Grade 8 Sample Lesson: Food for Thought

Considerations for Lesson Planning 

Location: Classroom

Strand: Healthy Living

Topic: Healthy Eating

Students:

  • Students from Africa or South America
    • Consideration: Incorporate eating habits and practices and foods from diverse cultural backgrounds to make connections to students’ experiences.
  • A student with an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
    • Consideration: Incorporate strategies to support the student with OCD
  • A student with selective mutism
    • Consideration: Incorporate strategies to support the student who is selectively mute

Supports: None

Lesson: Food For Thought

Lesson Overview

Students analyze resources (for example, Canada’s Food Guide) to critically think about food experiences, habits, and decisions. 

Overall and Specific Expectations

D2: D2.1; D3: D3.1

Learning Goals

  • We are learning to identify strategies for promoting informed eating habits and food choices within the school, home, and community.
  • We are learning to analyze and reflect on resources (for example, Canada’s Food Guide) and how they may inform our food experiences, habits, and choices. 

Materials

  • Access to a shared document (for example, chart paper and markers, online interactive tool)
  • Access to food resources (for example, Canada’s Food Guide)
  • Access to materials to create a food plate (for example, paper plates, paper or cardstock, diverse food images, markers, pencils)
  • Teacher Resource: Recordable Anecdotal Recording Chart

Assessment for Learning

Use the Teacher Resource: Recordable Anecdotal Recording Chart to observe students' conversations during whole and small group discussions to provide verbal and written feedback of students’ understanding of their personal eating habits to make informed food choices and strategies to promote healthier eating habits and informed food choices. 

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.

Review classroom agreements for respectful conversations to create a safer environment to ensure all students feel safe enough to share their thoughts throughout the lesson. 

Post images of plates of food (for example, image of Canada's Food Guide, image of foods from different cultures), considering the diversity of the class and the different food experiences students may have. Use an Elbow Partner strategy (consult Teaching Strategy Descriptions) and the following teacher prompts for partners to analyze the image.  

Teacher Prompts: 

  • “What do you notice about the foods in the image?
  • Why do you think those foods were chosen for the image?
  • Describe what is similar and/or different between the foods you notice and the foods you eat.”

Student responses may include:

  • “There are a variety of foods of different colours and textures.”
  • “I notice some foods are from different cultures.”
  • “I notice variety in the foods. Some of them I’ve tried before, and some of them I would like to try!”
  • “The foods may reflect what someone enjoys eating, what their body needs, and what may be available.”
  • “There is a lot of plant-based food that has a lot of nutrients.”
  • “There are a lot of different protein choices.”
  • “It shows that water is a good choice.”   

Teacher Prompt: “What are some things we need to consider when we think about the foods that are needed to fuel our bodies?”

Student responses may include:

  • “Different foods can provide different nutritional needs.”
  • “Some people eat certain foods because of their medical needs.”
  • “Fresh vegetables are hard to find and expensive during the winter season, so my family buys more canned foods such as canned tomatoes, corn, and beans that provides the fuel we need.”
  • "My sibling who is allergic to wheat cannot eat foods such as breads and cereals. As a family we made a choice to eat rice-based products so that we can enjoy the food together.”
  • “In my culture, we do not eat any animal products. We get our protein and nutrients from foods such as beans and tofu.”

Teacher Prompt: “Eating is more than the foods we eat. It is also about our eating habits and decisions over a period of time. We also want to be mindful about when, where, why and with whom we eat. How can we be more aware of our eating habits and decisions?”

Student responses may include:

  • “We can take time to eat and enjoy our food, such as trying new foods and learning about what we like and don’t like. This can change over time!”
  • “We can be aware of other people’s food allergies and sensitivities when we eat around/with them.”
  • “We can focus on what we are eating and avoid distractions.”
  • “Eating with other people makes it more social.”
  • “We can make water our drink of choice more often.”
  • “We can try to choose a variety of foods from foods that are available.”
  • “We can pay attention to food labels to help us make informed choices about our food selection.”  
  • “In my culture, food is part of celebrations to connect with each other.”

Have partners decide who will share their thinking with the larger group. Record student responses for reference.

Explain to students that it’s important to recognize that foods from various cultures can provide the nutrients our bodies need. Recognizing food diversity helps us appreciate different cultures, reduce food stigma, try new foods, and make informed choices about our food choices. All foods have value!

Post examples of nutritious foods from different cultures. Use a Popcorn strategy (consult Teaching Strategy Descriptions) to have students call out foods they recognize or are similar to foods they eat or might enjoy. 

Samples of Nutritious Foods: 

  • Caribbean cuisine includes nutrient-rich foods like plantains, callaloo, and beans.
  • South American meals often include grilled fish and cassava, which are high in protein and complex carbs.
  • East Asian diets incorporate foods like tofu, seaweed, and a variety of vegetables, which provide important vitamins and minerals.
  • Indigenous foods like wild fish, berries, and wild rice are deeply nutritious.

Action

Create purposeful pairings of students based on their interests and needs and a designated space to work. Provide pairs with access to materials and information to design their food plate or another design of their choosing with teacher support. 

Inform students that they are to create a food plate that represents foods from diverse cultures or countries. The food plate will be used to help others critically think about food experiences, habits, and decisions, so it should also include a few tips. Pairs can choose foods connected to their own cultural experiences or from another culture they are interested in learning about. 

Have pairs gather information to create their plate. Consider providing access to other resources (for example, Canada’s Food Guide) or information to assist students as needed to compile the information. Circulate throughout the space and provide support as needed.

When all pairs have had sufficient time to complete their plate, have them share their plate with another pair, describing the different food choices, types of foods, nutrients, their eating habits tips, and the cultural connections. Have pairs post their image and then have them participate in a Gallery Walk (consult Teaching Strategy Descriptions) to learn about other diverse foods. 

Consolidation

Using the following teacher prompt, summarize the learning with students:

Teacher Prompt: “Today, we explored how eating is diverse and how various cultures have foods that provide nutrients we need to fuel our body. It's important to recognize and respect that we each have different food preferences, needs, and food traditions.” 

Have students use an Exit Card (consult Teaching Strategy Descriptions) to record:

  • Three cultural foods they learned about today.
  • Two ways they can promote diverse eating habits and decisions at school, home, or in their community.
  • One question they still have about eating to fuel our body.

CRRP Strategies Embedded in the Lesson 

Components of this lesson are designed to incorporate strategies to support students from Africa and South America.

  • Emphasizing respect for diverse ideas and opinions helps create an inclusive atmosphere.
  • Small and large group discussions and student reflections emphasize critical reflection, encouraging students to explore and share their identities, experiences, and perspectives and how these facets of their identity contribute to an inclusive and affirming environment.
  • Incorporating images that reflect the students' cultural backgrounds helps students make connections to the learning.

  • Tasks provide opportunities for the student to make connections to their background and ensure that western norms are one of many perspectives shared.

Components of this lesson are designed to foster a supportive, affirming, and safer learning environment for the student OCD.

  • Observing and circulating among groups helps to support the student with task completion.
  • Instructions are clear, concise, and posted for the student to reference.
  • Purposeful groupings are used to provide peer support, help with tasks, and encouragement.
  • Assigning pairs to a designated space within the class helps minimize triggers or distractions.
  • Providing information for students to complete the food plate reduces the pressure for the task to be perfect. Choice of product allows the student to determine how they would like to arrange their materials to communicate their learning. 

Components of this lesson are designed to foster a supportive, affirming, and safer learning environment for the student with selective mutism.

  • Classroom culture and learning agreements established and clarified at the beginning of the lesson help to foster a sense of belonging.
  • Purposeful groupings are used to provide peer support.
  • Use of an Elbow Partner strategy provides choice and an entry point for participating in teacher-led discussions.
  • The action and consolidation activities provide choice for participation and expression that may include non-verbal communication of learning.