Free 12th Grade Palm Oil Lesson Plan (Food Studies)

Topic: Palm Oil

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will be able to explain how the production and consumption of palm oil contributes to deforestation and how it can be mitigated.

Materials

• Handouts with facts about palm oil production and consumption
• Pictures of forests devastated by palm oil production

Warm-up

• Ask students if they have ever heard of palm oil.
• Ask them to share what they know about palm oil.
• Write their answers on the board.

Direct Instruction

• Explain that palm oil is a vegetable oil that is extracted from the pulp of the palm fruit.
• Explain that palm oil is used in many different products, including food, cosmetics, and soap.
• Tell students that the demand for palm oil has increased significantly in recent years, largely due to the growth of the consumer products industry in Asia.
• Explain that the production of palm oil has been linked to significant deforestation in Indonesia and Malaysia, where most of the world's palm oil is produced.
• Provide students with handouts containing information about the impacts of palm oil production on forests.
• Distribute copies of the visual aid about palm oil production and deforestation.
• Have a discussion about the impacts of palm oil production on forests and ask students to share any personal experiences or opinions about palm oil.

Guided Practice

• Divide the class into small groups and assign each group one of the following topics:
• products that contain palm oil
• consumers' responsibilities in reducing demand for palm oil
• possible alternatives to palm oil
• Have each group conduct research on their assigned topic and compile a list of relevant facts and statistics.
• Have each group present their findings to the class and discuss possible solutions to the problems associated with palm oil production.
• Encourage students to think critically about the issue and consider different perspectives.

Independent Practice

• Assign each student a different product that contains palm oil, such as a snack food or cleaning product.
• Have the students research the company that produces their assigned product, and find out how much palm oil is used and its environmental impact.
• Have the students create a poster or presentation to inform their peers and the school community about their findings.

Closure

• Review the main points of the lesson and have the students share their posters or presentations with the class.
• Ask the students to reflect on what they have learned about the negative impact of palm oil, and discuss ways they can help to protect the environment.

Assessment

• Observe the students during the lab activity and discussion to assess their understanding of the material.
• Evaluate the posters or presentations created during the independent project for their completeness and overall effectiveness in communicating the message.