My Plate

Students become familiar with My Plate, the U.S. Department of Agricultures nutrition program and teaching tool. Through an exploration of whole foods, they develop an understanding of good nutrition and well-balanced meals.

Goals: Students will learn that foods are divided into food groups and that a well-balanced diet includes a
variety of foods. They will be able to identify healthy foods and will be empowered to make good food choices.

NC Standards Addressed
Kindergarten: English Language Arts 1.01, 2.03, 3.01; Healthful Living 4.01, 4.02, 4.04, 4.05; Mathematics 3.02 First: English Language Arts 3.01; Healthful Living 4.01, 4.02, 4.03 Second: English Language Arts 2.08; Healthful Living 4.01, 4.02, 4.05

NC Common Core
Kindergarten: English Language Arts RI.K.5, RI.K.6, W.K.8; Mathematics K.G.4 First: English Language Arts RL.1.2 Second: English Language Arts W.2.8

Materials
Books to Read To Market to Market by Nikki McClure Bring Me Some Apples and Ill Bake You a Pie by Robbin Gourley Supplies -Food group chart poster (need to prepare) -Food Groups: Compare and Contrast info sheet (for reference) -Blank my plate poster (need to prepare) -Pictures of fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and dairy products (need to cut out) -One glue stick (for teacher to use) -Blank my plate coloring pages (one for each student) -Colored pencils (for students) **To order or access additional printed materials about My Plate visit http://choosemyplate.gov Preparation You will need to make a food group chart poster and a blank my plate poster for this lesson. The food group chart poster is a larger version of the included Food Groups: Compare and Contrast info sheet a table listing
Growing Minds is a program of ASAP (Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project) 306 West Haywood Street, Asheville, NC 28801 (828) 236-1282 www.Growing-Minds.org

each food group with columns for examples and important information about each one. The blank my plate poster is a larger version of the my plate handout to post the included pictures.

Vocabulary
Food Group: Any group of foods organized by nutritional properties, one of the main groups that foods belongs.

Activities
Introduce the Lesson Show students the empty food group chart poster. Explain that all foods are classified into the following food groups: fruit, vegetable, grain, protein, dairy, oils and fats. Ask students to help you fill in the chart, using the Compare and Contrast: Food Groups document to help. What are examples of each food group? What fruits and vegetables grow in Western NC? First and second graders might be able to help come up with more information about each group. Did the students forget anything? Add any information to the chart at the end and explain to the students why you are including it. Build a Plate Show students your large blank plate poster. Ask them which section of the plate is the biggest? How do the different sized sections compare to each other? Which foods should they eat the most of? Explain to students that you are going to work together as a class to build a plate. Start with the vegetables. Show the students the pictures of vegetables you have. Choose students one by one and ask them which vegetable to add to the plate until that section is full. Glue the pictures to the poster. Continue through the food groups and the students until your class plate is full. Read a Book Read To Market To Market or Bring Me Some Apples and Ill Bake you a Pie. Who is the author and illustrator of the book? For kindergarten: What letters can the students identify in the title? For first grade: How many syllables are in each word in the title? As you read the book, ask students to identify foods on each page and classify them into a food group. Are the foods healthy or unhealthy? Students Make Their Lunch Plate Give each student a blank plate coloring page and a set of colored pencils or markers. Explain that the large circle represents their lunch plate and the small circle represents their drink. Ask them to fill in their plate with drawings of foods that represent each food group (vegetable, fruit, grain, protein, dairy) to design their ideal, healthy lunch. Students can refer to the class Build a Plate Poster for ideas. Display the students plates in the room or put them in their portfolios.

Extension (Optional)
Brainstorm some favorite foods with your class. How does the food fit into the different food groups? Breakdown the foods into parts: What vegetables or fruits are in the foods? (Examples: pizza contains tomatoes; peanut butter comes from peanuts; jelly comes from different fruits; bread is made from wheat)
Growing Minds is a program of ASAP (Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project) 306 West Haywood Street, Asheville, NC 28801 (828) 236-1282 www.Growing-Minds.org