Integrated Unit Plan: What is a Balanced Diet?

Theme: Nutrition and Exercise – Sustainability

Unit Title: What is a Balanced Diet?

Unit Standards

Health and Fitness: (Content)

GLEs

1.5.1 Understands nutrition goals based on dietary guidelines and individual activity needs.

• Describes dietary guidelines when making food choices.

• Explains food choices in relation to portion size for a healthy diet.

• Describes positive impacts of eating a variety of foods.

Writing: (Literacy)

GLEs

1.3.1 Revises text including changing words, sentences, paragraphs and ideas.

• Rereads work several times and has a different focus for each reading
• Seeks and considers feedback from peers
• Evaluates and uses feedback

1.5.1 Publishes in a format that is appropriate for specific audiences and purposes

• Publishes using a range of graphics and illustrative material
• Publishes material in appropriate form and format

3.1.1 Analyzes ideas, selects a manageable topic, and elaborates using specific, relevant details and/or examples.

• Narrows topics with controlling idea
• Selects relevant details

3.2.2 Uses a variety of words.

• Builds a rich vocabulary through listening, talking, singing, writing and language activities
• Uses descriptive words
• Uses classroom resources

Reading: (Literacy)

EALR 1.3: Build vocabulary through wide reading.

Reading: (Literacy) Continued…

GLEs

2.1.4 Apply comprehension monitoring strategies before, during and after reading: use prior knowledge.

• Connect previous information/current issues
• Activate prior knowledge about a topic and organize information

2.1.6 Apply comprehension monitoring strategies to understand fiction, nonfiction, information, and task-oriented text: monitor for meaning, create mental images, and generate and answer questions

Communication: (Literacy)

EALR 1.1: Uses listening and observation skills and strategies to focus attention and interpret information.

EALR 2.2: Uses interpersonal skills and strategies in a multicultural context to work collaboratively, solve problems, and perform tasks.

GLEs

1.2.1 Analyzes relationships within and between visual and auditory information.

Art:(Visual/Performing Arts)

EALR 2.1 Applies a creative process in the arts:

• Conceptualizes the context or purpose
• Gathers information from diverse sources
• Develops ideas and techniques
• Organizes arts elements, forms, and/or principles into a creative work
• Reflects for the purpose of elaboration and self-evaluation
• Refines work based on feedback
• Presents work to others

EALR 2.2 Applies a performance process in the arts:

• Identifies audience and purpose
• Selects artistic work (repertoire) to perform
• Analyzes the structure and background of work
• Interprets by developing a personal approach to the work
• Rehearses, adjusts, and refines through evaluation and problem solving
• Presents work for others
• Reflects and evaluates

EALR 3. The student communicates through the arts.

• Express and present ideas and feelings
• Communicate for a specific purpose
• Use personal aesthetic criteria to communicate artistic choices

Unit-Long Objectives:

• Student will describe a balanced diet by using appropriate vocabulary, and written details, while responding in an appropriate artistic/performance modality.
• Student will expand upon prior knowledge, monitor for meaning, and generate and answer questions while exploring a variety of text materials
• Student will use a variety of texts to research and support an artistic representation of the topic of nutrition and fitness.
• Student will demonstrate comprehension of topic by preparing a response and answering questions by using appropriate vocabulary.

Background Information:

The topic of nutrition and sustainability is important for students to learn because over 30% of children today are overweight or obese. By teaching students about a balanced diet including proper nutrition and exercise, students will increase their life expectancies while increasing fitness and decreasing the risk of diseases related to weight and nutrition. Within this unit, students will learn the importance of nutrition and exercise and how it relates to them personally. They will learn how to make healthy nutritional choices for a balanced diet. Students will explore a variety of text materials related to the topic and will learn and use topic related vocabulary to produce an alphabet book and a creative, artistic or performance related response to the literature provided in the classroom.

In choosing literature selections, it is important to pick a wide range of materials for varying readers that are relevant and relatable. By having this variety of materials available to students, they will be able to create responses to the literature provided that are creative and artistic. At the sixth grade level, students are working on responding to materials, editing and revising work and ideas while monitoring for conventions and building vocabulary. Similarly, at this age, students are beginning to experience bodily changes that may relate to the content they are learning in regards to nutrition and physical activity. By providing this instruction, students will have the background knowledge they need to develop appropriately and make sound choices.

Throughout their lives it is important for students, as they grow into adolescents and then to adults, to be aware of what their bodies need to grow and mature in a healthy way. Health curriculum will continue to be covered through each grade, and to understand these basic concepts at an early age is essential to developing deeper understanding.

Nutrition and fitness is a lifelong concept that people of all ages have to be knowledgeable about in order lead healthy, active lives. Providing this instruction will allow students to practice responding to a variety of materials in an artistic and creative way whether it is art based or performance based. Both of these modalities are important because in society, the ability to communicate ideas effectively is important. When students are aware of what is healthy, they will be able to combat future health issues that may be related to poor nutrition and lack of exercise. The goal of this lesson is to provide them with knowledge and experience to make healthy choices.

Annotated Literature Selections

10 tips to healthy eating and physical activity for you: a brochure for kids from 9-15 years. [Electronic version] (1998). Retrieved March 6, 2009, from http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS39198

This brochure lists a variety of important information for children to view as an overview to nutrition and exercise. It includes ten important lifestyle tips for children ages 9 to 15 to maintain health and make choices about physical activity and their nutrition. Included is a copy of the 1998 version of the food guide pyramid and the kid’s activity pyramid in addition to a ten question “quiz” on the last page.

Bersma, D., Visscher, M., & Kooistra, A. (ill.) (2003). Yoga games for children. Alameda, CA: Hunter House Publishers

This book is geared toward specifically ages 3-12, but could easily be adapted. It includes a variety of exercises that could easily be done in the classroom. There are exercises for breathing, flexibility, posture and stretching.

Bode, J. (1997). Food Fight. New York: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.

This is an informational book about eating disorders among preteens. It is written in a student friendly format, with an additional section of chapters for parents. There are surveys included with answers, in addition to blank surveys, advice, lifestyle changing ideas and sample diets.

Borushek, A. (2008). The CalorieKing calorie, fat & carbohydrate counter 2009. Hudsonville, MI: Family Health Publications.

This informational book has a huge selection of nutritional values for all types of food including fast foods, and specialty and brand food items. It is a resource guide for nutritional values for foods of all kinds.

Cheney, L. (2003). A is for Abigail: An almanac of amazing American women. New York: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.

This alphabet book is an informational book that takes the reader through the alphabet while providing facts and specific information about influential women from American history. There are themed illustrations that coincide with the information on each page.

Goulding, M., & Zinczenko, D. (2008). Eat this not that! For kids!: Be the leanest, fittest family on the block! New York: Rodale, Inc.

This book provides a look at nutritional facts of popular foods and alternatives. The interactive chapters make this an easy to use, student and family friendly household book – a quick reference with sample menus and grocery lists.

Greene, B. (2006). The best life diet. New York: Simon & Schuster.

This book outlines the popular “Best Life Diet” developed by exercise physiologist Bob Greene (famous for working with Oprah Winfrey). It outlines lifestyle changes and healthy living rather than crash or “miracle” diets. There are three sections of the book and guidelines to “healthy living”.

Rockwell, L. (1999). Good enough to eat: A kid’s guide to food and nutrition. New York: Harper Collins.

This is an early elementary children’s book about the importance of healthy eating. It has colorful pictures and is relatable for all students. It includes realistic and relatable characters.

Schlosser, E. (2002). Fast food nation. New York: Harper Perennial.

Narrative informational style provides readers with information about how the fast food industry in America operates. Speaks on issues of commercialism, slaughterhouses, and health.

VanCleave , J., & Aiello, L. (ill.) (1999). Janice VanCleave's food and nutrition for every kid: Easy activities that make learning science fun. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

This informational book provides a variety of nutritional science activities that students can use to explore and experiment with food science.

Introductory Activity (Lesson Plan)

Overview: This activity is designed to introduce the topic of nutrition, fitness and a balanced diet to a sixth grade classroom. It is an interactive food sorting activity where students must work cooperatively together to reach a common goal together.

Standards:

Communication: (literacy)

EALR 2.2: Uses interpersonal skills and strategies in a multicultural context to work collaboratively, solve problems, and perform tasks.

Reading: (literacy)

2.1.4 Apply comprehension monitoring strategies before, during and after reading: use prior knowledge.

Objectives:

• Student will participate cooperatively in a group sort to determine what categories each food belongs in.
• Student will revise initial response using learned material to make corrections on food sort.

Materials:

Plastic/Cardboard (toy) food items from all food groups

Whiteboard and Pens

Copy of Food Guide Pyramid (optional)

Instructional Sequence

Setup: Lay out all of the food items on a table or desk in a central location in the room for students to see as they walk into the room.

1. Introduce the lesson: Explain to students that they will be working in teams using the materials provided to explore different types of foods and how they relate to healthy eating and a balanced diet (the unit we will be starting today!).
2. Explain that the first goal is for the class as a whole to sort all of the plastic/cardboard food into categories – as many as they see fit. The class should work cooperatively to complete the task in 5 minutes. They will be timed, and all of the groups should be labeled (it may be beneficial for the students to split into teams and document their categories on an overhead/whiteboard.) It will be noisy – don’t panic.
3. When 5 minutes have passed, turn off the lights (or some other pre-determined signal for their attention) and send the students back to their seats.
4. Ask for volunteers to explain how the class sorted the food, and their reasoning behind it. Discuss for about 10 minutes.
5. Allow the students to “challenge” and change any foods to new categories as long as they have sound reasoning behind the changes. (5-10 minutes)
6. Transition into sharing books available in the classroom, or further explaining the unit’s objectives and outcomes. (depending on time)

Optional Closure: Show students a copy of the food guide pyramid and have them compare their sort with the food guide pyramid. Were they close? More/less categories?

Vocabulary Activity (Lesson Plan)

Balanced Diet Vocabulary Word Whip Brainstorm

Balanced Diet Collaborative ABC Book (optional, longer activity)

Objective: Students will participate in a vocabulary building exercise to build on content knowledge comprehension and understanding.

Standards:

Reading

EALRs

1.2. Use vocabulary (word meaning) strategies to comprehend text.

1.3. Build vocabulary through wide reading.

3.2. Read to perform a task.

Writing GLEs:

3.1.1. Analyzes ideas, selects a manageable topic, and elaborates using specific, relevant details and/or examples.

Word Whip Instructional Sequence:

After exploring a variety of the texts about nutrition, fitness and balanced diets, brainstorm relevant vocabulary that each have in common by doing a word whip.

1. Explain to students they should select a word or two and definition from their literature that relates to the unit. Try to avoid duplicates if possible.

(2 min)

2. Students say their word and definition (if they know it) one right after the other as the teacher writes each word on the overhead/whiteboard.
3. Continue all the way around the classroom giving vocabulary words until each student has contributed. (5-7 min)
4. Discuss any terms that do not have definitions. (5-7 min)

ABC Book Instructional Sequence:

1. Explain what an ABC book is: there should be a key term or phrase in a sentence, a definition and a relevant illustration. Share an example, such as A is for Abigail: An almanac of amazing American women.
2. Use the brainstormed word whip to determine words to put in the book.
3. Distribute a deck of playing cards, one to each student to determine who gets to select their topic first.
4. Allow students to select their topic from the brainstorm list by beginning either at the highest or lowest card. (Typically Aces are high) Keep note of which student is doing which key term.
5. Give students 15-20 minutes to write their book entry and begin their illustration. They may take the page home to finish for homework if class time is not enough.
6. When book entries return, make copies and have students “bind” their books with construction paper and staples. (Optional: use colored tape to cover staples.)

Vocabulary List (example):

Active Lifestyle: being physically active (3+ miles per day) at a moderate rate

Balanced Diet: a diet that contains adequate amounts of all the necessary nutrients required for healthy growth and activity

Calories: Food energy used by the body

Daily Value: (DVs) Recommended amounts of important nutrients shown on Nutrition Facts labels.

Dietary Fiber: Indigestible

Fat: A nutrient that supplies energy, and carries certain vitamins. Oils are fats in liquid form.

Minerals: Nutrients that help regulate the body’s processes and help build body tissue.

Nutrients: Elements that come from food that nourish the body.

Protein: A nutrient that helps your body to make repairs.

Serving Size: Indicates and amount of food that should be eaten.

Vitamins: Nutrients that help regulate body processes but do not build body tissue.

Questioning (Pre and Post-Reading)

Text:

10 Tips to Healthy Eating and Physical Activity for You: A Brochure for Kids from 9-15 Years (*attached)

Pre-Reading Questions (Using Bloom’s Taxonomy)

To get students engaged in the reading materials, it is important to first activate their background knowledge. By using Bloom’s Taxonomy, it is guaranteed that a variety of levels of questions will be asked of the students. At first, these questions can be asked broadly as a whole group to begin the discussion before the materials are distributed, but once the materials are distributed, small group work can begin.

Ask a few questions first to get students thinking about the text, and then have them brainstorm in small groups questions they want to have answered while reading the text. To get the students in small groups, they will number from one through four, and find their respective numbers in designated areas in the room. This will ensure mixed groupings of students.

Examples of Pre-Reading Questions:

Knowledge – Identification and recall of information

• List what you know about this topic already.
• What kinds of activities do you do on a daily basis?
• What kinds of foods do you eat everyday?

Comprehension - Organization and selection of facts and ideas

• Write a brief outline of what you do on a daily basis when you get home from school.
• What do you think is the most important thing about nutrition and fitness?

Application - Use of facts, rules, principles

• How is fitness related to nutrition and a balanced diet?
• What questions would you ask the authors of this piece based on what you have seen so far?
• Why is this topic important to study?

Analysis - Separation of a whole into component parts

• What are the parts of features of the food guide pyramid based on the background knowledge you have?
• Based on your background knowledge, how is a sedentary lifestyle different from an active lifestyle? What evidence can you present?

Evaluation - Development of opinions, judgments or decisions

Do you agree that it is better to have a balanced diet and active lifestyle than to be sedentary with an inconsistent diet? Why?

What do you think about the food guide pyramid?

What criteria would you use to assess a daily intake of food?

Synthesis - Combination of ideas to form a new whole

• Predict what you think this text will be about from the cover page?
• How would you design a new food guide pyramid?

**After reviewing these questions, have students come up with their own pre-reading questions. What do they want to learn from the text? Why? What is important to them as readers? What do they have questions about?

Post Reading

It is important for students to have an opportunity to reflect on what they read. They should experiment with answering and developing questions of their own. Here are some examples of questions to have students answer. They should attempt to reflect internally before discussing with peers, so the classroom should be quiet during this time, until opened up for group discussion. They should answer questions on paper, possibly in a reading or unit journal (depending on the classroom system). This will act as a summative assessment of learning, so the teacher should collect papers or journals. Students can generate their own questions in the model of the ones listed below.

Examples of Post-Reading Questions:

Knowledge – Identification and recall of information

List the groups in the food pyramid.

List the groups in the kid’s activity pyramid.

Comprehension - Organization and selection of facts and ideas

• What is the basic idea behind the kid’s activity pyramid and the food guide pyramid?
• Explain how a serving is counted in each group of the food guide pyramid in your own words.

Application - Use of facts, rules, principles

• What kinds of activities do you do that fit into the “Everyday” category on the kid’s activity pyramid?
• What foods do you eat on a daily basis that fit into the food guide pyramid? What groups?
• What would change if you could not play outside?

Analysis - Separation of a whole into component parts

• How does the fruit group on the food guide pyramid compare with the vegetable food group on the pyramid?
• Support the following statement with evidence from the food guide pyramid: “Bread, Cereal, Rice and Pasta are important in daily diets.”

Evaluation - Development of opinions, judgments or decisions

• Prioritize the food groups from most important to least important.
• After reading the article, how will you decide what kind of snack to have when you get home from school?
• What criteria would you use to choose a healthy after school activity?

Synthesis - Combination of ideas to form a new whole

• What might an alternate title for this piece be?
• What would a good substitution activity be on the top level of the kid’s activity pyramid at the same activity level? A higher activity level?
• How could I get my calcium intake if I was allergic to milk?
• What would I need to do if I took in too many calories for the day?

**Do the students have any unanswered questions? Questions for the author? Can they answer these questions as a group or with further research?

Extensions for Response (Visual/Performing Arts)

• Design a healthy restaurant menu with illustrations and labels. There should be enough options for one person to eat there for one full week (7 days): breakfast, lunch and dinner, without eating the same thing twice. Snacks are optional. It should be presented in a clear and concise format with descriptions of each item and specific calorie contents as much as possible. (Hint: Think about how many calories are in a balanced diet, and daily values of specifically fat, carbohydrates and vitamins.) Including references is never a bad idea.

• Build a 3D model of the new food guide pyramid including three or more examples in each section. There should be detailed descriptions of each layer of the pyramid including physical activity. Each food should have calorie content (if possible), and should be illustrated on the pyramid. You will present your model to the class and answer questions your peers may have. Including references is never a bad idea.

• Write and illustrate an alphabet book about a balanced diet (and exercise) A through Z. Each item you include should have a specific definition, and detailed information and illustrations. It should be neatly and clearly bound and presented with all of the features of a book. (Title page, table of contents, page numbers, index, etc.) References are never a bad idea.

• Make a poster, brochure or public service announcement (PSA) about the importance of a balanced diet. You should have detailed information about what a balanced diet is, including examples, and should include illustrations and references where applicable. This will be presented to the class. Let me know if you need specific accommodations such as a DVD player/TV or a computer/projector.

• Assume the role of a nutrition counselor and prepare questions and answers for the class to ask that illustrates the importance of establishing and maintaining a balanced diet. Be prepared to give examples of your understanding through the answers to the questions that are distributed in class. (Ie: You will prepare a question for each of your peers to ask you that relates to the importance of a balanced diet, and you will be prepared to answer those questions as if you were being interviewed by your classmates.) Again, references are never a bad idea.

• Write a “balanced-diet” grocery list and take a video camera with you to the grocery store. Narrate your walk through giving specific information about each item on the list including the nutrition facts and which food group it belongs in/why you chose it for the list. The list should include enough food for a week without overlapping meals. Be very specific and clear in your selections. You will present your video/findings to the class.

The following is a sample rubric for the extension activities. The categories are labeled 3-Exemplary; 2- Satisfactory and 1-Unsatisfactory.

Attractiveness

3 - The product is exceptionally attractive in terms of design, layout, and neatness.

2 - The product is attractive in terms of design, layout and neatness.

1 - The product is distractingly messy or very poorly designed. It is not attractive.

Grammar and Mechanics

3 - There are no grammatical mistakes. Capitalization and punctuation are correct throughout the poster.

2 - There is 1-2 grammatical mistakes. There is 1-2 errors in capitalization or punctuation.

1 - There are 3 or more grammatical mistakes. There are 3 or more errors in capitalization or punctuation.

Use of Class Time

3 - Used time well during each class period. Focused on getting the project done. Never distracted others.

2 - Used time well during each class period. Usually focused on getting the project done and never distracted others.

1 - Did not use class time to focus on the project OR often distracted others.

Content - Accuracy

3 - At least 7 accurate facts are displayed.

2 - 5-6 accurate facts are displayed.

1 - Less than 3 accurate facts are displayed on the poster.

Required Elements

3 - The product includes all required elements as well as additional information.

2 - All required elements are included.

1 - Several required elements were missing.

Knowledge Gained

3 - Student can accurately answer all questions related to facts in the poster and processes used to create the product.

2 - Student can accurately answer most questions related to facts in the poster and processes used to create the product.

1 - Student appears to have insufficient knowledge about the facts or processes used in the product.