Food Groups

Lesson Content

• Lesson Plan Template:

  CTE Lesson Plan

• CTE Course Info and Benchmark Notes

  
  

  Course Name: Orientation to Health Science Professions

  Program Name: Health Science

  Course Number: 8400110

  Course Type: Orientation/Exploratory

  CIP Number: 03179999OR

  CTE-HLTH.68.8400110.5.6 - Explore the need for proper nutrition and water intake to maintain wellness.

• Unit Outline

  
  

  This lesson should be used with the Case Study "Lifestyle Choices: Nutrition and Wellness" (See CPALMS Resource ID# 218928). This lesson is intended to be the first in a unit on nutrition. Subsequent lessons for this case study will focus on Food Groups (See CPALMS Resource ID# 219015), Nutrition Facts Labels (See CPALMS Resource ID# 219086), Therapeutic Diets (See CPALMS Resource ID# 219019), and Meal Planning (See CPALMS Resource ID# 219084).

• Career Connection

  
  

  Knowledge of nutrients provides the foundation for this unit on Nutrition and Wellness.

  Students will collaborate as they coordinate efforts to research food groups and complete a chart describing the food groups and examples of food within each group.

  Students will utilize critical thinking skills as they research the food groups, nutrients found in each food group, and healthy examples of each. Students will analyze the foods they researched to identify patterns relating to whole vs. processed foods. Students will also analyze their own eating habits for alignment with the U.S.D.A. guidelines.

• Learning Objectives

  
  

  Students will be able to:

  • research food groups, drawing on multiple sources including the U.S.D.A. (United States Department of Agriculture).
  • identify nutritious, as well as less-nutritious, examples of food within each food group.
  • compare whole foods and processed foods and relate them to proper nutrition.

• Prior Knowledge

  
  

  Students should be familiar with/able to:

  • Behaviors and choices that impact our health.
  • Identify that some foods are healthier than other foods.
  • Different food groups and that a healthy diet includes all of them.

• Guiding Questions

  
  
  • Why are some foods healthier than others?
  • What are the U.S.D.A. food groups?
  • What nutrients are found in each food group?
  • What are nutritious (healthy) examples of foods within each food group?
  • What counts as a serving size for each of the food groups?

• Procedure

  
  

  Introduction

  1. Warm-Up/Bellwork question to pose to students: “Why are some foods healthier than others?” (Have students discuss with a partner and share answers with the class.)
     
     
  2. Display the case study “Lifestyle Choices: Nutrition, and Wellness” to students. Read it aloud and have students follow along as you read.
     
     
  3. Then, discuss these questions:
  • What do we know about the eating habits of the Martinez family?
  • What are some of the ‘nutritious’ choices they make?
  • What are some of the ‘non-nutritious’ choices they make?
  • What makes these choices ‘good’ or ‘bad’? (Answers may include sugar, fat, calories, and/or nutrients found in the food.)
  • Nutrients are the chemicals in food that your body needs. Different foods have different nutrients in them. Do you know what nutrients your body needs? (Answers may include specific vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins, carbohydrates, fiber, and/or water.)

  Activity

  1. Direct instruction (tell students): “To get the right amounts of the different nutrients, doctors recommend eating a diverse and balanced diet. To help people do that, the U.S.D.A. created food groups (such as those identified on “My Plate”). Do you know what the food groups are?” (Allow time for students to answer.)
  2. Pass out the “Nutrients and Food Groups” worksheet.
  3. Review the list of nutrients and their functions in the body (at the top of the worksheet).
  4. Tell students that they will research the U.S.D.A. food groups to learn more about them, including what nutrients each food group provides, nutritious (healthy) examples within each food group, and what counts as a serving. They will use their research to complete a chart and answer the Conclusion questions on their worksheet.
     
     
  5. Closure: Follow-Up discussion:
  1. • Review the information on the chart. This can be done by calling on students to share answers or displaying the answer key.
     • Tell students: “Whole foods are those that have minimally processed, and don’t have added sugar, fat, or salt. Processed foods have been changed and cooked to make them ‘ready to eat’ but usually have added sugar, fat, and/or salt. Look at your chart for nutritious foods in each group. How do they relate to whole foods vs. processed foods?” (Answers will state that whole foods are ‘nutritious examples’ and processed foods are not listed. For example, ice cream is a dairy product, but isn’t considered nutritious due to high sugar and fat content.)

• Teacher Notes

  
  
  • Create student groups of 2-3 students in advance.
  • Lesson pacing: 10 minutes for case study and related discussion, 40 minutes for research and completion of the worksheet, 5-10 minutes for the follow-up discussion.
    • Note: This lesson could be extended to two days to allow students time to review the case study in groups and/or provide more time for research and completion of the worksheet.
  • Alternate: The teacher could find a video and/or presentation online to provide this information to students if computers are not available for students to use for research.

• Optional

  
  

  Extension Ideas:

  • The teacher can find and play videos on the following topics: food groups, whole foods vs. processed foods, serving size, etc.
  • Students could create a PSA (Public Service Announcement) poster, presentation, and/or video to promote healthy eating habits.