!

New>Tritional$Info$
How$long$does$it$take$to$burn$off$menu$items$from$McDonaldsand$what$
would$happen$if$fast$food$restaurants$wrote$their$menus$in$terms$of$exercise?$

$
Description$

In! some! cities,! restaurants! are! required! to! post! nutritional! information! for! their!
foods,!including!the!number!of!calories.!!But!what!does!550!calories!really!mean,!
and!does!this!information!have!an!impact!on!what!people!eat?!
In! the! launch! activity! of! this! Mathalicious! project,! students! use! unit! rates! and!
proportional! reasoning! to! calculate! how! long! theyd! have! to! exercise! to! burn! off!
different! McDonalds! menu! items.! ! For! instance,! a! person! who! weighs! 125! pounds!
would!have!to!ride!a!bike!for!more!than!90!minutes!to!burn!off!all!the!calories!in!a!
Big!Mac!!!They!then!discuss!which!they!think!is!a!better!representation!of!nutritional!
information! ! calories! or! minutes! ! and! imagine! what! would! happen! if! fast! food!
companies!rewrote!their!menus!in!terms!of!exercise.!
Students!explore!this!even!further!in!the!project!tasks,!and!can!choose!between!two!
topics.! ! In! one! task,! students! create! a! personalized! menu! tailored! to! their! own!
bodies,!diets,!and!exercise!routines.!!In!another,!they!use!an!exercise!version!of!a!
McDonalds!menu!to!conduct!a!survey!to!determine!whether!presenting!nutritional!
information!differently!affects!what!people!order.!

Grade$Level/Course$

Grade!6!

Primary$Topic(s)$

Unit!Rates,!Proportional!Reasoning!

Common$Core$Standards$
$
$

Launch!Activity:!

6.RP.3d,!6.NS.3!

Project!Task!(A):!

6.RP.2,!6.RP.3,!6.NS.3!

Project!Task!(B):!

6.SP.1,!6.SP.4,!6.SP.5,!7.SP.4!

Estimated$Duration$

Five!Class!Meetings!(at!60_80!minutes!per)!

Resources$

The!majority!of!the!materials!needed!for!the!project!are!included!in!this!document.!
However,!the!launch!activity!includes!an!interactive!component!which!is!available!at!
newtritionalinfo.mathalicious.com!

!
Created$by$Mathalicious$in$collaboration$with$BIE.$Distributed$under$Creative$Commons$license$CC>BY>NC.$

New>Tritional$Info$

a$Mathalicious$project$

About$Mathalicious$
Mathalicious!creates!lessons!around!real_world!topics!that!help!middle!and!high_school!teachers!address!the!Common!
Core! while! challenging! their! students! to! think! more! critically! about! the! world.! Lessons! explore! such! questions! as,! Do#
people#with#small#feet#pay#too#much#for#shoes,#and#should#Nike#charge#by#weight?!(unit!rates),!and!How#does#memory#
deteriorate#over#time,#and#how#much#can#you#trust#it?!(exponential!decay).!For!more!information,!or!to!view!its!growing!
library!of!lessons,!please!visit!www.mathalicious.com.!

About$Mathalicious$Projects$
Project_based! learning! (PBL)! provides! students! a! unique! opportunity! to! engage! meaningfully! and! authentically! with!
mathematics,!and!is!an!effective!way!to!address!not!only!the!Common!Core!content!standards,!but!also!the!higher_order!
Mathematical! Practices.! At! the! same! time,! project_based! learning! may! be! unfamiliar! to! many! teachers.! Open_ended,!
student_led! inquiry! may! feel! new! and! even! overwhelming,! while! the! timeline! often! afforded! projects! may! not! be!
feasible! given! math! teachers! constraints! and! testing! pressures.! Mathalicious! projects! are! intended! to! help! teachers!
transition! into! project_based! learning,! and! serve! as! a! useful! on! ramp! to! this! form! of! inquiry_based! instruction.!
Mathalicious!projects!take!approximately!five,!60_80!minute!class!meetings.!!Each!project!consists!of!three!components:!

1. Launch$Activity$(2$class$meetings)$
The!launch!activity!sets!the!stage!for!the!project,!and!revolves!around!a!single!guiding!question.!It!is!a!conversation!
for!the!whole!class!(with!the!possibility!for!small!group!breakout!discussions),!scaffolded!in!a!way!that!helps!ensure!
discrete!learning!outcomes,!yet!is!also!open_ended!enough!to!provide!for!authentic!student!inquiry!and!discussion.!
This!activity!is!intended!to!take!two!class!meetings,!and!includes!a!student$handout,!lesson$guide,!and!interactive$
media.!The!interactive!media!is!essential!to!the!lesson!and!is!found!at!newtritionalinfo.mathalicious.com.!

2. Project$Tasks$(2$class$meetings)$
After!the!launch!activity,!students!will!spend!the!next!few!days!working!as!autonomously!as!possible!in!small!groups!
on! a! project! task! of! their! choice.! Each! project! task! explores! a! question! that! extends! the! topic! introduced! in! the!
launch! activity.! For! instance,! in! the! launch! activity! for! New_Tritional! Information,! students! calculate! how! long!
people!have!to!exercise!to!burn!off!different!menu!items!from!McDonalds.!In!one!of!the!project!tasks,!they!survey!
schoolmates!to!determine!whether!rewriting!the!menu!in!terms!of!exercise!(as!opposed!to!calories)!has!an!effect!on!
which!foods!people!order.!In!another,!they!create!a!menu!tailored!to!themselves!(or!a!friend)!based!on!body,!diet,!
and!exercise!preferences.!In!cases!like!this,!where!there!are!multiple!tasks,!students!can!choose!which!to!explore.!

3. Presentation$(1$class$meeting)$
To! conclude! the! project,! students! present! their! findings.! This! is! a! great! opportunity! to! share! their! mathematical!
thinking,!as!well!as!to!develop!important!communication!skills.!
Timeline$for$a$Mathalicious$Project$
Meeting!1!

Meeting!2!

Meeting!3!

Launch!Activity!
!

Meeting!4!

Project!Task(s)!
2!

Meeting!5!
Presentations!

New>Tritional$Info$

a$Mathalicious$project$

Planning$the$Launch$Activity$
To!get!started,!visit!the!activity's!page!at!newtritionalinfo.mathalicious.com.!The!Plan!tab!provides!an!overview!of!the!
content!and!links!to!downloadable!resources.!To!thoroughly!prepare!the!launch!activity,!complete!the!problems!on!the!
Student! Handout! yourself,! and! read! through! the! Lesson! Guide.! The! Lesson! Guide! anticipates! student! responses,!
common! misconceptions,! and! provides! guiding! questions! and! deeper! understanding! questions.! Then,! familiarize!
yourself! with! the! interactive,! multimedia! presentation! on! the! Teach! tab.! A! rehearsal! of! the! launch! activity! may! be! in!
order,!especially!to!help!anticipate!the!guiding!questions!that!will!be!especially!important!for!your!students.!

Teaching$the$Launch$Activity$
During! the! launch! activity,! youll! display! the! presentation! (from! the! Teach! tab! on! the! lesson's! page! at!
newtritionalinfo.mathalicious.com)! using! your! classroom's! projector.! ! It! includes! all! the! questions! from! the! student!
handout,!as!well!as!media!and!interactive!tools.!Use!the!question!buttons!to!progress!through!the!activity,!and!note!that!
some!questions!may!contain!more!than!one!button!to!show!different!media!elements.!!

Planning$the$Project$Tasks$
The! project! tasks! are! open_ended,! but! we! have! anticipated! what! students! might! find! for! you.! ! The! intention! is! that!
students! choose! one! of! the! project! tasks! to! explore! in! small! groups.! ! Print! the! Project$ Planning$ Sheet,! the! Student$
Handout,!and!the!Teacher$Guide!for!each!project!task.!The!Teacher!Guide!will!give!you!an!idea!of!what!students!might!
find!as!they!investigate!the!task,!and!what!math!they!can!be!expected!to!do!in!the!process.!Use!the!student!materials!in!
the! way! that! will! best! serve! your! students.! The! Student! Handout! includes! sub_steps! that! break! the! driving! question!
down! into! more! manageable! chunks,! as! well! as! a! list! of! presentation! ideas.! ! The! Project! Planning! Sheet! is! a! less!
scaffolded!advance!organizer!that!students!can!use!to!map!out!their!own!plan!of!attack!on!the!question!they!chose!to!
pursue.!It!does!not!include!project_specific!prompts,!and!will!be!challenging!for!students!without!experience!designing!
project!plans.!!You!may!decide!to!only!give!students!one!or!the!other,!or!you!may!decide!to!give!them!both.!

Teaching$the$Project$Options$
Describe!the!question!at!the!heart!of!each!project!task,!and!allow!students!to!choose!one.!Distribute!the!documents!you!
have! decided! to! provide,! as! well! as! any! additional! materials! they! might! need! (laptops,! rulers,! etc.).! For! two! days,!
students!should!be!given!as!much!self_!and!group_directed!time!as!possible!to!research!their!project,!make!conjectures!
and! evaluate! them,! and! create! artifacts! in! support! of! their! conclusions.! The! project! days! provide! an! excellent!
opportunity!to!differentiate!support!and!work!more!closely!with!students!who!are!struggling.!As!students!are!working,!
use!the!information!in!the!Teacher!Guide!to!support!and!help!focus!their!inquiry.!

Student$Presentations$
The! final! day! is! reserved! for! students! to! present! their! findings! to! each! other! or! a! larger! audience.! ! The! nature! of! the!
presentation! will! depend! on! their! project! task,! and! how! they! decide! to! best! display! their! findings.! They! might! create!
anything! from! a! calculator! program,! to! a! pamphlet! or! poster,! to! a! more! traditional! oral! presentation! with! supporting!
visuals.!!Both!the!teacher!and!student!handouts!offer!presentation!ideas!for!each!project!option.!
!

3!

New>Tritional$Info$

a$Mathalicious$project$

Activities$and$Materials$
Launch$Activity:$New>Tritional$Info$
How#long#does#it#take#to#burn#off#different#menu#items#at#McDonalds?#
Many! restaurants! are! required! to! post! nutritional! information! for! their! foods,! including!
the!number!of!calories.!But!what!does!550!calories!really!mean?!
In!this!launch!activity,!students!use!unit!rates!and!proportional!reasoning!to!calculate!how!
long! people! would! have! to! exercise! to! burn! off! different! McDonalds! menu! items.! They!
then!discuss!what!they!think!would!happen!if,!instead!of!calories,!McDonalds!rewrote!its!
menu!in!terms!of!exercise.!
Standards$

Materials$

6.RP.3d$

Ratio!and!rate!reasoning$

6.NS.3$

Operations!on!decimals$

Student!Handout!

Pages#6A7#of#this#document#

Lesson!Guide!

Pages#8A14#of#this#document#

Interactive!Media!

newtritionalinfo.mathalicious.com#

!
Project$Task$A:$Have$It$Your$Way$
How#long#would#you#have#to#exercise#to#burn#off#the#foods#that#you#eat?#
Minutes! of! exercise! might! be! more! useful! information! on! a! menu! than! calories,! but! its!
more!variable!for!an!individual.!!How!much!exercise!it!takes!to!burn!off!a!7_layer!burrito!
depends!on!how!much!you!weigh,!what!kind!of!exercise!you!like!to!do,!and!the!fact!that!a!
7_layer!burrito!is!something!you!would!eat.!
In!this!task,!students!analyze!their!own!diet,!or!that!of!a!friend!or!family!member.!Then!
they!rewrite!it!based!on!individualized!weight!and!preferred!exercise.!!
Standards$

Materials$

6.RP.2$

Understand!unit!rates!in!relation!to!ratios!

6.RP.3d$

Ratio!and!rate!reasoning$

6.NS.3$

Operations!on!decimals$

Student!Handout!

Page#16#of#this#document#

Teacher!Guide!

Pages#17A18#of#this#document#

4!

New>Tritional$Info$

a$Mathalicious$project$

$
Project$Task$B:$Would$You$Like$Fries$with$That?$
Does#rewriting#the#McDonalds#menu#in#terms#of#exercise#have#an#effect#on#what#people#order?#
In!many!places,!McDonald's!is!required!to!post!the!number!of!calories!in!each!item!on!the!
menu.!!Calories!may!not!lead!people!to!change!their!order,!though!!!Is!calorie!information!
useful!to!most!people?!!(For!example:!Is!200!calories!a!lot?!!Is!500?!!How!many!calories!
are! too! many! for! one! meal?)! What! would! happen! if! instead! of! calories,! McDonald's!
posted!how!much!exercise!it!would!take!to!burn!off!each!item!on!the!menu?!!!
In!this!project,!students!ask!a!survey!sample,!"What!would!you!order!from!a!McDonald's!
menu?"! ! The! control! group! is! given! a! menu! with! calorie! information! (as! is! common!
practice!in!many!fast!food!restaurants)!and!the!experimental!group!is!given!a!menu!with!
minutes! of! exercise! to! burn! off! the! item.! ! By! analyzing! the! results,! students! will! make!
inferences!about!the!effect!of!menu!information!on!ordering!behavior.!
Standards$

Materials$

6.SP.1$

Ratio!and!rate!reasoning$

6.SP.4$

Operations!on!decimals$

6.SP.5$

Summarize!numerical!data!sets!

7.SP.4$

Use!measures!of!center!and!variability!to!draw!comparative!inferences!about!two!
populations!

Student!Handout!

Pages#19A20#of#this#document#

Teacher!Guide!

Pages#21A22#of#this#document#

5!

licensed+under+CC$BY$NC+

NEW$TRITIONAL+INFO+

name!
date!

How+long+does+it+take+to+burn+off+food+from+McDonalds?+

Act+One:+Burn+It!
1 When! you! exercise,! the! number! of! calories! you! burn! depends! on! two! things:! the! type! of! exercise! and! your!
weight.!!Playing!basketball!for!one!minute,!for!example,!burns!0.063!calories!for!every!pound!of!body!weight.!
Complete!the!table!below!to!find!out!how!many!calories!each!celebrity!will!burn!in!one+minute+of+exercise.!

!
!
!

Selena!Gomez!
125!lb!

Justin!Timberlake!
160!lb!

Abby!Wambach!
178!lb!

LeBron!James!
250!lb!

Basketball!
0.063!cal/lb!

Soccer!
0.076!cal/lb!

Walking!
0.019!cal/lb!

2 If!someone!wanted!to!double!the!number!of!calories!they!burned!while!exercising,!what!could!they!do?!

3 An!NBA!game!is!48!minutes!long.!!If!LeBron!James!ate!a!Big!Mac!Extra!Value!Meal!(1360!calories)!before!a!game,!
would!he!burn!it!off!all!the!calories!by!the!end!of!the!game?!!If!not,!how!much!longer!would!he!have!to!play?!

6!

2+

+Act+Two:+Supersize?+
4 Different! types! of! exercise! burn! different! numbers! of! calories.! ! Choose! one! of! the! celebrities! from! before! and!
three!types!of!exercise.!!For!each!activity,!how!long!would!it!take!to!burn!off!the!McDonalds!items!below?!
Sitting!
! 0.009!cal/lb!
!

Walking!
! 0.019!cal/lb!
!

Soft]Baseball!
! 0.038!cal/lb!
!

Basketball!
! 0.063!cal/lb!
!

! 0.039!cal/lb!

Jogging!
! 0.063!cal/lb!
!

Biking,!slow!
! 0.029!cal/lb!
!

Biking,!fast!
! 0.045!cal/lb!

Weight!Training!

Bowling!
! 0.023!cal/lb!

Swimming!
! 0.064!cal/lb!
!

Ice!Skating!
! 0.053!cal/lb!
!

Golf!
! 0.033!cal/lb!
Tennis!
! 0.061!cal/lb!
!

Soccer!
! 0.076!cal/lb!
!

Jump!Rope!
! 0.083!cal/lb!
!

!
!

!
!

Big!Mac!
550!calories!

Large!Fries!
500!calories!

Large!Coca]Cola!
310!calories!

Salad!(no!dressing)!
20!calories!

5 In!September!2012,!McDonalds!began!posting!calorie!information!in!all!of!its!restaurants!in!the!United!States.!!
Listen!to!the!NPR!clip!about!this!decision,!and!use!it!to!answer!the!following.!

a. Does!publishing!calories!affect!what!people!order?!! b. What!do!you!think!would!happen!if!McDonalds!
Why!do!you!think!this!is?!
rewrote!its!menu!in!terms!of!exercise?!
!

!
!
7!

licensed&under&CC.BY.NC&

lesson&
guide&

NEW.TRITIONAL&INFO&

How&long&does&it&take&to&burn&off&food&from&McDonalds?&

!
Many!restaurants!are!required!to!post!nutritional!information!for!their!foods,!
including!the!number!of!calories.!!But!what!does!550!calories!really!mean?!!
Instead!of!calories,!what!if!McDonalds!rewrote!its!menu!in!terms!of!exercise?!

In! this! lesson,! students! will! use! unit! rates! and! proportional! reasoning! to!
determine!how!long!theyd!have!to!exercise!to!burn!off!different!McDonalds!
menu! items.! ! For! instance,! a! 160Ipound! person! would! have! to! run! for! 50!
minutes!to!burn!off!a!Big!Mac.!!Sowant!fries!with!that?!!

!
Primary&Objectives&

!
!

&
Calculate!the!number!of!calories!burned!per!minute!for!different!types!of!exercise!and!body!weights!
Correctly!write!units!(e.g.!calories,!cal/min,!etc.)!and!simplify!equations!using!them!
Calculate!how!long!it!would!take!to!burn!off!menu!items!from!McDonalds!
Discuss!effects!of!posting!calorie!counts,!and!what!might!happen!if!exercise!information!were!posted!instead!

Content&Standards&(CCSS)&
Grade!6!

!
!

&
RP.3d,!NS.3!

Mathematical&Practices&(CCMP)&

Materials&

&
MP.3,!MP.6!

&
Student!handout!
LCD!projector&
Computer!speakers&

Before&Beginning!
Students! should! understand! what! a! unit! rate! is;! if! they! have! experience! calculating! and! using! unit! rates! to! solve!
problems,!even!better.!
!
!

8!

Lesson&Guide:&NEW.TRITIONAL&INFO&

&

9&

&
Preview&&&Guiding&Questions&
Students!watch!a!McDonalds!commercial!in!which!NBA!superstars!LeBron!James!and!Dwight!Howard!play!oneIonI
one!to!determine!who!will!win!a!Big!Mac!Extra!Value!Meal.!!When!its!done,!ask!students,!How!long!do!you!think!
LeBron!James!would!have!to!play!basketball!to!burn!off!all!the!calories!in!a!Big!Mac?!
The! goal! isnt! for! students! to! come! up! with! an! exact! answer.! ! Instead,! its! to! get! them!thinking! about! the! various!
factors!that!determine!how!many!calories!someone!burns!when!he/she!exercises.!!People!burn!calories!at!a!faster!
rate! when! they! do! more! strenuous! exercise.! ! Also,! larger! people! burn! more! calories! doing! the! same! activity! than!
smaller! people.! ! We! don't! expect! students! to! know! these! things! for! sure,! but! they! might! conjecture! that! easier!
activities!burn!fewer!calories,!and!that!different!people!doing!the!same!activity!burn!calories!at!a!different!rate.!

How$long$do$you$think$LeBron$James$would$have$to$play$basketball$to$burn$off$the$calories$in$a$Big$Mac?$
What$are$some$factors$that$might$determine$how$long$it$would$take$someone$to$burn$off$calories?$
Do$you$think$everyone$burns$the$same$number$of$calories$when$they$exercise?$$Why$or$why$not?$$

!
Act&One&
After!students!have!discussed!some!possible!factors!affecting!how!quickly!someone!burns!calories,!they!will!learn!in!
Act! One! that! there! are! three! essential! things! to! consider:! their! body,! the! type! of! exercise,! and! the! duration! of!
exercise.! ! Students! will! first! calculate! how! many! calories! people! with! different! body! types! (including! LeBron)! will!
burn!per!minute!while!performing!a!variety!of!activities.!!Based!on!this,!theyll!be!able!to!answer!the!question!in!the!
preview:!LeBron!would!have!to!play!basketball!for!about!86!minutes!in!order!to!burn!off!a!Big!Mac!Extra!Value!Meal.!!
Even!if!he!played!for!an!entire!game,!he!wouldnt!be!able!to!burn!off!his!lunch!!
!
Act&Two&
Act!Two!broadens!the!scope!even!further!by!considering!a!wider!assortment!of!exercises!and!different!McDonalds!
items.!!Students!will!determine!how!long!someone!would!have!to!do!different!activities!to!burn!off!each!menu!item.!!
Then,!they!will!listen!to!an!NPR!clip!about!the!fact!that!McDonalds!now!posts!calorie!information!for!all!of!its!items!
on!the!menu.!!Students!will!discuss!whether!or!not!this!seems!like!an!effective!way!to!change!peoples!behavior.!!We!
end!with!the!following!question:!what!might!happen!if!McDonalds!rewrote!its!menu!in!terms!of!exercise?!
!
!
!
!

9!

!
!

Lesson&Guide:&NEW.TRITIONAL&INFO&

&

1
0&

Act&One:&Burn&It!
1 When! you! exercise,! the! number! of! calories! you! burn! depends! on! two! things:! the! type! of! exercise! and! your!
weight.!!Playing!basketball!for!one!minute,!for!example,!burns!0.063!calories!for!every!pound!of!body!weight.!
Complete!the!table!below!to!find!out!how!many!calories!each!celebrity!will!burn!in!one&minute&of&exercise.!

!
!

Selena!Gomez!
125!lb!

Justin!Timberlake!
160!lb!

Abby!Wambach!
178!lb!

LeBron!James!
250!lb!

Basketball!
0.063!cal/lb!

7.88$calories$
per$minute$

10.08$calories$
per$minute$

11.21$calories$
per$minute$

15.75$calories$
per$minute!

Soccer!
0.076!cal/lb!

9.50$calories$
per$minute$

12.16$calories$
per$minute$

13.53$calories$
per$minute$

19.00$calories$
per$minute$

Walking!
0.019!cal/lb!

2.38$calories$
per$minute$

3.04$calories$
per$minute$

3.38$calories$
per$minute$

4.75$calories$
per$minute$

!
!

Explanation&&&Guiding&Questions&
The!math!in!this!question!is!fairly!straightforward.!!However,!students!might!get!confused!by!all!the!different!units,!
and!it!may!be!worth!demonstrating!how!they!simplify.!!For!instance,!when!LeBron!James!plays!basketball,!he!burns!
0.063!calories!for!every!pound!of!body!weight!each$minute.!!Since!he!weighs!250!pounds,!he!will!burn!
!

0.063%cal
0.063%cal 250$lb
!"250"lb per$minute$=$
!"
!per$minute$=$15.75$calories$in$one$minute.!
1"lb
1"lb
1

Of! course,! not! all! students! will! be! this! intentional! with! their! units,! and! it! would! be! cumbersome! to! repeat! this!
process!for!all!twelve!boxes.!!Still,!it!may!be!worth!pointing!out!how!the!units!simplify,!lest!calories!per!minute!
seem!to!come!out!of!left!field.!!However!students!calculate!their!unit!rates,!they!should!be!able!to!explain!what!they!
mean!in!their!own!words,!e.g.!Every!minute!that!LeBron!plays!basketball,!he!burns!15.75!calories.!

For$a$given$exercise,$who$do$you$think$will$burn$more$calories$in$a$minute$$LeBron$or$Selena$$and$why?$
What$does$the$unit$rate,$0.063$calories$per$pound,$mean?!
What$does$the$unit$rate,$15.75$calories$per$pound,$mean?!
Deeper&Understanding&

Why$ do$ you$ think$ Selena$ Gomez$ burns$ so$ many$ fewer$ calories$ than$ LeBron$ does?$ $ (All$ your$ cells$ consume$
energy,$i.e.$burn$calories,$and$LeBron,$being$so$much$heavier,$has$many$more$cells.)$
Why$ does$ playing$ soccer$ burn$ so$ many$ more$ calories$ per$ minute$ than$ walking$ does?$ $ (In$ soccer,$ a$ player$
runs,$jumps,$and$kicks.$$These$require$more$energy$than$walking.$$A$calorie$is$a$measure$of$energy.)$
How$long$would$someone$have$to$walk$to$burn$the$same$number$of$calories$as$a$minute$of$soccer?$$(Since$
walking$burns$1/4$the$calories$of$soccer,$a$person$would$have$to$walk$4$times$as$long,$or$4$minutes.)$
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Lesson&Guide:&NEW.TRITIONAL&INFO&

1
1&

2 If!someone!wanted!to!double!the!number!of!calories!he!burned!while!exercising,!what!could!he!do?!
If$someone$wanted$to$double$the$number$of$calories$he$burned,$he$could$do$three$things.$$He$could$exercise$for$
twice$as$long.$$He$could$switch$to$an$exercise$that$burned$twice$as$many$calories.$$Or$he$could$somehow$weigh$
twice$as$muchthough$this$is$unlikely.$

Explanation&&&Guiding&Questions&
From!the!LeBronIJamesIplayingIbasketball!example!from!before,!we!know!he!burns!
15.75%calories%= !

0.063%cal
!"250$lb in#one$minute."!
1"lb

More!generally,!total!calories!(T)!=!calories!per!pound!(c)!!weight!(w)!!number!of!minutes!(n).!!If!someone!wants!
to!double!the!number!of!calories!he!burns,!he!can!double!any!of!the!terms!above:!he!can!choose!an!exercise!that!
burns!twice!as!many!calories;!he!can!weigh!twice!as!much;!or!he!can!exercise!for!twice!as!long.!!(Of!course,!students!
will!probably!realize!that!the!second!option!!weighing!twice!as!much!!is!pretty!unlikely.)!
Mathematically,!this!is!a!nice!example!of!the!commutative!property:!!2T!=!2c!!w!!m!=!c!!2w!!m!=!c!!w!!2m.!!
Since!all!the!terms!are!being!multiplied!together,!doubling!one!of!them!will!cause!the!entire!expression!to!double.!

Which$of$these$options$$exercise$harder,$gain$weight,$or$exercise$longer$$do$you$think$is$the$easiest?!
Why$does$doubling$one$of$the$terms$$c,$w,$or$m$$cause$T$to$double?!
Deeper&Understanding&

What$would$have$a$bigger$effect$on$the$total$number$of$calories$LeBron$burned:$if$he$gained$a$pound,$or$if$
he$played$basketball$for$one$more$minute?$$(Each$additional$pound$increases$the$number$of$calories$burned$
by$0.063.$$On$the$other$hand,$every$additional$minute$increases$the$number$of$calories$burned$by$15.75.$$If$
he$played$for$more$than$15.75/0.063$=$250$minutes,$the$extra$pound$would$matter$more.)$
What$would$happen$if$we$could$double$all$of$the$factors$(work$out$twice$as$long,$twice$as$hard,$in$a$body$
that$weighed$twice$as$much)?$$(We$would$burn$8$times$as$many$calories,$since$we'd$be$multiplying$by$23.)$
Instead$of$doubling$a$single$term,$how$else$could$we$double$the$total$number$of$calories$burned?$$(Assuming$
weight$is$fixed,$we$could$change$both$the$calories$per$pound$and$the$exercise$duration.$$For$instance,$we$
could$choose$an$exercise$that$burns$four$times$as$many$calories,$and$do$it$for$half$as$long.)$
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Lesson&Guide:&NEW.TRITIONAL&INFO&

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3 An!NBA!game!is!48!minutes!long.!!If!LeBron!James!ate!a!Big!Mac!Extra!Value!Meal!(1360!calories)!before!a!game,!
would!he!burn!it!off!all!the!calories!by!the!end!of!the!game?!!If!not,!how!much!longer!would!he!have!to!play?!
Calories$burned$in$1$minute:$
Calories$burned$in$12$minutes$(1$quarter):$
Calories$burned$in$48$minutes:$

15.75$cal/min$$1$min$=$15.75$calories$
15.75$cal/min$$12$min$=$189$calories$
15.75$cal/min$$48$min$=$756$calories$

Even$if$he$played$an$entire$NBA$game,$LeBron$James$wouldnt$burn$off$a$Big$Mac$Extra$Value$Meal.$$To$burn$off$
1360$calories,$hes$need$to$play$for$1360$cal$$15.75$cal/min$=$86$minutes,$or$38$minutes$more.$$Thats$almost$a$
whole$other$game!$

$
Explanation&&&Guiding&Questions&
Some!students!may!have!a!relatively!easy!time!with!this.!!For!students!who!are!struggling,!consider!helping!them!
create!a!ratio!table!to!show!how!the!number!of!calories!LeBron!burns!changes!over!time:!
Minutes!
Calories!

1!
15.75!

2!
31.5!

3!
47.25!

4!
63!

!
!

12!
189!

!
!

48!
756!

From!this,!we!see!that!LeBron!burns!756!calories!in!a!48Iminute!game.!!However,!there!are!1360!calories!in!a!Big!
Mac! Extra! Value! Meal,! and! students! may! naturally! wonder! how! long! hed! have! to! exercise! to! burn! them! all! off.!!
Some!may!have!a!relatively!easy!time!determining!this!by!dividing!1360!calories!!15.75!calories/minute,!or!
1360%calories
1360%calories
1"minute
!=!
!!
!=!86.35&minutes.!
15.75%calories
1
15.75%calories
1"minute
Meanwhile,!struggling!students!can!use!their!ratio!tables.!!They!already!know!that!LeBron!burns!756!calories!in!48!
minutes.!!At!this!rate,!hed!burn!1512!calories!in!96!minutes.!!Since!he!only!needs!to!burn!1360!calories,!though,!
students!can!subtract!minutes:!1496.25!calories!in!95!minutes,!1480.5!calories!in!94!minutes,!etc.!!Theyll!eventually!
find!that!1360!calories!happens!between!87!minutes!(1370.25!calories)!and!86!minutes!(1354.5!calories).!!Thus,!
LeBron!would!need!to!play!for!another!86!minutes!!48!minutes!=!38!minutes.!

If$LeBron$burns$15.75$calories$in$one$minute,$how$many$calories$will$he$burn$in$two$minutes?$$12$minutes?$
How$many$calories$will$LeBron$burn$in$48$minutes?$
Will$LeBron$burn$1360$calories$in$48$minutes?$
Deeper&Understanding&

An$NBA$game$includes$a$15iminute$halftime.$$Should$we$include$that?$$(No,$since$players$are$resting.)$
Will$LeBrons$teammates$also$burn$756$calories$in$a$game?$$(Not$necessarily.$$The$number$of$calories$they$
burn$depends$on$how$heavy$they$are,$and$how$long$theyre$on$the$court.)$
Is$it$possible$that$LeBron$actually$burns$more$than$15.75$calories$each$minute$when$he$plays$basketball?$$
(Since$an$NBA$game$is$more$physical$than$a$regular$game,$his$unit$rate$may$be$higher$than$0.063$cal/lb.)$
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Lesson&Guide:&NEW.TRITIONAL&INFO&

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1
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&Act&Two:&Supersize?&
4 Different! types! of! exercise! burn! different! numbers! of! calories.! ! Choose! one! of! the! celebrities! from! before! and!
three!types!of!exercise.!!For!each!activity,!how!long!would!it!take!to!burn!off!the!McDonalds!items!below?!
Sitting!
! 0.009!cal/lb!
!

SoftIBaseball!
! 0.038!cal/lb!
!

Basketball!
! 0.063!cal/lb!

Walking!
! 0.019!cal/lb!
!

Bowling!
! 0.023!cal/lb!

Weight!Training!

! 0.039!cal/lb!
!

Jogging!
! 0.063!cal/lb!

Biking,!slow!
! 0.029!cal/lb!

Biking,!fast!
! 0.045!cal/lb!
Swimming!
! 0.064!cal/lb!

Golf!
! 0.033!cal/lb!

Ice!Skating!
! 0.053!cal/lb!
Soccer!
! 0.076!cal/lb!

Tennis!
! 0.061!cal/lb!
!

Jump!Rope!
! 0.083!cal/lb!
!

!
!
Selena&Gomez&
& 125&pounds&
Sitting$(1.125$cal/min)$
Biking,$fast$(5.625$cal/min)$
Jump$Rope$(10.375$cal/min)$

Big!Mac!
550!calories!
489$minutes$
98$minutes$
53$minutes$

Large!Fries!
500!calories!
444$minutes$
89$minutes$
48$minutes$

!
Large!CocaICola!
310!calories!
276$minutes$
55$minutes$
30$minutes$

!
Salad!(no!dressing)!
20!calories!
18$minutes$
4$minutes$
2$minutes$

Explanation&&&Guiding&Questions&
This!question!requires!multiple!steps.!!Fortunately,!students!have!already!seen!them!all.!
1. Pick!celebrity! 2. Pick!exercise!
(e.g.!sitting)!
(e.g.!Selena)!
125!lb!
0.009!cal/lb!

3. Calculate!calories!burned!in!one!
minute!of!exercise!

4. Choose!food!(e.g.!Big!Mac),!!
and!calculate!time!to!burn!off!
125!lb!!0.009!cal/lb!=!1.125!cal/min! 550!cal!!1.125!cal/min!=!489!min!

Once!students!have!calculated!the!times!needed!to!burn!off!the!various!menu!items,!they!can!discuss!takeaways.!!
For! instance,! the! fewer! calories! a! food! has,! the! less! time! it! takes! to! burn! off;! this! was! to! be! expected.! ! But! did!
students!expect!it!to!take!25!times!as!long!to!burn!off!fries!than!a!salad?!!(Note:!fries!have!25!times!as!many!calories!
as!a!salad.!!According!to!the!table,!though,!they!only!take!444!min!!18!min!=!24.67!times!as!long!to!burn!off.!!The!
difference!is!due!to!rounding.)!

Which$foods$do$you$think$will$take$the$most$time$to$burn$off?$$The$least$time?$
How$many$times$longer$does$it$take$to$burn$off$fries$than$a$salad?!
Deeper&Understanding&

Why$do$you$think$the$body$burns$calories$while$sitting?$$(Heart$rate,$breathing,$etc.)$
What$celebrity$+$exercise$combination$would$burn$the$most$calories$per$minute?$$(LeBron$+$jump$rope)$
Do$you$think$McDonalds$should$allow$people$to$substitute$a$salad$for$French$fries$in$an$Extra$Value$Meal?$
If$you$wanted$dressing$with$your$salad,$how$many$calories$do$you$think$that$would$add?$$(150!)$
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Lesson&Guide:&NEW.TRITIONAL&INFO&

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5 In!September!2012,!McDonalds!began!posting!calorie!information!in!all!of!its!restaurants!in!the!United!States.!!
Listen!to!the!NPR!clip!about!this!decision,!and!use!it!to!answer!the!following.!

a. Does!publishing!calories!affect!what!people!order?!! b. What!do!you!think!would!happen!if!McDonalds!
Why!do!you!think!this!is?!
rewrote!its!menu!in!terms!of!exercise?!
According$ to$ the$ researchers$ in$ the$ radio$ clip,$
publishing$ calorie$ information$ does$ not$ affect$ the$
foods$people$order.$$Maybe$this$is$because$people$
dont$ know$ what$ the$ calories$ really$ mean.$ $ A$ Big$
Mac$ may$ have$ 550$ calories,$ but$ if$ a$ customer$
doesnt$know$how$many$calories$he/she$burns$in$a$
day,$it$wont$mean$much!!

Perhaps$ knowing$ how$ long$ it$ would$ take$ to$ burn$

off$ a$ Big$ Mac$ would$ convince$ people$ to$ order$
healthier$(lower$calorie)$items.$$Then$again,$maybe$
not.$$Maybe$people$would$just$decide$to$eat$fewer$
calories$elsewhere$$a$lighter$breakfast,$perhaps$$
or$ maybe$ theyre$ at$ McDonalds$ to$ satisfy$ a$
craving$and$dont$care$about$caloriesor$exercise!!

!
!
!

$
Explanation&&&Guiding&Questions&
In! the! NPR! clip,! an! NYU! professor! describes! a! surprising! research! finding:! that! posting! calorie! information! has!
absolutely!no!effect!on!what!foods!people!order.!!Why!is!this?!!According!to!the!clip,!one!possibility!is!that!people!go!
to!fast!food!restaurants!to!satisfy!a!craving.!!As!explained!by!one!McDonalds!customer,!If!Im!at!McDonalds,!Im!
not!worried!about!calories.!!If!I!want!a!salad,!I!dont!go!to!McDonalds!or!any!other!fast!food!restaurant.!!Another!
possibility! is! that! people! dont! know! how! to! contextualize! calories.! ! 85%! of! Americans! dont! know! how! many!
calories!theyre!supposed!to!eat!in!a!day.!!In!this!case,!a!Big!Macs!550!calories!wont!mean!much.!
But!what!if!McDonalds!rewrote!its!menu!in!terms!of!exercise?!!Instead!of!550!calories,!what!if!a!Big!Mac!were!
advertised!as!requiring!98!minutes!of!biking!fast?!!Would!this!have!an!effect!on!what!foods!people!order?!

(Before$listening$to$the$clip)$Do$you$think$posting$calories$will$have$an$effect$on$the$foods$people$order?$
According$to$the$clip,$what$are$some$reasons$that$posting$calories$might$not$affect$peoples$food$choices?$
When$you$go$to$a$fast$food$restaurant,$do$you$pay$attention$to$how$many$calories$the$foods$contain?$
Do$you$know$how$many$calories$youre$supposed$to$eat$in$a$day?$
Would$rewriting$nutritional$information$in$terms$of$exercise$have$an$effect$on$what$you$order?!
Deeper&Understanding&

Which$McDonalds$menu$item$do$you$think$has$the$most$calories?$$(Big$Breakfast$with$Hotcakes$=$1150$cal)$
Which$menu$item$do$you$think$has$the$fewest$calories?$$(Water,$Diet$Coke,$etc.$=$0$calories)$
If$McDonalds$rewrote$its$menu$in$terms$of$exercise,$would$this$be$good$for$customers?$$(Answers$may$vary.)$
If$McDonalds$rewrote$its$menu$in$terms$of$exercise,$would$this$be$good$for$McDonalds?$$(It$depends.$$
McDonalds$has$a$number$of$healthy$options,$e.g.$oatmeal,$salads,$etc.$$If$it$makes$more$profit$on$these$than$
it$does,$say,$a$Big$Mac,$then$McDonalds$might$actually$do$better$if$people$ordered$healthier$foods.)$

14!

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Restate!the!question!in!your!own!words.!

!
!

How!will!you!know!when!youve!answered!it?!

What!calculations!will!you!do?!

What!information!do!you!need?!

How!will!you!get!it?!
What!equipment!do!you!need?!

How!will!you!use!the!information!or!
calculations!to!answer!the!driving!question?!

How!will!you!organize!or!display!it?!

How!will!you!present!your!findings!
in!final!form?!

!
!

!
!

Day!by!day!goals:!

Hypothesize!an!answer.!

15!

HAVE%IT%YOUR%WAY%

project!task,!NEW2TRITIONAL!INFO!

licensed%under%CC7BY7NC%

Instead! of! knowing! calories,! it! might! be! more! helpful! to! know! the! minutes! of!
exercise!it!would!take!someone!to!burn!off!a!Big!Mac!extra!value!meal.!!But!what!
does! that! mean! for! YOU?! ! What! if! you! are! a! 1302pound! swimmer! who! likes! Taco!
Bell?!!What!if!you!are!a!902pound!wrestler!who!loves!salads!from!Panera?!!What!if!
you!want!to!know!whether!you!will!burn!off!that!cafeteria!mac2n2cheese!during!field!
hockey! practice! this! afternoon?! ! In! this! project,! youll! get! to! explore! how! long! it!
would!take!you!(or!someone!close!to!you)!to!burn!off!some!of!your!favorite!foods.!
%
!
Driving%Question%
How!much!do!I!have!to!exercise!to!burn!off!the!food!that!I!typically!eat?!
!
What%Youll%Do%
1. Decide!whom!you!want!to!create!a!menu!for.!Yourself?!A!friend!or!family!member?!Your!whole!school?!!
2. Gather!the!information!you!will!need!!weight,!favorite!activities,!and!calorie!counts!for!the!specific!food.!
3. Decide!how!you!will!communicate!"minutes!of!exercise."!!
4. Gather!the!resources!you!will!need!to!create!a!display.!!
5. Publish!your!work!so!the!intended!audience!can!conveniently!use!it.!
!
Ideas%for%Presentations%
! Re2create! a! menu! for! a! restaurant! where! you! like! to! eat,! with! minutes2of2exercise! in! your! preferred!
activity,!that!you!can!carry!around!in!your!wallet!or!smartphone!
! Write! a! computer! or! calculator! program! that! lets! someone! enter! the! weight,! the! calories,! and! their!
preferred!activity,!and!then!tells!them!how!much!exercise!it!will!take!to!burn!off!
! Create!a!bulletin!board!for!your!schools!cafeteria,!or!redesign!their!menu!board.!
!

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HAVE%IT%YOUR%WAY%

project!task!teacher !guide,!NEW7TRITIONAL!INFO!

licensed%under%CC7BY7NC%

Driving%Question%

Materials%

How!much!do!I!have!to!exercise!to!burn!off!the!food!that!
I!typically!eat?!

Computers!with!internet!access!
Presentation!or!poster7making!materials!

Overview%
Minutes! of! exercise! might! be! more! useful! information! on! a! menu! than! calories,! but! it's! more! variable! for! an!
individual.!!How!much!exercise!you!have!to!do!to!burn!off!a!77layer!burrito!depends!on!how!much!you!weigh,!what!
kind!of!exercise!you!like!to!do,!and!the!fact!that!a!77layer!burrito!is!something!you!would!eat.!!In!this!project,!students!
personalize! this! idea! for! themselves,! a! family! member,! or! a! friend.! ! In! the! process,! they! will! do! a! lot! of! rate,! unit!
conversion,!and!proportion!problems.!
Common%Core%Standards%
6.RP.2!
6.RP.3!
!
6.NS.3!

Common%Core%Mathematical%Practices%

Understand!unit!rates!in!relation!to!ratios!
Use!rate!reasoning!to!solve!real7world!
problems!
Perform!operations!on!multi7digit!decimals!

MP.5!
MP.6!
!

Use!appropriate!tools!strategically!
Attend!to!precision!
!

!
Sample%Approach%&%Conclusion:%

Rewrite!a!menu!in!terms!of!exercise.%
Students! use! their! own! weight! and! preferred! exercise!
activity,!and!the!menu!for!a!place!where!they!like!to!eat.!!
With! these! choices! made,! they! can! create! a! menu!
personalized! just! for! them;! this! will! help! them! make!
meaningful!choices!any!time!they!eat!at!that!restaurant.!
Let!!
c! =!calories!in!the!item,!
a! =!calories!burned!per!pound!of!weight!for!the!activity,!
w! =!weight!of!the!person!eating!and!exercising,!and!
m! =!minutes!of!exercise!to!burn!off!the!item.!
Then!for!each!item,!
m!=!

c
.!
a!w

For!the!sample!menu!to!the!left,!calories!for!each!item!
were!found!on!Taco!Bell's!website.!This!menu!is!for!a!
person!who!weighs!150!lb!and!loves!soccer,!which!burns!
0.076!cal/lb!each!minute.!
!

17!

Project%Task:%HAVE%IT%YOUR%WAY%

Sample%Approach%&%Conclusion:%

Create!a!calculator!exercise!program.!

PROGRAM:EXERCISE
:ClrHome
:Disp "HOW MANY CALORIES?"
:Input C
:Disp "ENTER YOUR WEIGHT IN
:Input W
:ClrHome
:Disp int(C/(.009*W))," MIN
:Disp int(C/(.019*W))," MIN
:Disp int(C/(.063*W))," MIN
%
1%
2%
3!
4%
5!
6!
8!
9!

A%

B%

Weight:% 150!
Calories:% 300!
!
Activity%! Cal/lb/min%
Sitting!
0.009!
Walking!
0.019!
Biking,!fast!
0.045!
Soccer!
0.076!

C%

By! programming! an! exercise! calculator,! students! could!

opt!for!a!more!flexible!way!to!know!how!much!they!will!
have!to!exercise!for!eating!any!food!for!which!they!know!
the!calories.!

POUNDS"

Sample!programs!are!shown!for!TI784!and!MS!Excel.!
SITTING"
WALKING"
RUNNING"
D%

!
!
!
!
=B5*$B$1!
=$B$2/C5!
Cal/min% Minutes%
1.35!
222!
2.85!
105!
6.75!
44!
11.4!
26!

!!!
Sample%Approach%&%Conclusion:%

Become!cafeteria!activists!!

MINUTES%OF%RUNNING%IT%WOULD%TAKE%A%
1007LB%PERSON%TO%BURN%OFF%EACH%ITEM%

If!time!allows,!your!class!could!do!some!interdisciplinary!
work! with! your! school's! food! service,! health! teachers,!
and/or! physical! education! teachers! to! help! the! school!
understand! the! consequences! of! meals! served! in! the!
school!cafeteria.!
Students! could! re7write! the! cafeteria! menu! in! terms! of!
exercise,! or! create! a! pamphlet! or! a! bulletin! board.! They!
will!have!to!make!decisions!about!how!to!account!for!the!
variety!of!student!weights!in!your!school!(they!could!use!
the!average,!or!they!could!publish!several!versions),!and!
about!which!activities!to!include.!
!
%

Presentations%Ideas%

Personalized!menus!from!local!restaurants%
Demonstration!of!a!program!to!calculate!the!amount!of!exercise!required!to!burn!off!a!certain!number!of!calories%
Recommendation!to!the!school!cafeteria!about!how!to!improve!calorie!information!given!to!students!and!parents%
!

18!

WOULD&YOU&LIKE&FRIES&WITH&THAT?&
project!task,!NEW2TRITIONAL!INFO!

licensed&under&CC<BY<NC&

In!many!places,!McDonald's!is!required!to!post!the!number!of!calories!in!each!item!
on!the!menu.!!Calories!may!not!lead!people!to!change!their!order,!though!!!Is!calorie!
information! useful! to! most! people?! ! (For! example:! Is! 200! calories! a! lot?! ! Is! 500?!!
How!many!calories!are!too!many!for!one!meal?)!!
What! would! happen! if! instead! of! calories,! McDonald's! posted! how! much! time! it!
would!take!to!burn!off!each!item!on!the!menu?!!In!this!project,!you!will!determine!if!
knowing!how!much!exercise!it!will!take!to!burn!off!that!Big!Mac!makes!a!difference.&
!
Driving&Question&
How!does!displaying!menu!items!in!terms!of!minutes!of!exercise,!instead!of!calories,!affect!what!people!order?!
!
What&Youll&Do&
1. Form! a! hypothesis! ! what! do! you! think! the! survey! will! show?! ! How! will! you! be! able! to! tell! if! your!
hypothesis!is!true?!
2. Decide!how!many!people!you!will!survey,!where!and!when!you!will!conduct!your!survey,!and!design!the!
survey!!either!using!paper!and!pencil!methods!or!an!online!survey!(like!Google!Forms).!
3. Conduct! the! survey.! ! One! group! will! order! from! a! menu! with! calorie! information,! and! one! group! will!
order!from!a!menu!with!exercise!time!information.!
4. Compile!the!survey!results!into!a!concise!form!that!you!can!work!with.!
5. Decide!how!you!will!compare!the!two!groups.!!You!could!analyze!the!calories!of!each!meal!ordered!by!
the!control!group!vs.!the!experimental!group.!!You!probably!know!several!ways!to!measure!the!center!
and!spread!of!a!data!set.!!You!can!also!display!the!distribution!of!data!using!a!box!plot!or!a!histogram.!!
6. Another!option!is!to!contrast!the!percent!of!higher2calorie!items!and!lower2calorie!items!ordered!by!each!
group.!!For!example,!which!group!ordered!more!Big!Macs!compared!to!Hamburgers?!
!
Ideas&for&Presentations&
! Statistical!calculations!or!graphs!that!show!any!differences!in!the!orders!placed!by!the!two!groups!
! A! statement! of! your! conclusions:! did! people! order! differently! when! they! knew! how! much! exercise! it!
would!take!to!burn!off!their!meal?!!How!much!differently?!!How!do!you!know?!!!

19!

&

Project(Task:(WOULD(YOU(LIKE(FRIES(WITH(THAT(

!
Order!one!item!from!each!category!to!create!a!meal!you!would!like!from!McDonald's.!!
! Big!Mac!
Choose!One!Entree!

!
550!calories!
! Large!Fries!

Choose!One!Side!

!
500!calories!
! Large!Soda!

Choose!One!Drink!

Choose!One!Dessert!

! Hamburger!
!
250!calories!
! Medium!Fries!
!
380!calories!
! Medium!Soda!

!
310!calories!

!
210!calories!

! Large!Shake!

! Small!Shake!

!
850!calories!

!
550!calories!

! 6!McNuggets!
!
280!calories!
! Kids!Fries!

! 10!McNuggets!
!
470!calories!
! Apple!Slices!

!
100!calories!
! Diet!Soda!

!
20!calories!
! Water!

!
0!calories!
! Apple!Pie!

!
0!calories!
! No!Dessert!
!

!
250!calories!

0!calories!

Order! one! item! from! each! category! to! create! a! meal! you! would! like! from! McDonald's.! Each! item! is! associated! with!
minutes!of!exercise.!Specifically,!the!number!of!minutes!a!100Slb!person!would!have!to!run!to!burn!off!the!item.!
! Big!Mac!
Choose!One!Entree!

!
87!minutes!
! Large!Fries!

Choose!One!Side!

!
79!minutes!
! Large!Soda!

Choose!One!Drink!

Choose!One!Dessert!

! Hamburger!
!
40!minutes!
! Medium!Fries!
!
60!minutes!
! Medium!Soda!

!
49!minutes!

!
33!minutes!

! Large!Shake!

! Small!Shake!

!
135!minutes!

!
87!minutes!
20!

! 6!McNuggets!
!
44!minutes!
! Kids!Fries!

! 10!McNuggets!
!
75!minutes!
! Apple!Slices!

!
16!minutes!
! Diet!Soda!

!
2!minutes!
! Water!

!
0!minutes!
! Apple!Pie!

!
0!minutes!
! No!Dessert!

!
40!minutes!

!
0!minutes!

WOULD&YOU&LIKE&FRIES&WITH&THAT?&

project!task!teacher !guide,!NEW7TRITIONAL!INFO!

licensed&under&CC<BY<NC&

Driving&Question&

Materials&

How!does!displaying!menu!items!in!terms!of!minutes!of!
exercise,!instead!of!calories,!affect!what!people!order?!

Survey!sheets!or!laptop!with!internet!access!
Statistical!software!(like!TinkerPlots)!or!graphing!
calculator!

Overview&
Students! ask,! "What! would! you! order! from! a! McDonald's! menu?"! ! The! control! group! is! given! a! menu! with! calorie!
information!(as!is!common!practice!in!many!fast!food!restaurants)!and!the!experimental!group!is!given!a!menu!with!
minutes!of!exercise!to!burn!off!the!item.!!By!analyzing!the!results,!students!will!make!inferences!about!the!effect!of!
menu!information!on!ordering!behavior.!
Common&Core&Standards&
6.SP.1!
6.SP.4!
6.SP.5!
7.SP.4!

Common&Core&Mathematical&Practices&

Recognize!a!statistical!question!
Display!numerical!data!in!plots!
Summarize!numerical!data!sets!in!context!
Use!measures!of!center!and!variability!to!draw!
comparative!inferences!about!two!populations!

MP.1!
MP.3!
MP.5!

Make!sense!of!problems!and!persevere!
Construct!viable!arguments!and!critique!others!
Use!appropriate!tools!strategically!

!
Sample&Approach&&&Conclusion:&

Analyze!two!data!sets!consisting!of!the!caloric!sum!of!items!chosen.&
By! calculating! the! total! calories! in! each! meal! order,!
students! have! two! univariate! data! sets! to! work! with.!
Encourage! them! to! compare! more! than! just! the! mean!
calories! in! a! meal.! Either! box! plots! (pictured)! or! a!
histogram! will! graphically! display! differences! in! the!
distributions.! Interquartile! range! or! mean! average!
deviation!will!allow!a!comparison!of!spread.!
!

21!

Project&Task:&WOULD&YOU&LIKE&FRIES&WITH&THAT?&

%!Ordered!

Sample&Approach&&&Conclusion:&

Compare!individual!items!ordered!between!control!and!experimental!groups.!
By! comparing! how! many! people! order! individual! items,!
students!can!see!the!effect!of!the!two!styles!of!menus!on!
low7calorie! and! high! calorie! items.! For! example,! when!
given!minutes!of!exercise!instead!of!calories,!the!percent!
of! people! ordering! Big! Macs! went! down,! but! ordering!
hamburgers! went! up.! Comparing! percents! instead! of!
counts! allows! for! the! comparison! of! different7sized!
sample!groups.!

25%!
20%!
15%!
10%!

Caesar!Salad!

Southwest!Salad!

Crispy!Chicken!
Sandwich!
Grilled!Chicken!
Sandwich!

6!McNuggets!

10!McNuggets!

Big!Mac!

0%!

Hamburger!

5%!

Menu!Item!

&
Presentations&Ideas&

A!poster!or!presentation!displaying!the!difference!between!control!and!experimental!groups&
A!recommendation!to!people!regarding!the!best!way!to!make!healthy!eating!choices&
A!letter!to!a!restaurant!recommending!changes!to!the!way!calorie!information!is!displayed&
!

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