Leticia
Bonilla
ISP Winter
2004
Nutrition
Unit
Overview
This two week unit is specifically designed for first
grade students. Throughout the student’s
years in the elementary school system, a student will be exposed to various
learning experiences regarding health, environmental issues, and how to prevent
certain behaviors that will affect them as they grow and become adults. A child must learn to disseminate information
and hopefully capture what is the most important and applicable to their lives
at the present time.
The purpose of this unit is to teach students about Nutrition
by utilizing the Food Pyramid and to promote a healthy lifestyle. If children begin to learn how important it
is to always make the appropriate choices when eating they will definitely
begin to find a new appreciation for themselves, and
begin to feel comfortable in their own bodies.
My goal in teaching children about proper nutrition is to prevent
obesity and other health problems that can result from not making the appropriate
food choices. Many studies have proven
that we have become an obese nation. By
becoming an obese nation we have definitely encountered many negative
consequences, such as heart disease. As
teachers, parents, and role models we must ensure that children are getting the
proper nutritional education so that they me be empowered to make their own
wise decisions regarding food choices as they are growing. The focus should lie primarily on learning
how to adjust their lifestyles in order to live a balanced and healthy life
while incorporating food that is important to their culture. I believe it is crucial to teach students at a
very young age a simple and basic decision making process when they are forced
to make choices over what they will eat.
It is important to promote a healthy lifestyle rather than making
students feel like they are on a diet.
Eating healthy should be fun, everyone should enjoy it! Teaching students about the Food Pyramid will
be crucial in order for the students to understand how the nutrients
that is in each category of the five food groups are important for them
to be healthy and keep their bodies moving.
It also helps them to make a connection and begin applying it
immediately in their lives. My soul
purpose is for my students to experience a life-long learning process that
hopefully in the long run they will make wiser choices about what it is they
are putting in their bodies.
5
Unit Learning Goals
1.) Students will be able to name the Five Food
Groups.
2.) Students will be able to identify the correct
number of recommended servings of each Fruit, Vegetable, and Grain Group.
3.) Students will be able to define the Five a
Day concept.
4.) Students will recognize and describe the
physical features of different foods.
5.) Students will identify a favorite healthy snack
food from the Five Food Groups.
Instructional
Overview
This unit was designed so that students are more aware of
what nutrients their bodies need in order to maintain healthy. Implementing an activity in the classroom
should definitely be timed and planned.
Young children, especially those in the lower grades have a very short
attention span. The activities utilized
should be enjoyable for children so that they do not get bored and feel like
promoting a healthy lifestyle is a burden.
The approach that I have used when planning this unit is a deductive
approach which proceeds from generalizations to their application in specific
instances. I felt it was important to
utilize the deductive approach because the knowledge introduced earlier in the
lessons are later applied to specific situations, such as learning how to pick
a healthy snack based on the Food Groups.
Also, the lesson plans in this unit are geared towards cooperative
learning in where everyone shares a common goal, and shares their ideas in
order to have the group become more self-reflective and aware of their own
performance.
In the first lesson the students are
introduced to the foundation of the entire unit which is naming the five food
groups and placing their position on the Food Pyramid. I begin with an opener in order to gain the
attention of the students. For example,
“Did you know that our bodies are like cars?”
They will be puzzled by such a comment.
I will then proceed by explaining that just like cars need gas for a car
to run, food is like gas for the human body!!
Students will be asked to name healthy foods that will enable their body
to function. This discussion will assist
the students in comprehending why healthy foods from the food groups are
crucial to eat. The responses will be written on the board and most of the
items will be discussed in terms of the nutrients they provide. I will pick a
few of the items and explain that we cannot just eat ten apples a day and
maintain healthy. We need to eat from
all five food groups in order to obtain the nutrients that are needed to get
energy, protein, vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
Next, I will hand the students a worksheet that has the appropriate
servings of each food group. This
worksheet will be their first introduction to the Food Pyramid. I will ask the students to name the three
food groups we should eat from the most of in a one day based on the
worksheet. After they have responded, I
will make sure to tell them that while it is important for us to eat from the
vegetable, fruit, and grain group everyday, we must not neglect and ignore the
other two groups. In order to maintain
healthy we must eat from all five groups.
The next activity will incorporate fun and will help students to
envision what a Food Pyramid looks like in larger version. With the help of my students I will make a
Food Pyramid on the floor in the middle of the classroom by utilizing masking
tape. I will make the size big enough
for one student to fit in each food group.
I will label each food group appropriately: Dairy, meat, grain, fruit,
and vegetable. By making a large Food
Pyramid students will be able to connect the importance of each Food Group due
to the size given for each. In order to
make the experience come to life and have students make a connection I will
bring several items from all five food groups.
I will ask the students to sit around the large pyramid and ask them
what food item I have in my hand. Once
they answer correctly I will call on a volunteer to stand in the proper food
group in which the item represents. This
activity will assist the students to classify selected foods by food groups.
In the second lesson students will be able
to identify the correct number of recommended servings of each Fruit,
Vegetable, and Grain Group. My goal in
this lesson is to have students envision what a serving consists of by
connecting what their prior knowledge of the servings they should be eating a
day from the Food Pyramid on the floor and the worksheet they were given. It is important for them to visualize the
servings by quantity so that they may apply it to their real life eating
habits. I will also ensure to
incorporate the diversity of cultures in the class by utilizing foods that the
students will recognize. I will begin by
reminding them and reinforcing that it is important we eat at least two
servings of fruit, three servings of vegetables, and six servings of grains every
day. In order to clarify what makes up a
serving I will illustrate on the board specific measurements. For example, for the fruit portion I write
one medium whole fruit, and ½ cup of chopped fruit. For the Vegetable I will write 1 cup raw and
½ up cooked and for the grains portion I will write 1 slice of bread, one
tortilla, ½ cup of cooked rice, and ½ cup of cereal. Hopefully I have touched on foods that
everyone is familiar with! Next, I will
have two measuring cups where I will measure cereal. One will be 1 cup the
other will be 1 ½ cups. I will ask the
students to discuss with me the difference in size of both measuring cups. This exercise will enable them to see the
portions needed to satisfy the six grains they should be eating a day. Finally, the students will be placed groups of
three and each student will get the opportunity to pour the amount of cereal
they normally eat in a bowl and measure the amount they poured to the correct
amount of recommended serving. The
students will be surprised to see that it is not that difficult to eat six
grains if they incorporate cereal into their breakfast, a sandwich with bread
for lunch, and if they have rice for dinner.
Students will also become familiar with combination foods by explaining
to them that by eating foods like pizza, enchiladas, or chicken stir-fry with
vegetables they are eating from more than one food group. I will explain that if you eat for example
chicken stir-fry with vegetables you are satisfying the meat, vegetable, and
grain portion of the food groups. For an
activity, I will ask students to name different food combinations and we will
write on the board what food groups they belong in. My next goal in this section is to have the
students obtain their healthy eating goals.
Each student will have a booklet where they may place their name on
their front page. Inside they will have
a place for the Fruit food group. The
will draw a picture of two fruits they love to eat to satisfy the food group. The same will be done for the vegetable and
grain food groups. The object is for the
students to make a personal goal on what foods they love to eat that fit into
these categories, and try to eat these foods as required.
Utilizing their prior knowledge and being
able to identify the Food Groups and the proper servings that each food group
contains from the previous lessons, students are now ready to be introduced to the
Five a Day concept. The third lesson is
extremely important because it reinforces what the students have been learning
in the previous lessons and allows them to utilize the knowledge that has been
acquired until now. This activity will
be used so that students will define the five a day concept. I will begin by reinforcing and discussing
with the class why it is very important to eat from the five food groups
especially the fruits and vegetables.
Our body needs over 40 nutrients for good health and no one food
contains the nutrients. I will ask the
class to recall the five food groups as I write them on the board along with
the minimum servings for each. Next the
students will be prompted to raise their fingers when asked how many minimum
servings of Vegetables they should eat in one day. All students should raise
up three fingers. Next they will be
asked how many servings of Fruits they should eat in one day utilizing their
other hand. They will raise two
fingers. They should now have a total of
five fingers in the air. By now, I will
let them know that they need a total of five servings of fruits and vegetable
and we call it the “5 a Day” healthy eating plan. In order for the students to apply their
knowledge of this new concept, they will be asked to draw a picture of five
fruits and vegetable they ate the day before to see if they completed their “5
a Day” healthy eating plans. The students
will know what they will need to work on to accomplish the “5 a day”.
The students are now ready to experience
first hand the different physical features of the different foods we have been
talking about in the food groups. These
activities will assist with learning the different sizes and colors different
foods have. For the first activity, I
will bring in apples of different color, sizes, and shapes. I will allow the students to observe the
apples. Next, the students will be asked
to name the differences and I will write them on the board. I will discuss why one apple could be named
many different names and why they could come in many different sizes and colors
in contrast to a banana, which their sizes only vary slightly. Secondly, utilizing their prior knowledge
from the “5 a Day” concept, I will show the students a “Color Wheel” with
different colors. As I spin the wheel
and it lands on a color, the students will be asked to name as many different
fruits and vegetables corresponding to the color. The responses are recorded on the board. Once we are all finished with the lessons, as
a reward the apples are cut and are shared by the students. For the final activity, I will bring to class
different fruits and vegetables which will consist of apples, bananas, oranges,
celery, carrots, red and green pepper. I
will discuss with the students the important nutrients that each item
represents and I will ask the students to describe the fruits and vegetables that
are being passed around the class for the class to see, touch the textures, and
smell the items. The responses will be
recorded on the board. This activity
will assist the students to learn with their five senses and will intrigue
their curiosity.
The final lesson will incorporate all the
food groups we have learned in the previous lessons and with that acquired
knowledge, the students will be able to designate healthy snacks that are good
for them to eat. The activity designated
for this lesson is explaining to the students and listing on the board a
Healthy Snack Checklist. A healthy snack
must include three items: Must be from
the Five Food Groups, Low in added salt, and Low in added sugars. The students will be asked to stand if the
snack item meets the first item on the checklist. The student will be asked to stand and raise
one hand if the snack item meets two items on the check list. And finally, the student will be asked to
stand and raise both hands if the snack item meets all three items on the check
list. The students will get a chance to
get their blood flowing by having the opportunity to stand and sit. In the second activity, students are asked to
draw a picture of their favorite healthy snack.
The snack must be from one of the five food groups, and must be low in
salt and sugar. The students will label
their drawing as a secret snack. After
everyone is finished with their drawing, the students are placed into groups
and are asked to have the other members of the groups to guess what their
secret snack is, and what food group it represents. The students will be allowed to interact with
each other and talk about why they like a particular healthy snack over
another. At this point, since the
students all come from diverse backgrounds, this is a great opportunity for
them to speak about what they like to eat that maybe other children haven’t
tasted due to different cultures.
Finally, this next activity will connect from the previous activity
because students will be able to express their feeling about why they like and
dislike certain foods, what factors influence their decision making process
when choosing certain snacks, and how many items could be turned into healthy
snacks. I will allow the students to
explore their different ideas of which foods taste great from each food group
and their responses will be recorded on the board. At this time, I will explain
to the students that everyone has different preferences just like we all have
preferences in a favorite color or music.
The students will begin to understand the factors that influence them
when making certain food choices. I will
continue to explore these feelings with the students as I write on the board
the following questions: 1.) What kinds of foods
do you eat when you are happy? 2.) What kinds of foods do you eat when you are
sick? 3.) What do you eat when you are
bored? As the responses are listed on
the board, students will be able to connect what factors influence them when
making food choices, as well as their likes and dislikes. We will then talk about the food choices
listed and how we could change some of the habits to eat healthier foods such
as carrot sticks and a banana.
Assessment
Plan
I believe students have different styles
of learning and retaining information.
Some students are visual, some need to write things down, and others can
grasp the information by simply listening.
I believe when teaching younger students, it is important to incorporate
fun and play in the lessons. Utilizing
student self-assessment is vital because they become involved in developing
assessment criteria in regards to what they are learning. A good example of this is to have the
children keep a weekly log to monitor what they are eating on a daily
basis. By keeping a log, they are
definitely aware of their progress and they are able to know where they stand
at all times independently. It is
important for a student to monitor themselves because they can earn points or
rewards for doing an excellent job.
Children love to receive praise for their work, and if they know they
are keeping up with their progress they are encouraged to keep doing a great
job and begin develop a sense of accomplishment. The techniques that have been utilized for assessment
in this unit is a lot of personal communication, and
informal and formal assessment. For
personal communication, I have ensured that students are able to talk about
their feelings regarding certain foods and their background. I will also utilize worksheets where they
will be allowed to color and use art as a form of assessment. For example, I will hand out a worksheet with
the Food Pyramid that allows for the Pyramid pieces to be cut. I will ask the children to color each food
group a designated color and cut the pieces with scissors. I will then call out food names and have the
children raise up the correct color of the Pyramid
piece that belongs to each designated food group. Secondly, the students will be given a
worksheet that has pictures of healthy and unhealthy food choices from each
food group. The students will be asked
to circle the proper healthy snack from each food group. This assessment will provide evidence that
the students can identify the healthy food choices over the unhealthy
ones. Throughout each lesson I will make
sure that each student has had a turn to voice their opinion and answer
questions. Students will be asked to
name how many servings for each food group, and list their favorite food from
each designated food group. The students
will also get a chance to differentiate between features of fruits and
vegetables by viewing 3 different vegetable and 2 different fruits displayed in
the front of the class. The students
will be asked to describe the color, shape, and size of each item displayed. This assessment will provide evidence that
the students can identify physical features of different fruits and vegetables. Group discussions are also an essential
assessment technique of this unit. A
group discussion promotes thinking aloud and learning to accept and respect
other student’s points of views and values while maintaining their own
views.
The final assessment of this unit will be
the formal assessment. The formal
assessment will include a quiz. The quiz
will consist of questions designed to find evidence if the students are able to
name the Five Food Groups and place their position on the Food Pyramid, if the
students will be able to identify the correct number of recommended servings of
each Fruit, Vegetable, and Grain Group, if the students demonstrate knowledge
and become familiar with the Five a Day concept, if the students are able to
recognize and describe the physical features of different foods, and finally if
the students are able to identify a favorite healthy snack food from the Five
Food Groups.
Lessons
Grade: First
Unit Topic: Nutrition - Food Pyramid
Lesson: Introduction to the Food Pyramid
Time: 40 minutes
Lesson #1
Objectives:
1.) The learner will be able to identify healthy
foods that enable their body to function.
2.) The learner will identify how much food
should be eaten from each food group.
3.) The learner will classify selected food by food
groups.
Activity/Procedure:
-
The teacher will begin
by gaining the attention of my students by making a comment, “Did you know that
our bodies are like cars?” They will be
puzzled by such a comment. I will then
proceed by explaining that just like cars need gas for a car to run, food is
like gas for the human body!!
-
Students will be asked
to name healthy foods that will enable their body to function. The responses will be written on the board
and most of the items will be discussed in terms of the nutrients they provide.
-
The teacher will hand
the students a worksheet that has the appropriate servings of each food
group.
-
The students will be
asked to name the three food groups we should eat the most of in a one day.
-
With the help of the students,
the teacher will make a Food Pyramid on the floor in the middle of the
classroom by utilizing masking tape. The
Food Pyramid will be big enough for one student to fit in each food group.
-
The teacher will bring several
items from all five food groups. The
students will be asked which food group each item represents. The teacher will pick a volunteer to stand in
the appropriate food group.
Assessment:
The teacher will hand out a worksheet with the Food
Pyramid that allows for the Pyramid pieces to be cut. The students will be asked to color each food
group a designated color and cut the pieces with scissors. The teacher will call out food names and
have the children raise up the correct color of the
Pyramid piece that belongs to each designated food group.
Grade: First
Unit Topic: Nutrition - Food Pyramid
Lesson: Proper Serving Sizes from the Food Groups
Time: 40 minutes
Lesson #2
Objectives:
1.) The learner will identify the proper
measurement of servings for each food group.
2.) The learner will demonstrate knowledge of
combination foods.
3.) The learner will list their personal goals
when eating from each of the food groups.
Activities/Procedures:
-
The teacher will
illustrate on the board specific measurements.
For example, for the fruit portion one medium whole fruit, and ½ cup of
chopped fruit.
-
The teacher will ask
the students to discuss the difference in size of both measuring cups.
-
The students will be
placed groups of three and each student will get the opportunity to pour the
amount of cereal they normally eat in a bowl and measure the amount they poured
to the correct amount of recommended serving.
-
The teacher will
introduce the concept of combination foods.
-
The students will be
asked to name different food combinations and the responses will be written on
the board according to what food groups they belong in.
-
Students will be asked
to create a “Personal Healthy Eating Goal Booklet.” Inside they will have a place for the Fruit
food group. They will draw a picture of
two fruits they love to eat to satisfy the food group. The same will be done for the vegetable and
grain food groups.
Assessment:
Students will be asked to
name how many servings for each food group, and list their favorite food from
each designated food group.
Grade: First
Unit Topic: Nutrition - Food Pyramid
Lesson: Five a Day Concept
Time: 40 minutes
Lesson #3
Objectives:
1.) The learner will be able to define what is a “Five a Day” healthy eating plan.
2.) The learner will be able to differentiate
between a variety of fruit and vegetable selections.
3.) The learner will be able list the Five Food
Groups and why they are important.
Activities:
-
The teacher will begin
instruction by reinforcing and discussing with the class why it is very
important to eat from the five food groups especially the fruits and
vegetables.
-
The teacher will ask
the class to recall the five food groups as they are written on the board along
with the minimum servings for each.
-
Next the students will
be prompted to raise their fingers when asked how many minimum servings of
Vegetables they should eat in one day.
-
Next they will be asked
how many servings of Fruits they should eat in one day utilizing their other
hand. They will raise two fingers. They should now have a total of five fingers
in the air. By now, I will let them know
that they need a total of five servings of fruits and vegetable and we call it
the “5 a Day” healthy eating plan.
-
The students will be
asked to draw a picture of five fruits and vegetable they ate the day before to
see if they completed their “5 a Day” healthy eating plans.
Assessment:
The students will be asked list five fruits
and vegetables and draw a picture of it.
This will provide evidence that the student understands the concept of the
“5 a Day” of fruits and vegetables.
Grade: First
Unit Topic: Nutrition - Food Pyramid
Lesson: Physical Features of Different Fruits and
Vegetables
Time: 30 minutes
Lesson #4
Objectives:
1.) The learner will be able to differentiate
color, size, and shape of fruits and vegetables.
2.) The learner will be able to describe different
fruits and vegetables by color utilizing the color wheel.
3.) The learner will be able to describe the
fruits and vegetable showed to them by what texture they feel, and how they
smell.
-
The teacher will bring
in apples of different color, sizes, and shapes so that the students observe
the differences.
-
The students will be
asked to name the differences and the responses will be written on the
board. The teacher will discuss why one
apple could be named many different names and why they could come in many
different sizes and colors in contrast to a banana, which their sizes only vary
slightly.
-
The teacher will show
the students a “Color Wheel” with different colors. As the teacher spins the wheel and it lands
on a color, the students will be asked to name as many different fruits and
vegetables corresponding to the color.
The responses are recorded on the board.
Once the lessons have been finished, as a reward the apples are cut and
are shared by the students.
-
The teacher will bring
to class different fruits and vegetables which will consist of apples, bananas,
oranges, celery, carrots, red and green pepper.
The teacher will discuss with the students the important nutrients that
each item represents.
-
The students will be
asked to describe what they see as the fruits and vegetables are being passed
around the class for the class to see, touch the textures, and smell the
items. The responses will be recorded on
the board. This activity will assist the
students to learn with their five senses and will intrigue their curiosity.
Assessment:
In the front of the
classroom, there will be 3 different vegetable and 2 different fruits
displayed. The students will be asked to
describe the color, shape, and size of each item displayed. This exercise will provide evidence that the
students can identify physical features of different fruits and vegetables.
Grade: First
Unit Topic: Nutrition - Food Pyramid
Lesson: Identifying Healthy Snack Foods
Time: 45 minutes
Lesson #5
Objectives:
1.) The learner will be able to identify a
healthy snack from the Food Groups.
2.) The learner will be able to name healthy
snacks from viewing their classmates “Secret Snacks”
3.) The learner will be able to identify the
factors that influence them when choosing to eat a certain snack.
Activities:
-
The teacher will open
the discussion with the students by asking them what their idea of a healthy
snack is.
-
The teacher will
explain to the students what a healthy snack includes and list on the board a
Healthy Snack Checklist. A healthy snack
must include three items: Must be from
the Five Food Groups, Low in added salt, and Low in added sugars.
-
The students will be
asked to stand if the snack item meets the first item on the checklist. The student will be asked to stand and raise
one hand if the snack item meets two items on the check list. And finally, the student will be asked to
stand and raise both hands if the snack item meets all three items on the check
list.
-
Students will be asked
to draw a picture of their favorite healthy snack. The snack must be from one of the five food
groups, and must be low in salt and sugar.
-
The students will label
their drawing as a secret snack. After
everyone is finished with their drawing, the students are placed into groups
and are asked to have the other members of the groups to guess what their
secret snack is, and what food group it represents. The students will be allowed to interact with
each other and talk about why they like a particular healthy snack over another.
-
The teacher will open
discussion allowing the students to explore their different ideas of which
foods taste great from each food group and their responses will be recorded on
the board.
-
The teacher will write
the following questions on the board in order to promote discussion of what
they are currently eating. 1.) What kinds of foods do you eat when you are
happy? 2.) What kinds of foods do you eat when you are sick? 3.) What do you eat when you are bored?
-
The teacher will
interact with the students as they talk about the food choices listed and how
they could change some of the habits to eat healthier foods such as carrot
sticks and a banana.
Assessment:
The students will be given a
worksheet that has pictures of healthy and unhealthy food choices from each
food group. The students will be asked
to circle the proper healthy snack from each food group. This assessment will provide evidence that
the students can identify the healthy food choices over the unhealthy ones.