Transform your high school biology classroom with this comprehensive, 9-week curriculum framework: From Hot Cheetos to the Three Sisters — Biology Through Food Justice. 

Designed for 9-12th grade biology students, this project-based unit seamlessly weaves Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) with social justice, environmental equity, and Indigenous agricultural knowledge.

Are you looking for a way to make biology deeply relatable and culturally sustaining? This framework tackles the driving question: How can understanding biology help communities overcome food insecurity and build healthier futures? Your students will discover that biology isn't just about diagrams in a textbook—it is a tool for community empowerment.

What is Included in this 9-Week Framework?

• Week 1: What’s in Your Lunch? – Nutrition label analysis, homeostasis, sugar/sodium modeling, and ArcGIS community food desert mapping.

• Week 2: Food as Cellular Fuel – Biomolecules, food chemistry lab testing for macromolecules, and family food budget math connections.

• Week 3: Cells Need Fuel – Nutrient transport, egg/potato osmosis lab, and a case study research project on the 80s Nestlé Boycott.

• Week 4: Cellular Respiration – ATP production pathways, yeast respiration lab, and exploring energy inequality vs. food inequality.

• Week 5: Genetics and Nutrition – DNA extraction lab, lactose intolerance case studies, and analyzing CDC data for demographic health disparities.

• Week 6: Evolution and Agriculture – The domestication history of corn (teosinte) and evaluating the evolution of Indigenous agriculture systems.

• Week 7: Ecology of Food Systems – Symbiosis within the Three Sisters cropping system, soil ecology testing, and nutrient cycles.

• Week 8: Community Food Mapping – Fieldwork, GIS mapping of food resources, grocery price comparisons, and human ecology.

• Week 9: Capstone Showcase – Food Justice Action Plan deliverables, including options for a TED-style talk, documentary, garden design, or community cookbook.

Standards and Skills Alignment

• NGSS Core Standards: HS-LS1-2 (Cell structure), HS-LS1-7 (Respiration), HS-LS3-1 (Genetics), HS-LS4-2 (Evolution), and HS-ESS3-1 (Human impact).

• CCSS ELA: Argumentative writing (WHST.9-10.1), research projects (WHST.9-10.7), and presenting findings (SL.9-10.4).

• CCSS Math: Data representation (HSS.ID.A.1) and quantitative reasoning (HSN.Q.A.1).

• Engaging Hooks: Every week starts with a high-interest hook, from dropping gummy bears into water to dropping a bag of Hot Cheetos on the table.

• Cross-Curricular Relevance: Integrates math modeling, historical context, environmental health, and media literacy.

• Service Learning Options: Includes community-facing extensions like creating healthy recipe cards, designing seed libraries, or planting a campus garden.

Bring food justice, real-world data tools, and critical thinking to your science class today.