The activities as part of this resource are designed to support educators in providing students with authentic, relevant, and contextual learning experiences that assist them in acquiring the necessary skills to be food and media literate.
The activities may be used with students in a variety of learning settings to help them decode food advertisements and food marketing techniques in various media forms and consider the impact of marketing techniques and media on their choices. The activities may be used as stand-alone activities or as extensions to the Healthy Living lessons related to Healthy Eating in Ophea’s H&PE Elementary Resources.
Activities are division-focused (primary, junior, and intermediate). Each activity includes references to the overall and specific expectations for the Healthy Eating Strand in The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1–8: Health and Physical Education (2019) and the Media Literacy Strand in The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1–8: Language (2006) to promote opportunities for integrated cross-curricular learning.
For strategies for using these activities in a variety of learning situations, consult Adapting Activities to a Variety of Learning Settings.
To learn more about food advertising and food marketing techniques, consult Additional Resources to access webinars, blogs, articles, and websites on topics related to Canada's Food Guide, nutrition, social-emotional learning skills, inquiry-based learning, and effective education strategies for increasing food and nutrition knowledge in children and youth.
Please Note:
- Conversation involving food influences and food choices are connected to students’ lives beyond the classroom. It is important to create a safe and inclusive learning environment to ensure that the learning is presented with sensitivity and to take into account students' individual contexts. Consult Creating a Safe and Inclusive Learning Environment for tips for talking about healthy food choices.
- The activities are suggested approaches to address the learning as described in the overall and specific curriculum expectations. Consider adapting the activities to meet the needs of your students.
Primary
- Activity 1: Would You Choose Me?
- Activity 2: What’s on the Menu?
- Activity 3: What’s in the Food We Choose?
Junior
- Activity 1: Convince Me
- Activity 2: A Tour of the Grocery Store
- Activity 3: Viewing with a Critical Eye