“Supersize Me” Essay Assignment
You will write a four paragraph paper, worth 30 points
In the movie, Mr. Spurlock embarks on a month long
experiment.
First paragraph – What was the purpose of Mr.
Spurlocks experiment?
Second paragraph – What guidelines did he follow in the
experiment?
Third paragraph – What kinds of physical and emotional
effects did the McDonalds
diet have on Mr. Spurlock?
Fourth paragraph – Would you do what Mr. Spurlock did?
Will watching this movie
change the way you eat? If
so, what specifically do you
plan to do?
Extremely
thorough and
complete
5 points
Paragraph One
Paragraph Two
Paragraph Three
Paragraph Four
Grammar and
Punctuation
Thoughts and ideas
are well conveyed to
the reader
Total points
Very good effort,
but missing some
key elements
3 points
Lacking in
information and
key points
1 points
Grading Key for “Supersize Me” Essay
Assignment
Paragraph One:
Morgan Spurlock embarked on this experiment due to the
increasing spread of obesity throughout the U.S. society which the
Surgeon General has declared “epidemic”, and the corresponding
lawsuit brought against McDonald’s. He contends that
McDonald’s and the fast food industry does have an influence on
this obesity issue and they promote poor nutrition for their own
profit.
Paragraph Two:
must eat three McDonald’s meals a day
must sample every item on the McDonald’s menu at
least once
cannot purchase anything not on the menu including
aspirin; Bottle water is on the menu, so he may drink it
must “Super Size” his meal whenever the option is
specifically verbally offered (and only then)
will not exercise during this experiment
Paragraph Three:
After thirty days, he gained 24.5 lb, and increase of 13% of his
body mass.
After five days, he found himself with an inexplicable feeling of
depression, and not much longer until he finds his bouts of
depression, lethargy and headaches are relieved by a McDonald’s
meal. One doctor describes him as “addicted.”
He experienced mood swings, sexual dysfunction, and nearly
catastrophic liver damage. It took several months to lose the
weight he gained and return to normal.
Super Size Me Questions Day 1
Period: ___
Name: ______________________
More than ____% of all US adults are obese.
What is the fattest state in America?
One in ____ Americans visit a fast food restaurant daily.
How much does Morgan weigh at his first weigh-in?
More than _____% of Americans get no exercise.
Morgan must limit himself to _________ steps a day.
How many McDonald’s does Morgan pass in NYC in less than a mile?
In France, the small size here is the ___________ size in France.
Rule # 1: Can only Super Size when ___________.
Rule # 2: Can only eat food from _______________.
Rule # 3: Has to eat everything on the menu at ______________________.
Rule # 4: Must eat __________ meals a day.
John says we eat out for ____% of our meals.
How is McDonald’s luring in kids? (there are many correct answers)
One large bagel is equivalent to ______ large servings of bread.
Super sizes fries packs in how many calories?
A half gallon of soda for one person has how many teaspoons of sugar?
There is one vending machine for every ______Americans.
“Brand imprinting for later actuation in life” What was the example for this quote?
If the trend continues, one out of every _______ children born in the year 2000 will
develop diabetes in their lifetime.
What does he eat on day 6 for the first time?
What does he feel on day 7?
What does he feel on day 9 despite the fact that he’s having a good day?
How many Big Macs did Don Gorske eat in the first month?
Super Size Me Questions Day 2
Period: ___
Name: ______________________
In 2001, how much did McDonald’s spend on direct media advertisement?
How much did the 5-a-day fruit and vegetable campaign spend total in its peak year?
What did Morgan say is in the ketchup??
Morgan is eating over ________% of what his needs are.
Morgan gained _______ pounds in 12 days.
At the middle school in West Virginia, one meal can have as many as ___________
calories.
They are only cooking ______ out of 36 meals at the West Virginian middle school.
The school for “problem” kids in Appleton, Wisconsin serves healthy food. Does this
cost more?
When Morgan went to McDonald’s on day 13 and asked the clerk how many people say
“yes” to super sizing their meal, what did she say?
Out of the top 15 fattest cities in America, how many are in Texas?
At Francis J. McGrath Elementary School, how many days a week do the students go to
the gym?
Why did Dr. Gerald N. Tirozzi say they cut out recess?
A calorie is a measure of the _____________ content of food.
On day 18, Morgan says, “My body officially _______________________.”
How many items on the McDonald’s menu contain NO sugar?
What is Morgan’s mother worried about?
What does McDonald’s call people who eat their food at least once a week?
According to the majority of nutritionists, how often should people eat fast-food?
How long did the laparoscopic surgeons say gastric bypass surgeries take?
What happened to Morgan when he woke up on day 21?
What did his physician advise him?
Did you think this would be such a dangerous experiment?
Morgan says, “At the end of this month, I’ll have eaten as much McDonald’s as most
nutritionists say you should eat in...” how many years?
How much did Morgan weigh at his last weigh-in?
One doctor tells Morgan he shouldn’t eat fast-food again for how long?
In March 2004, Congress passed a bill that would make it illegal for people to sue food
companies for making them obese. What was that bill called?
Alex’s Detox diet got Morgan’s cholesterol and live functions back to normal in _____
weeks.
How does this documentary change your thoughts on eating fast-food?
NAME: ________________
SUPER SIZE ME VIDEO
Directions: Follow along with the video and answer the questions below.
1. Since 1980, the total number of overweight and obese Americans has
_________________. There are also _____________ as many overweight
children and ___________________ as many overweight adolescents.
2. Obesity is now the _______ major cause of preventable disease, with over
400,000 deaths a year associated with related illnesses. (Smoking is the leading
major cause).
3. What is the optimal blood pressure for an adult? ________________
4. Cholesterol is a ________________________ present in blood plasma.
5. Elevated levels of cholesterol and triglycerides can lead to
__________________.
6. What does a person’s BMI measure?
______________________________________
___________________________________________________________
_______.
7. Use the following chart to record Morgan’s progress. Use this chart each time
the video reports his results (if it is given).
Starting
1st Weigh-
2nd Weigh-
3rd Weigh-
Final
Stats
in
in
in
Results
X
X
X
Weight
Body Fat %
(or % of
increase)
Cholesterol
8. About how many steps make up a mile? ____________________
9. How many steps do you think you take a day? (take a guess).
______________________
10. How often do you eat in a week on average?
___________________________________
11. List a few ways that restaurants draw customers to eat there? This could be
from the video or from your own thoughts.
______________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
___________
12. How large is a sensible serving size of meat (or what is it comparable to)?
________________________________________________________________
__________
13. How many calories are in a Super Size French Fry?!?! Super Size =
_________________
14. Name at least two illnesses related to obesity.
___________________________________
________________________________________________________________
__________
15. How much did Jared Flogel weigh? _____________ How much did he
lose?! _________
16. How many calories has Morgan been consuming a day?!
___________________________ (compared to the recommended 2500 calorie
intake).
17. Compared to a Hamburger, Chicken McNuggets contain nearly
_______________ the amount of fat per ounce.
18. How many food advertisements does the average American child see each
year? ____________________
Do you think this affects children’s food
choices? ___________
19. By the age 17, a child spends ________% more time in front of the TV than
at school. Every hour of TV increases obesity risks by ______%.
20. How many calories do you need each day?
Teen girls _____________ __
Teen boys
__________________
21. Do you think states should require daily P.E.? (yes or no)
___________________
22. How much total weight did Morgan gain? ________________________