Lesson Plan For Chariton High School Freshman Civics Class

Title: General Mills Announces No More GMOs In Original Cheerios Date: 3 Jan. 2014 Grade: 6 - 8 Subject: Science/Health URL: http://www.newsy.com/videos/general-mills-announces-no-more-gmos-in- original-cheerios/

Teacher Information: This Newsy.com video can serve as the springboard to a classroom debate/discussion on GMOs in our food supply, the science behind GMOs, and the history of GMOs.

This lesson can be completed in one 50-minute class period. General Mills Announces No More GMOs In Original Cheerios January 3, 2014 by Candace Aviles

Phase Task(s) Time Preparation Write the following terms on the board before students enter the room and then have 5 min them brainstorm the terms to review: “GMO,” “Hybrids,” “Organic,” “Biotechnology,” “Frankencorn,” “FDA,” “Department of Agriculture,” and “EPA.” Watch As a class, watch the Newsy.com video General Mills Announces No More GMOs In 1:35 min Original Cheerios at: http://www.newsy.com/videos/general-mills-announces-no- more-gmos-in-original-cheerios/ Re-watch Re-watch the video in pairs and answer the questions on the worksheet at the end of 12 min and answer this lesson. Group Work Form into small groups of four or five students and discuss the following: 20 min  After performing an Internet search on the prevalence of GMOs in the US food supply, estimate how often you consume GMO products/produce on a weekly basis. How do you feel about this?  Why are some people concerned about GMOs in our food supply? Are their fears justified? Why or why not?  Non-GMO crops require more use of pesticides and chemicals than GMO crops. How do you feel about this tradeoff?  Do you think there are actually any risks in GMO foods? Explain.  Do you think there should be a law requiring GMO foods to be labeled?  The Newsy video mentioned that some think that this was a marketing move. What did they mean by this? Do you agree or disagree with that statement? Discussion Full class discussion on the topic and share ideas with the rest of the class. 10 min

General Mills Announces No More GMOs In Original Cheerios Title: General Mills Announces No More GMOs In Original Cheerios

Extended Learning Activities – Optional

Parent Involvement Have students share the ideas discussed in class with varies their parents. What are their parents’ feelings on the topic? Have them share their parents’ ideas with the rest of the class. Research Students can further research the arguments for and varies against GMOs in our food supply, choosing one side to defend in a classroom debate. Research Students can research the history and science of genetic varies engineering/modification. Report Using reliable sources from the World Wide Web, varies students can write a report on the differences between GMO farming, non-GMO farming, organic farming, and home heirloom gardening.

Looking for related resources? Check out…

US Department of Agriculture This site includes some answers to frequently asked questions on agricultural biotechnology and agricultural standards in the United States. http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=AGRICULTURE&contentid=BiotechnologyFAQs.xml

World Health Organization Learn about the United Nations’ positions on GMO foods and follow links to related and more specific topics on the WHO’s website. http://www.who.int/topics/food_genetically_modified/en/

Nova | PBS This Nova/Frontline special report presents six arguments for and six arguments against GMO crops. There are interactives and students can cast a vote and see counterarguments to their position. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/harvest/

American Radioworks | American Public Media Here is another public media site that lists pro and con arguments in the GMO debate. http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/gmos_india/pro_con.html

Genetically Modified Foods (GMOs) | eThemes | eMINTS (grade 6) These sites explore genetically modified foods (GMOs). They look at the pros and cons associate with the hybridization process. Resources include articles, videos, and lesson plans designed to highlight the issues related to the topic. http://ethemes.missouri.edu/themes/1994

General Mills Announces No More GMOs In Original Cheerios