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Food Allergy Storyline Unit

Lesson 2: How can we figure out the different ways food allergies and food intolerances affect our bodies?

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What did we do in the last class?

At the end of lesson 1, we decided we need to figure out what exactly is going on between food proteins and the different reactions that can happen in our bodies.

Reacclimate students to where they left off at the end of lesson 1.

Say, “At the end of lesson 1, we decided we need to figure out what exactly is going on between food proteins and the different reactions that can happen in our bodies.”

Suggested Prompts (different color)

What were some of the things we figured out about the different system responses we read about?
What are some of the similarities and differences we noticed in our models?

Listen for (different color) student responses:

Food allergies and food intolerances are different.
Food allergies are an immune system response, and inferences are a digestive system response.
The body seems to have a lot of different reactions to food, but we are not sure about this.

Say to students, “It seems like there is some uncertainty about how and why these different responses occur. To help you figure out more about allergies and intolerances, I will play a short video.”

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Experience the Phenomenon

Play FARE Food for Thought: Milk Allergy Versus Lactose Intolerance in full.

FARE’s mission is to improve the quality of life and the health of individuals with food allergies, and to provide them hope through the promise of new treatments.

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2. Students watch a video about the differences between a milk allergy and lactose intolerances.

Explain that you have a video that will give them more information about allergies and intolerances. As they watch the video, tell students to record any information they think will be helpful. Play Food for Thought: Milk Allergy Versus Lactose Intolerance in full.

Afterward, give each student a copy of the video transcript and ask them to get 2 different-colored highlighters. Explain to students that they are going to read through the transcript twice.

During the first read, they should highlight everything they think might be important to figuring out the difference between milk allergy and lactose intolerance.
During the second read, they should highlight in a different color anything they have questions about or don't understand.

When students have finished with this close-read activity, place students into small groups and have them discuss what they highlighted. Provide each group with a whiteboard to compile a list of things they think are important and new questions they have.

Note that the video could not be embedded in NSTA materials because of copyright.

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Experience the Phenomenon

We will do a gallery walk to observe similarities and differences.

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3. Students participate in a gallery walk using the 1-stay-and-3-stray learning strategy to observe similarities and differences in noticings and wonderings in a whole group.

As students observe other groups’ ideas, have them record similarities and differences. Next, have a consensus discussion to record what they figured out about allergies and intolerances.

Look for students to identify the following:

Allergies are an immune system response.
If we are allergic, cells in our body think a protein from food is a threat to us.
In an allergic reaction, our cells release histamines to “protect” the body from the allergen.
Allergic reactions can range from mild to deadly.
Intolerances are a digestive system response.
In lactose intolerance, the system can’t digest lactose because the body does not have the enzyme (lactase).
Lactose is a sugar.
People who can’t digest lactose suffer, but their symptoms are not life threatening.

Ask students, “Is this enough information to answer our lesson question?” Have students discuss the following prompts in their small groups for 2 minutes, then share their ideas.

Students should conclude they still need more information to answer the lesson question.

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Investigate the Phenomenon

Revisit our initial questions and add any new questions based on the video and transcript.

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4. Revisit their initial questions to remind students what they are trying to figure out from lesson 1 and to add any new questions based on the video and transcript.

Look for students to identify the following:

What are enzymes? We have heard this word a few times, but are not sure what it means.
How are proteins different? Are proteins from the food we eat the same or different from the proteins in our bodies?
How can proteins cause so many different things to happen?
How can non-dairy (lactose-free) food items still cause a reaction?
Are plant protein and animal protein the same in foods?
How do plants have protein? I thought they were carbs.

Once all the new questions are added, engage students in a whole-class discussion to figure out what information they need to determine how proteins contribute to the difference between an allergy and an intolerance.

Say to students, “It seems like we have figured out that intolerance and allergies are different, but we don't know how or why. We also seem to have a lot of questions around the role of proteins and how they differ between allergies and intolerances.”

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Investigate the Phenomenon

Obtain information from a variety of sources.

Read the informational texts, or watch the videos you’re assigned and summarize what you have learned.

Be prepared to share your findings in small groups.

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5. Students participate in a jigsaw activity to figure out more about allergies and intolerances.

Explain to students that in science, it is necessary to obtain information from a variety of sources to ensure that the science ideas are valid and reliable. To make sure they are gathering accurate information, tell students they will each be gathering information from different sources.

Assign each group member one of these informational texts or videos.

Allergies and the Immune System (Johns Hopkins Medicine) text only
Food Intolerances Versus Food Allergy (American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology) text and video
Lactose Intolerance (Nemours Kids Health) text only
What Happens in My Body When I Have an Allergy?

Have students summarize what they have learned about allergies and intolerances to other group members.

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Investigate the Phenomenon

Organize your information in a table or diagram.

Intolerance	Allergy

Intolerance

Allergy

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Explain the Phenomena

Use the model template to create a model that explains the difference between food intolerances and food allergies.

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7. Students work in pairs to develop a model to explain the differences between what happens in the body when the system is working properly and when the system has an allergy or intolerance.

Pair students so one pair in each group is developing a model for allergies and the other for intolerance. Hand out the model template and have students label the top (Allergy or Intolerance). Tell students to use areas of agreement to begin to develop a model to explain the difference in a typical body system compared to either an allergic reaction or intolerance reaction. Say, “Use the template to explain what we might see in the body of a typical person versus what we might see in a person who is having an allergic or intolerance reaction. Remember we are trying to figure out what is going on with the proteins in both the food we eat and the proteins in the body.” Encourage students to use any information they have gathered so far to represent their ideas, and use pictures, symbols, and words to develop their model.

Tell students that they need to identify the components of the system and the interactions among the components. Remind them that they can also use question marks to label interactions that they know happen, but cannot yet explain.

Before you begin, you may want to address the purpose of modeling, as some students might want to copy the allergy model from the article “What Happens in My Body When I Have an Allergy?” Reiterate that it is important for their models to be explanatory, and should be developed using their words so they can use their models to explain.

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Explain the Phenomena

What did we figure out about food allergies and food intolerances?

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What’s Next?

What do we need to know more about?