|
Curriculum Resources for the Alaskan Environment
|
Subject Areas: nutrition,
environmental studies, biology
Timeline: ten
weeks
Grade Levels:
6-12
Purpose: to show the
effect of diet on nutrition and health; to
encourage improvement in personal
diet
|
|
J. Bacon
Effects of
Diet on
Mice or Rats
|
|
 Activities
- Obtain two young or infant white mice,
rats, gerbils, hamsters, or guinea pigs.
- Isolate the animals in separate cages. Tag them.
- Have students conduct an experiment by:
feeding one animal all it can eat of cereal
(sugarless), cheese, bread, crackers, meat, grains, rice, water,
fruit, nuts
feeding the other animal only candy, soda
pop, sweetened orange drink (not juice), potato chips, coffee,
tea, cake, other sweets.
- Obtain a gram or lab scale. Record the weight
of each animal initially and weekly.
- After five weeks, have students record each animal
considering:
appearance (i.e., size, condition of fur,
eyes)
behavior (i.e., degree of nervousness, excitability).
- After five weeks, switch the diets. Have students
record observations:
be prepared for dramatic results
the scrawny, junk-food-fed infant rarely recovers
fully. It will always be smaller and weaker than the other.
Resources
- university biology and psychology departments
- pet stores
|
Variations
- Conduct a second
experiment.
- Provide more time. Use more than
one animal on each diet.
- Conduct the project in conjunction
with a unit on human nutrition.
|
| 
