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Primary Subject Area: Health Education |
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Grade Level: 3
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Overview:
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Learning about food is fun! A variety of foods should be eaten at each meal in order to get the nutrients needed to grow healthy, feel good and have lots of energy. The USDA MyPyramid is a helpful tool that can be used to encourage individuals to eat a variety of foods from the five food groups. In this lesson, the students will become familiar with MyPyramid. The students will learn how to pack a picnic lunch that is nutritious. This lesson can be used to teach health, nutrition and food-related topics. |
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Approximate Duration: 1-2 class periods (50 minutes each) |
Content Standards:
- Standard 1
Students will comprehend concepts and strategies related to health
promotion and disease prevention.
- Standard 3
Students will demonstrate the ability to practice positive health
behaviors and reduce health risks.
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Benchmarks:
- 1-E-2
demonstrate personal health habits that promote optimal health;
(i.e., good nutrition, brushing teeth, washing hands, exercise, etc.)
(1,2,3)- 3-E-1
identify personal health needs; (1,4)
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Interdisciplinary Connections:
- Science : Life Science
The students will become aware of the characteristics and life cycles of organisms and understand their relationships to each other and to their environment.
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Educational Technology Standards:
- Gather information and communicate with others using telecommunications (e.g., email, video conference, internet) with support from teachers, family members, or peers.
( 1, 4, 5, 6 )
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Objectives:
The student will:
- recognize that a variety of foods should be eaten everyday that reflect the eating patterns recommended by the USDA MyPyramid,
- evaluate different picnic lunches and revise them to include a variety of foods from at least four of the five food groups on MyPyramid, and
- plan a picnic lunch that offers a variety of healthful foods.
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Lesson Materials and Resources:
- Paper lunch bags
- Menu squares with names of food items on each to be placed inside each brown bag (see What’s in the Picnic Bag)
- USDA MyPyramid—poster to hang in the classroom and paper copy for each student
- Pack a Picnic Lunch
- What's in the Picnic Bag?
- MyPyramid Mini-Poster
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Technology Tools and Materials:
Hardware:
Computer with Internet access
Software:
Websites:
•MyPyramid
www.mypyramid.gov
Other:
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Background Information:
The students should be familiar with MyPyramid. |
Lesson Procedures:
- Display a poster of MyPyramid in the classroom. Distribute a paper copy of MyPyramid to each child or have the class visit the USDA MyPyramid website.
- Explain MyPyramid to the students.
- MyPyramid is a guide to help one remember to eat a variety of foods everyday from the five food groups.
- By eating a wide variety of foods one can receive the nutrients, vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, and proteins needed to look and grow healthy, feel good and have the energy to do the things one enjoys doing!
- One Size does not fit all. Every person needs a different amount of servings from each food group. How many servings one needs depends on his age, gender, and activity level. Visit the MyPyramid website to determine how many servings each student needs. Follow these reccommendations
- Grains- Make 1/2 your grains whole grains.
- Vegetable Group- Eat more dark green vegetables
- Fruit Group- Eat a variety of colors.
- Milk Group - Go low-fat or fat-free
- Meat and Beans- Choose low-fat or lean
Within each food group, foods with little or no sugar and fat should be eaten most often and are located at the base of the pyramid. Foods that contain lots of fats and added sugars are located at the top of each food group in the pyramid and should be eaten only sometimes.
Oils- Oils is not a food group. Make most of your fat sources from fish, nuts, and vegetable oils. Fats and oild are high in calories which can lead to gaining weight. Fat and sugar can be found throughout the food groups of MyPyramid.
Water is not part of thepyramid. The recommendation is to drink eight glasses of water each day, especially if you are outside, it is hot, and you are physically active.
- Activity: “What’s In the Picnic Bag”
- Periodically students go on a picnic with family or friends and pack a lunch to take with them.
- Divide class into groups
- Give each group one or two picnic lunches to evaluate.
- As a group, evaluate the picnic lunch using MyPyramid recommendations.
- Make necessary changes to meetMyPyramid recommendations by changing the names of the food items or adding food items on the blank slips of paper.
- Have each group briefly report on the picnic lunch they received and how the group changed it to meet MyPyramid recommendations.
- Picnics are fun and should be safe. Pack the picnic lunch to travel safely. Choose foods that last without refrigeration, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, and breads and crackers. Include a frozen ice pack, frozen bottle of water or frozen juice box or pouch to help keep cold foods cold.
- Distribute the Handout “Pack A Picnic Lunch” to the class. Read through the handout.
- Activity: Let’s Have a Picnic.
- Ask each student to plan a picnic lunch that includes at least three items listed on the “Pack a Picnic Lunch” Handout.
- Ask each student to cut out pictures of foods from magazines, draw pictures of foods, or create pictures using the Kid Pix software, that they might pack for a picnic.
- Have each student tell about the lunch items he chose to pack in his picnic lunch.
- Applaud children for caring so much about eating healthfully at a picnic.
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Assessment Procedures:
- Participation in the “What’s in the Picnic Bag” Activity
- Picnic lunches rated using a rubric based on MyPyramid (at least four of the five major food groups on MyPyramid are included) and other points mentioned in the lesson such as low-fat foods, fresh fruits and vegetables, food safety (ice pack or frozen juice box) and water.
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Accommodations/Modifications:
Consider different learning styles and abilities when planning this lesson. Teacher must follow special needs student's Individual Education Plan (IEP) or 504 Modification Plan.
----- written by Division of Nutrition Assistance
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Reproducible Materials:
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Explorations and Extensions:
This lesson can be taught the day before a field trip and students can critique the bag lunch provided by school.
Decorate lunch bags with drawings of healthful picnic food choices and healthful nutrition messages using KidPix.
Discuss the importance of hand washing and demonstrate proper hand washing techniques. Steps to hand washing can be found in the “Squeaky Clean” Lesson in Making Connections and Nutrition Across the Curriculum.
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Lesson Development Resources:
Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health(CATCH). "Breaking Through Barriers, 5th Grade Curriculum, Go For Health Series" 2002.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, (1992). retrieved Feb 8 2006, from MyPyramid Web site: MyPyramid (www.mypyramid.gov). |
Reflections:
This lesson can be taught in three or four 30-minute class periods. |
Contact Information:
Division of Nutrition Assistance
http://www.louisianaschools.net/lde/nutrition/1667.html
Louisiana Department of Education
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Additional Contacts:
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Group: Division of Nutrition Assistance |
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MarcoPolo Lesson: No
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