Question sheet: In Search of the Perfect French Fry

By Science News Explores

SCIENCE

Before reading:

  1. How would you describe the perfect French fry?

  2. How do you think French fries are made?

  3. Do you like fried foods?

During reading:

  1. How much money do people spend on French fries each year?

  2. What is the process used by McDonald’s to make French fries?

  3. List one advantage and one disadvantage of the following methods:

    A. Frying in oil.

    B. Using fast-moving air.

    C. Using low-fat oil.

  4. List two reasons why researchers are studying French fries.

  5. Use the text to define “heat transfer” and “infrared energy” and give examples.

After reading:

  1. Having read the article, what would make the ideal French fry for American society?

  2. What don’t you know about how McDonald’s makes their French fries?

  3. Who would you agree with in the McDonald’s lawsuit, the teenagers or McDonald’s?

  4. Do you think it is possible to make a yummy French fry that is good for you? Why or why not?

  5. After reading this article, has your opinion about fried foods changed? How?

  6. Fit the information in the article into the “well-designed investigation” format (below)? What information is missing from the article?

Question:

Hypothesis:

Materials:

Variables:

Independent:

Dependent:

Controlled:

Procedure:

Data:

Conclusion:

LANGUAGE ARTS

  1. What is the main idea of this article?

  2. What is your purpose for reading?

  3. Did the author’s opening sentence grab your attention? Why or why not?

  4. Write to persuade your school cafeteria that they should or shouldn’t serve French fries?

  5. If French fries are your favorite vegetable, what kind and why? If French fries are not your favorite vegetable, what is and why?

  6. Research the origin of French fries.

MATHEMATICS

  1. Create a table(s) that contains the following information…

    • What vegetables did people in your group eat last week?

    • What vegetables did you eat this week?

    • How many servings of potatoes did you eat?

    • How many servings of other vegetables did you eat?

    • What fraction of the servings of veggies that you ate were the potatoes?

  2. How did the vegetable consumption of your class/group compare to the national average?