Project Name: Choose Healthy!

Teacher: Lindy Lee

Grade Level: 4th (teachers can modify it to their grade level)

Subject/Course: English Language Arts, Health/Science, Math

Duration: 6 weeks

Project Idea: The United States have one of the highest percentages in child obesity. In our community,
most students and families from our school do not have the knowledge and access to healthy food
options. Many of these students resort to bringing unhealthy foods to school. Teachers voiced their
concerns and wanted a solution, however the discussion only led to the reality that some of our families
were homeless and unstable; some families have no means of transportation and could only afford the
corner convenience store, the 99 Cents store, or McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken close by. This
past year, teachers and the parent club came up with the idea of banning junk food. The change, however,
did not stick well for some students and families. The principal brought up a few points: Do we know the
dynamics of these families?, What if this was what our parents can only afford for their children?, and
Would we rather have the child starve if that food was their only source of breakfast or snack that day?
With those points mentioned, it was only understandable that we educate our students first to deeply
understand how food affects their body and how eating healthy can impact their lives in the long run.

Driving Question: What does eating well mean to you?

Sub-Questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

What do we know about the food we eat and where it comes from?
How can eating healthy make your life better?
What are the 5 food groups that create a healthy balanced meal?
How does food affect our bodies?
Why is food important for your body, inside and out?
What are some factors that affect the way we eat?
How do we improve our personal eating habits?
What are some ways to make sure we eat healthy at home and school?
What foods can we eat to keep us strong and healthy?

How can we teach others about the importance of eating healthy?

Learning Outcomes:
-

Students will write an informational piece and include a visual piece for students and parents on
healthy eating awareness.

Students can identify and practice how to take personal responsibility for limiting sugar and fatty
consumption in foods, snacks, and beverages.

Content Standards:

4th grade CCSS ELA Reading 4.1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says
explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
4th grade CCSS ELA Reading 4.2 Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key
details; summarize the text.
4th grade CCSS ELA Writing 4.1 - Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with
reasons and information.
a) Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which related
ideas are grouped to support the writers purpose.
b) Provide reasons that are supported by facts and details.
c) Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented.

4th grade CA Health Education Standards:

1.3N Describe the relationship between food intake, physical activity, and good health.
2.1N Identify internal and external influences that affect food choices.
2.2N Analyze advertising and marketing techniques used for food and beverages.
3.2N Use food labels to determine nutrient and sugar content.
4.1N Demonstrate effective communication skills to ask for healthy food choices.
8.1N Support others in making positive food and physical activity choices.
th
4 grade CCSS Math MD.A.1 Know relative sizes of measurement units within one system of units
including km, m, cm; kg, g; lb., oz.; l, ml; hr., min, sec. Within a single system of measurement, express
measurements in a larger unit in terms of a smaller unit. Record measurement equivalents in a twocolumn table.

21st Century Skills:

Creativity: Students will be given opportunities to create a diagram of the digestive system in their
group, construct their own version of a healthy MyPlate meal poster for the school cafeteria, and
write an informational piece along with a visual - given the choice of a poster board, diorama,
brochure, digital storybook, or PowerPoint presentation.
Communication: Students will discuss their responses on readings (think-pair-group-share) and
conduct a classroom discussion focused on the tasks question/idea. They will also communicate
their information on healthy eating through different forms of presentations (posters, speeches,
PowerPoint, classroom discussion, etc.)
Collaboration: Students will work together with partners/groups to share material, take some
responsibility for the outcome of partner/group learning tasks. Students will explore, research to
clarify their thinking as well as others.
Critical Thinking: Students will analyze different brands of food and compare nutrition labels for
healthier food options. Students will also examine the various ways and benefits of preparing and
eating healthy foods.
21st Century Skills

Technology Standards

ISTE Standards for Students

Entry Event
Students will be shown a picture and do an MTV (Making Thinking Visible Routine) called See Think
Wonder where students carefully observe and reveal their thoughts and interpretations on a tri-column
chart handout. For each separate, the teacher will randomly call on students to share their thoughts and
will record it on poster paper.

After completing all three columns, a classroom discussion will follow and the topic will be revealed about
global school lunches around the world, the similarities and differences. After the discussion, students will
view Brainpops video Nutrition and take a quiz as a whole class. The results will then be discussed as a
class. Students will write in their journal in response to What does eating well mean to you? and enter
their responses on Edmodo.