Overview

This lesson consists of 3 mini lessons or "acts". Follow them in sequence. Go directly to:
Act One: My Pyramid | Act Two: My Food & My Health | Act Three: My Balanced Plate

 

Objectives

• Students will identify the color coded food groups and foods.
• Students will identify food as a source of energy & growth for a healthy body.
• Students will connect foods on the school lunch menu with MyPyramid.
• Optional: Older students can match foods with the right pyramid category.
• Optional: Older students can determine if a meal is balanced; using the pyramid as a guide.
• Optional: Older students can Students perform the lyrics to the Rock Your Body With Color rap.

 

Materials

Except where there are links provided, all worksheets are available by printing out the entire Lesson Plan Printable [487K PDF].
For the three "Acts" you will need:

• Copy of My Pyramid coloring worksheets for each student [Act One]
• Crayons or markers [Act One]
• 6 grocery bags (each labeled with a different food group) [Act Two]
• Pyramid Food Cards (cut prior to starting activity) [Act Two]
• USDA Poster
• Lunch tray from school cafeteria with an actual reimbursable school lunch meal [Act Three]
• Copy of the lunch menu with food items listed (from school website or posted menu in cafeteria) [Act Three]

You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to download the worksheets.

 

Act One: My Pyramid

 

Activity - Coloring MyPyramid: Students color and add words to a MyPyramid worksheet while the teacher provides a step by step lesson on the anatomy of the food pyramid.As you go through each of the Food Groups, have the students follow along by writing the name of the group on their sheet & coloring the section. (Grains-orange, vegetables-green, fruits-red, milk-blue, meat & beans-purple, fats & oils - yellow) (refer to your Teacher’s Guide to offer food options students may not name)

• Name & color foods in the Grain group.
• Name & color foods in the Vegetable group.
• Name & color foods in the Fruit group.
• Name & color foods in the Milk/Dairy group.
• Name & color foods in the Meat & Beans group.
• Name & color foods in the Oils group

 

Teacher Talking Points for Discussion of Act One:

• What does this pyramid mean to you?
• What is the girl/boy on the side of the pyramid doing?
• Why it important to be physically active every day?
• Pick the Activity Option that best suits your classroom!

 

Optional Activity for Act One - Relay Race:

• Divide class into 2 or 3 teams.
• Each student picks a Pyramid Food Cards , the runs to put it in the correct Food Group bag and runs back.
• Continue until all Pyramid Food Cards are in the pyramid bags.
• When relay is finished, pull out the cards from each bag and determine which ones are right and wrong.

 

Optional Additional Activity for Act One - Living Pyramid :

• Distribute Pyramid Food Cards to students (4-6 cards per student).
• Place 1 Pyramid bag on each group of desks.
• Have students go to each bag & put their cards in the correct food group.
• When finished, pull out the cards from each bag & determine which ones are right & wrong.

 

Optional Additional Activity for Act One - Living Pyramid II:

• Distribute Pyramid Food Cards to students (4-6 cards per student). Name each food group
• when students hear a food group that matches their Pyramid Food Card have them come put their card in the bag.
• When finished, pull out the cards from each bag & determine which ones are right & wrong.

 

Act Two: My Food & My Health

 

Activity - Rap Song: Students rap to "Rock Your Body with Color".

• Lead the students in the rap.
• Organize students into 5 teams; each representing a food group.
• Appoint a leader for each team to guide each team practicing the rap.
• Each team decides on an action move to do while repeating the rap (i.e. clap hands, walk in place).
• Reconvene the class and coordinate the rap performance.
• Use the following questions to discuss with class the health connection to the food groups:
• In the first section, we rapped about fruit.
  What does the verse say is packed into fruits?
• In the second section, we rapped about vegetables.
  What ways does it say we can eat vegetables?
• In the third section, we rapped about the grain group.
  What in whole grain foods keep us healthy?
• In the fourth section, we rapped about the milk & dairy group.
  How do milk, cheese & yogurt help our bodies?
• In the last section, we rapped about meat and beans.
  What did the “P” stand for & why is it important?

 

Teacher Talking Points for Discussion of Act Two:

• Food is a source of energy.
• Eat different kinds of foods each day; from each food group.
• Eat more whole-grain breads and cereals, fruits and vegetables.
• Eating the right kinds of food helps our bodies grow and stay healthy.
• Being active every day helps our bodies grow and stay healthy
• The "Rock Your Body With Color" rap helps us understand the link between what we eat and our body (health).

 

Act Three: My Balanced Plate

 

Activity: : Using an actual school lunch meal that’s served on a tray, students list the foods and food group(s) represented on the tray.

• Read the menu and ask students to write down each menu item on their worksheet.
• Ask students to circle the food group(s) beside each menu item.
• As a class, complete the Report Card – Rate The School Lunch.
• Determine if the tray was balanced (included a variety of food groups).
• If there is a group missing, ask students to identify the group and recommend what they would add or subtract to balance the tray.

Teacher Talking Points for Discussion of Act Three:

• Review food groups and foods with students
• Discuss the importance of a balanced pyramid
• eat a variety of foods from each food group
• every color every day
• Discuss the concept of combination foods (i.e. pizza is a combination food and represents several food groups – grain, meat & beans, milk, vegetable for example). The school lunch tray may have combination foods.

 

Additional Resources from the USDA

• My Pyramid Coloring Page

• My Pyramid Poster
• My Pyramid Poster II