Title: The Food Groups

Grade: 5-9

Description of idea: Students will learn about the five major food groups and create a meal based on healthy food choices from the major food groups.


Expectations: Students will learn the importance of the five food groups, and why each of them is important, and will understand how to eat healthy.


Student Groupings:
Students are to work in groups, and make group decisions.

Teaching Strategies:

Part 1:
The teacher introduces the lesson by discussing each of the five food groups and their importance to being healthy.The students are split into groups of 3 or 4, and have to create a meal plan that includes foods from the food groups in which the quantities are correct and there is a balanced diet.

Materials:
A chart containing the five food groups
Magazines/pictures of the five major food groups
Paper

Assessment:
* Since this is a group project, part of the assessment can be based on peer evaluations.
*The other part of the assessment is based on meaningful usage of the food groups to create a healthy meal, as well as creativity.

Adaptations:
Teachers can focus on either breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snack for the creation of the healthy meal, instead of having the students just create. This makes it more focussed and easier to grasp. Also, a field trip to the grocery store can be planned for early learners of English, so they can become familiar with the vocabulary and have a mental picture of what the foods look like.

Source: Thompson, Merita Lee. Choosing good health teacher’s edition. Toronto, Canada. Gage Educational Publishing Company:1985: 148

Submitted by: Natalia Charles