This template helps to shape instructional ideas into lessons that any teacher can implement with a group

of students. The first link on

the left below leads to New Jersey’s subject and grade-level standards. Most schools use the standards to “anchor” a lesson, then
make sure that all activities align to a very few, sharply focused objective.

VITAL INFORMATION
Author: Elizabeth
Rivera
*Subject(s): The
Cultural and
Nutritional Value of
Maple Syrup and
other Added Sugars
(Health, ELA, Visual
Arts)
*Grade/Level: 9th-
12th grade

STANDARDS AND OBJECTIVES

Curriculum
Standards &
Objectives: NJ
Student Learning
Standards for all
Subjects/Levels

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to recall America’s history of maple syrup production, examine
Student Learning as well as illustrate maple syrup’s positive and negative effects on wellness, and evaluate the overall effects
Goals and sugar intake in general affects physical, mental as well as social wellness.
Objectives (hint: start with a verb such as “recall” or “explain” or “describe” or “prove” or “find”) Try to focus on 2-4
objectives in a typical 40-minute lesson plan.
 The Essential Questions are appropriate, thoroughly aligned with the standards and objectives, and designed
to invite inquiry. Questions require higher levels of thinking. See
https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/examples-of-essential-questions/ and
Essential Questions https://beyondclassroom.org/individual-elo-design/examples-of-essential-questions/ for examples.
How can understanding maple syrup’s production process as well as nutritional qualities help us interpret how
sugar-intake affects our overall wellness?

INSTRUCTIONAL PROCESS
How will you address all language demands (function, vocabulary, discourse)?
● Function: What words or phrases students need to understand in the discipline or across disciplines in
order to participate in this lesson?
● LIST THOSE WORDS OR PHRASES HERE: respond, identify,cooperate, illustrate, evaluate, examine, write,
draw, discuss, compare and contrast, diagram

Examples are: record lab observations, analyze, respond, research, compare/contrast, construct, describe,
evaluate, examine, justify, interpret, identify, locate, apply

● Vocabulary: What words do the students need to know related to the topic you are teaching?
LIST THOSE WORDS HERE: Native-American, Lenni-Lenape, 1600’s, 1700’s, 1800’s, 21st century, Industrial
Revolution, trade, camps, history, colonists, health, settlement,sap, evaporator, tree sap, boiling, pipe, drill,
Academic other maple production tool vocabulary, physical, emotional, mental, cardiovascular disease, heart disease,
Language (Oral & cooperation, teams, teamwork, focus, discuss, maple syrup, maple sugar, tea, food, plates, spoons, drinks,
Written) napkins, etc.
Sources: Maple_Sugaring_Among_the_Delaware_-_WIEP_2020.pdf (woodlandindianedu.com), The History of
Maple Syrup - Maple Valley Cooperative (maplevalleysyrup.coop), Trending - Sweeteners - Center for
Research on Ingredient Safety (msu.edu), The Complete Guide to Sugar Around the World | Saveur,
Chocolate’s Sweet History: From Elite Treat to Food for the Masses - HISTORY, A Cultural History of Candy | Arts &
Culture| Smithsonian Magazine,An Overview of Syrup in America: A History of Karo, Maple, and Other Syrups |
World History, Health and Sports | Kids | Maple from Canada (use of maple sugar and syrup by Lenni Lenape),
Is Maple Syrup Good for You? - Consumer Reports,Vitamins: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, Difference
Between Maple Syrup and Pancake Syrup (askanydifference.com), Real Maple Syrup vs Fake Maple Syrup - Real Food
vs Junk Food, Real Maple Syrup Versus Fake Maple Syrup | AllrecipesWhich Sugars Are Good for You — and Which Ones
to Avoid | Everyday Health Maple Syrup vs. Sugar: What's Healthier? – Cleveland Clinic,Added sugars: Don't get
sabotaged by sweeteners - Mayo Clinic, The Dangerous Truth About Added Sugar | Northwestern Medicine,
Harmful Effects of Sugar on Our Mental Health - (ripped.me), How Sugar and Poor Diet Affect Teen Mental
 Health | For Better | US News, High sugar intake linked with poorer long-term mental health | myScience /
news / news 2017

How will you engage student interest related to the standards and objectives of the lesson? How will you link to
past lessons?:
This lesson will start by talking about students’ favorite sweet foods or drinks that they have enjoyed in the past.
It will also review students’ current knowledge on carbohydrates. The teacher then asks if anyone knows the
histories or cultures that are behind their favorite sweets. Once the history behind some famous desserts and the
sugars that sweeten their favorite foods along is briefly explained, the teacher can then ask if they knew that
Instructional Process: maple syrup is thousands of years old, leading the teacher to ask if they do, why. After hearing students’
Set/ Motivation answers, the teacher then asks how they think maple syrup has changed overtime. After a quick discussion of
answers they believe to be the case, the teacher can quickly explain the history of maple syrup production
and how maple syrup that many consume today became mass produced “pancake syrup”. The teacher then
states that there are many health implications with utilizing pancake or regular syrup, as well as sugar to
sweeten up your day, which students will in groups identify,evaluate, and eventually diagram or present
(depending on students’ needs and what better fits the teacher’s available resources). Consider students’
academic, social, and/or cultural characteristics, as well as their prior knowledge, strengths, and weaknesses.
 Briefly describe the (simplified) history of maple syrup production from pre-colonization to now as well as how
maple syrup’s ingredients have changed over time. Afterwards, give students the chance to predict in groups,
how these ingredient changes have positive or negative effects on their overall wellness with their in-depth,
health knowledge. Next, split students into groups to review sources such as those above about the health,
compositional and other types of differences between pancake syrup and maple syrup. Then, have the class
create together a word web on a class’s whiteboard, chalkboard, or online via wordweb software like this the
differences between maple syrup and pancake syrup. After that, have these groups analyze articles such as
those mentioned above, and create a quick presentation (verbal or visual, depending on the class’s resources)
on these differences as well as maple syrup’s health pros and cons and illustrate them to the class. Once these
presentations are completed, describe to students how added sugars can affect the body, and in turn,
Instructional Process:
students’ health, with videos such as Sugar is Not a Treat by Jody Stanislaw, How to Break Sugar Addiction: 7 Steps to
Strategies,
Help You Stop Eating Sugar, and This Is Your Brain On Sugar by Amy Reichelt, you can use as references for your
Procedures, Tasks
explanation or actual components of the lesson.

Clearly describe your instructional processes in sufficient detail that a substitute teacher could follow your plan.
Make sure your instructional processes align to the standards and objectives. How will you organize content
and delivery of the topic and discipline in innovative and relevant ways that provide clear, appropriate, and
challenging learning for all students? How will you address students’ academic, social, and/or cultural
characteristics, as well as their prior knowledge, strengths, and weaknesses?

Consider how independent, collaborative, small group, and whole class instruction can be used to effectively
support individual learning.
How will you bring the lesson to a close? How will students verbalize or demonstrate their understanding? How
will you extend the lesson and link to future lessons?

Have the student groups create a writing (bullet points or a few sentences), drawing, and/or verbal discussion
together to evaluate how added sugars like maple syrup has affected their health in their own lives,as well as
how can they affect their future health, and their final thoughts about what they learned in general about the
Instructional Process: cultural and health significance of sugary foods. Once they feel they are done, the teacher then can listen to
Closure their group’s thoughts, as well as give their opinion about them. If there are no more talking points, then
students can drink tea or coffee with maple sugar, or, for students who may be allergic to tea or are hungry,
they can have maple popcorn or other snacks with little added sugars to eat before the class ends. The next
lesson can suggest other ways not mentioned by the students that having added sugars in their diets could
have affected their overall wellness in the past, and connect to the next lesson by mentioning alternatives to
added sugars like maple syrup (if students are currently learning various concepts related to health via a
maple syrup based unit). Students can also continue to engage with the lesson to take a no added sugar
 challenge like these: I Quit Sugar for 30 Days...Here's What Happened, as well as I quit sugar for 30 days while
recording their health progress via charts like this and working alongside you to improve their health.

Consider your alignment with the standards and objectives, as well as student diversity in terms of academic,
social and/or cultural characteristics; learning styles; prior knowledge; strengths; and weaknesses.

How will you help all students meet the standards and objectives through differentiating the instructional
process, content, and product based upon readiness, learning styles (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, tactile
[VAKT]), multiple intelligences, and/or assignments of choice.

Categories from Common Classroom Accommodations and Modifications | Understood - For learning and
thinking differences

Presentation: The class agenda as well as notes related to maple syrup history, sweet and sweetener histories,
added sugars, and (if necessary), summary notes related to maple syrup’s negative and positive talking points
healthwise, can be printed out so those who learn better with text speech readers, such as those who are hard
of sight or have trouble focusing due to disabilities like ADHD have an easier time understanding what’s going
on. Have your group assignments on a large paper in the room or projected on the room’s board (depending
on resources) that will be easy for many students to see or have a mini paper with the assignment on each
Meeting Individual group’s desk area that students can quickly refer to when they’re working on the assignments(this is also useful
Needs/ for aides of students of disabilities or students with disabilities themselves, who may need the assignment
Differentiating requirements and questions to ensure that they’re completing the assignment correctly and with enough
Instruction participation from the students with disabilities), and have simple, quick visual cues (GIFs, videos or photos) that
display what you’re trying to describe on the board (via a Powerpoint Presentation, for example) to help visual
learners understand what you’re saying about maple syrup history, added sugars, etc.

Response: Scribes, audio recordings of answers, and word processors along with visual charts that help explain
wellness’s different types, nutrient types taught in the class so far, and other important topics utilized during the
prediction, evaluation, presentation and response phases of the lesson are allowed when students are trying to
figure out how maple syrup as well as added sugars’ overall nutritional value applies to concepts learned in
previous classes. Give tactile learners the chance to draw a quick graph or visual that shows why their group’s
chosen concepts relate to pancake syrup’s rise to prominence and improving their own wellness on their own
paper if you want individual participation from the students as well as group participation for the prediction and
evaluation sections of the lesson. Allow auditory learners to reason out loud their thoughts through their
collaborative and (if you so choose) individual evaluation on how their newfound knowledge of sweet history,
pancake syrup, maple syrup as well as added sugars link to previously taught concepts. Allow kinseastic
learners to act out their ideas for what their group’s overall evaluation of pancake syrup, maple syrup and
added sugars’ overall nutritional value should be, how they relate to wellness, as well as how they feel about
the experience of what they learned overall about maple syrup and added sugars and how they can improve
their own health with this brand-new perspective about how added sugars are (most likely) very common in
their diets.

Setting: Allow students who need sensory input to use sensory toys throughout the class(play doh shaped like a
sugar cube or a well-sealed bag of PANCAKE syrup labeled “All Natural”Maple Syrup-or IS IT?!” that students
can play with are cheap, an healthy, fruit related stress ball, and others are simple examples that are fun to use
as well as linked to the lesson at hand) and while they’re trying to figure out their thoughts during the prediction
and evaluation sections, allow students to sit wherever they want while completing their assignments, and allow
students to walk from group to group to see how each group’s works can be improved.

Timing: Allow students to have a few extra minutes to process the directions or how to improve their
presentations as well as evaluations if needed, allow students to quickly take a break after planning out their
presentation or completing their evaluations, depending on the class’s resources and where everyone’s
progress is before the groups present their thoughts during the class discussion, actually enact their
presentations, or express their evaluations to the teacher.

Scheduling: Allow students a few classes to complete their presentations as well as evaluations depending on
how in depth or artistic they are. The final presentation and evaluation for the teacher as well as the
consumption of maple sugar snacks described above courtesy of the teacher (depending on the resources
available) can be done the next time the students and teacher meet.

Organization: Suggest to students to highlight sections of the questions (requirements) and thought process that
they believe are important to their knowledge-based discussion, presentation and evaluation, (not only does
this help accommodate students, but this also helps you mark what part of the evaluation process they struggle
with as well as what students misconceive or understand well of the previously taught concepts you wish to
connect to your students). Make clear organization of space (fun graphics/photos dividing sections of the
discussion, presentation and evaluation instructions as well as their evaluation papers-if you want to create
them for this particular project-for example) to help groups neatly arrange their thoughts and understandings as
the class continues. Tell students who are auditory and/or hard of sight that the next section of the class has
begun very clearly so they know what’s going on. Warn students to try to get their discussions, presentations,
and/or evaluations done in time either before the end of class or around by the next class since otherwise, a
special, delicious treat for the class may not be able to be offered (tea, coffee, and popcorn mentioned
above).
 Consider gifted, ELL, culture and other possible needs, as well as Universal Design for Learning (see
http://www.udlcenter.org/).

Accommodations provide access to course content but do not alter the amount or complexity of the
information taught. Accommodations can include changes in the testing environment, instructional
procedures, or classroom presentation.

LIST THE STUDENT(S) BY PSEUDONYM AND THE ACCOMMODATION(S):

Accommodations/
Modifications for Modifications modify (change) the curriculum and result in the child being taught something different or being
IEPs & 504 Plans taught the same information but with the complexity of the material significantly altered from that being taught
to the child’s age and grade level peers. Modifications can be made to classroom materials and/or
performance expectations of the student.

LIST THE STUDENT(S) BY PSEUDONYM AND THE MODIFICATION(S):

MATERIALS AND RESOURCES

What are the print, non-print, manipulatives and technology you need to organize before teaching the lesson?
Worksheets, pencils/pens, markers, colored pencils for drawings for visual learners, highlighters, paper to write
notes on or allowing students to use school computers to write notes (depending on school and their
Materials/
availability and students’ available resources), plates for the students (depending on dietary needs and
Resources/
resources available school has), spoons, knives, napkins,hot mugs, paper bowls, straws (for people with
Technology
disabilities or who like drinking tea that way), maple syrup, maple sugar, maple popcorn, other non-sugary
snacks suggested in articles above, sensory toys, play doh, Google Docs/Microsoft Word, Google
Presentations/Powerpoint, etc.
ASSESSMENT
How will students demonstrate understanding or skills? How does your assessment align with your selected
standards, student objectives, and instructional procedures? How will you address accommodations,
Assessment
modifications, and/or differentiation/ individual needs in your assessment plans?
 One assessment will be during the presentation of groups’ evaluations to the teacher about how added sugars
like maple syrup affects wellness, connects to previously discussed health concepts and the history described
of sweets’ rise to prominence globally, and how difficult or easy they felt learning each concept was. Another
will be how other groups comment about aspects of their discussion, presentation and evaluation (if the class
has enough time and if the teacher wishes, to do another group presentation based on their evaluations during
the class or the next class to present). Furthermore, a graded review of their evaluation’s “paper” (acting out
the answer, typed answers, drawn out answers, one-on-one discussions with the teacher about their
evaluations and why they came to their conclusions relating to each of the evaluation’s questions, etc. can be
provided as alternative ways of explaining the answer instead of doing a verbal presentation with the group for
certain students) will be another assessment. Finally, how students individually discuss their overall difficulty with
creating their discussion, presentation, and evaluation answers with the teacher can be used as another
assessment of understanding the class’s material as well as the overall success of the lesson plan in general.
Consider providing options for how students demonstrate mastery.
How will you provide progress monitoring and instructive feedback to students during the instructional process?
How will feedback provide opportunities for student success?

Positive feedback which is inclusive to students’ needs and learning styles will be highlighted, first and foremost,
on the students’ evaluation sheets, with feedback about how well they laid out as well as explained the
problem (“I love how well you organized this answer with the highlighters!” “I loved how you used your drawing
to support your answer”, “You explained X part of your evaluation and how this concept relates to this type of
wellness here fits amazingly with your charades!” “Your teamwork to bolster each other’s sections was
awesome when you presented your thoughts on maple syrup’s overall effects on wellness!” “I love the way you
utilized the Z method to explain this aspect of added sugar’s attributes and how it affected your mental health
in the past!”= are examples). They can also be stated verbally(“Your teamwork there when you were helping
Formative the other group with preparing their presentation was amazing!”, “I loved your rebuttal against the negative
talking points of sugary foods’ rise to cultural prominence from the other group!”, “I love your honesty that you
used to make sure all aspects of maple syrup’s health attributes were being discussed fairly, even if it favored
the other group’s more opposite points of view than yours!” = etc. are examples). The constructive feedback
can be written in the form in a unique, upbeat pen color like “next time, try doing x to help improve this aspect
of your evaluation”, “I love your justification for this concept’s connection to maple syrup’s physical health
attribute, but here’s a way that you can improve X ingredient of it to better enhance the connection flavor that I
believe you were searching for!” to make constructive criticism easier to digest (no pun intended) in a positive
way for students. This feedback can also be verbal, with comments on how to improve the group’s discussion,
presentation and evaluation skills as well as overall group cohesion and inclusivity being potential points that
you can draw criticism from.
 What evidence of student learning will you collect at the end of the lesson? How will you use the data from
these summative assessments to guide future instruction?-

Have the entirety of each group’s members say something, draw something, or mention something in any way
Summative
that relates to their overall thoughts during the discussion, presentation and evaluation section as well as see
how many students agree with their group’s justifications related to concepts mentioned within their
presentation and evaluation.

You can include assessment information in several ways: students can hand in a completed assignment, take a
test, conduct a small group discussion, create an illustration or art project, etc. - The group discussion with
supportive drawings, charades, etc. is the non grade-based assessment on how confident students are in
explaining, understanding, analyzing, as well as evaluating the real world connections between added sugars
and nutrient types, wellness, health habits, and other topics discussed previously in class. The group’s
Assessment/Rubrics discussions, presentations, as well as evaluation and justification presentations are graded, written/drawn
assessments on how well they can utilize concepts relating to physical, mental, and emotional health as well as
other concepts related to health and translate their understanding of them to their unique assessment about
cultural history behind sweeteners like maple syrup, about how maple and pancake syrup contrast in various
ways, what maple syrup’s health qualities are, and how added sugars’ health qualities affect students’ overall
wellness into the far-off future. Rubrics can be set to the teacher’s discretion.