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FoodMASTER Middle: Grains

Students will learn the physical components and nutritional composition of a grain, understand the function of the protein gluten in the structure of bread products, and investigate how mechanical and chemical digestion begins with salivary amylase in the mouth.

Grades
6 – 8
Estimated Time
Three 1-hour activities
Updated
January 31, 2024
head of wheat plant
Image: Hans/Pixabay

Background

Lesson Activities

Credits

Author

FoodMASTER

Acknowledgements

This lesson was partnered with East Carolina University. The FoodMASTER program was supported by the Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) which is funded from the National Center for Research Resources, a component of the National Institutes of Health.

  • Primary Authors:
    • Virginia Stage, PhD, RDN, LDN
    • Mary White
    • Ashley Roseno, MAEd, MS, RDN, LDN
    • Melani W. Duffrin, PhD, RDN, LDN
  • Graphic Design: Cara Cairns Design, LLC

Standards

National Content Area Standards

  • Career & Technical Education
    • AFNR (Grades 6-8): Food Products and Processing Systems Career Pathway
      • FPP.02.02: Apply principles of microbiology and chemistry to develop food products to provide a safe, wholesome and nutritious food supply for local and global food systems.
      • FPP.04.02: Evaluate the significance and implications of changes and trends in the food products and processing industry in the local and global food systems.
  • Science
    • MS-LS1: From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
      • MS-LS1-7: Develop a model to describe how food is rearranged through chemical reactions forming new molecules that support growth and/or release energy as this matter moves through an organism.
    • MS-PS1: Matter and Its Interactions
      • MS-PS1-2: Analyze and interpret data on the properties of substances before and after the substances interact to determine if a chemical reaction has occurred.