Healthy Options

Standard: 2.7.1: Demonstrate healthy practices and behaviors to maintain or improve personal health.

Grade 2 Health

Introduction, and overview:

During this activity, students will research the nutrients in their lunches, using ipads, books, asking cafeteria ladies, parents, nutrition labels, and other resources. This activity is relevant and authentic because these kids eat lunch every day at school. This activity will help them make healthy choices in and out of the lunchroom every day. Students can have multiple answers, stating that either packing or buying lunch is the healthiest option. Our driving question for this activity is: “What is healthier, packing a lunch from home or buying a school lunch?” This question allows students to evaluate the lunches they eat and the nutrients in them. Then it allows students to analyze whether or not they think their lunch is healthy. They can then present to the class what they found. Solutions can also be defended by answering classmate’s questions and showing with evidence why they have chosen a healthy choice.

Grabber:

Start the grabber asking, “Who in here thinks they are a healthy eater or one of the healthiest eaters in here?” Ask the class, “Who brought their lunch to school?” Call on two of the kids who raised their hands. Ask them to bring their lunchbox to the front of the class. Have each student take out their lunch items one by one. Then ask the class who had the most nutritious lunch (if any). Ask the class, “What are some things you need to put in lunchboxes if we have cold foods?” Ask the class if there are any items the students could take away or add to their lunch. Then, ask the class to think in the mindset of parents. If they were a parent, would they consider this meal healthy? Would they change anything? Why or why not? Then, we will ask the kids to think in the mindset of students. As students, do they consider this meal healthy? Would they change anything? Why or why not? This activity hooks the learner on the topic of the health of one’s lunch. It is asking what foods are healthy, who eats healthily, and gives awareness of what could be changed in their eating ways. We facilitate interactive role play by asking students to think in the perspective of both students and parents. The grabber capitalizes novelty by using someone’s lunch as a real example instead of bringing in a lunch they know we purposely made healthy. It also does this through role play situations. The project is authentic because we are having students bring in their own version of “healthy choices”, rather than just talking about healthy ways, they are to do a hands- on activity. This grabber can be used in any classroom that abides the Indiana academic standards for health education.

Culminating activity:

            The steps in the activity is a 2 day process. On the first day, the teacher will have a role playing grabber, and after she will assign the kids an out of class activity. Before assigning their homework, the instructor will give a lecture about healthy foods. Introducing the 4 food groups: grains, fruit, veggie, and protein. Explaining the recommended serving sizes for each food group. Let the students know what nutrients are in each food group, protein in meant, calcium for the bonds in dairy, and etc. She/He will send home the rubric of requirements. The instructor will explain the students

Ask each student to create a lunch they consider “healthy” based on what they learned and present it to the class.

●      How is the activity authentic?

●      The project is authentic because we are having students bring in their own version of “healthy choices”, rather than just talking about healthy ways, they are to do a hands- on activity. This activity is a way for students to learn what they may like about healthy foods, and share ideas of fun healthy snacks.

●      Does the activity provide students with the opportunity to present and defend problem solution?

●      The project is giving the students the ability to learn about healthy ways and what foods are considered healthy. After learning about the foods, they are to use what they learned to bring in a lunch to class, and present to class what their healthy choices are.

●      Does the activity require student collaboration?

●      Yes, at the beginning of the class when we look through student’s lunches, we will ask students what they believe are healthy and unhealthy choices. This process will also take place at the of class as well when the students present the meals they made from what they learned. This allows all students to show their opinion at the beginning and end of the project and also allows them to show off what they learned from the activity itself.

●      How will I judge what students have learned from the activity?

●      You will likely need to create a rubric for this step and example materials.

How graded, criteria, etc. what should have students learned?

            The criteria for this activity includes having the lunch present on the due date, having a notecard with their lunch nutrient details, and a printed off rubric. The activity will be 35 points. 10 points for bringing the lunch to class, 10 for the 4 food groups present, and 10 for the notecard with nutrient information. 5 points for participation during the role play grabber activity and/or being involved in all activities. The students should learn why it is important to make healthy choices, and what healthy foods they could make fun to eat and are yummy in their tummy. Below is a rubric on how the students will be graded for their participation as well as completion of the activity as a whole. Since this is just a second grade project, there is some leniency in the grading of the activity.