Showing posts with label Social Science-Civics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Social Science-Civics. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

What's in McDonald's Chicken McNugget?

“Oh, so That’s What Goes Inside a McDonald’s Chicken McNugget”
National Public Radio
By Maria Godoy
Date: February 6, 2014
In this news piece, Godoy summarizes the contents of a video produced by McDonald’s that demystifies the ingredients of the famous, Chicken McNugget. It has been speculated that the McNugget was made from a “pink goop” or “mystery meat,” its origins unknown. The video follows McDonald’s Canada employees through the processing plant to witness the making of the crunchy, chicken tenders.           
Quantitative: Flesch-Kincaid grade level--8.2 No Lexile Level or ATOS available.
Qualitative: The video produced by McDonald’s Canada has the potential to be shown at grade levels ranging from 5th grade to high school. However, due to the multiple access points, students in grades 8-12 (and even college) would benefit most from this material.
Content Area: English; Social Science--U.S. History; Social Science--World History; Social Science--Civics; Economics; Government/Ethics; Finance; Food Science; Health; Science--Biology.  
Curriculum Suggestions: This article and accompanying YouTube video (see below) would be a strong addition to a reading of Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser (Lexile Level--1240; ATOS--10.2). McDonald’s prominence and popularity make it the perfect example and also the face of the fast food industry. Lenses of examining this video include:
1) Discussion of our food supply
2) Government responsibility in legislating food regulation (this could get into the debate
over GMO labeling). 
3) Bias--should we trust a video produced by McDonald’s?
4) Fact and Fiction lesson that directly address information literacy skills--examine the myths and conspiracies behind McDonald’s products: Are they based on fact? How can we decipher between fact and fiction?
5) Examine the role of the media in perpetuating myths and clarifying facts.


Common Core Standards: RI.11/12.7-8; SL.11/12.2-5; RH.11/12.1-2
Additional/Digital Content:


  • McNugget nutrition facts--
  • National Chicken Council FAQ sheet--





  • Debate over new chicken law in California--http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/03/07/286811197/poultry-farmers-to-fight-back-on-california-cage-free-egg-law
Personal Thoughts: This simple video has the potential to reach all content areas. Teachers could develop a unit that branches off into various aspects of the issue in order to include a focus from each content area and address multiple facets of the CCSS, including research. Furthermore, students have the potential to reach beyond chicken and see the impact on our food supply as a whole--from beef to fish.

*Meets the "Media Item" requirement


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Tuesday, February 4, 2014

To the Point

To the Point on NPR: “Wealth and the Surging Income Inequality Gap”
Host: Warren Olney
Guests: Tim Harford, Nathaniel Hendren, Max Lawson, and Sam Polk
Original air date: January 24, 2014
Start Time: 8 minutes in 
End Time: 44 minutes in
In this edition of “To the Point” with Warren Olney, the issue of income inequality is investigated. Olney aims to answer the questions: How did the very rich get that way? Will they share their wealth? and Is greed a form of addition? Four economic experts argue their viewpoints on the issue.


Nathaniel Hendren, Professor of Economics at Harvard→ In recent study, Hendren found that young people moving out of poverty remains consistent with past statistics. In fact Hendren contents that rather than looking at income inequality, the question should be on financial, upward mobility, which would put factors like school quality, racial segregation, family structure, and class segregation under examination. The study he cites shows that young people that live in communities with a strong middle class have a greater chance of upward mobility. Mobility ranges from region to region.


Tim Harford, columnist for Financial Times→ Harford discusses the concept of “negative wealth” meaning people living in debt. He acknowledges that income inequality is greater now than in any time in the history of the United States. Harford indicates that in income inequality and wealth distribution are becoming political issues that influence how we run our democracies.


Max Lawson, director of reports for Oxfam→ According to Oxfam, 85 wealthiest people have as much money as the poorest 3.5 billion people combined--a staggering and shocking statistic. In order to “level the playing field,” Lawson says we need to look to progressive taxation, the richest paying their fair share in order to have the top education and health care system. He asks that people with high incomes pay more in order to mobilize that poor at the bottom of the financial spectrum.


Sam Polk, former Wall Street Trader→ Based on his personal experience, Polk discusses the obsession with wealth accumulation as an addiction. He argues that the income inequality issue is more of a spiritual issue more so than a political one.


Quantitative: No Lexile Level or ATOS available


Qualitative: This podcast is definitely geared for upper classmen and adults given density and complexity of the subject matter in addition to the organization. Students would need to have sophisticated listening skills in order to follow the arguments and rebuttals put forth by the experts especially since the experts are not given an equal amount of time to speak and are not always given an opportunity to respond to everyone involve in the discussion. Students would have to have a solid grounding in the political and financial climate of the United States and even the world.


Content Area: English; Social Science--U.S. History; Social Science--World History; Social Science--Civics; Economics; Government/Ethics; Finance.


Curriculum Suggestions: In English, students could examine the structure of the experts’ arguments and their support including determining if Olney’s three main questions were addressed by the panel. In the U.S. History, students could research upward mobility, income inequality and wealth distribution beginning before the Great Depression, noticing trends and government programs that aim to minimize the negative effects on the poor. Similarly, World History classes may want to look at how other countries seem to not have the same problems as the United States, take Switzerland for example. On the other hand, countries such as China, are noticing similar income issues as the United States even though it is a relatively “poor” country. Since the issue is so large, there are many paths of exploration to follow.


Common Core Standards: RI.11/12.6-8; SL.11/12.1-6; RH.11/12.1-4, 6
Additional/Digital Content:
  • Sam Polk feature from Forbes--
  • Sam Polk’s foundation, Groceryships, that gives scholarships for families living in poverty to purchase the best food they can to combat childhood obesity--http://groceryships.com


  • Hedren’s study on trends in intergenerational mobility--
  • Harford on global poverty and rich-world inequality as separate issues--
Personal Thoughts: This piece speaks to many students’ current financial situations. At a school like Oxnard High School, there multiple ways to make this content relevant to the students. Beyond just having a personal, real-world connection, students might begin to understand the root of greed and perhaps even see it’s connection to other themes seen in some of the previously mentioned texts.

*Meets the "Media Item" requirement

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