. Each learner writes one idea on a piece of
from plants. paper.
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 add
new ideas at any time.

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

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What food do we get
3 from plants?
Key concepts Teacher task
M All animals depend on 1. Learners write down what foods they eat.
plants for food. 2. Use the table to record the foods they eat and find out what plant each
M Some animals eat other
food comes from.
animals that have eaten
plants for their food. See learner task card 2 to photocopy on page 48
M People get some food from
plants and some from
animals.
Learner Task Card 2
M People rely on food that
comes from just a few
What foods do we get from plants?
important plants.
M Some foods are called What foods do you eat regularly? What plants do these foods come
staple foods. Staple foods
from?
are the foods that give us
most of our energy to live.
Rice, maize and wheat are Fried chips, mashed potato Potatoes
important staple foods.
Bread Wheat plant (also rye plant)
Salad Tomato plant, cucumber plant, lettuce
plant, 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

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

Learner Task Card 3


Sustaining our food plants
Food for our bodies
To 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 cane
plant is also a grass. We also get our meat and milk indirectly from grasses because cows, goats and
sheep all feed on grass.
Traditional foods
Traditional foods come from local crops. Farmers collect the seeds from their crops each year to
plant 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), marula
fruit, 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 as
fresh. 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 we
need 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 have
eaten.
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 be
farmers? Should it be scientists? Why?
Make sure learners understand that we cannot live without the plants that
provide us with food.

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How do plants get their
4 food?
Key concepts Teacher task
M Plants need energy to grow.
M Plants do not get energy 1. Bring a plant in a pot to school for the learners to look at.
food from the soil. 2. Explain the following information to the class.
M Plants only get water and
mineral salts from the soil.
We know that animals and humans need food to grow. In the past people
thought that plants got their food from the soil. Now we know that plants
make their own food. Remember, the food groups are carbohydrates, proteins,
fats and oils, and vitamins. Plants cannot get these from the soil. Plants only
need 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 did
an experiment over 5 years in which he grew a small
plant into a big plant by feeding it nothing but
water. He weighed the plant and the soil at the
beginning. After five years he weighed the plant and
the soil again. Van Helmont found that the soil
weighed the same but the plant had grown in size.
Its mass after five years was 76 kg. The soil still had
the same mass as at the beginning. Where did the
plant get enough food (energy) to grow to that size?

What do plants need to grow?

5 years later

only water was added

SMALL PLANT: PLANT HAS GROWN BIG


90 kg dry soil; plant weighs 2 kg. 90kg dry soil; plant weighs 76kg
now

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3. Draw a picture of the plants on the chalkboard like Van Helmont’s
experiment.
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.
Plants grow better if
we feed the soil. This M What did he discover?
soil food is called
compost or humus. It
He found out that the weight of the soil did not change and
releases minerals therefore that the plants did not ‘eat’ the soil.
slowly back into the
water of the soil. We
M Why were his results a surprise?
can also feed the soil
with chemical People knew that animals eat plants or other animals to get
fertilisers. They are
concentrated forms of their energy and people assumed that plants used up the soil
mineral salts. Plants
cannot get their in the same way.
energy from these
mineral salts. M Where do you think plants get their food and energy?
Plants make their own food.
Consolidation
Learners make a poster showing what a plant needs to grow.

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5 Plants make their own
food in a process called
photosynthesis
Key concepts Teacher task Explaining photosynthesis
M Plants make their own food 1. The diagram and information below summarise the process of
(starch) in the process
called photosynthesis.
photosynthesis. Using this diagram, make a display on the board or wall
M Photosynthesis takes place to explain how plants make their own food through photosynthesis.
inside the cells of green Explain the process carefully to the class. You will find an explanation on
leaves.
M During photosynthesis the
the next pages.
plant uses sunlight energy,
carbon dioxide and water Photosynthesis
to make glucose sugar.
M Plants also change glucose
sugar into starch, which
they store in their roots,
leaves and stems.
M During photosynthesis, the
plant uses carbon dioxide Light energy
and gives off oxygen into
the atmosphere.
Leaves release Oxygen (O2)

Leaves use
Carbon dioxide (CO2)

Leaves make glucose


and starch

Animals and humans


Animals and humans release use Oxygen (O2)
Carbon dioxide (CO2)
water and mineral salts

Water and mineral


salts

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Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis means to build up food using light energy. Photosynthesis comes from
the 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 plants
make their own food. The leaves take water and carbon dioxide gas from the air and
use the energy from sunlight to make food in the form of glucose sugar, and starch. We
call this process photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is a chemical reaction that takes place
in green leaves.

Oxygen (O2) and carbon dioxide (CO2)


During photosynthesis, plants give out oxygen gas. All the oxygen in the air comes
from photosynthesis. People and animals need oxygen so that we can breathe. We
cannot live without plants and photosynthesis. We breathe out carbon dioxide, which is
poisonous to us. But plants use it up again during photosynthesis.
Plants are the only organisms that can make their own food
Plants are the only organisms that can absorb light energy from the sun and convert it
into 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

Plants are the only Green plants take water and


living things that make their sunlight and carbon dioxide, and
own food. All other living use them to make food. In
things depend on plants for the process they put oxygen
their food. back into the atmosphere.

So, green plants are


the only things that
can make food?
That’s right.
People and animals can’t make
glucose and starches. Even
factories can’t do this. Without
plants we would have no food,
no fuel and no oxygen.

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Learner task card to photocopy on page 51
Learner Task

Assessment Task for LO2


Understanding the process of photosynthesis

A. Read and discuss


In the sunlight
Green plants absorb light energy from the sun.

In the roots
The roots take up water and mineral salts
from 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 they
can 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.

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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 goes
M 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

Assessment task Assessment criteria: LO2


Draw a picture of plants and animals (or use the The learner must …
picture given) to show the flow of substances Make a clear drawing with arrows pointing in the
during photosynthesis correct direction to show:
I Sunlight energy from sun to plants
I Water and mineral salts from the soil into the
roots of the plant
I Carbon dioxide from the animals and humans
into the leaf
I Oxygen from the leaf to the animals and
humans
I Starch from plants to humans and animals

Write a few sentences to explain why Show the correct understanding of the following
photosynthesis is important facts:
I Only plants can make their own food by
photosynthesis. People and animals also depend
on that food.
I Plants use CO2 from the air, water and mineral
salts from the soil and sunlight energy to make
glucose sugar and starch.
I All animals and humans get oxygen from plants.
I Plants use up the poisonous CO2 in the air.
To earn a code 4 assessment (80%) I Give exceptionally full, correct and clear
explanations of photosynthesis.

Consolidation
1. Ask learners to write a recipe for photosynthesis.

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Learner task card to photocopy on page 53

Learner Task Card 4


Write a recipe for photosynthesis
Pretend 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.
Questions
a) What is left over after the plant has made glucose and starch?
Oxygen
b) 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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6 Testing a green leaf for
starch
Key concepts Teacher task Introduction
M Photosynthesis occurs in 1. Remind learners that all living things are made of cells and that each
green leaves when they are leaf is made of millions of cells.
exposed to sunlight.
M During photosynthesis, the 2. Tell learners that photosynthesis occurs inside the cells of green leaves.
leaf makes glucose sugar The leaves trap the light energy from the sun and change it into
and then changes it into chemical energy. The chemical energy is stored inside the glucose and
starch which the plant can
store easily. starch. Starch and glucose are food substances because they contain
M Glucose sugar is soluble chemical energy.
(can dissolve) in water but 3. Explain that we can test a leaf for starch. If there is starch in the leaves,
starch is easier to store
because it is insoluble it shows us that photosynthesis has occurred. Demonstrate the positive
(cannot dissolve). starch test on a piece of cut potato. Show how a drop of iodine changes
M We can use iodine solution the colour from brown to purple, or blue-black or black when starch is
to test for the presence of
starch in plants. present.
4. Work through the task with the learners. Afterwards, read the poem
about food factories with the class.

straw

brown iodine solution

cut potato

iodine turning black

Preparation
5. 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 a
good positive result.
You will need:
M a small jar (e.g. a jar from baby food)
M a styrofoam cup
M ethanol or methylated spirits
M kettle to boil water
M iodine solution with dropper
M 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 a
few hours.

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SAFETY PRECAUTION!
Do not work with ethanol or
Learner Task Card 5 methylated spirits near an
Test a green leaf for starch open flame. It is highly
flammable and may explode.
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 water and leave for 2 minutes. Boiling
water destroys the membranes of the cells. 1
boiling
water
2. Put the leaf in a baby food jar. Cover it with
methylated spirits (or ethanol). The methylated baby food jar
spirits removes the green chlorophyll from the 2&3
leaf. After a while, the leaf should be white or leaf
pale green and hard.
hot water

3. Place the baby food jar in styrofoam cup of methylated spirits


boiling water.
styrofoam cup with
boiling water
4. Dip the leaf in hot water. Hot water makes the 4
leaf soft again.

5. Put the leaf on a square piece of waxed lunch 5


wrap (or a plastic lid). Put a drop of iodine
solution onto the leaf. The iodine will turn iodine solution
black where starch is present.

Learner task card to photocopy on page 54

Consolidation
1. 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.

18
Food factories

Green plants are busy factories


That keep us all alive.
Without them we would have no meat,
No honey from the hive.

Though energy from sunlight


Supplies our every need,
Without green plants to capture it,
Where would we be indeed?

All day we use up oxygen


With 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 nil Cholorophyll is the
chemical that makes
If we forget our livelihood leaves green.
Depends on chlorophyll. Photosynthesis only
takes place in green
From: Nature Poems and Puzzles, Jill Cadle
leaves.

19
7 Starchy foods are our staple
foods
Key concepts Teacher task Introduction
M Plants make starch. Starch 1. Explain the following information to learners.
is also is called a
carbohydrate food.
M Plants can store starch in Plants make many different substances
different parts of the plant. During photosynthesis, plants make a sugary liquid called glucose. The plant
M Some foods contain starch. converts glucose to starch (carbohydrate) and stores it in the leaves. Chemical
M Iodine changes from brown
reactions inside the plant’s cells can also change glucose and starch into other
to dark purple or black
when starch is present.
substances such as proteins, oils, vitamins and fibres. Plants can also make
M The foods that contain the poisonous substances or chemicals that irritate the skin. Plants do this to
most starch and form the prevent animals from eating their leaves. For example, chilli plants make a
main part of our diet are chemical that makes your skin burn.
called staple foods.
Foods usually contain a mixture of food substances
All foods from plants contain a mixture of the main food groups - proteins,
starch, sugars, oils, vitamins and fibres. All foods contain some of these food
groups. Water does not contain any of these food groups so we do not call it
a food. Some foods contain one of the food groups in large quantities. For
example, beans contain large quantities of proteins. Mealies, on the other
hand, contain starch in large quantities. The foods that contain mostly starch
(carbohydrate) are called our staple foods. Our staple food usually makes up
the biggest part of our diet. We need staple foods because the starch in them
gives us energy.

Testing different foods for starch


2. 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 learners
to test:
M potato M sugar
M hard-boiled egg M cooked beans
M cheese M flour
M cooking oil M maizena

20
3. Provide small plastic bottle tops so that each food sample
Note to the teacher
You can purchase iodine solution has its own bottle top. You will also need iodine solution
from a pharmacy. in small bottles and cut straws to act as droppers.
When you do the test for starch, put 4. Explain to the class that some of the foods we eat contain
each food sample onto a separate starch. Look at the range of food samples and ask them
plastic bottle top to prevent those
which foods they think do contain starch.
that contain starch from
contaminating those that do not. 5. Explain that iodine solution turns from brown to purple,
Do not place the food on paper black or blue-black when starch is present. Demonstrate
plates, cardboard, roller towel or any how to test a small sample of food with one drop of
other paper products as these all iodine on a cut potato. Ask learners to work in groups to
contain starch and will cause the
test the food samples for starch and to complete Learner
test to show incorrect results.
Task Card 6.

Learner task card to photocopy on page 56

Learner Task Card 6


Test different foods for starch
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:
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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

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

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.

21
Learner Task Card 6 (cont.)

Colour when Is starch


Food Plant it comes from
iodine is added present?

Maizena seeds of maize plant or mielie black yes


Sugar stem of sugar cane plant brown no
milk from cows that fed on
Cheese brown no
grass
Flour seeds of wheat plants black yes
Egg white chickens that fed on mielies brown no

Cooking
sunflower seeds brown no
oil

Potato stem of potato plants black yes


Cooked
seeds of bean plants black yes
beans
Bread seeds of wheat plants black yes
Rice seeds of rice plants black yes

Oats seeds of oat plant black yes


porridge

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
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.

22
Consolidation
Ask and think about
1. 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 a
staple food.
2. Explain that the next part of the investigation is to find out which of our
foods are staple foods.
Teacher task
Assessment task for LO1
Investigating 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 down
some 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.)

Learner task card to photocopy on page 56

23
Learner task Assessment task for LO1 (cont.)
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 think
they 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 survey
about 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.

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

5. Show your findings in a bar graph.


Examples for teacher: Graphs to show carbohydrate foods eaten by different people

24
Draw a graph of our group’s results
6. Copy and complete the table below for your group, showing how many times a week each person
in your group eats the carbohydrate food.

Number of times carbohydrate


Jane Sipho Thami Total
food (starch food) is eaten each
week
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

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

25
C. Evaluate and discuss data
Discuss 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 in
your 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 you
think your counting was accurate? How could you have improved this survey to make it more
accurate? Learners’ answers will vary.
Ideas for extension: Find out about a food garden in your area.

Suggested guide for assessment of LO1


Investigating staple foods
Assessment task Assessment criteria: LO1
A. Conduct and record The learner must …
investigations I Bring samples of foods and test them for starch
I Record information in their own table
I Identify the staple foods they eat
I Carry out the survey about these staple foods accurately
I Record their counting accurately on a table

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

C. Evaluate and interpret data I Show correct understanding of what we mean by a staple food
I Correctly identify staple foods – their own and others’ (the
starchy food that they eat the most of)

Consolidation
1. 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?

26
We say thank you for our
8 food
Key concepts Teacher task
M All our food comes from 1. Read the following ‘Thank you’ poem aloud to the class.
plants or from animals that
have fed on plants.
M All the energy that plants
Thank you for my slice of bread
use to make starch comes Thank you for my slice of bread
from the sun.
M Reverence and gratitude for Don’t thank me, thank the shopkeeper where the bread was bought.
our food connects us to
the Earth and is common Thank you shopkeeper for my slice of bread.
to all religions.
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.

Learner task Writing a ‘thank you’ poem


Work 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.

27
Home-cooked food and
9 processed food
Key concepts Teacher task Explaining about food groups
M We need food for energy,
1. Explain the main food groups to the class. Look at the food group
to move, to grow and to
repair damage to our diagram, the background information on staple diets, the table of energy
bodies. values and the bread label and explain the following concepts:
M We need a balanced diet
M We can divide food into three main food groups. (See diagrams that
which contains
carbohydrates, proteins, follow.) We need to eat a balanced diet, which includes food from
fats, minerals and vitamins. each group to keep us healthy.
M Food can lose its
M All foods contain some energy. We measure this energy in kilojoules
nutritional value during
processing. (kJ). The table that follows shows you some examples of energy
M Fresh foods contain higher values of foods we eat.
levels of nutrition than
M The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) is the amount of kilojoules
processed foods.
M We should choose foods that a person needs to eat every day. (See the background
that keep our bodies information on page 31.) We get this energy by eating different
healthy and strong.
foods. People that are growing and doing hard manual work or a lot
of physical exercise need to eat more.
M The law says that companies that produce food must print the energy
value, ingredients and additives of processed food on the packaging.
M Traditionally grown and prepared foods provide people with plenty of
fibre, vitamins and minerals. These substances help to keep your body
strong and healthy. Traditional foods do not contain extra sugar, salt,
fat or chemicals.

Getting the right balance


M 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 foods
from 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 and
protein).

28
Group 3: Carbohydrates, The food groups
fats and oils
(Energy foods)

GROUP 1:
Proteins GROUP 2:
(Body-building foods) Vitamins
and mineral
(Foods that protect
us from disease)

Why do we need to eat from the three main


food groups?
Fibre
Calcium and other It is important to eat
minerals to build our Proteins to build and food that has fibre in it.
bones and teeth heal our bodies e.g. Fibre helps your food to
brains and muscles move properly through
Fats and oils are stored
your digestive system
under our skin until
and prevents
we need them for
Water to constipation. Raw fruits
energy provide liquid and vegetables,
in our blood wholewheat flour, brown
Vitamins to keep rice and beans all
our organs healthy contain fibre. White
and working well Roughage to flour has had all the
help our food fibre removed. Try to
move through reduce the amount of
our intestines foods that you eat that
Starch and other are made with white
carbohydrates to flour e.g. white bread,
give us energy for cakes, pastries, and
living and muscle biscuits. Rather eat
movement wholewheat products.

29
Food energy table
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

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

30
Recommended Daily Allowance
(RDA)
In order to live and stay healthy, every person
needs to get a basic amount of energy every day.
We get that energy every day from our food. This
is called the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA)
of food. The energy content of the food is
measured in kilojoules (kJ). The RDA for growing
girls aged 12 to 15 is 9 000 kJ. For growing boys
aged 12 to 15 it is 11 000 kJ. Our staple foods,
such as bread, rice or mealie meal, provide us
with most of this daily energy. Other foods give
us less energy but we need them to build and
repair our bodies. We also need a daily allowance
of proteins from meat or beans or nuts. We also
need minerals such as iron, for building up strong
muscles, blood and bones, and to fight diseases. RDA for boys aged 12–15 RDA for girls aged
is 11 000 kJ 12–15 is 9 000 kJ

Teacher task A. Foods we eat at home


1. 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 second
column gives a quantity and the third column shows the number of
kiloJoules contained in that quantity. Ask questions about the table to
make 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 future


1. Read the following recipe to the learners for a traditional home-cooked
meal.

Umngqusho onembotyi (Samp and beans)


380 g samp
260 sugar beans
2 litres water
1 large onion, chopped
Salt to taste
1. 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. Make
sure there is enough water to cover them.
4. Cook the mixture for 3 hours, adding
water when necessary until the
ingredients are soft.
5. Add onion and salt and mix well.

31
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 bread
provide more than just the starch for energy. They are rich in proteins
and minerals, which are important for growth. Traditional home-
cooked foods also contain fibre, which is essential for the digestive
system.
M Processed foods can damage your health. The United States of
America is one of the wealthiest countries in the world. But one out
of every three Americans is seriously overweight (too fat). This can be
very dangerous.
M All over the world, people are starting to demand fresh foods that are
grown in a natural way. These foods are grown without adding
chemicals or insecticides to them. We say they are organically grown.
Many people buy organic foods because they want to avoid eating
chemicals that can damage their health.

C. Analysing a home-cooked meal


1. 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 of
food groups and the table of energy content of foods on pages 29 – 30)

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

A. Home-cooked food
1. Look at the food energy table and the three
food groups. Use the information from the
table, and the diagram of the different food
groups, to help you fill in the table.

Ingredients Food group/s Energy Substances


added to the
food

Samp Carbohydrate 485 kJ Salt

Beans Proteins 437 kJ Salt

Vitamins and
Onion 46 kJ
minerals
A meal of umngqusho onembotyi (samp and
beans)
B. Foods in the past, present and future
1. 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.

32
Teacher task
1. Explain the following to the learners.

Processed food
Most people do not have the space or time to grow their own food, so they
buy their food from a shop. A lot of the food we buy ready-prepared from the
shops 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 we
put it into cans or bottles. In the preserving process, many foods lose their
vitamins 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 white
flour to bleach it and make it look really white. Sometimes fat and salt, sugar
or chemicals are added to food to preserve it or to improve the flavour. Some
chemicals added to food are:
M sodium benzoate – a chemical added to preserve food
M monosodium glutamate – a chemical added for flavour
M tartrazine – a yellow or red chemical for colouring the food
This means that processed foods are less nutritious than fresh foods. They
may also contain chemicals, which may be unhealthy for us.

Fast foods
Fast 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 low
in fibre. They are high in energy but low in good nutrition. Sometimes we
enjoy eating fast foods, but we should only eat them sometimes – not every
day!

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 class
like 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 of
Vienna sausages and a cola can.

33
See page 63 for learner task to photocopy

Learner Task Card 8 A hot dog on a white roll with


fried chips and a coke is a
Comparing home-cooked food with typical example of a fast-food
meal that consists of
processed foods and fast foods processed foods

A. Processed and fast foods fizzy


cooldrink
1. Look at the example of the fast foods in the picture.
2. Find a Vienna sausage packet and a cooldrink can. fried chips
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.) white roll
tomato sauce
B. Comparing a home-cooked meal margarine
with a fast-food meal sausage

Food ingredient Food group Other substances added to Estimated energy


food value in kilojoules
per 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, 467
preservatives, salt, sugar, spices

Tomato sauce None of the 19


colourants, flavourants,
main food
preservatives, salt, sugar, spices
groups

White roll Group 3 baking powder, preservative, 400


rising salt, sugar

Margarine Group 3 food colourants, preservative, 150


salt, sugar

Fried chips Group 3 salt 1 292

Coke Group 3 food colourant, sugar 900

Total amount of energy per meal 13 228 kJ

34
C. Comparing the two kinds of meals
Discuss the difference between the two kinds of meals.
1. Which meal includes all three food groups?
Samp and beans/traditional meal
2. 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 oils
4. Write sentences to compare these two meals.
Comparing home-cooked food with fast foods
The 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.
The Food Energy Table Group 3:
The food groups Carbohydrates, fats and
Food Amount Kilojoules (kJ)

Sugar, white 1 teaspoon 64 oils – energy foods


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


Group 2:
Meat (mutton stew) 1/2 cup 865 Vitamins and
Spinach 1/2 cup = 85 g, cooked 82
Group 1: minerals –
Pumpkin 100 g boiled 176
Proteins – body- protective foods
Oil 1 teaspoon 184 building foods
Samp 1/2 cup cooked 485

Onion 1 cooked 46

35
Consolidation
1. Explain the following to the learners.

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

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 heart
attacks

Eating too much sugar and foods Serious allergies, problems with concentrating and
containing preservatives and colourings studying, learning problems

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? How
nutritious will it be? Draw and write to tell about this.

36
10 Eating a balanced diet
Key concepts Teacher task
M We need food for energy,
to move, to grow and to Assessment task (LO3)
repair damage to our 1. Ask leading questions to find out what learners know, or explain the
bodies.
M We need a balanced diet
points through discussion. Some questions you may ask are:
from all three food groups M Where do we get our food from?
to stay healthy. M What do we need from our food?
M We need food that is fresh
and good for us and that
M What kinds of food give us the things we need?
has not lost its nutritional M Why do people buy processed food?
value during processing. M What is processed food? What does it have added to it?
M We need to choose to eat
the most healthy foods for
M Why should we avoid processed foods?
our bodies. M What makes you want to buy a food product?

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 of
substances that can damage our bodies (fat, salt, sugar and chemicals).
M Food manufacturers have to print information about the ingredients on the food
packages. It is our responsibility to read and use that information.
M Attractive labels and advertisements on packaging can influence which foods we buy, but
it 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 rich
cheeses, cream cakes, pastries, sweets, expensive processed meats such as salami, etc.

Avoid describing food as ‘healthy’ or 2. Ask learners to bring examples of food packets
‘unhealthy’, as these terms are relative. Any and examples of different foods they eat. They
food eaten in excess can lead to health must read the information on the food packets
problems. Similarly, fast foods are not damaging
and then decide whether the foods are ones they
to our health if we only eat them occasionally.
Instead compare foods, asking questions such should eat often or not. For example, on the
as: Which should we eat regularly? Which bread packet that follows, the bread contains all
should we only eat sometimes? Which is high three food groups and few chemicals. So your
in fat? Which is high in fibre? Why should we learners might conclude that bread is good to
eat this more often than that? And so on.
eat often.

37
Learner task
Assessment task for LO3
Making better food choices
A. Read the food labels
Collect examples of food packaging, pictures of food, and samples of different foods that you
eat. Here is an example of a bread packet and how to read it.

This tells you


how much energy
the bread
contains.

The bread
contains these
substances.

Preservatives
are chemicals that
prevent bread
from going bad.

The
recommended
daily allowance
(RDA) indicates how
much of each
substance a person
over 13 years old
should eat per
day.

38
B. 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 it belongs to.
Also use the food group diagram. Decide whether the food is
something you should eat more often or less often.
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 that you 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 bodies?
2. How can you make your own diet healthier?

Suggested guide for assessment of LO3


Assessment task Assessment criteria: LO3

A. Make a poster to compare Presentation


healthy and unhealthy food The learner must...
choices I Lay the poster out clearly
I Write neatly and legibly
I Use pleasing overall presentation
Content
I Provide examples of foods from all three food groups
I Use at least five relevant examples of healthy and unhealthy
foods
I Show understanding of healthier and unhealthier eating habits

To achieve code 4 (80%) I Write their reasons extremely logically and clearly and show a
complete understanding of which foods they should eat regularly
and which foods they should avoid

B. Write two paragraphs to I Why we need a healthy diet for our body environment
explain: I How you can make your own diet more healthy
I Show understanding of the concept of a healthy diet and its
relation to the life processes
I Include at least three relevant suggestions about how to improve
their own diet

To achieve code 4 (80%) I Show a personal sense of responsibility and commitment for
taking care of their own health by choosing healthier foods over
less healthy foods

39
Consolidation
Ideas for projects 1. Discuss the following questions with the class:
M Find out about a M Why is it a good idea to eat more traditional foods?
food garden project M Why do we process some foods?
in your area and
M What gets removed or added to foods during the processing?
take your class to
visit it. M What is luxury food?
M Start a food garden M What health problems can we get from eating too many luxury and
project at your processed food?
school.
M Who should decide what kind of food we eat?
M Make a difference
by finding ways to M Why is it important to choose our food carefully?
help people who do M How does our food affect our bodies?
not have enough
food. Extension activity for LO3
M Contact organisa-
tions such as SEED Read the articles that follow on the next few pages. Discuss these questions
for help to grow with your class:
food gardens. M Why do we like to eat luxury foods such as chocolates, chips and
PO Box 40 sweets?
Philippi 7781, M Do you know anyone in your family, or your community who is
Tel: 371 3180 or
suffering from a diet-related disease? What useful suggestions could
447 7686
you give them?
M Do you know of any family or community members who are not
getting enough food? How can you help them?
M What suggestions can you give your family about choosing good food
that will not cost too much?
M What do you bring or buy to eat at school? Is it enough? Is it
healthy?
M Does your school get food from the school-feeding scheme? What
food does your school get? Is it healthy? Why?

Processed foods take a bite out of city’s health


Cape Town has a higher rate of lifestyle- diseases of lifestyle.
related illnesses than most other cities in the “Many people move into Cape Town from
country. A two-month study found that Cape the rural areas, looking for jobs. These
Town has the highest rate of diabetes and people change their healthy rural diet
the second highest rate of heart disease and drastically once they move to the city. People
strokes in men. eat less fresh produce in the city because it is
Researcher Adam Cooke led a study easier to buy processed food. Also, there is
which surveyed nine cities in South Africa. less land available to people for growing
Polokwane in Limpopo came out tops with their own vegetables.
the fewest lifestyle-based illnesses. Cooke Lunelle Arendse, a dietician from the
discovered that Cape Town has shocking Heart Foundation, says that diabetes is often
health statistics. He found that people eat very poorly the consequence of not taking responsibility for health
and do not exercise enough. He says that even those and not cultivating healthy lifestyle habits,” says
who had moved from rural areas were changing their Cooke.
relatively healthy diet to one with less fibre. “These are Adapted from an article in Cape Argus, 21 November 2005

40
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


Many people choose foods that are feel quite tired. Luxury foods
refined and high in fat and sugar, are highly processed
because they are easy to eat foods.
and taste sweet. They can be
Chocolate, cakes, delicious
puddings, biscuits sometimes,
and sweets all taste but they
sweet. They are easy should not
to digest and high in form the
kilojoules. They are also main part of
easy to eat because they are your diet.
already prepared. However, M a n y
eating too much sugary, fatty people have problems
food is dangerous because it can with food. These problems
lead to illnesses, such as: often affect young people.
I obesity – becoming dan- Some young people
gerously overweight; can lead to overeat (eat too much) and
other diseases others undereat (eat too little).
caused by eating too much sugar, People that overeat may eat
I diabetes – when the body cannot refined white flour and chemical certain foods for comfort when they
control the amount of sugar in the preservatives such as sodium are facing personal difficulties.
blood benzoate Some people eat a lot of sugary, fatty
I high cholesterol and heart disease I behaviour problems – eating too food when they are depressed,
– the body stores the fat in the much sugar, refined white flour lonely, scared or don’t feel good
veins and arteries, which causes and chemical preservatives and about themselves. Often, they try to
them to get blocked; this can lead flavourings such as tartrazine can make themselves feel better by
to heart attacks lead to hyperactivity and inability eating snacks, sweets and fast foods.
I high blood pressure - this can lead to concentrate. Some people get addicted to these
to strokes and heart attacks Also, foods that are high in fat and “comfort foods”.
I allergies – these can lead to sugar give you a very quick burst of This addiction becomes a kind of
asthma and skin problems can be energy. A short while later, you will mental illness.

41
The Secrets
of African
Women
T
he government has provided
money to publish a recipe
book called “South African
Indigenous Foods”, which
includes recipes for meals from all
regions of South Africa.
When European settlers landed in
South Africa, they discovered that the
indigenous people had remedies for
many kinds of diseases. Indigenous
people also knew how to farm
effectively, and they knew about good
nutrition.
Today, researchers recognise that
women in traditional communities
manage the natural resources around
the home – for example the garden.
Women usually know and understand
their environment and use it as a
source of traditional remedies. They
are also the ones who keep this
knowledge alive, using it and passing
it on from generation to generation. In
a community, women usually keep the
cultural traditions alive. We say that
women are the keepers of indigenous knowledge.
Today, many people are realising that
indigenous foods are very important. For
centuries, Africans have kept their families
healthy by using the food and natural medicines
available to them. African women learnt about
the nutritional value of the foods by cooking
for their families and developing recipes
which form the staple of African diet.
In the past, Europeans did not realise that
these traditional African foods are highly
nutritious. As obesity and diet-related
diseases increase in South Africa, people
are concerned that a healthy, traditional
way of eating is disappearing. The recipe
book aims to bring traditional foods back
to our tables.
Adapted from: Mail and Guardian
12–18 August 2005

42
Suggested work schedule
LESSON 1 LESSON 2 LESSON 3 LESSON 4 LESSON 5
Activity 1 Activity 2 Activity 3 Activity 3 cont. Activity 3 cont.
• Teacher introduces the 7 life processes. • Teacher and learners construct a mind • Learners complete a table about food • Learners answer questions about the • Teacher reads article about GM foods.
• Learners write sentences and act out map about plants and their uses. and plants. reading. • Consolidation: class discussion.
the processes. • Learners copy mind map into their • Teacher assists learners to read the • Teacher checks the answers with learn-
books. information about sustaining food plants ers.

LESSON 6 LESSON 7 LESSON 8 LESSON 9 LESSON 10


Activity 4 Activity 5 Activity 5 cont. Activity 5 cont. Activity 6
• Teacher explains van Helmont’s • Teacher explains photosynthesis using a (Assessment task for LO2) • Consolidation: Learners write a recipe • Teacher explains how to test a leaf for
experiment. diagram. • Learners do assessment task for LO2. for photosynthesis. starch and demonstrates the test.
• Consolidation: class discussion about the • Teacher prepares learners for the • Teacher must make time to give feed- • Learners test green leaves for starch.
experiment. assessment task. back to learners about the assessment • Consolidation: teacher asks questions.
task. and reads poem about food factories.

LESSON 11 LESSON 12 LESSON 13 LESSON 14 LESSON 15


Activity 7 Activity 7 cont. Activity 7 cont. Activity 8 Activity 9
• Teacher explains that plants make many • Learners bring more foods from home Assessment task for LO1 • Teacher reads the poem “Thank you for • Teacher explains about healthy foods
substances and that foods contain a mix- and test them for starch. • Teacher helps learners to clarify my slice of bread”. and the 3 food groups.
ture of food substances. • Consolidation: class discussion. questions for investigation. • Learners write their own “thank you” • Learners read the recipe for a home-
• Learners do starch tests on different • Learners prepare to carry out their poem. cooked meal.
foods. survey. • Learners say their poems. • Teacher explains benefits of home-
• Learners will do the rest of the task cooked meals.
after one week to allow learners to do
survey.

LESSON 16 LESSON 17 LESSON 18 LESSON 19 LESSON 20


Activity 9 cont. Activity 9 cont. Activity 9 cont. Activity 9 cont. Activity 7 cont.
• Teacher and learners analyse the home- • Learners present their recipes from • Teacher introduces concept of • Consolidation: discussion about diet- • Learners bring results of their starch
cooked meal. home. processed foods. related diseases. food survey and draw graphs of their
• Learners prepare to find a recipe for a • Learners compare a home-coked meal • Learners draw and write about foods in results.
traditional meal in their cultures. with fast food meal. the future. • Learners fill in group results and draw a
group graph.

LESSON 21 LESSON 22 LESSON 23 LESSON 24 LESSON 25


Activity 7 cont. Activity 10 Activity 10 cont. Activity 10 cont. Activity 10 cont.
• Learners finish their group graphs. Assessment task for LO3 • Learners bring food and pictures from • Teacher gives feedback about posters. • Some learners do the extension task for
• Learners discuss and answer questions. • Teacher explains points about food. home. • Consolidation: class discussion. LO3.
• Teacher helps learners to read food • Learners make poster about good food • Teacher helps other learners to complete
packets to find nutrition information. choices. all previous work.

43
SECTION 2
SECTION 2
Teacher resources
Learner task cards to photocopy
Task card 1 What do all living things do and need? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Task card 2 What foods do we get from plants? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Task card 3 Sustaining our food plants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Assessment task for LO2
Understanding the process of photosynthesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Task card 4 Write a recipe for photosynthesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Task card 5 Test a green leaf for starch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Task card 6 Test different foods for starch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Assessment task for LO1
Investigating staple foods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Task card 7 Analysing home-cooked meals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Task card 8 Comparing home-cooked food with processes foods . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Assessment task for LO3
Making better food choices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Task card 9 Reflecting about Life and Living . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Information on GM foods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Poem in Isixhosa: UMNGA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Story in Afrikaans: Dirkie mens en snytjie brood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Teaching aids for photosynthesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

45
TASK CARD 1 Task card to photocopy

Learner task 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?

46
TASK CARD 1 (CONT) Task card to photocopy
2. Write sentences to explain what your body needs to carry out each process.

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

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

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

RESPIRATION
....................................................................

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

SENSITIVITY
....................................................................

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

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

GROWTH
....................................................................

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

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

REPRODUCTION
....................................................................

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

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

EXCRETION
....................................................................

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

NUTRITION
....................................................................

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

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

47
TASK CARD 2 Task card to photocopy
Learner task What foods do we get from plants?
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

48
TASK CARD 3 Task card to photocopy

Learner task Sustaining our food plants


Food for our bodies
To 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 cane plant is also a grass. We also get our
meat and milk indirectly from grasses because cows, goats and sheep
all feed on grass.
Traditional foods
Traditional foods come from local crops. Farmers collect the seeds from
their crops each year to plant 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),
marula fruit, 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 as fresh. When they get
packed and transported, they lose a lot of their minerals and nutrients.

49
TASK CARD 3 (CONT.) Task card to photocopy
Learner task
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.

Questions
a) 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.

50
Assessment task for LO2 Task card to photocopy

Understanding the process of photosynthesis


A. 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 (cont.)
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 goes
M 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.

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

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

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

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

52
TASK CARD 4 Task card to photocopy

Learner task Write a recipe for photosynthesis


Pretend 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?

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

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

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

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

Method
What steps must you follow to make the food?

1. .................................................................

2. .................................................................

3. .................................................................

4. .................................................................

5. .................................................................
Questions
a) What is left over after the plant has made glucose and starch?

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

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

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

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

c) Where does the plant make its food?

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

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

53
TASK CARD 5 Task card to photocopy
Learner Task
SAFETY PRECAUTION!
Test a green leaf for starch Do not work with ethanol or
methylated spirits near an
Follow the instructions in the diagrams below. open flame. It is highly
Then answer the questions that follow. flammable and may explode.

1. Put a leaf in a baby food jar. Cover it with boiling water


and leave for 2 minutes. Boiling water destroys
the membranes of the cells.

2. Put the leaf in a baby food jar. Cover it with 1


methylated spirits (or ethanol). The methylated boiling
spirits removes the green chlorophyll from the water
leaf. After a while, the leaf should be white or
pale green and hard. 2&3 baby food jar

leaf
3. Place the baby food jar in styrofoam cup of
boiling water. hot water

methylated spirits

4. Dip the leaf in hot water. Hot water makes the


leaf soft again.
4 styrofoam cup with
boiling water

5. Put the leaf on a square piece of waxed lunch


wrap (or a plastic lid). Put a drop of iodine
solution onto the leaf. The iodine will turn
black where starch is present. 5 rinse in hot water

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

54
TASK CARD 6 Task card to photocopy

Test different foods for starch


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:


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

55
TASK CARD 6 (CONT.) Task card to photocopy
Food Plant it comes from Colour when iodine is Is starch
added present?

Maizena

Sugar

Cheese

Flour

Egg white

Cooking oil

Potato

Cooked beans

Bread

Rice

Oats porridge

Pasta

Banana

Carrot

Onion

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

C. Write a conclusion with your teacher


We learnt from this experiment
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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

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

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

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

56
Assessment task for LO1 Task card to photocopy

Learner task 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 down
some questions to ask your family to find out what staple foods they eat regularly.

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

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

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

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

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

B. Conduct investigations, collect and record data


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

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

2. Now that you know which foods are carbohydrate foods (contain starch), carry out a survey
about 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.

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

57
Assessment task for LO1 (cont.) Task card to photocopy
5. Show your findings in a bar graph.
Learner task
Graph to show how many times a week I eat each starch food

30
Total number of times that I eat starchy food each week.

25

20

15

10

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.

Number of times a week I eat this food

Number of times
carbohydrate food (starch Name Name Name Name TOTAL
food) is eaten each week

Potato

Rice

Mielie meal

Bread

Pasta

58
ASSESSMENT TASK FOR LO1 (CONT.) Task card to photocopy

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

30
Total number of times each food is eaten in our group

25

20

15

10

0
potato rice mielie meal bread pasta
Different starch foods

C. Evaluate and interpret data


Discuss 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?

59
TASK CARD 7 Task card to photocopy

Learner task
A. Analysing home-cooked meals
1. Look at the food energy table and the
three food groups. Use the information
from the table and the diagram of the
different food groups, to help you fill in
A meal of
the table.
umngqusho
onembotyi (samp and beans)

Ingredients Food group/s Energy Substances added to the food

Samp

Beans

Onion

Food groups

60
TASK CARD 7 (CONT.) Task card to photocopy
Learner task

Food energy table


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

61
TASK CARD 7 (CONT.) Task card to photocopy
Learner task
B. Foods in the past, present and future
1. 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:
M Name of food or meal
M Ingredients
M 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.

Recipe

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62
TASK CARD 8 Task card to photocopy

Learner task Comparing home-cooked food with processed


foods and fast foods
A. Processed and fast foods
1. 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 to Estimated energy


food value in kilojoules
per 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

63
TASK CARD 8 (CONT.) Task card to photocopy

Learner task
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 meal


1. 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 food
meal has had many chemicals added to it.

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5. Which meal would you choose? Why? Would you eat it every day? Would this be good
for you? Explain why or why not.

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64
Assessment task for LO3 Task card to photocopy
Learner task Making better food choices
A. Read food labels
1. 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 packet
and how to read it.

This tells you


how much energy
the bread
contains.

The bread
contains these
substances.

Preservatives
are chemicals that
prevent bread
from going bad.

The
recommended
daily allowance
(RDA) indicates how
much of each
substance a person
over 13 years old
should eat per
day.

65
Assessment task for LO3 (cont.) Task card to photocopy

Learner task
B. 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 that
you 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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66
TASK CARD 9 Task card to photocopy
Learner task Reflecting on Life and Living
1. 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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67
Information on GM foods

What are GM foods?


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

Problems with GM foods


M 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 high
prices.
M GM seeds are usually very expensive. The scientists alter (change) the plant so
that the crops do not produce good seeds of their own. So the farmers have to
buy 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 better
than other local plants, causing other local species to die.
M Local insect and animal populations can get damaged if the GM foods are not
good 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 are
sometimes more able to adapt to changes in the climate such as drought.
People feel that it is important to sustain (keep growing) many of the
traditional 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 many
developed countries, people refuse to eat GM crops in case they cause illnesses.
Seed companies then try to sell the unwanted seeds to less developed
countries.

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69
70
71
72
73
74
75
SECTION 3
Extracts 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
Natural Science

CORE KNOWLEDGE AND CONCEPTS IN LIFE AND LIVING

Life Processes and Interactions in Biodiversity, Change and


Healthy Living Environments Continuity
Unifying statement: Living Unifying statement: Unifying statement: The huge
things, including humans and Organisms in ecosystems are diversity of forms of life can
invisibly small organisms, can dependent for their survival be understood in terms of a
be understood in terms of life on the presence of abiotic history of change in
processes, functional units factors and on their environments and in
and systems. relationship with other characteristics of plants and
organisms. animals throughout the world
over millions of years.

Foundation Phase
1 Many of our body parts 3 We depend on plants and 6 There is a large variety of
correspond to parts of animals for food, and we plants and animals, which
animals, such as limbs, breed certain animals and have interesting visible
heads, eyes, ears, feet, and grow certain plants as differences but also
in many cases animals use crops. similarities, and they can
them for the same 4 We see cultural diversity be grouped by their
purposes we do. in the kinds of food similarities.
2 Animals and plants have people like to eat. 7 Plants and animals change
needs similar needs to 5 Some animals, like flies as they grow, and as the
ours, for food, water and and ticks, carry germs years pass, and as the
air. which can make people seasons change.
sick.

Intermediate Phase
1 Green plants produce their 5 Animals cannot make 10 New plants can grow from
own food and grow by their own food, and so certain parts of a parent
using water and substances some animals eat plants plant. This is called
from the air and soil. for food while some vegetative reproduction
Energy from light is animals eat other animals. and does not need seeds.
needed to change these All animals ultimately The new plants have all
simple substances into depend on green plants for the characteristics of the
food and plant material. their food. parent plant.
Green plants are the only
organisms that can
produce food in their own
bodies.

Core Knowledge and Concepts in Matter and Materials

77
Revised National Curriculum Statements Grades R–9 (Schools)

Life Processes and Interactions in Biodiversity, Change and


Healthy Living Environments Continuity

Intermediate Phase

2 Living things need food 6 Ecosystems are self- 11 Sexual reproduction is the
for energy, to move, grow contained areas where a process by which two
and to repair damage to wide variety of plant and individual plants or
their bodies (‘tissues’). animal species live and animals produce another
Animals including reproduce. They depend generation of individuals.
humans have digestive on each other and on the The next generation’s
systems for getting non-living environment. individuals look like the
nutrients from food. The life and reproduction parents but always have
Humans need a balanced of all the organisms in an slight differences
diet from certain groups ecosystem depend on the (‘variation’) from their
of food to be healthy. continuing growth and parents and from each
3 All living things can reproduction of plants. other.
respond to their 7 Organism habitats are the 12 South Africa has a rich
environment in various places where they feed, fossil record of animals
ways; animals, including hide, reproduce and, in and plants which lived
humans, have specialised many cases, shelter the many millions of years
sense organs. young until they have a ago. Many of those
better chance of survival. animals and plants were
Animal species live in different from the ones
their habitats in a variety we see nowadays. Some
of social patterns (such as plants and animals
being solitary, pairing for nowadays have strong
life, or living in packs, similarities to fossils of
prides, herds or troops). ancient plants and
8 Ecosystems depend on animals. We infer from the
soil. Soil forms by natural fossil record and other
processes from rock and geological observations
dead plant and animal that the diversity of living
material, but it takes an things, natural
extremely long time to environments and
form. Substances which climates were different in
plants take from the soil those long-ago times.
must be replaced to main (Links with fossils in
fertility of the soil. (Links Planet Earth and Beyond)
with soil in Planet Earth
and Beyond)

Core Knowledge and Concepts in Matter and Materials

78
Natural Science

Life Processes and Interactions in Biodiversity, Change and


Healthy Living Environments Continuity

Intermediate Phase

4 Living things can move 9 Water plays an important


themselves; animals, role in ecosystems,
including humans, can sustaining both plant and
move themselves from animal life. Industrial,
place to place. Many agricultural and domestic
species of animals move activities may have a
themselves by means of serious impact on the
muscles attached to some quality and quantity of
kind of skeleton which is water available in an area.
either inside or on the (Links with Planet Earth
surface of the body. and Beyond)

Senior Phase

1 Humans go through 10 Human reproduction is 16 Offspring of organisms


physical changes as they more than conception differ in small ways from
age; puberty means that and birth; it involves their parents and
the body is ready for adults raising children, generally from each
sexual reproduction. which requires other. This is called
2 Human reproduction judgement and values variation in a species.
begins with the fusion of and usually depends on 17 Natural selection kills
sex cells from mother the behaviour of other those individuals of a
and father, carrying the people in a community species which lack the
patterns for some and environment. characteristics that
characteristics of each. 11 Each species of animal would have enabled
3 Conception is followed has characteristic them to survive and
by a sequence of changes behaviours which enable reproduce successfully in
in the mother’s body, and it to feed, find a mate, their environment.
during this period the breed, raise young, live Individuals which have
future health of the in a population of the characteristics suited to
unborn child can be same species, or escape the environment
affected. threats in its particular reproduce successfully
4 Knowledge of how to environment. These and some of their
prevent the transmission behaviours have arisen offspring carry the
of sexually transmitted over long periods of successful characteristics.
diseases, including the time that the species Natural selection is
HIVirus, must be population has been accelerated when the
followed by behaviour living in the same environment changes;
choices. environment. this can lead to the
extinction of species.

Core Knowledge and Concepts in Matter and Materials

79
Revised National Curriculum Statements Grades R–9 (Schools)

Life Processes and Interactions in Biodiversity, Change and


Healthy Living Environments Continuity

Senior Phase

5 Green plants use energy 12 All organisms have 18 Variations in human


from the sun, water and adaptations for survival in biological characteristics
carbon dioxide from the their habitats (such as such as skin colour,
air to make food by adaptations for height, and so on, have
photosynthesis. This maintaining their water been used to categorise
chemical reaction is balance, obtaining and groups of people. These
central to the survival of eating the kind of food biological differences do
all organisms living on they need, reproduction, not indicate differences in
earth. protection or escape from innate abilities of the
6 Animals, including predators). groups concerned.
humans, require protein, 13 An ecosystem maintains Therefore, such
fat, carbohydrates, numerous food webs and categorisation of groups
minerals, vitamins and competition for food by biological differences is
water. Food taken in is among different neither scientifically valid
absorbed into the body individuals and nor exact; it is a social
via the intestine. Surplus populations. South Africa construct.
food is stored as fat or has certain ecosystems 19 Biodiversity enables
carbohydrate. which have exceptional ecosystems to sustain life
7 Animals, including biodiversity. All uses of and recover from changes
humans, have a circulatory these areas must be based to the environment. Loss
system which includes the on principles of of biodiversity seriously
heart, veins, arteries and sustainable development. affects the capacity of
capillaries, and which 14 Pollution interferes with ecosystems and the earth,
carries nutrients and natural processes that to sustain life.
oxygen to all parts of the maintain the Classification is a means
body and removes waste interdependencies and to organise the great
products. Oxygen, which is diversity of an ecosystem. diversity of organisms and
provided by the breathing make them easier to
system, reacts with food study. The two main
substances to release categories of animals are
energy. (Links with the vertebrates and
Energy and Change) invertebrates, and among
vertebrates the five classes
are amphibians, birds, fish,
reptiles and mammals.

Core Knowledge and Concepts in Matter and Materials

80
Natural Science

Life Processes and Interactions in Biodiversity, Change and


Healthy Living Environments Continuity

Senior Phase

8 All living things, including 15 Many biological changes, 20 Human activities, such as
humans, have means of including decomposition the introduction of alien
eliminating waste and recycling of matter in species, habitat
products which are ecosystems and human destruction, population
produced during life diseases, are caused by growth, pollution and
processes. Water plays an invisibly small, quickly- over-consumption, result
important role in this reproducing organisms. in the loss of biodiversity.
process. This becomes evident
9 Water makes up a large when more species
proportion of all living become endangered, or,
things, and their health ultimately, extinct.
depends on water passing 21 Extinctions also occur
through them in various through natural events.
ways, using structures Mass extinctions have
(such as kidneys, skin or occurred in the past
stomata) which can fulfil suggesting that huge
this function. changes to environments
have occurred. However,
these changes occurred
very slowly, compared to
the fast rate at which
humans can destroy plant
and animal species. (Links
with Planet Earth and
Beyond)
22 The cell is the basic unit
of most living things, and
an organism may be
formed from one or many
cells. Cells themselves
carry on life processes
such as nutrition,
respiration, excretion and
reproduction, which
sustain the life of the
organism as a whole.

Core Knowledge and Concepts in Matter and Materials

81
82
83
84
85
Learning Outcome 3: Science, Society and the Environment
The learner will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the interrelationships between science
and technology, society and the environment.

86
87
WESTERN CAPE PRIMARY SCIENCE
PROGRAMME TRUST (PSP)

The PSP is an in-service education organisation that supports primary school


teachers in the field of Natural Sciences and related learning areas particularly in
township primary schools in the Western Cape. We are based at the Edith Stephens
Wetland Park, Philippi, situated close to many disadvantaged communities in the
Cape Flats.
The PSP has been operating since 1984 and has built up good relationships with
over 200 primary schools from all the township areas, including the Boland and
West Coast rural areas. More than 1050 teachers from grades 4 to 7 and 126,000
children benefit from the work of the PSP.
The PSP works in an environment where most teachers and learners have to
operate in a 2nd or 3rd additional language. We therefore also work on developing
learners’ communication skills while focusing on science related learning areas and
environment.
The PSP currently operates with a complement of 9 staff.

CONTACT DETAILS
Western Cape Primary Science Programme (PSP)
Edith Stephens Wetland Park
Lansdowne Road
Philippi, Cape Flats, 7785.

P.O. Box 24158


Lansdowne 7779
South Africa
Tel: (021) 6919039 ( Fax: (021) 6916350
e-mail: info@psp.org.za (website: www.psp.org.za)

NPO: 015-822
Registration Number: IT2806/99

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