Nutrition and Health
Goals:
To understand the conditions faced while sailing on the ocean regarding
health and physical fitness.
To learn about the importance of Vitamin C.
To be able to understand the cause of many diseases and sicknesses on
the ships.
To be able to perform critical thinking and compare/contrast skills
in writing.
Content Areas:
Health - study of nutrition and scurvy
Physical Education - exercises done on a ship
Language Arts - writing and critical thinking skills
Materials:
"James Lind: A Treatise of the Scurvy"
"William Hutchinson: A Treatise on Naval Architecture...,1794."
Armento, Beverly J. (1991). Across the Centuries. Boston: Houghton
Miflin.
Navy Personnel
Procedure: (2 hours)
1) Start students thinking about food and meals on a ship. Could they
have fresh food? What happened to the food? Introduce the concept of Vitamin
C deficiency or scurvy. Relate the explorers with this passage: "In about
1498, Christopher Columbus asked Spanish rulers for these foods for a voyage
to America: biscuits, salted flour, wheat, salted meat and fish, oil, vinegar,
cheese, chickpeas, lentils, beans, honey, rice, almonds, and raisins. Water
and wine were the only two drinks mentioned in his journal. The absence
of fresh fruit and vegetables caused many sailors on long voyages to suffer
from scurvy." (Across the Centuries , Beverly J. Armento)
2) Look at the two papers off of the internet. They are both dealing
with the topic of Vitamin C deficiency or scurvy. Write a one page reflection
comparing and contrasting the two articles. What information might have
helped William Hutchinson survive?
3) With a guest Navy personnel, discuss what types of exercises sailors
could perform on ships. Could they run? Could they swim? What did they
do to stay fit? Then the students will perform a series of exercises as
demonstrated by the Navy Personnel.
Assessment:
The students will be assessed on their application of classroom discussion
and the articles' information about Vitamin C deficiency. In their one
page reflection, students should include the cause of Vitamin C deficiency,
and how it could be prevented. Students must also include a comparison/contrast
position between the two articles for their reflections to be successful.
In regard to the physical fitness exercises, students should attempt to
perform at least 5 of certain things: push ups, pull ups; rope climbing
(1 time), sit-ups (at least 15), etc.
Extensions:
The discussion on Vitamin C deficiency could lead into a whole new
unit on nutrition, important vitamins, eating healthy, and staying fit.
Making Waves - written by Jennifer Cannistra, Jamie Hanna, Michael
LeRoy, & Kim Mongoven
Back to Week 3 - Day 3
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Ocean Voyagers Program