The Case of the Physical Fitness Challenge Segment 2

Time Required: 2-3 days

Back at the treehouse, RJ and Kali dial up Dr. Scott Smith at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Smith talks about the importance of nutrition and physical activity for the growth of healthy bones and explains why astronauts must continue to exercise in space to maintain bone health. RJ and Bianca talk with a class in Scotland about how calcium loss affects bones and realize that nutrition plays an important role in being physically fit and staying healthy. Bianca learns what nutrients are and why they are important to good health. And lastly, Dr. D explains that a calorie is a unit of measure that tells us the amount of energy stored in food and how our bodies combine oxygen with nutrients to produce energy. The detectives are sure they are on the right track but realize that there is much more to learn.

 Objectives: Students will
•  Compare the amount of calcium needed by the body at different developmental stages.
•  Demonstrate the effect of calcium loss on bones.
•  Prove the importance of calcium in building and maintaining strong bones.
•  Calculate the amount of calcium consumed daily.
•  Identify the function of vitamins and minerals that are important to a healthy body.
•  Plan a nutritionally balanced snack.

NASA SCI Files — The Case of the Physical Fitness Challenge Segment 2
Video Component Description [604KB]
Watch NASA SCI Files — The Case of the Physical Fitness Challenge Segment 2
Segment 2 Description, Objectives and Vocabulary [626KB]
Lessons:
Hole-y Bones [2.2MB]
Bendy Bones [1.7MB]
Counting the Calcium [931KB]
Rate That Snack [1.5MB]
Answer Key [659KB]
This segment is a part of The Case of the Physical Fitness Challenge Unit.