Young Doctors Club

FITNESS: Nutrition and Disease 

Description:

The Young Doctors Club is a series of lesson plans that will be ‘patient’ centered.  The primarily science and nutrition based curriculum web will explore concepts of both normal functioning anatomy and diseased anatomy, nutrition, and fitness.  This club will be based on the sustainable afterschool Young Doctors Club curriculum that exists based on the partnership between the Brown Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Residency Program and Roger Williams Middle School on the Southside of Providence.  Students are introduced to patients who present to the emergency department or their doctor’s office with complaints ranging from a heart attack to a high blood sugar.  Using non-fiction children’s books they will explore the normal functioning of anatomy and learn how poor nutrition can adversely affect their bodies.  The club will explore nutrition in detail with concepts such as sugars, fats, salt, and food allergies.  As much as possible, these lesson plans will involve hands-on activities.

Learning Targets:

  1. Students will understand the basics of anatomy and physiology of major body systems.  Examples include the cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, digestive, pulmonary, and endocrine systems.
  2. Students will be able to recognize the clinical presentation of common acute and chronic illnesses.  Examples would include the presenting signs and symptoms of a patient with a heart attack, a new-onset diabetic, or a child with an asthma attack.
  3. Students will gain a basic understanding of the major building blocks of foods such as proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, as well as exploring nutrients such as vitamins, sodium, and fiber.
  4. Students will be able to decipher nutrition facts labels and use them to choose healthier foods.
  5. Students will become familiar with the Plate Method to help maintain more balanced diets.
  6. Students will begin to understand the connection between poor nutrition and chronic diseases.  Examples include diets high in simple carbohydrates and diabetes, or diets high in saturated fats and coronary artery disease.
  7. Students will learn about cancer screening and preventive strategies such as avoiding tobacco products and knowing their family history.
  8. Students will be made aware of common food allergies such as peanuts and gluten.  This will help normalize their peers who are faced with these restrictions.
  9. Students will gain a better awareness of the global issues of malnutrition.

Patient

Essential Questions

Betty Sweet

  • Diabetes Mellitus
  • Insulin and the Pancreas
  • Carbohydrates
  • Protein
  1. How does my body turn a cookie into energy?
  2. My grandma has more trouble seeing and is always thirsty.  Does she have diabetes?
  3. What’s the sugary difference between a cookie, soda, orange, and slice of whole wheat bread?
  4. What should be on my plate (Plate Method)?
  5. My grandma saw the Diabetes Educator and was asked to eat protein with each meal.  What kinds of foods are proteins?
  6. Why does walking the dog help grandma’s diabetes?
  7. What do muscles need to work?
  • Coronary Artery Disease
  • Cardiovascular System
  • Hyperlipidemia
  • Fats and Cholesterol
  • Protein
  • Nutrition facts labels
  1. What does my doctor hear when she puts that cold stethoscope on my chest?
  2. Grandpa says he feels an elephant on his chest when he walks up the stairs.  What is he talking about?
  3. Since my grandpa’s doctor said his good cholesterol was too low and his bad cholesterol was too high, we do not know what to eat for dinner.  How do we read food labels?
  4. What are the differences between animal and plant proteins and fats?
  5. Why does some peanut butter have that slimy stuff on top and others are all smooth and creamy?
PATIENT MEDICAL ENCOUNTERS
SESSIONS WITH THE F.I.T. CLUB TRAINER
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES
  • CHARLES LOVE ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES
LESSON PLANS

David Salt

  • Hypertension
  • Cardiovascular System
  • Sodium
  1. How does blood get from my head to my toes and how do my muscles help?
  2. My daddy and uncles all have high blood pressure.  Should I be worried too?
  3. My uncle says he cannot eat too much salt or his blood pressure will go up.  What foods have salt in them?
  4. Does exercise help my heart?
  5. What are the different types of muscles in the body (smooth, cardiac, skeletal)?
PATIENT MEDICAL ENCOUNTERS
SESSIONS WITH THE F.I.T. CLUB TRAINER
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES
  • DAVID SALT ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES
LESSON PLANS

Tessi Fwagra

  • Fatty Liver
  • Metabolic Syndrome
  • Obesity
  1. My mom gave me some medicine when I felt yucky and said, “not too much or it will hurt your liver.”  What is my liver?
  2. My older sister went to a special doctor who told her the brown spots on the back of her neck meant she might get diabetes.  What does that mean?
  3. My doctor always shows me and my mom how big I am on the computer.  What do those dots and curves mean?
  4. What does it mean to make food from scratch?
PATIENT MEDICAL ENCOUNTERS
SESSIONS WITH THE F.I.T. CLUB TRAINER
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES
  • TESSI FWAGRA ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES
LESSON PLANS

Sandy Ricketts

  • Vitamin D Deficiency
  • Musculoskeletal System
  • Vitamins and Minerals
  1. My arm broke when I fell off the monkey bars.  How is my bone going to get better?
  2. Grandma slipped on the ice and broke her hip.  Why did her doctors say she has ‘weak’ bones?
  3. Why is milk good for my bones?
  4. Why does my daddy tell me to eat my vegetables?
  5. How do muscles make my arms and legs move?
PATIENT MEDICAL ENCOUNTERS
SESSIONS WITH THE F.I.T. CLUB TRAINER
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES
  • SANDY RICKETTS ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES
LESSON PLANS

Smokey Jones

  • Lung Cancer
  • Pulmonary System
  • Tobacco
  1. Do the lungs really look like big balloons?
  2. How do cigarettes hurt the lungs?
  3. My dad wants to stop smoking because he is afraid of getting lung cancer. What are the best ways to help him quit?
PATIENT MEDICAL ENCOUNTERS
SESSIONS WITH THE F.I.T. CLUB TRAINER
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES
  • SMOKEY JONES ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES
LESSON PLANS

E.J. Fibre

  • Colon Cancer
  • Digestive System
  • Fiber
  1. How does the body turn a cookie into energy?
  2. What happens to a hamburger when I eat it?
  3. I saw a poster on the bus that said grownups should get checked for colon cancer.  What should I tell my grandpa?
  4. Sometimes I have a hard time going to the bathroom and my daddy tells me to ‘eat my fiber’.  What is fiber?
PATIENT MEDICAL ENCOUNTERS
SESSIONS WITH THE F.I.T. CLUB TRAINER
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES
  • E.J. FIBRE ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES
LESSON PLANS

Jimmy Wheezer

  • Asthma
  • Pulmonary System
  • Prevention Strategies
  1. How does air get into my body and what does it do?
  2. Why do smoke, car exhaust, and pollen make me cough?
  3. My best friend has asthma and started wheezing.  Should I call 9-1-1?
  4. How can I prevent an asthma attack?
PATIENT MEDICAL ENCOUNTERS
SESSIONS WITH THE F.I.T. CLUB TRAINER
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES
  • JIMMY WHEEZER ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES
LESSON PLANS

Price Cube

  • Iron Deficiency Anemia
  • Hematology
  • Irons and Minerals
  • Lead Poisoning
  1. What is in a drop of blood?
  2. What does it mean to have low blood?
  3. Why does my mommy tell me that my body needs ‘iron’ to be healthy?
  4. Why does my doctor prick my finger every year?
PATIENT MEDICAL ENCOUNTERS
SESSIONS WITH THE F.I.T. CLUB TRAINER
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES
  • PRICE CUBE ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES
LESSON PLANS

Wasson Hands

  • Foodborne Illness
  • Food Hygiene and Handling
  1. What are bugs doing in our food?
  2. Why does my mommy always make me wash my hands before eating?
  3. Why do we use a separate cutting board and knife when we cut our chicken?
PATIENT MEDICAL ENCOUNTERS
SESSIONS WITH THE F.I.T. CLUB TRAINER
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES
  • WASSON HANDS ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES
LESSON PLANS

Eno P. Nuts

  • Food Allergies
  • Awareness
  1. Why can’t we bring peanut butter and jelly sandwiches into our classroom?
  2. Why can’t my friend have birthday cake like everyone else does?
  3. Why do I get a tummyache after eating ice cream and pizza?
PATIENT MEDICAL ENCOUNTERS
SESSIONS WITH THE F.I.T. CLUB TRAINER
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES
  • ENO P. NUTS ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES
LESSON PLANS

 

Cara Neighbor

  • Malnutrition
  • Global Issues
  1. At school we talk about B-M-I and the obesity epidemic.  Why is this happening and what can we do?
  2. I see the commercials on T.V. about the sick children in Africa.  Why don’t they have any food for their tummies?
  3. My family volunteers for the Soup Kitchen in our church.  Is it true that some kids are hungry every day?
PATIENT MEDICAL ENCOUNTERS
SESSIONS WITH THE F.I.T. CLUB TRAINER
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES
  • CARA NEIGHBOR ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES
LESSON PLANS