The students in Mr. Seemy’s class are learning about how the brain is affected by hunger.

“The human brain uses a lot of energy - around 20 to 30 percent of the energy you consume goes to your brain. So, when a person has not eaten enough, it restricts how well their brain functions. Hungry people are more irritable and anxious, less motivated and less alert.” Mr. Seemy explains. “Which is why it’s of primary importance for each of you to eat regular, nutritious meals.”

“This is why I think universal free school meals is such a relevant idea for schools,” Patrice interjects. “Kids are bound to do worse in school when they’re hungry. So, this is a simple way to improve learning!”

“Would students really do that much better just because they’ve eaten?” Erick wonders. “It sounds like an expensive idea when the money could go to tutoring or some other program.”

“That sounds like something the two of you could explore,” Mr. Seemy suggests. “How might a scientist test how being hungry affects student performance?”

Patrice and Erick designed an experiment for their class.

They randomly divided the students in their class into two groups. Group A took a pop quiz right before lunch. Group B took the same pop quiz right after lunch. Here are their results:

Do you think the results support Patrice’s viewpoint or Erick’s? Why?

What aspects of Patrice’s and Erick’s experiment would you change to improve it?

Discussion Question:

One study found that schools that offered free meals for all students had fewer discipline referrals than schools nearby that did not offer free meals for all. Researchers for this study pointed to reduced stigma as the reason for fewer discipline referrals and suspensions in schools with universal free school meals. How could stigma affect student behavior? Can you think of any other explanations for the results of this study?