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6E Physical Health #1
Eating a variety of healthful foods and getting enough exercise and rest help people to stay healthy....
6E Physical Health #2
Some things people take into their bodies from the environment can hurt them....
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Healthy Eating
Purpose
To learn the importance of eating a variety of healthful foods and getting enough exercise.
Context
Obesity is a major problem for children in the United States. The number of children who are considered obese has doubled over the past 30 years; today one in five children—of all ages, races, and gender—is overweight. What’s more, overweight children tend to become overweight adults, with a greater likelihood of having overweight children themselves. (Carol Torgan, “Childhood Obesity on the Rise,” The NIH Word on Health, June 2002, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD.)
Being overweight and obese can cause many health problems. For example, children who are obese are more likely to get type 2 diabetes, once thought to be a disease of adulthood. These children also are at greater risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, and even stroke. In addition to these physical problems, overweight and obese children often are targets of teasing and other forms of social discrimination, which can result in psychological problems. (Carol Torgan, “Childhood Obesity on the Rise,” The NIH Word on Health, June 2002, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD.)
Although genes play a role in causing obesity, the two biggest reasons for this problem are lack of physical activity and poor eating habits. This lesson is designed to reach young children with the message that being active and eating right are key to staying healthy throughout life.
In the Motivation part of the lesson, students play an interactive game about the food pyramid and discuss what foods are necessary for a healthy diet. Then students reinforce what they have learned by completing a student sheet about the food pyramid. The first part of the lesson concludes with a brief discussion about the kinds of exercise students enjoy.
The Development part of the lesson picks up where the Motivation section ends by asking students to think about why exercise is good for them. First, they do a little exercise in class and experience for themselves the differences in their bodies as a result of the physical exertion. Then, working in pairs, students complete a second student sheet, which explores how exercise benefits different parts of the body. The lesson concludes with students working with their parents/caregivers to start tracking their diet and exercise habits as a way to begin making changes in their lifestyle.
Young children will model behavior they see around them when developing their own ideas about diet and exercise. At home and at school, help children form healthy ideas about nutrition by teaching the following:
- The importance of breakfast. Missing breakfast can interfere with attention, alertness, and overall performance at school. If students are eating breakfast at school, make sure that the meal includes a fruit, low-fat milk, and whole-wheat grains.
- While children need some fat in their diets, it should not be offered in excess amounts. Trim fat off bacon and sausage, and help young students limit the number of eggs they eat each week to three or four.
- Although children should eat about five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables each day, they should not drink fruit juice with an excessive amount of sugar. Help children understand that only juices that are 100% juice should be consumed.
- Encourage young students to drink plenty of water throughout the day.
By reinforcing these simple rules at school, young children will learn at an early age what is healthy and what is not. Research suggests that information absorbed at a young age lays the foundation for good habits throughout life. (B.D. Schmitt, “Health Problems Related to Diet,” C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, May 23, 2006.)
Ideas in this lesson are also related to concepts found in the following benchmark:
- 6E The Human Organism: Physical Health (K-2) #1
Ideas in this lesson are also related to concepts found in the following standards from the Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning:
- Health Standard 6. Understands essential concepts about nutrition and diet (K-2) #1
Planning Ahead
Materials:
Motivation
Begin the lesson by using a computer with Internet access and an overhead projector to show students the interactive Food Pyramid at Inside the Pyramid. As a class, go over the parts of the food pyramid. Use these questions as a starting point for the discussion:
- What food group is shown as “red”? (Grains.)
- What kinds of foods are in this food group? (Whole grain bread, cereal, crackers, pasta, and rice are in this food group.)
- What food group is shown as “green”? (Vegetables.)
- What kinds of foods are in this food group? (Green vegetables [broccoli, beans, spinach] and orange vegetables [carrots and squash] are in this food group.)
- What food group is shown as “red”? (Fruits.)
- What examples of fruits can you think of? (Oranges, apples, and pears are some examples.)
- What food group is shown as “yellow”? (Fats.)
- What kinds of fats should you eat? Liquid fats made from plants, such as olive oil, are some fats you should eat.)
- What food group is shown as “blue”? (Dairy products.)
- What kinds of foods are in this food group? (Milk, cheese, and yogurt are in this group.)
- What food group is shown as “purple”? (Meats and beans.)
- What kinds of foods are in this food group? (Beef, fish, peas, and nuts are in this food group.)
After going over the food pyramid as a class, give students time in class to explore it on their own using their Healthy Eating student E-Sheet.
Next, hand out the MyPyramid student sheet. Have students label each section of the food pyramid and color it with the appropriate color:
Orange: Grains
Green: Vegetables
Red: Fruits
Yellow: Fats and Oils
Blue: Milk and Dairy Products
Purple: Meats, Beans, Fish, and Nuts
Then provide students with pictures of different foods from the Food teacher sheet or that you obtained from magazines. Working with a partner, students can put the foods in the right group on the Food Groups student sheet. Have them glue the pictures in the appropriate spot on the student sheet.
After students complete their sheets, bring them together as a group for a discussion about the food pyramid and the food groups.
Development
Start this part of the lesson by asking students to name their favorite sports and games. Write their ideas on a sheet of newsprint. Ask students if they have any ideas about why exercise is good for them. Write their ideas about this question on the same sheet.
Tell students that they are going to do a quick experiment. Have them put their hands over their hearts and listen to how fast they are beating. Then ask them to stand up and do ten jumping jacks. Have them put their hands over their hearts again. How fast are their hearts beating now?
Most students will find that their hearts are beating faster after moving around. Ask them if they know why. Help students understand that exercise causes the heart to beat faster so it can increase blood flow to their muscles. They can tell the heart is stimulated because it is beating faster.
Ask students if they notice any other changes in their bodies as a result of the exercise. Do their lungs feel more open? Are they flushed? Point out that exercise affects many parts of the body, helping them work more efficiently and feel better.
Then hand out the How Does Exercise Help Your Body? student sheet. Have students work on this sheet with a partner or you can go over it as a class. After students have completed the sheet, bring them back together for a class discussion. Ask students these questions:
- How does exercise help your heart? (It helps the heart by making it work more efficiently during exercise and at rest.)
- Why is fresh air good for your lungs? (It helps them work better.)
- How does exercise help your brain? (Your brain gets more oxygen when you’re active.)
- Is exercise good for your skin? (Yes, exercise gives the skin a healthy glow.)
- What other parts of the body does exercise help? (It helps the bones and muscles.)
Now that students have a better idea of why eating healthful foods and exercising is good for them, encourage them start keeping track of their habits. This is an activity students can do at home, with the help of their parents or other adults. To let parents/caregivers know about the project, send home the Healthy Eating Parent Letter describing what students are expected to do.
Students and their parents/caregivers can keep track of how many servings of fruits and vegetables they eat each day by writing them down on the Track Your 5 A Day Chart. Students and parents/caregivers can write down how much milk, dairy, and grains they eat on a separate sheet of paper. Using the Fit Kid Activity Chart, students should also track how active they are each day. They should strive for at least 30 minutes of exercise a day.
Assessment
As students complete each sheet, go over them, looking for how well students are grasping new ideas. You could also encourage a class discussion to find out what they have learned. Ask questions such as the following:
- According to the new food pyramid, what foods are you supposed to eat a lot of each day? (You should eat a lot of fruits and vegetables.)
- Why do you have to pick out meats carefully? (Meat can be fatty, so it is important to check for lean meats.)
- Why is exercise good for your brain? Why is it good for other parts of your body? (Exercise increases blood circulation and the oxygen that reaches your brain. Exercise is good for the heart and lungs because it helps them work more efficiently.)
- If you had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, milk, an apple, and carrot sticks for lunch, would you be eating a healthful meal? Explain your answer. (Yes, that is an example of a healthful meal. It includes food from all six groups: Grains, bread; Vegetables, carrot sticks; Fruits, apple; Fats and Oils, peanut oil in the peanut butter; Milk and Dairy Products, milk; and Meats, Beans, Fish, and Nuts, peanut butter.)
- Do you think you can ever eat fast food? Explain your answer. (It is okay to eat fast food in moderation. Be careful not to eat too much because fast food contains a lot of fat and calories.)
Extensions
Extend the learning of facts about nutrition by helping students understand that substances called nutrients provide the body with the materials it needs to grow and stay healthy. For example, proteins, which are found in meat, fish, and nuts, help build strong muscles and help tissues in the body grow and repair themselves. Carbohydrates, found in bread and pasta, provide energy, and milk products contain the mineral calcium, which helps build strong bones. While mastering this material is a little advanced for this age group, students can begin to learn some of these terms and their connection to foods. To reinforce learning, suggest that students visit the Interactive Pyramid.
These websites have useful information about diet, nutrition, and exercise. The first set of websites is for teachers, and the second is geared toward young students.
These websites are for young students:
Created : 02/22/2008 |