Date: May 15, 1997

Grade Level(s): 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Subject(s):

• Health/Nutrition

Materials:

1. Construction Paper
2. Notebook Paper
3. Magazines or Newspapers
4. Ribbon
5. Scissors
6. Glue
7. Overhead Picture of the Food Pyramid

1. Classify different food items into the correct categories of the Food Pyramid
2. Identify foods that keep our bodies healthy
3. Create a Food Pyramid booklet

Purpose:

Today we are going to learn about the Food Pyramid, and learn which foods keep our bodies healthy.

Input:

Using the overhead display, explain to the students that the Food Pyramid shows us the variety of foods we need to eat each day to keep our bodies healthy.

1. The bottom level of the pyramid is the bread, cereal, rice, and pasta group. These foods help to give us energy. We should eat 6-11 servings from this group a day.
2. On the second level of the pyramid, we have two categories - the vegetable group and the fruit group. The vegetable group gives us vitamins and minerals our bodies need to stay healthy. We should eat 3-5 servings a day. The fruit group also gives us vitamins and minerals. We should eat 2-4 servings a day.
3. The third level of the pyramid includes the milk yogurt, and cheese group, and also the meat, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts and beans group. The milk group gives us calcium to keep our teeth and bones strong. We should eat 2-3 servings a day. The meat group gives us protein to help build new cells and tissues in our bodies. We should eat 2-3 servings from this group a day.
4. The top of the pyramid is the fats, oils, and sweets group. Although our bodies need a little bit of food from this group, eating too much is not good for us. We should eat foods from this group only once in a while.

Show the students an example of the booklet they will be making. Explain the following procedures:

1. Choose two pieces of construction paper, and six sheets of notebook paper.
2. Place the notebook paper between the sheets of construction paper. Punch 3 holes along the left edge. Tie pieces of ribbon through the holes.
3. On each page, write the name of a Food Pyramid section, and the number of servings suggested. Glue the appropriate pictures of food items, cut from magazines or newspapers, to the pages of your booklet.
4. Decorate the cover of your Food Pyramid booklet!

Hold up each of the food items displayed on the front table. Ask the students to identify its place on the Food Pyramid.

Independent Practice:

Each of the students will work independently to cut out food pictures from magazines and newspapers, and construct a Food Pyramid booklet.

Closure:

Summarize the information covered in the lesson, and play a game of Name That Food.

Name That Food:

Divide the class into several small teams. Each team will need a pencil and a piece of paper. The teacher selects a section from the Food Pyramid, and a letter of the alphabet. For example, foods from the bread and cereals group that start with the letter "B." The student shave one minute to record a list of foods. When the minute is up, each group reads their list. The teacher records the number of items on each group's list, and another category and letter are selected. The game continues until all sections of the pyramid have been covered. The group with the highest score wins the game!