Teachers' Notes

Tomatoes Save Lives!

Age 14-16

KS4 Programmes of Study

Science

Sc1: Scientific enquiry

Ideas and evidence in science
1a - Students should be taught how scientific ideas are presented, evaluated and disseminated, for example by publication, review by other scientists.

Investigative skills
2q - Students should be taught to consider whether the evidence collected is sufficient to support any conclusions or interpretations made.

Sc2: Life processes and living things

Cell activity
1c - Students should be taught to relate ways in which animals [and plants] function as organisms to cell structure and activity.

Humans as organisms
2a - Students should be taught the processes of digestion, including the function of organs and the role of enzymes, stomach acid and bile. 2l - Students should be taught the defence mechanisms of the body, including the role of the skin and blood.

Green plants as organisms
3d - Students should be taught the importance to healthy plant growth of the uptake and utilisation of mineral salts.

Sc3: Materials and their properties

Patterns of behaviour
3f - Students should be taught about different types of chemical reaction, including neutralisation, oxidation, reduction and thermal decomposition, and examples of how these are used to make new materials.

English

En2: Reading

Understanding texts
To develop understanding and appreciation of texts, students should be taught:
1a - to extract meaning beyond the literal, explaining how the choice of language and style affects implied and explicit meanings
1b - to analyse and discuss alternative interpretations, ambiguity and allusion
1c - how ideas, values and emotions are explored and portrayed
1d - to identify the perspectives offered on individuals, community and society

Understanding the author's craft
Students should be taught:
1g - how language is used in imaginative, original and diverse ways
1h - to reflect on the writer's presentation of ideas and issues ...and the overall impact of a text
1j - how techniques, structure, forms and styles vary
1k - to compare texts, looking at style, theme and language, and identifying connections and contrasts.

Printed and ICT-based information texts
To develop their reading of print and ICT-based information texts, students should be taught to:
4a - select, compare and synthesise information from different texts
4b - evaluate how information is presented
4c - sift the relevant from the irrelevant, and distinguish between fact and opinion, bias and objectivity
4d - identify the characteristic features, at word, sentence and text level, of different types of texts.

En3: Writing

Composition

Writing to inform, explain, describe
Students should be taught to:
1e - form sentences and paragraphs that express connections between information and ideas precisely (for example, cause and effect, comparison)
1f - use formal and impersonal language and concise expression
1g - consider what the reader needs to know and include relevant details
1h - present material clearly, using appropriate layout, illustrations and organisation

Writing to persuade, argue, advise
Students should be taught to:
1i - develop logical arguments and cite evidence
1j - use persuasive techniques and rhetorical devices
1k - anticipate reader reaction, counter opposing views and use language to gain
1l - attention and sustain interest

Writing to analyse, review, comment
Students should be taught to: 1m - reflect on the nature and significance of the subject matter
1n - form their own view, taking into account a range of evidence and opinions
1o - organise their ideas and information, distinguishing between analysis and comment
1p - take account of how well the reader knows the topic.

Notes:

Science
The activity offers students the opportunity to research and evaluate scientific research and opinion pieces from a range of sources. Their article should make clear not only the scientific concepts underlying the disease conditions that tomatoes are believed to alleviate but also the processes by which they are thought to act. For example, that free radicals are thought to be involved with initiating cancerous cell growth and that lycopene is an anti-oxidant that reacts with free radicals and renders them harmless.

The limited list of conditions, processes and dietary components is intended to assist students who require pointers towards a structure and scope for the article.

English
In writing their article, students should demonstrate that they can distinguish between marketing messages and opinion from scientific inferences based on experimental evidence, and so evaluate health claims in a balanced way. Of course, they should also remember that the article is intended to be campaigning in nature, with a persuasive message to deliver.

The article should also show that they appreciate that a degree of 'translation and interpretation' may be necessary to present scientific concepts to non-scientific readers.

The note about acknowledging sources for text and images should encourage students to understand the importance of integrity in publishing and to value the support given by scientists and others whose material organisations wish to use in their campaigns.