Why Milk is Safe A Food Safety Unit for Grades 4-6

Introduction

 Milk, a dairy product, is a safe and nutritious food source that we should eat or drink every day. Mammals produce milk to feed their young.  Some animals are raised to provide milk for human use.  Several of these animals are dairy cows, goats, sheep, and camels depending on what part of the world you live in.  In the United States the two most popular milk producers are dairy cows and goats.  Throughout history milk has been a good food source for everyone.  However it wasn’t until 1864 when Louis Pasteur developed a new technology called Pasteurization that milk became a safe food source for everyone.  The milk you buy at the grocery store today has been pasteurized so that it is safe to drink and other dairy products safe to eat.

You are living on a farm in the year 1866.  Your neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Sorensen raise dairy cows and sell the milk to their neighbors and several families in the nearest town.  Unfortunately, their two children, Mary and Sam, have become very ill with a fever.  The doctor says they have “Undulant Fever”, sometimes called “Milk Fever”.   Undulant fever is a dangerous bacterial infection that can be fatal.   Everyone in your neighborhood has stopped drinking milk.  Your parents are concerned for Sam and Mary and are worried that you may become ill as well.  A week later the doctor dropped by to tell your parents that Mary and Sam are out of danger, but it will be a slow recovery. You have overheard your parents talking about a new technology developed by a French chemist, Louis Pasteur, that might have prevented this illness.  Your parents and Mr. Sorensen had thought this new technology was too expensive to use.  Besides, it might make the milk taste different and the milk would cost too much to buy. 

Task

You have been worried about your friends Mary and Sam.  You don’t want to get sick and you don’t want your other friends to get sick with the same fever that they have.  You have decided to research and study about the new technology “Pasteurization.”  You want to learn all you can so you can explain the importance of this technology to your parents and Mr. Sorensen.  You want to convince them that the new technology may save many lives.  However, your ability to research in the 1800's is limited.  Therefore you will time travel to the year Louis Pasteur invented the process of Pasteurization between 1857 and 1865 and on to 2005 to see the results or effects of pasteurization in the United States and around the world.

Process

1.       Read about Louis Pasteur and the process called Pasteurization.

The famous chemist Louis Pasteur.

Louis Pasteur benefactor of humanity.

Cause of Undulant fever.

Pasteurization.

More about Louis Pasteur.

2.     You and your classmates will be divided into teams of four. Each one of you will choose one of these  questions to answer from the research you have completed.  Be sure you use your own words and not the words of others.

1. Who created this technology? Be sure to include a simple biography and his qualifications for inventing this technology through research.
2. Why did he want to provide this technology?
3. What was this technology? What did it do?
4. When and where was this technology discovered?

3.     Prepare a persuasive poster board or power point presentation to present to the class.  Include drawings or pictures. Pretend the class members are your parents and Mr. Sorensen. 

4.     As a group, write a paragraph summarizing your research.  Begin with this topic sentence:  In conclusion, the technology called Pasteurization is important to me and everyone in the world because …….. 

5.      Include this summary as a part of your persuasive poster board or power point presentation.

Conclusion

Congratulations, you have successfully convinced Mr. Sorensen and your parents of the importance of Pasteurization.  They are now willing to make use of this new technology to provide safe milk to drink for you and everyone you know.

Evaluation

Collaboration Rubric

Name __________________________________

Last revised on June 10, 2006