UPD8

Camel Milk

Learning objectives

Students will:
-About a major food source for people living in very harsh environments.
-How that food source could be of benefit to more people in the future.
-How to extract and interpret relevant information to make a report.

Try the activity

• Teachers' notes
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• Activity
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Curriculum link

11 - 14 (KS3)
Food and digestion QCA 8A:
That foods contain a mix of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, fibre and water.
Fit and Healthy QCA 9B:
That a balanced diet requires nutrients, including vitamins, in the correct quantities.

Running the activity

Page 1 prompts students to consider the idea of drinking camel milk. Would they drink it? A class vote could be taken. Page 2 sets the task. Students take on the role of workers at the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation. They are asked to devise a short presentation to a major supermarket chain. They need to convince their dairy buyers to stock camel milk using facts from the data sheet on Page 3.

Students can work individually, as a whole class, or preferably in groups to promote discussion. Many of the items on the data sheet are not fully explained e.g. that it is an advantage for camel milk to be rich in vitamin C; so some prior learning about dietary requirements is expected. A writing frame is provided on Page 4. If this was felt to be too limiting, then the questions on the frame could be put up on the board. Each group could present to the rest of the class.

Extension or alternative exercise for some of the class:
Raise some points about the drawbacks of stocking camel milk with some students. They could take on the role of dairy buyers for the supermarket chain, and devise questions to ask the teams making the case for camel milk.

Web links

News links

BBC

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4930094.stm

BBC

Camels could help cure humans story.

UN FAO

'Official' UN camel milk site, with more facts than you could possibly wish for on camel milk! Links onto other pages about camel milk products, camel husbandry etc.

Camel

Nice short article about camel milk.

New-agri

Lots of camel facts.

Wikipedia

Lots of camel facts

British Nutrition Foundation

British Nutrition Foundation page about milk and dairy products.
There is a link to a press release entitled 'The True Story about Milk' with some responses to anti-milk campaigns, and a good summary about the value of milk to the human diet.

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