By

Ronda Meives

Lisa Ritter

Shannon Seider

Melissa Vorwald

2

Shannon Seider

Ronda Meives

Melissa Vorwald

Lisa Ritter

Eat Good to Feel Good!

This thematic unit focuses on the education of students concerning nutrition at the

elementary level. The unit introduces the food pyramid, healthy food choices versus

unhealthy food choices, working with the internet as a resource to learn about nutrition,

and elementary mathematics using nutrition. Included in this thematic unit are lessons

which incorporate various learning strategies and multiple intelligences. The lessons use

learning strategies that are both direct and indirect. Each lesson involves the entire

student through a presentation that is visual, kinesthetic, and auditory, among other

intelligences. The standards, as determined by the ESL standards for Pre K – 12 students,

create an important base upon which each lesson are built.

This thematic unit focuses on nutrition and the various aspects that are included in

the larger scope of nutrition. The unit is comprised of thirteen lessons with several

objectives that are to be addressed by the completion of the unit. Students will

demonstrate an understanding of the basic food groups. Students will be able to identify,

describe, and discuss various foods with other classmates. Upon recognition of various

foods, the students will be able to classify foods by their specific food groups. They will

be expected to also know the food pyramid and how each food can be placed into one

group or another.

The students will also be taught nutrition so that they are able to determine what

foods are healthy for the diet and what foods are to be limited. This will tie directly to the

food pyramid and will also relate to each student personally. The unit also incorporates

fun and singing into some of the lessons. The students will practice vowel sounds by

singing a song that deals with the importance of a balanced diet and will make a snack to

conclude the lesson.

Each student will also be expected to work with some mathematics at a lower

level, mathematics that will involve various nutritional aspects. The students will be

working with graphing and subtraction using hands-on activities, group work, and

3

through class discussions. The students will also relate nutritional topics to mathematical

concepts. The relation of these topics will create a link between materials that may seem

unfamiliar to the real world.

This thematic unit consists of various songs, books, and hands-on lessons and will

teach the students to be more aware of nutrition in their lives. The teachers will focus on

the importance of eating healthily in today’s world. Providing students with the

knowledge of a healthy lifestyle at an early age is becoming increasingly more important

and this unit provides teachers with a fun and creative way to educate students.

Throughout this unit, numerous standards, intelligences, and strategies are highlighted so

teachers are aware of how each lesson is benefiting their students. Each lesson presented

in this thematic unit may be extended for further learning. There are resources mentioned

for further reference and also a bibliography located at the end of the unit for reference.

The thematic unit details numerous ways to implement the lesson in a fashion that

is geared towards English for second language learners. The lessons can be clearly taught

and involve a large amount of visual learning. The lessons also provide the students with

a large amount of peer interaction and learning. This will help create a more comfortable

atmosphere within the classroom, putting students at greater ease. Many different

teaching and learning strategies will be introduced to help each student receive the most

beneficial education possible concerning nutrition at an elementary level.

4

Lesson #1

Food Groups Class Book

Objective:

To introduce the food pyramid and the six food groups.

To begin to recognize foods by their food group.

To classify foods by their food group.

To work cooperatively to create a book that will be a resource for the entire class.

Materials:

Book "The Edible Pyramid", chalk and chalkboard, magazines with pictures of food,

scissors, glue, markers, plain paper, construction paper for pages of book

Procedure:

1. Read “The Edible Pyramid”. As you read ask students for names of food that would

fit into each food group and why. Discuss what foods are considered health versus

unhealthy. Discuss serving size and the difference between how much they give you in a

restaurant and how much is a healthy portion.

2. Have a student come to the board and draw a large triangle (this will become the food

pyramid). Have students think about what they just read in the book and help come up

with categories for the pyramid with your guidance. Have the students turn to their

neighbor and think of one food that might fit into each food group. Choose a few

students to volunteer the foods they came up with and draw them on the food pyramid.

Point out to the students (if they haven’t figured it out yet) that the bottom of the pyramid

is larger and that means you need more of that kind of food than the foods at the top of

the pyramid.

3. Assign students to six cooperative groups. Show the students an example of a food

group book and assign a different food group to each cooperative group. Explain while

you are modeling how to choose pictures for the book. Each group needs to look through

the magazines you have provided for them for pictures of food and specifically food that

would fit in their assigned food group. If they find a suitable picture they need to decide

as a group if that food fits in their group. Students can also draw examples of foods that

they enjoy at home and discuss why it would fit into their food group (for example: a

popular Indian dish called Aloo Gohbi- cauliflower and potatoes in curry, is a good fit for

the vegetable food group and an average US magazine probably won't have a picture of

it). Groups need to find a least 5-9 pictures. They need to label the foods with their

name. Students need to present their foods to you and discuss briefly why they chose

them. Then have them glue their pictures and labels to the construction paper.

4. After everyone has finished, have the students present their page quickly to the class.

Let the students know again that the pages will be put in book form soon for the class

library and that they can use it for a reference.

5

ESL Standards:

Goal 1, Standard 1-Sharing and requesting information

Goal 2, Standards 1, 2, & 3- Participating in group discussion, representing information

visually, recognizing the need for and seeking assistance appropriately from others

Learning Strategies:

Compensation (direct), Cognitive (direct), Memory (direct), Social (indirect)

Multiple Intelligences: Logical-Mathematical, Interpersonal, Linguistical

6

Healthy Food vs. Junk Food and Food Choices

Objective:

To introduce the differences between healthy foods and junk foods.

To understand the need for healthy food choices.

To classify foods by food groups and to place those foods on the food pyramid.

Materials: Book "Berenstein Bears and Too Much Junk Food", large outline of an

empty food pyramid on butcher paper, note cards, markers or pencils, tape, chalk board

and chalk, healthy snack like slices of fruits and vegetables

Procedure:

1. Review the food pyramid using the class book the students created. Have a poster or

internet site available to display the food pyramid.

2. Review how the pyramid works and the need for a balanced diet. Discuss how the

body is a machine that needs special fuel, much like a car needs gas. Find out if the

students know about vitamins, minerals, calcium, fats, proteins, and carbohydrates and

what part of the food pyramid you could find them on.

3. Brainstorm and come up with several healthy foods and several junk foods. List the

foods on the chalkboard.

4. Read the story "The Berenstein Bears and Too Much Junk Food”. Discuss the story.

Ask questions about the characters' food choices. Add the foods from the story into the

chart.

5. Pass out the note cards. Everyone gets 2 cards (students can have more if they need

them). Students can draw a picture or copy the food name from the board or think of

food items themselves onto the card. When they are done, they can come up to the empty

food pyramid and tape their cards to the appropriate groups.

6. Discuss the different food choices, what seems to be popular and if that food is a

health or junk food, if there is a lot of junk food what kind of foods would be a better

choice, etc.

7. As a reward for their hard work and to reinforce what a good food choice is students

can partake in the snack!

ESL Standards: Goal 1, Standards 1,2, and 3- Sharing and requesting information, sharing personal ideas,

using context to construct meaning

Goal 2, Standards 1, 2, and 3-Following oral directions, comparing and contrasting

information, using context to construct meaning

Goal 3, Standard 2- Using acceptable tone, volume, stress, and intonation in various

social settings

Learning Strategies: Memory (direct), Cognitive (direct), Compensation (direct)

Multiple Intelligences:

7

Linguistic, Logical-Mathematical, Bodily-Kinesthetic

Food Drive Activity

Objective: To demonstrate understanding of the food groups by categorizing foods.

Materials: Grocery sacks, canned goods and non-perishable food items

Procedure: 1. Students' parents were notified a few weeks ahead of time to send one or two food

items with their child to school on this day for our activity and eventual donation of the

food to the local food pantry.

2. Sacks are labeled: fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, meats, other. Students work in

small groups to decide which sack their items go in.

3. Discuss what a "well-balanced" sack might contain and create one or two sacks

together.

4. Discuss where the food is going after this lesson. Talk about how the food pantry

helps the community and what a great help the students and their parents have been!

ESL Standards: Goal 1, Standards 1 and 2- Engaging in conversation, participating in a favorite activity

Goal 2, Standard 1-negotiating and managing interactions to accomplish tasks

Learning Strategies: Memory (direct), cognitive (direct), Social (indirect)

Multiple Intelligences: Linguistic, Interpersonal, Logical-Mathematical, Bodily-Kinesthetic

8

Lesson # 3

Apples Galore!

Objectives:

1. To teach adjectives concerning characteristics of apples.

2. To classify different types of apples through different means, such as taste,

color, size, etc.

3. To introduce graphing as a way to categorize student responses.

4. To introduce different means of graphing such as Venn diagrams or bar

graphs.

Materials:

1. One each of several kinds of apples (Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Granny

Smith, Red Rome, etc.)

2. Utensils to cut the apples into numerous slices.

3. Chalkboard to graph the results.

Procedure:

Gather seven or eight kinds of apples and display them with labels of their names

on a shelf or table in the classroom. This will generate student interest because most

children think that there is only one kind of apple – red.

Selecting one apple at a time, ask the students to describe what the apple looks

like by using adjectives such as red/yellow, big/small, spotted/not. Record the student

responses on either the board or a giant apple cutout on a classroom wall.

Next, cut each apple into small, bite-size pieces and allow each student to taste the

different apples. Then ask the students to describe the flavor and texture such as

sweet/sour, soft/hard, juicy/not. Record the student responses.

Take a vote to see which apple was the students’ favorite. Tally the results and

make a bar graph showing the results. Next, choose two apples and place them in a Venn

diagram and decide how they are alike and different. Maybe the two apples are both sour,

but one is red and one is yellow.

Direct the students to write a paragraph about what they learned during this

activity. They can write about the kind of apple they liked best using the adjectives

generated during the class taste-test.

ESL Standards:

1. Goal 1, Standard 2---Participating in a favorite activity.

2. Goal 1, Standard 3---Practicing new language.

3. Goal 2, Standard 1---Participating in full class, group, and pair discussions.

4. Goal 1, Standard 2---Demonstrating knowledge through application in a variety

of contexts.

Learning Strategies: Memory Strategies, Cognitive Strategies, Affective Strategies

9

Multiple Intelligences: Visual, Kinesthetic, Logical

Extensions: Students could do same activity with other fruits, vegetables, various foods.

10

Lesson # 4

Friendship Salad

Objectives:

1. Students will be able to identify the various kinds of fruit in English.

2. Students will be able to describe the various kinds of fruit in English.

3. Students will be able to discuss with a group about a particular fruit.

4. Students will participate in a teambuilding activity which appreciates diversity.

Materials:

1. Fruit

2. Helpers to wash and cut up the fruit

3. Paper

4. Markers

5. Forks, bowls, and napkins for enjoying the product!

Procedure:

A letter would be sent home asking parents to send in some type of fruit prior to

the day the Friendship Salad would be made. The parents should know that it can be a

simple fruit like apples or oranges, or something different, like a papaya or a mango. It

would be a good idea to arrange to have a couple of parent helpers to come in to help

with the preparation of the salad.

The day of the Friendship Salad have the students sit in a circle on the floor. The

students will go around and tell what fruit they brought both in English and in their first

language, then they will place the fruit in the middle of the circle.

After everyone has put their fruit in the middle, ask for suggestions for how to

sort the fruits. For example, maybe they will want to put all the apples together or all the

fruits that are orange together, and so on. At this point the various qualities of the fruits

can be discussed. The students can discuss the size, shape, color, taste, and type of fruits

that are in the middle of the floor.

The students will each take one piece of fruit from the middle, not necessarily the

piece they brought, and return to their seat. On a piece of paper, the students will draw,

label, and describe the piece of fruit that they chose. When finished, the students will

pair off and share their description with a partner.

All students will return to the circle with their fruit and drawing. The students

will go around the circle and share their picture and description with the rest of the class.

While the students are sharing, have the parent helpers start to collect the fruits. The

11

fruits need to be washed, cut up, and placed into a bowl. You can add whipped cream or

plain yogurt to the fruit salad.

Explain to the students that we started with individual fruits with unique characteristics

and put them all together to make this Friendship Salad. Together, all the fruits make an

even better snack!

Standards:

1. Goal 1, Standard 1---Engaging in conversations

2. Goal 1, Standard 2---Participating in a favorite activity

3. Goal 1, Standard 3---Listening to how others speak English, practicing new

language

4. Goal 2, Standard 1---Following oral directions, participating in full-class and pair

discussions

Learning Strategies: Social Strategies, Memory Strategies, Cognitive Strategies

Multiple Intelligences: Spatial, Interpersonal, Bodily-Kinesthetic

Extensions:

If content and time permits, this lesson could be expanded to include an element of

mathematics. The students could measure how long or tall the fruit is and how much it

weighs, and also include this information in their description of the fruit.

12

Lesson # 5

Singing, Reading, and Eating

Objectives:

1. Students will practice vowel sounds by singing a song.

2. Students will listen to the teacher read a story and be able to discuss the story.

3. Students will realize the importance of a balanced diet.

4. Students will follow directions to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Materials:

1. CD—“Toddlers Sing”

2. Book---Bread and Jam for Frances

3. Makings for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches

4. Napkins

5. Peanut butter facts

Procedure:

Begin lesson by playing and singing the song “Apples and Bananas”. Even though the

students have heard it before, it is a good time during the nutrition unit to remind them of

the importance of vowel pronunciation. They can hear that by saying the vowels

differently the word completely changes.

Ask the class the following question: If you had to eat the same food for every meal

every day, what would you want that food to be? Discuss and share answers as an

introduction to the book. Then read the book, Bread and Jam for Frances, by Russell

Hoban. After reading the book, have a discussion about what words were not

understood, what happened in the book, and what lesson we can take from the book.

This book teaches the importance of having a balanced diet.

Tell the students that peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are a very common food to put

in sack lunches. Have a discussion about what foods are common to eat for school lunch

in their countries. Share some interesting peanut butter facts with the students.

Play the song “Peanut Butter and Jelly” one time through so the students can hear how it

goes. Then the second time through have the students sing along and add motions if they

want.

To end the lesson, bring out the makings for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and give

instructions on how to make them. Students can follow the teacher’s directions step by

step to make the sandwich. Students who have never tried one will have the opportunity

to taste a very typical sandwich.

Songs can be found on the cd, “Toddlers Sing”. www.musicforlittlepeople@mflp.com

13

Standards:

1. Goal 1, Standard 1---Engaging in conversations

2. Goal 1, Standard 2---Participating in a favorite activity, sharing traditions and

values, participating in popular culture

3. Goal 1, Standard 3---Listening to how others use English, practicing new

language

4. Goal 2, Standard 1---Following oral directions, participating in class discussions

5. Goal 2, Standard 3---Focusing attention selectively

Learning Strategies: Social Strategies, Cognitive Strategies, Compensation Strategies

Multiple Intelligences: Interpersonal, Musical, Bodily-Kinesthetic

Extensions:

Students could demonstrate how to make a favorite food from their culture.

14

Lesson # 6

Nutrition and the Internet

Objectives:

1. Students will have the opportunity to practice using the computer and internet.

2. Students will learn about the nutritional value of some of their favorite meals.

3. Students will learn that some fast foods may be more nutritious than others.

4. Students will be able to share their research results in a class discussion.

Materials:

1. Computers with internet access.

2. Fast Food Facts

Procedure:

Before beginning the lesson, the teacher can lead a discussion about favorite fast food

restaurants, what the students order when they eat there, and how nutritious they think the

food might be. Then the teacher can share some interesting Fast Food Facts with the

students.

Using the web site http://www.olen.com/food/, students will investigate the nutritional

value of a meal of their choice at the fast food restaurant of their choice by using the

Food Finder at this site. First, the students should enter a meal that they would typically

order to find out calorie, fat, cholesterol, and sodium content. Then, the students should

try to find an alternate meal at a fast food restaurant that would be more nutritious.

When all students have finished their searches, a class discussion can be held as to what

may have been the least or most nutritious meals found.

If time permits, the students may play the nutrition games at the following web sites:

http://www.dole5aday.com/

http://www.exhibits.pacsci.org/nutrition/

Standards:

1. Goal 1, Standard 1---Getting personal needs met, engaging in conversations

2. Goal 1, Standard 2---Participating in a favorite activity, participating in popular

culture

3. Goal 1, Standard 3---Practicing new language

4. Goal 2, Standard 1---Following oral and written directions, participating in class

discussions

5. Goal 2, Standard 2---Comparing information, gathering information

15

Learning Strategies: Memory Strategies, Cognitive Strategies, Social Strategies

Multiple Intelligences: Bodily-Kinesthetic, Interpersonal

Extensions:

There are many ways the teacher could expand on this lesson.

The teacher could have the students prepare a line graph of favorite restaurants to see the

varied preferences in the class. Students could make graphs depicting the nutritional

value of the foods they researched, etc.

Students could do more research to find out what fast food restaurants may be more

nutritious in general.

Students could come up with a list of fast foods that are more nutritious than others as a

guide of wiser choices that could be made.

Students could do a writing activity with their findings.

Students could present their findings to the class.

16

Lesson # 7

Veggies and Numbers

Objectives:

1. Recognize the importance of vegetables in our daily diets.

2. Demonstrate mathematic skills in subtraction working with carrot sticks.

3. Visually recognize a variety of vegetables.

Materials:

1. How Many Veggies? By Phil Vischer

2. Carrot sticks

3. Posters of various vegetables

Procedure:

The teacher will read the picture book How Many Veggies? by Phil Vischer to the

students as an opening activity. After reading the picture book, the teacher will talk to the

students about the importance of vegetables in their daily diet. The teacher will have

posters located in the front of the classroom with different types of vegetables and discuss

with the students each type of vegetable on the posters.

The teacher will pass out plastic bogs with ten carrot sticks in each to all of the

students. The teacher will explain to the students that they are going to work with

subtraction using carrots, which are vegetables. The teacher will read students through

the mathematics lesson using the carrot sticks. The teacher will have the students take

two carrot sticks away and ask for volunteers to answer the problem. Once the teacher

has completed the subtraction lesson, students will eat the carrot sticks. The teacher will

have students raise their hands and name any type of vegetable they can think of while

eating the carrots. The teacher will create a list of vegetables that the students name on

the board.

ESL Standards:

1. Goal 1, Standard 2---Reading about a favorite activity

2. Goal 2, Standard 1---Following oral and written directions, implicit and

explicit.

Learning Strategies: Cognitive Strategies, Psychomotor Strategies, Social Strategies

Multiple Intelligences: Visual, Kinesthetic, Logical

Extensions: This lesson could be easily adapted for an addition lesson, a fraction lesson,

and other mathematical extensions.

17

Lesson # 8

Sample Sponge Activities

The “Let’s Begin” is a great way to introduce a new topic or to review topics covered the day before, lessons before, or even units before. Sample “Let’s Begin” problems for a food unit: Day One-

1. What is your favorite food? 2. What are three foods you will not eat? 3. What can you cook? 4. What time do you eat dinner usually? 5. Do you eat breakfast most mornings?

This particular day would be a good way to lead into some discussions about different cultures and customs.

Day Two- List from your vocabulary, 5 healthy foods and 5 unhealthy foods. Could also lead into some discussion about nutrition.

Day Three- Come up with a dinner from your vocabulary words that you would NOT want to eat. Could lead into some discussions about likes and dislikes.

Day Four- Take the food vocabulary from your list and put them into categories. Ex: fruits Could lead into a discussion about what sort of categories they came up with.

*This is the day the “Empezamos” or “Let’s Begin” page would be collected.*

Day Five- Today a different activity would be used...some examples follow.

� Use paper plates and have them draw a meal they would like to eat. � Look at a grocery ad and identify the food. � Give them strips of paper with food vocabulary and have the students

sort them into categories, such as, likes and dislikes, food groups, words they know/words they need to study, etc.

� Etc. Standards: Goal 1, Standard 1—Sharing and requesting information, engaging in conversations Goal 1, Standard 2—Sharing social and cultural traditions Goal 1, Standard 3—Learning and using language “chunks” Goal 2, Standard 1—Following oral and written directions, participating in discussions, expressing likes and dislikes

18

Additional Sponge Activities

Rhyming riddles. Invite students to create rhyming riddles about their favorite fruits and

vegetables. For example:

I'm yellow and I'm sweet.

I'm what monkeys like to eat.

I grow in trees.

Serve me with peanut butter, please!

What am I? _______________________________

Language arts. Create a class nutrition book. The book might include students'

favorite healthful snack recipes or students' favorite food-related jokes. (If a carrot and a

cabbage ran a race, which one would win? The cabbage, because it's "a head." What do

you call a tomato that talks back to a farmer? A fresh vegetable!) Or your students might

create a "Fruits and Vegetables of the United States" book; include a page of information

about the fruits and vegetables that are the leading products of each state.

Graphing. Invite students to poll their classmates and to chart the results to a nutrition-

related question. Kids might develop their own questions or choose one of the following:

• What's your favorite fruit juice -- orange, apple, grape, grapefruit, or cranberry?

• Which of these sandwiches do you prefer -- peanut butter and jelly, bologna, ham

and cheese, salami, or turkey?

• What's your favorite sandwich bread -- white, wheat, Italian, multi-grain, rye, or

pita?

• What's your favorite snack -- potato chips, apple, banana, grapes, orange, candy

bar, carrots, or pudding?

Math -- filling out a table. Invite students to track for five days the number of servings

they eat from each food group.

19

Alphabetical order. Write the following list of fruits on a board or chart and invite

students to arrange the list in alphabetical order. (Adjust the list according to your

students' skills.)

raspberry grapefruit peach raisin

kiwifruit blueberry apricot mango

pear tangerine orange apple

strawberry watermelon cherry grapes

plum banana prune pineapple

cantaloupe lemon nectarine lime

Language arts -- story writing. Among all students' favorite stories are folk tales that

explain "how the lion got its roar," "how the hyena got its laugh," and other quirks of

animal nature. Invite students to write a story to explain how the raisin got its wrinkles,

how the tomato got its color, how the peach got its fuzz, or another fact about the nature

of fruits or vegetables.

Classifying. Display two sheets of chart paper or divide a section of a blackboard into

sections. Head one sheet or section "Worst Foods for Children." Head the other sheet

"Best Foods for Children." Invite students to add foods to either list. When the lists are

completed, your students might want to see how many items on their lists match the ten

best and worst foods for kids published on the kids' pages of the Center for Science in the

Public Interest's Web site.

Health. Cut a large triangle out of mural paper or cardboard. Divide the triangle into

sections that mirror those on the food pyramid. Then invite students to bring to school

magazines and newspaper circulars that include pictures of foods. Students can cut out

food pictures that fall into one of the six sections of the pyramid and paste them in the

appropriate section. Note: The Internet is another good source of food images. Hundreds

of sites offer clip art that can be printed out. Your students could cut images from those

clip art sources. Here are two good sites: Maryann Sterling's Food Art and The Food

Resource.

Nutrition Quiz

1. This phrase starts with an "F." It is the name of a diagram that lets you know what the

US government recommends that you eat each day. What is it? _______________

20

2. This word also starts with an "F." It is the name of a type of food that is good for you.

It grows on trees and other plants and usually contains seeds. Many are sweet. What are

they? _______________

3. This type of food starts with a "V." They grow on plants and are rich in vitamins and

minerals, but are low in calories. What are they? _______________

4. This word starts with a "B." It is the name of a meal that you eat in the morning. It

gives you the energy to start your day. What is it? _______________

5. This food starts with a "B." It is a green vegetable that is very good for you. What is it?

_______________

6. This food starts with a "B." It is a starchy food that you can use to make sandwiches.

What is it? _______________

7. This food starts with a "B." It is a fatty food made from cream. What is it?

_______________

8. This food starts with a "C." It is a sweet food that contains mostly sugar. It is low in

nutrition and is bad for your teeth. What is it? _______________

9.This food starts with a "C." It is a high-protein food that is made from milk. What is it?

_______________

10. This food starts with a "C." It is a vegetable that grows underground and is high in

vitamins that are good for your eyes and skin. What is it? _______________

11. This food starts with a "J." It is made by squeezing the liquid from fruits or

vegetables. What is it? _______________

12. Can you name 4 fruits that start with "P"? _______________ _______________

_______________ _______________

13. This food starts with a "P." It is made from bread dough, tomato sauce and cheese.

What is it? _______________

14. This vegetable starts with a "P." It contains many vitamins and minerals. French fries

are made from it. What is it? _______________

15. This fruit starts with an "O." It is high in vitamin C and other healthy nutrients. What

is it? _______________

16. This food starts with an "N." It is usually made from grains. What is it?

_______________

21

17. This food starts with an "N." It is high in protein and usually high in fats. What is it?

_______________

18. This food starts with an "I." It is made from cream and is high in fats and sugar. What

is it? _______________

19. This food starts with an "E." It is high in protein. What is it? _______________

20. This food starts with an "R." It is made by drying grapes. What is it?

_______________

22

Lesson # 9

Gregory, The Terrible Eater

Overview:

This is an evaluation project for a Science and/or Health

unit of study on the basic food group, good nutrition, and food sources

of proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.

Purpose:

The purpose of this activity is for the students to review

and demonstrate their understanding of the need for balanced meals and

an understanding of the food sources for proteins, carbohydrates, fats,

minerals, and vitamins.

Objectives:

1. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the four basic food groups.

2. Students will construct a balanced menu.

3. Students will use food advertisements to determine the best buys for

their menu selections.

4. Students will present their menu orally to the class and be able to

defend their selections.

5. Students will construct a graph to illustrate the total cost differences

in their menus.

Materials:

1. Newspaper food advertisements

2. Graph paper

3. Children's book Gregory,The Terrible Eater by Mitchell Sharmat

Procedure:

Have students save food ads from local papers for a month prior to this

assignment.

Read the book , Gregory,The Terrible Eater by Mitchell Sharmat. Then discuss

with the class if Gregory had gotten some good advice for his eating habits? Ask the

students if their parents have ever tried this approach to entice them to eat foods that they

dislike?

Review the four food groups and review sources of proteins, carbohydrate, fats,

vitamins and minerals.

Divided the class into groups of three and four students each.

Assign the groups the projects of planning a three meal a day menu for five

days.

Use the newspaper food ads to figure the cost of their menus. Stress that

economy is important.

Each group presents their menu to the class and must be able to defend their

selections.

23

Record the total costs of each menu and they have each group construct a bar or

line graph to show the differences in the menu costs.

ESL Standards:

Goal 1: To use English to communicate in social settings.

Goal 1, Standard 1---Students will use English to participate in social interaction.

Standard 2---Students will interact in, through, and with spoken and written

English for personal expression and enjoyment.

Standard 3---Students will use learning strategies to extend their communicative

competence.

Goal 2: To use English to achieve academically in all content areas.

Standard 1---Students will use English to interact in the classroom.

Standard 2---Students will use English to obtain, process, construct, and provide

subject matter information in spoken and written form.

Standard 3---Students will use appropriate learning strategies to construct and

apply academic knowledge.

Multiple Intelligences: Spatial, Linguistic, Interpersonal, Logic

24

Lesson # 10

TITLE: PYRAMID RELAY

OVERVIEW: This lesson familiarizes students with the food pyramid. It will get the

students involved with deciding which food group a particular food item falls into and

why. This lesson can be used to recognize the relationship between personal health

behaviors and individual health behaviors.

PURPOSE: The students will understand the use of the food pyramid.

OBJECTIVES:

1. The students will list the 5 food groups on a sheet of paper.

2. The students will identify and categorize different types of foods into their proper food

groups.

3. Distinguish the difference between the 5 food groups.

4. Identify reasons why a particular food item is healthy.

MATERIALS:

• Tape

• The Food Pyramid

• Envelopes

• 2 Paper Bags

• 2 Sets of Index Cards (Each set a different color)

• Markers or chalk

PROCEDURE:

1. The teacher will draw the food pyramid on the chalkboard, labeling each space with

the proper food group name and the number of servings needed each day.

2. An envelope will be taped inside each area of the pyramid.

3. The teacher will write the names of different types of foods on the index cards (twice-

one on each set of colored index cards).

4. Each set of index cards will be placed into 2 paper bags in front of the room.

5. Divide the class into 2 teams. Each team will line up in single file. When the teacher

says go the first person in each line goes to the paper bag and draws an index card with a

25

name of a food. He/she then goes to the chalkboard and sticks the card into the

corresponding envelope in one of the food groups. Once the first person was done, the

second person in line would do the same thing. This would continue until one team used

all their index cards. This team would earn 15 points. The other team would earn 10

points.

6. The envelopes are now checked to be sure that the foods were placed in the correct

food group. Each team will get 2 points for each properly placed food item (the team is

determined by the color of the index card). But, on the other hand, an incorrectly placed

card will result in the team losing 2 points. While doing this the teacher should be

reviewing the information with the students.

ASSESSMENT:

1. Ask the students why this lesson related to nutrition.

2. Ask the students whether or not they thought nutrition was important.

ESL STANDARDS:

Goal 1: To use English to communicate in social settings.

Standard 1: Students will use English to participate in social interaction.

Goal 2: To use English to achieve academically in all content areas.

Standard 1: Students will use English to interact in the classroom.

Standard 3: Students will use appropriate learning strategies to construct and

apply academic knowledge.

Multiple Intelligences: Spatial, Interpersonal, Logic, Kinesthetic

26

Lesson # 11

TITLE: SCRUMPTIOUS SEQUENCING

OVERVIEW: This lesson provides the opportunity for students to build on sequencing skills and make a delicious snack. This activity can be used with students that have a lot or little to no background in cooking and/ or preparing food.

PURPOSE: Students will make a snack all by themselves.

OBJECTIVES:

1. Students will demonstrate the different steps to follow in assembling a snack by

making their own snack in class.

2. Students will demonstrate taking the initiative to assemble a snack on their own

by making one at home and having a parent sign a form.

3. Learn how to use easy to follow steps in assembling Spudnicks.

MATERIALS:

• 1 box Rice Crispies

• 1 microwaveable bowl

• 2 bags of pre-wrapped caramels

• 1 box of toothpicks

• 2 bags large marshmallows

• 1 roll of wax paper

• 1 stirring spoon

• 1 microwave

PROCEDURE:

1. Write instructions on the board or overhead for all to observe.

2. Bring out the materials and place them on a table in clear view.

3. While reading objectives aloud, hold up the object to which it corresponds.

4. Unwrap all caramels, and heat in the microwave for approximately eight

minutes on a medium power, or until soft and melted. (Microwaves may vary.)

5. Spread out a piece of 12x8 inch piece of wax paper in front of each child.

6. Take a large marshmallow and poke a toothpick into it so it won't fall off.

7. Pour one cup of rice-crispies onto the center of the wax paper.

8. Holding the toothpick, dip the marshmallow into the melted caramel. When it

is completely covered, allow to drip.

9. Still holding the toothpick, roll the caramel covered marshmallow in the rice-

crispies until covered on all sides.

10. Allow this to dry on the wax paper for three minutes, then enjoy eating it!

27

ESL STANDARDS:

Goal 1: To use English to communicate in social settings.

Standard 1: Students will use English to participate in social interaction.

Standard 3: Students will use learning strategies to extend their communicative

competence.

Goal 2: To use English to achieve academically in all content areas.

Standard 1: Students will use English to interact in the classroom.

Standard 3: Students will use appropriate learning strategies to construct and

apply academic knowledge.

Multiple Intelligences: Spatial, Logic, Kinesthetic

28

Lesson # 12

TITLE: Fun With Fruits

OVERVIEW: By the end of this lesson students produce a book containing information

they know about a particular fruit, create slides and email information about the fruit.

OBJECTIVES:

1. Students will write observations about fruits (color, size, shape, texture, like or

dislike).

2. Students will write facts and information about a fruit of choice

3. Students will write a recipe that uses the fruit of their choice

4. Students will cut and paste a picture representing their fruit

5. Students will complete a puzzle pertaining to facts about their fruit

6. Students will create slides about their fruit

7. Students will email their "fruit character"

MATERIALS:

• Fruits for students to observe

• Computer with Internet connection and Kid Pix

• Index Cards

• Paper for book (writing, construction)

• Crayons, pencils, markers, glue

PROCEDURE:

1. Using the search engine http://www.dole5aday.com/ students will go the

Nutrition Center and Cool Stuff about Fruits and Veggies icon. Students find a fruit

of interest and write facts on index cards about their fruit. Students will go to Fun Stuff

icon and into Kids Cookbook icon to find and copy a recipe that includes the fruit of their

choice. Students then go into 5 A Day Coloring Sheets icon to find and print a picture of

their fruit. While in the Fun Stuff icon students will also find and print a puzzle that

includes facts on their fruit. Puzzle is completed by student.

2. Using the information found from website students will construct a book that includes

facts about their fruit, include pictures of their fruit, include a recipe, and the completed

puzzle about their fruit.

3. Using Kid Pix, students will create slides on their fruit that can be linked to primary

grade students.

4. Students will email their fruit character at the Fan Mail icon informing them of the

facts they learned and asking any questions that were not found in the research of their

fruit.

29

EXTENTIONS:

Students will conduct a collaborative group observation on a fruit. Information on

observations are kept on a class generated chart.

ESL STANDARDS:

Goal 1: To use English to communicate in social settings.

Standard 1: Students will use English to participate in social interaction.

Standard 2: Students will interact in, through, and with spoken and written

English for personal expression and enjoyment.

Standard 3: Students will use learning strategies to extend their communicative

competence.

Goal 2: To use English to achieve academically in all content areas.

Standard 1: Students will use English to interact in the classroom.

Standard 2: Students will use English to obtain, process, construct, and provide

subject matter information in spoken and written form.

Standard 3: Students will use appropriate learning strategies to construct and

apply academic knowledge.

Goal 3: To use English in socially and culturally appropriate ways.

Standard 1: Students will choose a language variety, register, and genre

according to audience, purpose, and setting.

Multiple Intelligences: Spatial, Interpersonal, Logic, Kinesthetic, Linguistic

30

Bibliography

Bernstein, S. (1985). The Bernstein Bears and Too Much Junk Food.

ESL Standards. Illinois: Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc.

Hoban, R. (1964). Bread and Jam for Frances. Harper Collins Publishers.

Leedy, L. (1994). The Edible Pyramid. Holiday House.

Oxford, R. (1990). Language Learning Strategies. Massachusetts: Heinle & Heinle

Publishers.

Sharmat, M. (1989). Gregory, the Terrible Eater. Scholastic Trade.

Vischer, P. How Many Veggies?