Considerations for Lesson Planning
Location: Classroom
Strand: Healthy Living
Topic: Healthy Eating
Students:
- Student with type 1 diabetes
- Consideration: Account for the nutritional needs of students with type 1 diabetes, ensuring they feel understood, supported, and included.
- Muslim students from Pakistan
- Consideration: Respect and reflect the religious and cultural food practices of Muslim students from Pakistan, ensuring they feel valued and included.
- Student with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with food sensitivities
- Consideration: Support sensory differences in food experiences, ensuring that the student with ASD feels comfortable, respected, and included.
- Students from low-income households
- Consideration: Ensure discussions about foods that meet nutritional needs are inclusive and mindful of financial barriers, creating a respectful and supportive environment for students from low-income households.
- Students with allergies and food restrictions
- Consideration: Ensure that students with food allergies and restrictions feel safe, respected, and included in all discussions and activities.
Supports: School Health Support Services support once per day for the student with diabetes
Lesson: Foods That Fuel Us
Lesson Overview
Through engagement in activities and large and small group discussions, students learn about the importance of food as fuel for their body and mind. They also learn about selecting foods based on their needs, backgrounds, and foods they enjoy.
Overall and Specific Expectations
D1: D1.1; D2: D2.1
Learning Goals
- We are learning why we need food to have healthy bodies and minds.
- We are learning to reference resources (for example, Canada’s Food Guide) to help us develop eating habits and make nutritious food choices.
Materials
- Access to a shared document (for example, chart paper and markers, online interactive tool) for idea generating
- Reflection and writing tools (for example, journal, blank paper, pencils, crayons)
- Teacher Resource: Anecdotal Recording Chart
- Visuals of foods that illustrate a variety of nutritious and diverse food choices
Assessment for Learning
Use the Teacher Resource: Anecdotal Recording Chart to observe and provide verbal and written feedback on students' ability to explain why food is important for a healthy mind and body and how resources (for example, Canada’s Food Guide) can help them choose nutritious foods to fuel their bodies and minds.
Minds On
Share the learning goals with the class and co-construct success criteria with students. Consider posting the success criteria in the learning space for reference throughout the lesson.
Explain that when we talk about having a healthy body and mind, we are talking about our whole body, including our brain, feelings, and thoughts.
Use the Brainstorming strategy (consult Teaching Strategy Descriptions) and the following teacher prompts with students to explore why food is important for our bodies and minds. Record their ideas and any questions they may have to help guide the lesson.
Teacher Prompt: “What happens if a car doesn’t have gas? What happens if a rocket ship has no fuel?”
Student responses may include:
- “It won’t work.”
- “It will slow down.”
- “It might break.”
Teacher Prompt: “Our bodies are like rocket ships! Let’s generate ideas: what do we need to keep our body and mind strong and healthy?”
Student responses may include:
- “Food!”
- “Water!”
- “Sleep!”
- “Exercise!”
Teacher Prompt: “How do you feel when you don’t eat enough food?”
Student responses may include:
- “I feel sleepy.”
- “I get grumpy.”
- “My tummy hurts.”
- “I can’t concentrate.”
- “It’s hard for me to learn.”
Explain that food helps our bodies stay strong, keep us well, and gives us energy. Food helps us move and play. Some food helps our brains focus and some food helps us grow.
Action
Display Canada’s Food Guide and facilitate a whole group discussion about the different food groups.
Incorporate a variety of additional images to reflect different ways people access and enjoy foods. Examples may include:
- A Ramadan iftar meal, showing traditional foods eaten at sundown, such as dates, fruits, and other cultural dishes.
- Different forms of foods, such as fresh, canned, and frozen fruits and vegetables, to show that depending on what our body needs, nutritional needs come in many forms based on availability and affordability.
- Known familiar and safe foods that reflect the needs of students in the class, ensuring all students can comfortably engage with the images.
Use the Popcorn strategy (consult Teaching Strategy Descriptions) and the following teacher prompts to encourage students to observe the images and call out any foods they recognize.
Teacher Prompt: “Canada’s Food Guide shows us a variety of foods that help keep us strong. Let’s review these images. What do you notice?”
Student responses may include:
- “Apples!”
- “Rice!”
- “Chicken!”
- “Lentils!”
Teacher Prompt: “Think of good times or memories when food is around. What does it look, sound, and feel like? Who is around? Where are you? What are you celebrating? Describe how food is presented. Describe how it’s eaten.”
Student responses may include:
- “We eat a lot of rice.”
- “My family eats fish.”
- “That looks like my mom’s special bread.”
- “We eat mangos which is a fruit.”
- “We eat callaloo that comes from plant leaves.”
- “Dates are a fruit, and we eat lots of them.”
Use Direct Instruction and the Elbow Partner strategies (consult Teaching Strategy Descriptions), as well as the following teacher prompt, to explain that Canada’s Food Guide includes many kinds of foods that people enjoy and that food choices can vary based on several different factors.
Teacher Prompt: “There are lots of reasons why people choose the foods they eat. Sometimes it’s because of health, culture, allergies, or what’s available. Turn to your elbow partner and discuss reasons why people decide what foods to eat."
Encourage students to talk with their partner and share ideas. After one to two minutes of discussion, call the group back together to share responses.
Student responses may include:
- “Because it helps them grow big and strong!”
- “Because it’s a safe food for them. It doesn’t make them feel funny.”
- “Because they need to eat a lot before the sun comes up, then they fast.”
- “Because it helps keep their blood sugar balanced so they feel strong.”
- “Because they like the way it tastes!”
- “Because food is one way that they choose to express their faith and religion.”
- “Because it’s what they can get in the school snack program.”
Explain to students that some people choose foods because it helps them stay safe and healthy, like people with diabetes or allergies. Others eat certain foods because of their religion, like Halal food. Sometimes people avoid foods because of how they taste, smell, or feel. And sometimes people choose foods based on what they can buy or what’s around them. What’s important is finding foods that help you feel good and keep you energized and alert.
Foods That Fuel Us Showcase
Encourage students to think about a day full of activities, whether it's a busy school day, a fun playtime with friends, or a special celebration. Use the following teacher prompt to ask them to consider what food would give them the energy and strength they need to feel their best.
Teacher Prompt: “What is your favourite food that gives you energy and strength? How does your favourite food make you feel your best?”
Provide each student with paper and have them draw or write about a food they enjoy and one way it helps their body. Highlight how everyone’s food choices are shaped by their own needs, backgrounds, and experiences. Once finished, display their work around the room.
Consolidation
Gallery Walk
Invite students to take a Gallery Walk (consult Teaching Strategy Descriptions) and explore their classmates' work.
As students explore, guide them with the following prompts:
- “Did anyone notice a food they would like to try?”
- “What did you notice about the foods your classmates eat?”
- “What’s one new thing you learned today about food?”
- "Does everyone eat the same foods?"
Reinforce that by understanding how food helps our bodies and minds and by referencing resources, such as Canada’s Food Guide, we can make the best choices for our bodies that make us healthy and strong.
CRRP Strategies Embedded in the Lesson
Components of this lesson are designed to account for the unique nutritional needs of students with type 1 diabetes, ensuring they feel understood, supported, and included.
- The lesson incorporates discussions on how different foods impact energy levels, making connections to students’ lived experiences.
- Opportunities are provided for students to share how they make their food choices if they feel comfortable (for example, “Because it helps keep my blood sugar balanced so I feel strong.”).
- The lesson emphasizes that people have unique nutritional needs, and these needs are respected and supported.
Components of this lesson are designed to respect and reflect the religious and cultural food practices of Muslim students from Pakistan, ensuring they feel valued and included.
- The lesson recognizes and respects fasting during Ramadan by discussing how people adjust their eating patterns.
- Canada’s Food Guide examples include foods that are Halal to reflect the dietary needs of Muslim students. When showing images or discussing food choices, the lesson includes diverse foods from multiple cultures.
- Students are encouraged to share examples of foods from their own cultural backgrounds.
- Inclusive language is used when discussing food choices, avoiding phrases that suggested one type of diet was "normal" while others are "different." Instead, all food traditions are highlighted as contributing to well-being in unique ways.
Components of this lesson are designed to support sensory differences in food experiences, ensuring that the student with ASD feels comfortable, respected, and included.
- A sensory-friendly approach is used by including references to taste as a valid reason for food selection and the acknowledgement that some students experience food differently due to sensitivities to taste, texture, or smell.
- Images of familiar and safe foods are incorporated to ensure the student can engage comfortably with the lesson.
- Clear, structured instructions and visual supports provide predictability, making the activities accessible and reducing anxiety.
Components of this lesson are designed to ensure discussions about foods that meet nutritional needs are inclusive and mindful of financial barriers, creating a respectful and supportive environment for students from low-income households.
- Affordable and accessible options, such as canned or frozen vegetables and simple meals that fit different budgets, are highlighted.
- Access to different food sources, such as the school snack program, are included.
Components of this lesson are designed to ensure that students with food allergies and dietary restrictions feel safe, respected, and included in all discussions and activities.
- The lesson acknowledges that some students need to avoid specific foods for safety reasons, emphasizing that all food choices should be respected.
- Discussions about different food options include safe food choices.
