Todd Plaunt

TEAM: S.O.S.

DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION: 5th Grade teacher, Fremont, OH

PROFICENCY OUTCOME: Grade 4 #19 - Analyze and evaluate various nutritional plans for humans.

TITLE: Food for thought; thought of food?

CROSS REFERENCES:
TOPIC (key words): Nutrition, Diet, Food, Lesson Plans
GRADE LEVEL: K-3, 4-6
Life Science

POSSIBLE ACTIVITIES:

Activity 1 - Toponyms and Eponyms

Activity outcome
Students will be able to identify nutritious foods that are named for places or people.

Interdisciplinary Outcome
Students will be able to explain what toponyms and eponyms are (Language Arts).

Suggested Instructional Strategy
1) Explain and provide examples of toponyms and eponyms:
Toponyms are words that come from the names of places. For example:

• The color magenta is named for the city Magenta, Italy.
• The name for Holstein cows comes from the city Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.

Eponyms are words that come from the names of people:

• Pasteurization is named for French chemist Louis Pasteur.
• Magnolia is named for botanist Pierre Magnol.
• FYI - toilet was created by Thomas Crapper, but this is not a food!

Procedure & Materials needed for each activity:
1) Label the first: Location or Name
Label the second: What food is named for this person of place?
Label the third: Is it an eponym or a toponym?
2) Have students copy the left-hand column from the chart. {Answers are provided for teacher in brackets.}
Handout A
Newton, MA {fig newton} {toponym}
Frankfurt, Germany {frankfurters} {toponym}
Sylvester Graham {graham cracker} {eponym}
France {french fries} {toponym}
Nellie Melba {melba toast} {eponym}
John Mcintosh {Mcintosh apples} {eponym}
Hamburg, Germany {hamburgers} {toponym}
Mayon, Spain {mayonnaise} {toponym}
Earl of Sandwich {sandwich} {eponym
Bologna, Italy {bologna} {toponym}
Tangiers, Morocco {tangerine} {toponym}
Turkey {turkey} {toponym}


3) Have students work to

1. identify the foods named for each person and place and
2. to decide whether the food is a toponym or a eponym.
3. Then find ten more items that are toponyms or eponyms.
   POSSIBLE CLASSROOM ASSESMENT:
   Require students to correctly respond to handout A with predetermined answers. Also, students will provide written responses in short answers to questions on "What is a toponym and eponym," Finally, students will show evidence of understanding by determining supporting concept data.
   
   REFERENCES FOR ACTIVITY: American Dairy Association, 1996
   
   Activity 2 - Snacker's Scavenger Hunt
   
   Tonight, at home, look through your kitchen cabinets, refrigerator, and pantry. See if you can find a snack food starting with each letter of the alphabet. If you find more than one for a letter you may list either both items or just your favorite.
   
   Procedure & Materials needed for each activity:
   1) A list of the major food groups:
   a. Milk Group
   b. Meat Group
   c. Vegetable Group
   d. Fruit Group
   e. Grain Group
   
   
   2. Using your list of snacks from A - Z tally the amount of items that fall into each major food group. Make a bar graph to display your results.
   
   Are there snacks from all five food groups?
   What kinds of foods do you need to add to your kitchen?
   
   
   Possible Classroom Assessments & Scoring Structure:
   A recursive process involving problem findings, searching for identities/categories, analysis, and decision making. Students graded on number of items recorded and graphed in final outcome, as well as consistency and accuracy of answers.
   
   References for activity: National Dairy Council, 1993
   
   Activity 3 - Identify the presence of nutrients, water, and starch in foods.
   
   Activity suggestions:
   1. Set up the tests and experiments to verify the presence of various nutrients, water, and starch in foods.
   
   2. The teacher may wish to set up testing stations (one for each type of food test) and have the students move from one station to the next conducting the various tests.
   
   3. The tests are as follows:
   Test 1 - Test for Minerals
   Test 2 - Test for Protein
   Test 3 - Test for Fat
   Test 4 - Test for Starch
   Test 5 - Test for Water
   Test 6 - Test for Calcium
   
   4. You may choose to test more than just the items listed. These food items are specifically selected for positive results. There is nothing wrong with having an item that shows no presence of a desired attribute.
   
   Test 1 - Minerals
   
   Materials needed for this activity:
   hot plate, aluminium foil or baking pan
   
   Foods to test:
   sugar, nonfat dry milk, grated carrot, lettuce
   
   Procedure:
   1. Put some of each of the foods listed above on its own piece of foil or in a baking pan.
   2. Put the foil or pan on the hot plate.
   3. Let the food burn until it stops smoking. See if there are any ashes left. Any ashes left are minerals. Minerals do not burn!
   
   Test 2 - Protein
   
   Materials needed for this activity:
   hot plate, aluminium foil or baking pan, feather or pieces of hair
   
   Foods top test:
   beans, cheese, nonfat dry milk, sugar, peanuts
   
   Procedure:
   1. Put the foil or pan on the hot plate.
   2. Place the feather or hair on the foil or in the pan.
   3. Let the feather/hair start to burn. The smell from this is the smell of protein when it is burnt.
   4. Repeat the above for various foods. It they have the same smell as the feather/hair then they also contain protein.
   
   Test 3 - Fat
   
   Materials needed for this activity:
   brown paper sack, light bulb
   
   Foods to test:
   peanut, lunch meat, bacon, mayonnaise
   
   Procedure:
   1. Rub a small piece of chopped or mashed/food on the aper sack.
   2. Carefully heat the paper bag over a light bulb to dry it.
   3. If there is a grease stain left on the paper, fat is present in the food.
   
   Test 4 - Starch
   
   Materials needed for this activity:
   iodine, eye dropper
   
   Foods to be tested:
   potato, spaghetti, bread, beans (cut open)
   
   Procedure:
   1. Put a drop of iodine on each of the foods.
   2. If the food turns a blue-black-purple color, starch is present.
   
   Test 5 - Water
   
   No materials needed for this activity:
   
   Foods to be tested:
   lettuce, spinach, carrot, bread
   
   Procedure:
   1. Expose the foods to the air for several days.
   2. They will begin to shrivel, harden, dry up, etc. These conditions demonstrate that the food has lost its water.
   
   Test 6 - Calcium
   
   Materials needed for this activity:
   glass jar with lid, vinegar
   
   Foods to be tested:
   small uncooked chicken bone, fresh raw egg
   
   Procedure:
   1. Flex the bone (or try to) to show how rigid it is.
   2. Soak the bone in a jar of vinegar for several days.
   3. Remove the bone from the jar and flex it. Note its softness. The calcium has left the bone.
   4. The same thing can be done for a fresh egg. It will have to look and feel of a rubber ball.
   
   Possible Classroom Assessments & Scoring Structure:
   Requires students to participate in discussion and for teacher observations of the student's demonstration of procedural knowledge related to doing a process, skill or strategy in determining the characteristics of food items.
   
   Activity 4 - See and Size
   
   Use containers of various shapes and sizes to illustrate how the shape of a container can influence perception and portion size.
   
   Materials needed for each activity: drinking glasses, bowls, water, measuring devices, scale, various cereals and snack foods
   
   Procedure:
   1. Have the students fill each container with water to illustrate the amount they would typically drink if using that container.
   2. Then measure the amount of liquid they actually poured into those containers as well as the actual capacity of the containers being used.
   3. Compare the amount poured to a standard serving size (fruit/vegetable juice, 6 oz; milk, 8oz; soft drink, 12oz).
   4. Emphasize the importance of knowing the capacity of the containers one ordinarily uses and how that compares to a normal serving.
   
   1. Cereal products can also be used to point out the differences in portion sizes. Use corn flakes, bran flakes, and granola to illustrate the different volume one ounce of cereal fills.
   2. Have students use the actual cereal products to size up their favorite cereal and chart what counts as a serving based on the nutrition label.
   3. Then have them compare how much cereal they actually eat for breakfast to the actual serving size.
   
   Repeat this activity using various snack foods. Compare the amount typically eaten to the actual serving size.
   
   Possible Classroom Assessments & Scoring Structure:
   Requires students to participate in discussion and for teacher observations of the student's demonstration of the processes, skills or strategies involved in measurement. Students will also determine of the value of the foods they typically eat. Then students will provide short written response supporting concept data of "how many servings of a certain food must be eaten to achieve the recommended daily allowances of a predetermined nutrient."
   
   Activity 5 - A Balancing Act
   
   Materials needed for each activity:
   various books
   
   Procedure:
   1. Have students balance a book on the finger tips of all five fingers at one time.
   2. Then ask them to hold the same book using four, three, two and then one fingertip.
   3. Discuss the easiest way to balance the books (with five fingertips) and what happens as you try to remove one or more fingers.
   4. Explain that each fingertip represents a food group and the book represents a total diet. The key to a well-balanced diet is to eat foods from the five food groups every day.
   
   Possible Classroom Assessments & Scoring Structure:
   Requires students to participate in discussion and for teacher observations of the student's demonstration of a process, skill or strategy and a written determination of the value of eating foods from all five food groups. Students will provide short written responses showing evidence of understanding by determining supporting concept data.
   
   Activity 6 - How to Read Labels
   
   There are 13 vitamins and 20 known minerals absolutely needed for good health. We will look at some of them.
   
   1. Some vitamins can be stored in the body for a long time (vitamins A & D)
   2. Some vitamins can not be stored very long. They should be eaten every day (vitamins B & C)
   3. Vitamins and minerals are found in all of the major food groups.
   4. Vitamins and minerals are found in both plants and animal foods.
   
   Materials needed for each activity:
   Magazines, scissors, drawing paper, crayons.
   See Handout B for list of the functions and key sources of the vitamins and minerals being discussed in this activity.
   Handout B
   Nutrient | Used For | Key Sources
   protein | 1. body growth (like muscles) | meat, fish, poultry, eggs, nuts
   ------ | 2. muscles | beans & peas, milk & milk products
   carbohydrates | 1. quick energy | grain products (breads & cereals), fruits, sugars, starch vegetables
   fat | 1. long-lasting energy | oils, nuts, butter, meats, salad
   ------ | 2. keeps body warm | dressings
   
   Vitamins:
   vitamin A | 1. healthy skin | liver, milk & milk products, dark
   ------ | 2. night vision | green, yellow, & orange vegetables, yellow fruits, eggs
   vitamin B | 1. nervous system | whole grain cereals & breads, eggs
   ------ | 2. brain development | meats (liver), beans, milk & milk
   ------ | 3. helps you use foods for energy products
   vitamin C | 1. wound healing | citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, etc.)
   ------ | 2. Helps you keep from catching germs | melons, berries, leafy green vegetables (spinach, cabbage, etc.)
   ------ | 3. Healthy blood vessels, bones, teeth, muscles
   vitamin D | 1. builds strong bones & teeth | sunshine*, liver, eggs, butter, added to most milk
   niacin | 1. healthy nervous system | peanut butter, meat, fish, poultry
   ------ | 2. helps you use other nutrients | eggs, enriched bread & cereals
   Minerals:
   calcium | 1. builds strong bones & teeth | milk, eggs, cheese, peanuts
   iron | 1. carries oxygen in your blood | meats (especially liver), leafy dark green vegetables, egg yolks
   
   Procedure:
   1. Have students hunt for pictures that contain food items from the various food groups. Then create a poster of a days worth of meals that would be nutritious and fulfill "all" the daily vitamin and mineral requirements. Students should label each item and tell which vitamin or mineral requirement it meets. Also, indicate if a certain vitamin or mineral is met more than once.
   
   Possible Classroom Assessments & Scoring Structure:
   Respond to the activity by producing and/or creating a final product exhibiting a days worth of nutritious meals that include all the items designated in Handout B.
   
   Activity 7 - How to Read Labels
   
   Materials needed for each activity:
   Have students bring in one or two food labels to use in activity
   
   1. Discuss how to make good decisions about the nutritional value of foods by learning about the labels on the food.
   -Are companies required to print the truth about the nutritional content of food on their labels? (Yes.)
   -Are labels a good source of information about food? (Yes, labels on most products - food, clothes, medicine - are required by law to be correct.)
   -When did you last read a label on something you were going to eat? (Sometimes labels are so common we tend to ignore them.)
   -Why is it important to read labels? (Some products are poisonous; people with allergies must avoid certain ingredients in food and medicine; labels can help us buy healthy products.)
   
   
   2. Have students read over their labels and lead a discussion. Students should respond to these questions.
   -What should we look for on the label to tell if a food is heart-healthy? (Fat and Sodium.)
   -How do we tell how much of each ingredient is in the product" (Ingredients are listed according to the amount in the product. The first ingredient listed makes up the largest portion of the food content.)
   -Students should decide what their food is mostly made of? (write answers.)
   -Have students to record whether their product is "to go" (carbohydrate), "to grow" (protein), "to stow" (fat)? (they record answers and reasons why.)
   
   Points you may want to make about the products the students brought in:
   Some food labels list cholesterol and fatty acids. However, listing these items on food product labels is optional for manufacturers. Because this is optional, do not assume that if cholesterol and fatty acids are not listed they are not included in the product. They just may not be listed.
   The amount of cholesterol per food serving is important for people on a fat-controlled diet. When cholesterol is listed, it may be shown either as milligrams of cholesterol per serving or as milligrams per 100 grams of food.
   Saturated fats usually come from animal sources, but tropical oils such as palm, palm kernel, and coconut oils are also saturated. Saturated fats, as a category, are less desirable to eat than polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats.
   
   Possible Classroom Assessments & Scoring Structure:
   Requires students to participate in discussion and for a written analytical response to the activity as to whether their product is primarily carbohydrate, fat, or protein; and why. Further assessment can be made by providing students with various labels and asking short-answer questions or items with predetermined answers.
   
   Activity 8 - Develop an Advertisement
   
   Matelials needed for each activity:
   a copy of Chart C that follows, paper, pencils, crayons, or markers
   
   Looking at the difference between advertisements and labels. Some typical question might include:
   -What do you know about the truth in advertising? (Messages do not tell about the effects of the effects of the products. They always show people in healthy happy situations making products look fun, easy or the purchaser look better or more popular.)
   -What do you know about the truth in food product labels? (They must by law be factual.)
   -What are the differences in messages on food products labels and regular/typical advertisements for food? (The label by law is required to be correct; however, advertisements try to get you to buy the food product and may not contain all the truth about the effect of the product.)
   
   Have students read the handout (Handout C) and have them create their own advertisements that tell about the good healthy effects of the item.
   -Individual students or a group of students could role-play a television advertisement.
   -A radio script might be developed.
   -Posters or print ads could be created.
   
   Handout C
   Developing an Ad
   Advertising (promoting a product, service or idea), comes in many forms. People see and hear thousands of ads every day - through radio, television, magazines, newspapers, billboards, the mail, and elsewhere.
   
   A. Decide on the people you want to influence.
   1. Who do you want to see or hear your ad? (Grownups, men of a certain age, women, girls who live in a certain area, boys that own pets?)
   2. What is the best way to deliver your message? (Through written materials? TV or radio? Signs? Specialty products such as bumper stickers, matchbooks, balloons?)
   B. Decide what message you want to get across.
   1. Do you want people to buy a product? (Such as apples, cars, furniture.) A service? (Such as baby-sitting, a shoeshine, window cleaning.) An idea? (Such as good health, safe driving.)
   2. What message do you want people to get? ("Apples taste good." "Inexpensive baby-sitting available." "Good health is important.")
   C. Decide what you want to happen.
   (You want people to eat more apples; use your baby-sitting services; take better care of their bodies.)
   D. Decide how to send out your message (which "medium" or "media" you will use).
   1. Printed media - newspapers, magazines, billboards, mail, brochures....
   2. Audio/visual media - radio, television, film, slides, (Note: Radio and television slots are 10, 15, 30, and 60 seconds long.)
   E. Create your own advertisement.
   1. Write or record your message. (Note: Developing a slogan - a catchy phrase - will get people's attention and help them remember what you're trying to say. For example, "Apples are apple-tising.")
   2. Answer the five "W" questions of journalism. (Who, what, when, where, and why. You may also want to answer the question "How?")
   3. Create the visual (Film it, photograph it, draw it.)
   
   Advertising is a creative art, so use your imagination! People in advertising are sometimes limited by the amount of time or money they can spend to make an ad, but they're free to deliver their message in almost any way they want. Try to come up with fresh, new ideas that people will remember and that will motivate them to do what you want them to.
   
   Possible Classroom Assessments & Scoring Structure:
   Respond to the activity by producing something and/or creating a product exhibiting an advertisement within the open standards established in Handout C
   
   References for activity: American Heart Association
   
   Activity 9 - Pyramid of Choices
   
   Materials needed for each activity:
   1995 AIMS Activity from "Jaw Breakers and Heart Thumpers"
   Topic: USDA Food Guide Pyramid
   Focus: Students will learn to classify foods according to the groups represented by the USDA Food Guide Pyramid.
   
   Activity 10
   
   Materials needed for each activity:
   1995 AIMS Activity from "Jaw Breakers and Heart Thumpers"
   Topic: Fat in food
   Focus: Students will use food labels to determine the amount of fat in a meal they have chosen. This will be compared to the recommended 30% limit in calories in day of fat.
   
   Activity 11 - Food Dehydration
   
   Materials needed for each activity:
   1995 AIMS Activity from "Jaw Breakers and Heart Thumpers"
   Topic: Food dehydration
   Focus: Students will learn about the comparative amounts of water in foods.
   
   ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
   For your Reading Corner:
   Belly Laughs by Charles Keller
   (New York: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1990)
   These 75 food jokes and illustrations were written especially for children.
   
   A Chartreuse Leotard in a Magenta Limousine by Lynda Graham-Barber
   (New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 1995)
   This book explains the etymology of many words, including many foods, that are named for places (toponyms) and people (eponyms).
   
   Macho Nacho and other Rhyming Riddles by Giulio Maestro (New York: Dutton Children's Books, 1994)
   This book is filled with rhyming riddles, many of which are riddles about foods.
   
   FYI: Free Information focused on focused on cutting fats in diets can be found in brochures from called: What you should know about the ...Functions of fats in Foods
   Functions of Fats
   IFIC Foundation
   P.O. Box 65708
   Washington, D.C. 20035
   
   Video: Nutrition by Bill Nye - The Science Guy.
   Lipsing:
   Food for Thought
   Craig N Co. - Rock'n Toontown
   (Sweet Louise Music/Wonderland Music Co., Walt Disney Incorporated, 1993)
   An fun, silly, but easy song to mimic and sing along. You may have to change the words to make it say exactly what you want, but I think it is great as is. They sing, "You are what you eat." Also, they sing lists of ingredients.
   
   
   Free to preschool and Kindergarten teachers:
   Teach language arts while your kids learn valuable health and nutrition information.
   The Munchsters Talk About Food is a teacher-developed and teacher-tested language arts program that involves young children in an exciting adventure in search of good nutrition.
   -Five full color 14" x 12" posters with lesson plans and language and cooking activities on the reverse.
   -Teacher's guide.
   -Poster for parent bulletin board.
   -Eight masters for making parent take-home sheets.
   
   Address: The National Livestock and Meat Board
   Customer Service Department EMU195
   444 North Michigan Avenue
   Chicago, IL 60611
   

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   If you have any questions, comments, concerns, additions, or deletions please email Jodi Haney.