Activity Episode 9 1st April 2014 Allergies Key Learning Students will learn more about of what allergies are, how they are treated and foods that cause allergic reactions. The Australian Curriculum Science /Science as a Human Endeavour /Use and Influence of Science Scientific understandings, discoveries and inventions are used to solve problems that directly affect peoples’ lives. Year 5 (ACSHE083) Year 6 (ACSHE100) Scientific knowledge is used to inform personal and community decisions (ACSHE217) Year 5 (ACSHE220) Year 6 Discussion Questions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. In your own words, describe what an allergy is. What food is Lucy allergic to? Why is she visiting the doctor? Describe the test that Lucy is having. What happens to the skin if there is an allergic reaction? Name some products that contain nuts. Finish the following sentence: Emily is severely allergic to... How does having a food allergy impact on Emily’s life? What does she need to carry at all times and why? How does your school support students with a food allergy? Activities Classroom discussion Before watching the BtN Food Allergies story, hold a class discussion to find out what your students know about food allergies and what questions they have about the topic. The following questions can help to guide the discussion. Discussion questions (before watching Food Allergies) What is an allergy? What sorts of things can people be allergic to? What do you know about food allergies? ©ABC 2014 Watch the BtN story Food Allergies and ask students to summarise the story in their own words. Hold a group discussion, and reflect on food allergies and the affect they have on children’s health. Discussion questions (after watching Food Allergies) How did you feel after watching the BtN Food Allergies story? What surprised you about this story? Why do you think BtN covered this story? How can food allergies affect our health? Understanding allergies Students research the following: What is an allergy? What is an allergen? Give examples When do allergies occur? What is a food allergy? What are the symptoms of allergies? Create a list ranging from mild reactions to severe. ©ABC 2014 What is anaphylaxis and how is it treated? Students present the information in an interesting way, for example: Wordle word cloud http://www.wordle.net/ A handbook for other students to use A poster to go up around your school Display the information using Prezi Illustrate the terms in an interesting way. Foods that cause allergic reactions Students will find out more about the foods that trigger most allergic reactions and why product labelling is important to people with a food allergy. Below is a list of the top nine foods that trigger 90% of food allergies. Discuss with students why it is very important that people with food allergies read the ingredients of packaged food. Explain to students that foods on products may have different names, for example, tree nuts may be called macadamia, almond or walnut. Students match the nine foods to the names that they may be called on food labels. Some foods may have more than one name. Foods that cause most food allergies Peanut May also be known as Tuna Albumin Tree nut Anchovy Egg Macadamia Cow’s milk Lactose Fish Triticale Shellfish Casein Wheat Prawns Soy Crab Walnut Hydrolysed whey Barley Hydrolysed vegetable protein Almond Tahini Tofu Sesame ©ABC 2014 Ground nuts Gluten Test your knowledge! Do the Food Allergy quiz. 1. Allergies can be cured. a. True b. False 6. If a person was allergic to cow’s milk, they shouldn’t eat: a. Casein b. Albumin c. Triticale 2. An allergen is: a. A substance that triggers an allergic reaction b. Medicine used to treat an allergy c. A symptom of an allergic reaction 3. Anaphylaxis is a a. Type of eczema b. Severe allergic reaction c. Treatment for a food allergy 4. An EpiPen, which is used to treat anaphylaxis, contains: a. Adrenaline b. Oxygen c. 7. If a person is allergic to albumin, they should avoid food containing: a. Tree nuts b. Soy c. Eggs 8. Which of the following isn’t a tree nut? a. Macadamia b. Almond c. Peanut 9. If someone was allergic to gluten, then what should they avoid? a. Hydrolysed whey b. Nuts c. Wheat Nitrogen 5. Hummus contains tahini, which is: 10. What are peanuts sometimes listed as on food labels? a. Chickpea paste b. Sesame paste c. ©ABC 2014 Peanut paste a. Ground nuts b. Tofu c. Walnuts Quiz Answers: 1. B. False 2. A. A substance that triggers an allergic reaction 3. B. Severe allergic reaction 4. A. Adrenaline 5. B. Sesame paste 6. A. Casein 7. C. Eggs 8. C. Peanut 9. C.Wheat 10. A Ground nuts Further Investigation Is your school allergy aware? Find out what your school does to keep students with allergies safe. Are all students made aware of food allergies? Do you think more could be done to keep students with food allergies safe and to make the school community more aware? Related Research Links Behind the News – Food Allergies http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3215292.htm Child and Youth Health – Reactions to Foods http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetails.aspx?p=114&np=302&id=1445#2 Child and Youth Health – Food Allergies http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetails.aspx?p=114&np=302&id=2473 Healthy Kids – Food Allergies http://www.healthykids.nsw.gov.au/parents-carers/nutrition/allergies.aspx ©ABC 2014