North Lawndale College Prep Charter HS
Interdisciplinary Projects Topic Map
2012-2013
Student Name:
Sample Student
Driving Question:
Should humans drink cow’s milk?
Background
What time period(s) and/or events relate to your topic(s)?
"Until refrigeration came along, the vast majority of humans and animals on the planet consumed little or no milk products. Most
Asians (more than 1 billion), most Africans (almost a billion), and many other cultures around the world still consume no dairy”
(Thimian, http://milk.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=000821).
What trends or patterns have been going on regarding your question?


"Federal assistance in providing milk for school children has been in operation since June 4, 1940, when a federally
subsidized program was begun in Chicago (USDA, http://milk.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000832#20).
Milk consumption seems to be dropping since 1978 (http://milk.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000660).
:
What historical (background) information would someone need to know in order to fully understand your topic(s)
in your question?


"Many centuries ago, perhaps as early as 6000-8000 BC, ancient man learned to domesticate species of animals for the
provision of milk to be consumed by them. These included cows (genus Bos), buffaloes, sheep, goats, and camels, all of
which are still used in various parts of the world for the production of milk for human consumption"
(http://milk.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000832#20).
"Milk has been used for human consumption for thousands and thousands of years, as proven by cave drawings showing
cows being milked. Today, cow's milk is still one of the most popular (especially in the United States) animal milks
consumed by humans. Around the world, people drink the milk from many other animals including camels, goats, llamas,
reindeer, sheep, and water buffalo" (http://milk.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000832#20).
What are the key terms that someone would need to know while researching your topic?
Agriculture, Dairy, Calcium, Diabetes, Lactose Intolerance, Greenhouse gases, Manure, Artificial Bovine Growth
Hormone, Osteoporosis, ADHD
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North Lawndale College Prep Charter HS
Interdisciplinary Projects Topic Map
2012-2013
Impact
Self:
Others:
I drink milk at home and at school, where it is provided
for free with my breakfast and lunch. Members of my
family have heart disease and diabetes and I want to
know if this product is harmful or helpful.
This question affects anyone who drinks milk and anyone
who is involved in the Dairy industry. Because milk is
provided for free through programs for those who have
low incomes, it may affect the poor more than others.
Other areas of
impact – Choose
three
Economy
"America's
dairy industry
is an
important
contributor to
our nation's
overall
economy.
Dairy is the
number one
agricultural
business in
California,
Wisconsin,
New York,
Pennsylvania,
Idaho,
Michigan,
New Mexico,
Vermont, and
Maine. In
California
alone, dairy is
a $31 billion
industry
employing
400,000-plus
people“
(Dairy
Farming
Today,
http://milk.pr
ocon.org/vie
w.answers.ph
p?questionID
=000843).
Environment
“In 2007, the
dairy sector
emitted 1 969
million
tonnes CO2eq [±26
percent] of
which 1 328
million
tonnes are
attributed to
milk...
The global
dairy sector
contributes
4.0 percent to
the total
global
anthropogenic
GHG
emissions"
(FAO,
http://milk.pr
ocon.org/vie
w.answers.ph
p?questionID
=001021).
Culture/Society
(How does this
question reflect the
values of a group of
people? This might
include food &
drink,
entertainment,
religious &
philosophical
beliefs, and customs
and traditions.)
Politics
“The food
industry gave
congress over 41
million in
campaign
contributions in a
recent ten year
period, with over
a third going to
Senate and
House
agricultural
committee
members. During
the same period,
meat and poultry
industries
contributed over
9 million; the
National
Restaurant
Association
contributed over
3.1 million; the
NCBA
contributed over
$1.4 million and
McDonald's
contributed
almost 1.7
million dollars”
(http://www.sour
cewatch.org/inde
x.php?title=Meat
_%26_Dairy_ind
ustry).
2
Geograp
hy
(What
regions are
affected by
this issue?)
Aesthetics
Technology
(How does
this topic
reflect values
in the Arts or
impact the
arts? How?)
(Does this topic
affect technological
advances? How?)
North Lawndale College Prep Charter HS
Interdisciplinary Projects Topic Map
2012-2013
Points of View on Your Topic
Driving Question (again):
Argument 1:
Humans should consume Dairy
products because they contribute to a
healthy diet.
Who?
1.Dale E. Bauman, PhD, Liberty Hyde
Bailey Professor of the Department of
Animal Science at Cornell University.
He is a professor at a respected
institution.
2. Heidi Kalkwarf, PhD, RD, Associate
Professor of Pediatrics at Cincinnati
Children's Hospital Medical Center.
She is a medical doctor.
3.The International Dairy Foods
Association (IDFA). This group is
biased because they promote Dairy
consumption for financial reasons.
Should humans drink cow’s milk?
Questions I still need to
answer to develop my
claim:
Argument 2:
Can humans still get the
nutrients they need from
other sources?
Who?
Have there been documented
cases of disease that were
directly linked to dairy
consumption?
Humans should not drink milk or consume dairy
products.
1.Neal Barnard, MD, President of Physicians
Committee for Responsible Medicine. He is a
medical doctor and the president of a respected
organization. The Milk Debate Goes on and on,
Pediatrics, August 2003.
2. Benjamin Spock, MD
Pediatrician and best selling author
"Good Nutrition for Kids" in Good Medicine
Magazine Spring-Summer 1998
3. Margaret Moss, MA, Director of the Nutrition
and Allergy Clinic in Manchester, UK "Does
Milk Cause Coronary Heart Disease?," Journal
of Nutritional & Environmental Medicine Sep. 1,
2002.
Evidence 1:
Evidence 1:
“Dairy is recognized as a source of
important nutrients” (Bauman,
http://milk.procon.org/view.answers.ph
p?questionID=1317).
Milk is high in fat that can contribute to disease
development (Barnard,
http://milk.procon.org/view.answers.php?questio
nID=1317).
Evidence 2: "There was a time when it [milk]
was considered very desirable, but research has
forced us to rethink this recommendation... Dairy
products contribute to a surprising number of
health problems. They can impair a child's ability
to absorb iron and in very small children can
even cause subtle blood loss from the digestive
tract. Combined with the fact that milk has
virtually no iron of its own, the result is an
increased risk of iron deficiency..." (Spock,
http://milk.procon.org/view.answers.php?questio
nID=1317).
Evidence 2:
My emerging claim:
Dairy supports growth in childhood and
adolescence (Kalkwarf,
http://milk.procon.org/view.answers.ph
p?questionID=1317).
Milk, in moderation, can be
part of a healthy diet and
should be consumed by
humans.
My Conclusion:
My Conclusion:
These sources argue that milk can be bad for
humans, but they don’t say that it is bad for
humans. Without more evidence that milk
has been directly linked to illnesses, I have
to conclude that this is a weak argument.
Based on this evidence, it appears that
milk is part of a healthy diet and
necessary to childhood development.
However, these researchers do not say
if the nutrients found in milk can be
found in other sources.
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