What Makes A Snack Healthy?

Created by:

Violet Harada

Title/Role:

Professor

Organization/School Name:

University of Hawaii

Location:

Hawaii

Grade Level:

Type of Lesson:

Lesson in a unit

Type of Schedule:

Combination

Collaboration Continuum:

Intensive

Content Area:

Health

Content Topic:

Importance of diet in a healthy lifestyle

Standards for the 21st-Century Learner

Skills Indicator(s):

1.1.6 Read, view, and listen for information presented in any format (e.g., textual, visual, media, digital) in order to make inferences and gather meaning.

2.1.3 Use strategies to draw conclusions from information and apply knowledge to curricular areas, real-world situations, and further investigations.

Dispositions Indicator(s):

1.2.1 Display initiative and engagement by posing questions and investigating the answers beyond the collection of superficial facts.

Responsibilities Indicator(s):

2.3.1 Connect understanding to the real world.

Self-Assessment Strategies Indicator(s):

1.4.1 Monitor own information-seeking processes for effectiveness and progress, and adapt as necessary.

Scenario:

Fifth-grade classes are studying the importance of healthy diets. The teacher and LMS want to adopt a project-based approach to learning that will engage student interest. They collaborate on a unit on nutrition that focuses on snacks popular with youngsters. The teacher introduces background information on nutrition and healthy eating. The LMS and teacher combine efforts in helping students with a survey they conduct to identify the most popular snacks among their peers and interviews with resource people like the cafeteria manager and a dietitian. The LMS teaches students how to take notes with data and information they collect. Both teacher and LMS assist the students in preparing electronic brochures and digital posters to communicate the message about which types of snacks are the healthiest. NOTE: This particular unit is an adapted version of a unit conducted at Mililani Waena Elementary in Hawaii several years ago.

Overview:

Students are concerned about obesity and healthy eating habits. They want to know if all popular snacks are bad for you and how to determine the nutritional value of various snacks. They tackle the following essential questions in their study: What snacks do we like to eat? What’s in our snacks? How healthy are the snacks? What snacks might be healthier?

Final Product:

Students elect to either produce an electronic brochure or a digital poster promoting healthy snacking habits.

Library Lesson:

Students in grade five will (1) collect survey information from family and friends on snacks consumed, (2) contribute to a class graph of the survey data, (3) identify at least three factors that make a snack nutritious, (4) analyze whether the snacks from their survey are healthy or not, and (5) identify at least two healthy snacks with details on their nutritional value. In this lesson, students establish criteria to assess their note-taking skills.

Estimated Lesson Time:

60 minutes

Assessment

Product:

Students produce notes based on their research of the nutritional value of popular snacks.

Process:

Students use a rubric to assess their notes.

Student self-questioning:

What factors make snacks nutritious? What sources have been particularly helpful in conducting this research? Are my notes complete? Am I missing any important information?

Instructional Plan

Resources students will use:

Dataset (ie. lists, tables, databases)

Moving Image (i.e. animations, movies, tv program, video)

Interactive Resource (i.e. webpages, multimedia learning objects, chat services)

Software

Text (books, letters, poems, newspapers, etc.)

Interactive Resource URL:

http://

Resources instructor will use:

Projector

Laptop

White board

VCR/DVD player

Instruction/Activities

Direct instruction:

The LMS shares samples of notes on a common topic that range from poorly written to excellent. She challenges students to place the notes in three piles: needs work, okay, and great. In pairs, students complete the challenge. Students share their results.

Modeling and guided practice:

The LMS facilitates a discussion on reasons why students categorized the notes as they did. She guides them to describe what makes for the best notes. She takes one of the “poor” notes and works with students on improving the notes. She distributes and discusses a rubric for students to use in assessing their own notes.

Independent practice:

Students take notes on the nutritional content of popular snacks. They begin their work in the library period; however, assuming that the 60-minute period is not adequate, students complete their work in the classroom and as homework.

Have you taught this lesson before:

Strategies for differentiation:

The teacher and LMS allow students to serve as critiquing buddies to assist one another in improving their note-taking skills. They also circulate as students work on their notes during the guided practice session and provide on-the-spot help as needed.