Learning Experience:

Breakfast of Champions

I. Learning Context

The purpose of this learning experience is to introduce students to an understanding of good nutrition. The students will learn about the food pyramid and how to make "healthy" food choices.

This nutrition unit is written to be used during the unit study and participation in the Olympic games. Its purpose is to stress the importance of good nutrition for the athletes and all other active people. It could also be used during the month of October when schools celebrate "National School Lunch Week" or in March for "National Nutrition Month".

To be successful with this learning experience the children will need to be able to classify foods using the food pyramid, be able to write about foods they eat, and be able to distinguish between healthy food and junk food.

Standards:

HPEH 1-Students will have the necessary knowledge and skills to establish and

maintain physical fitness, participate in physical activity, and maintain

personal health.

• Students will understand the importance of nutritious food and how it contributes to good health, make simple nutritious food choices, and assist with basic food preparation.
• Students will understand how behaviors such as food selection, exercise, and rest affect growth and development.
• Students practice and support others in making healthy choices.

SST 2-Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their

understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in

world history and examine the broad sweep of history from a variety of

perspectives.

• Students know the social and economic characteristics, such as customs, traditions, child-rearing practices, ways of making a living, education and socialization practices, gender roles, foods, and religious and spiritual beliefs that distinguish different cultures and civilizations.

MST 3-Students will understand mathematics and become mathematically

confident by communicating and reasoning mathematically, by applying

mathematics to real-world settings, and by solving problems through the

integrated study of number systems, geometry, algebra, data analysis,

probability, and trigonometry.

• Students construct tables, charts, and graphs to display and analyze real world data.
• Students collect and analyze data.
• Students use statistical methods such as graphs, tables, and charts to interpret data.
• Students interpret graphs.

ELA 1-Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and

understanding.

• Students gather and interpret information from children's reference books, magazines, textbooks, electronic bulletin boards, audio and media presentations, oral interview, and from such forms as charts, graphs, maps, and diagrams.
• Students present information clearly in a variety of oral and written forms such as summaries, paraphrases, brief reports, stories, posters, and charts.
• Students observe basic writing conventions, such as correct spelling, punctuation, and capitalization, as well as sentence and paragraph structures appropriate to written forms.

ELA 3-Students will read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation.

• Students monitor and adjust their own oral and written presentations to meet criteria for competent performance. (Eg., in writing, the criteria might include development of position, organization, appropriate vocabulary, mechanics, and neatness. In speaking, the criteria might include good content, effective delivery, diction, posture, poise, and eye contact.)

II. Procedure:

1. The students will listen to the teacher read No Peas for Nellie by Chris L. Demarest. This is a circular story about a little girl who doesn't want to eat her peas or drink her milk. The book opens up a discussion of what the children like to eat and what they should eat. After the discussion the students will write and/or draw about their favorite foods in their journals.
2. The teacher will display a poster of the food pyramid or food pyramid model. The students will discuss the meaning of the categories and how many servings are needed daily. Each day during the Olympic unit the students will work in teams to make food word cards for the foods served at school for breakfast and lunch. The students will attach the cards to the poster in the appropriate category and analyze the health benefits daily.
3. The students will categorize and write their favorite snack foods on a copy of the food pyramid supplied by the teacher. A discussion of the nutritional value of each will follow to differentiate between junk food and nutritional food.
4. The students will work in teams to make charts of healthy snack foods.
5. The students will take turns bringing in a healthy snack food. If possible, during the Olympic unit the food should be related to the country they represent. Students will explain to the class where their snack fits on the food pyramid.
6. A daily journal (You Are What You Eat) entry will be made to review and evaluate the foods eaten during breakfast, lunch and snack. This journal entry will include writing to describe their food choices. They will include drawings of what they ate represented on the food pyramid in the appropriate parts of the pyramid.
7. The students will prepare a placemat of the food pyramid. The pyramid will be drawn onto 12" X 18" paper and the students will cut out pictures from magazines to fit into each part of the pyramid. This activity will serve as a review of the unit. The placements will be laminated and then sent home for the students to use at home. This will help to reinforce healthy food choices at mealtime at home.

III. Instructional/Environmental Modifications

This could be adapted for students in lower grades as well or for those with limited writing proficiency. Instead of writing about the food selections, students could draw healthy food choices or cut pictures from magazines and label with a word or words. Also support could be provided by a teacher assistant, parent volunteer, Title 1 reading teacher or a LD teacher. Students could work in pairs to produce journal entries as well.

Food pictures with word labels will be displayed on bulletin boards to promote proper spelling and assist students with limited writing abilities.

International cookbooks, magazines, food charts and the food pyramid will be on display to provide support.

IV. Time Required

The length of this learning experience is flexible. The core of the activities could be completed in four half hour to hour lessons depending on the group of students. The daily food journal and snack will take an additional thirty minutes to complete. This part of the learning experience could last for as many days as the teacher desired or there was class interest. Since this experience is being written for use in conjunction with the Olympic unit, the students will bring in healthy snacks and keep the food journals throughout that five to six week unit.

V. Resources

• Food pyramid model, poster, individual copies
• Cookbooks
• Snacks
• No Peas for Nellie or other trade books about food choices
• Internet sites:
• www.kidshealth.org/kid/food/pyramid
• www.kidshealth.org/kid/food/sports
• www.kidshealth.org/kid/games/recipes/index
• www.dole5aday.com
• www.eatright.org
• www.nal.usda.gov.fnic.org/fpyr.pyramid.gif
• www.exhibits.pacsci.org

VI. Assessment

• The students will prepare their healthy snack posters for school display.
• The students will write daily journal entries using their new and reviewed knowledge showing progress in the sentence writing, vocabulary, and spelling.
• The teacher will use a checklist to observe the students' behavior and participation in whole group discussion.
• Rubrics and checklists.

VII. Student Work

No student work is attached at this time, as this unit has not been taught.

8. Reflection

After local peer review no changes were suggested but reviewers commented that they really liked the placemat activity. Others felt that the listening/speaking checklist would be valuable to them in many curriculum areas.

Group Discussion

J J J Listening/Speaking Checklist J J J

You Are What You Eat

Journal Writing Rubric

4

• Food pyramid is filled in completely and accurately for each meal
• Entry gives many details explaining food choices.
• Journal entry combines ideas and uses a variety of sentences.
• Journal entry goes above and beyond what is assigned.

3

• Food pyramid is filled in and is mostly accurate for each meal.
• Entry gives some details explaining food choices.
• Journal entry contains sentences.
• Journal writing completes assignment.

2

• Food pyramid is filled in and there are some inaccuracies for each meal.
• Entry gives few details explaining food choices.
• Journal entry may contain sentences and phrases
• Journal may not complete assignment.

1

• Food pyramid is not filled in completely and there are many inaccuracies for each meal.
• Entry gives labels to foods but does not explain choices.
• Journal contains phrases and unrelated words.
• Journal does not complete assignment.

Nutrition Bibliography

Baird, Pat The Pyramid Cookbook: Pleasures Henry Holt Co.

of Food Guide Pyramid

Berenstain, Stan and Jan The Berenstain Bears and Too Random House

Much Junk Food

Brown, Laurie Krasny Dinosaurs Alive and Well!: A Little, Brown & Co.

Guide to Good Health

Brown, Marc D.W. the Picky Eater Little, Brown & Co.

Demarest, Chris L. No Peas for Nellie Aladdin Books

Ehlert, Lois Eating the Alphabet: Fruits and Harcourt Brace

Vegetables from A to Z

Fleming, Denise Lunch Henry Holt Co.

French, Vivian Oliver's Fruit Salad(Venture- Orchard Books

Health & the Human Body)

French, Vivian Oliver's Vegetables Orchard Books

Kalbacken, Joan The Food Pyramid Children's Press

Leedy, Loreen The Edible Pyramid: Food Eating Holiday House

Every Day

Patent, Dorothy Hinshaw Nutrition: What's in the Food Holiday House

We Eat

Riccio, Nina Five Kids & A Monkey Solve the Creative Attic

Great Cupcake Caper: A Learning

Adventure About Nutrition and

Exercise

Rockwell, Lizzy Good Enough to Eat: A Kid's Harper Collins Children's

Guide To Food and Nutrition Books

Sharmat, Mitchell Gregory, the Terrible Eater Scholastic Trade

Warner, Penny Healthy Snacks for Kids Bristol Pub Enterprises