Te Kete Ipurangi Navigation:

Te Kete Ipurangi
Communities
Schools

Te Kete Ipurangi user options:


Senior Secondary navigation


RSS

You are here:

Level 6: Food science and nutrition/hospitality

Development of the course

The following course was designed for a group of Level 6 students who were interested in food science, nutrition and manaakitanga (hospitality).

Suggested length of course: Half year (20 weeks).

Resource requirements: Visit to a marae, local catering or food processing business; interview with a dietician; and contribution to preparing a meal at a marae or school camp.

Focus question 1: How does the human gut work?

Students explore:

  • the structure and function of the human digestive system, by:
    • constructing and using models, carrying out dissection, etc
  • what happens to food by:
    • investigating the effect of pH on enzyme activity
    • using molymods to model the breakdown of polymers to monomers
  • how kai is distributed and stored in the body, by:
    • modelling absorption, using glucose and a dialysis membrane.

Focus question 2: What is meant by a balanced diet?

Students explore:

  • the concept of a “balanced” diet, by:
    • recording own dietary intake over 48 hours
    • the dietary content of culture-specific foods – for example, fry bread (Māori); taro, poke, and coconut cream (Pasifika) – and their effect on people’s health, including the prevalence of food-related diseases 
    • carrying out simple food tests to analyse food products
    • analysing food labelling information, including additives
    • investigating the effect of diet on obesity
  • why we need vitamins and minerals, by:
    • interviewing a university student who has experienced “scurvy”
  • food intolerances and allergies, by:
    • surveying people about their food allergies
    • researching the causes of lactose intolerance and celiac disease/gluten intolerance
    • exploring the possibilities of rongoā Māori (Māori medicine)
    • interviewing a dietician about special dietary needs and options
    • adapting a recipe or meal to suit a specific medical condition.

Focus question 3: What is the perfect menu?

Students plan and prepare meals for a specific event – for example, a school camp or hui.

Focus question 4: How much do microbes matter?

Students investigate:

  • the life processes of micro-organisms, by:
    • culturing and examining micro-organisms
    • using a microscope to examining fungal hyphae from a compost heap
  • environmental factors that affect micro-organisms, by:
    • cultivating mushrooms in the lab to determine optimal conditions
    • investigating surface and hand cleaners, using fair testing
    • researching symbiotic gut bacteria and relating this to antibiotic treatment
    • investigating abiotic factors on the growth of yeast (for example, the measurement of growth by turbidity, carbon dioxide production, plate count or counting chamber). Abiotic factors could include temperature, or sugar or alcohol concentration. This could lead to a comparison of the alcohol tolerance levels of brewers’ yeast and bread makers’ yeast
  • how humans use their understanding of micro-organisms, by:
    • visiting a fast-food outlet or a food-processing plant to investigate food hygiene practices
    • making yoghurt and ginger beer, explaining the science behind the recipes
    • exploring different cultural practices/tikanga in food preparation and preservation – for example, hangi, umu, pāwhara, maroke
    • constructing a compost bin for a school garden or community māra.

Possible assessment

Possible assessments for this course include:

  • AS90925 Biology 1.1: Carry out a practical investigation in a biological context, with direction (4 credits, internal)
  • AS90926 Biology 1.2: Report on a biological issue (3 credits, internal)
  • AS90929 Biology 1.5: Demonstrate understanding of biological ideas relating to a mammal as a consumer (Mammal (human) as a consumer) (3 credits, external)
  • AS90931 Chemistry 1.2: Demonstrate understanding of the chemistry in a technological application (2 credits, internal)
  • AS90949 Science 1.10: Investigate life processes and environmental factors that affect them (4 credits, internal)
  • AS90950 Science 1.11: Investigate biological ideas relating to interactions between humans and micro-organisms (4 credits, internal)
    or
    AS90927 Biology 1.3: Demonstrate understanding of biological ideas relating to micro-organisms (4 credits, external)
  • AS90956 Home economics 1.1: Demonstrate knowledge of an individual’s nutritional needs (5 credits, internal)
    or
    AS90959 Home economics 1.4: Demonstrate knowledge of practices and strategies to address food handling issues (5 credits, internal)
  • AS90972 Health 1.2: Demonstrate understanding of influences on adolescent eating patterns to make health-enhancing recommendations (4 credits, external)

Possible career links

Possible career links are the food-processing industry, the hospitality industry (caterer, chef, kitchen hand, barista or waiter), hotel management, events coordination, childcare, or food technology.

Last updated December 17, 2012



Footer: