Lesson 1.10, one day. Twelve slides. Build the deck from this outline. Student-facing text reads at grade 6 to 7.
Do now
- Draw a circle. Divide it into the food groups the way you think a healthy dinner should look.
- Label each part.
- Do not look it up. Your best guess.
- Two minutes.
Teacher notes
Hold up three drawings that look different (ask first). "Which one is right? How would you know?"
Two bowls, one cereal
- Small bowl: 1 cup. That is one serving.
- Big bowl: about 3 cups. That is how most people pour it.
- Same cereal. Same box. Three times the calories, three times the sugar.
- One of these is a serving. One is a portion. By the end of today you will know which is which.
Teacher notes
Image: a small cereal bowl and a large cereal bowl side by side, both full, with a measuring cup between them.
Pour the real bowls at the demo table while this slide is up.
MyPlate
- Not a list. A picture of how much.
- Half the plate: fruits and vegetables. Vegetables get a little more room.
- Other half: grains and protein foods. Grains get a little more room.
- Dairy on the side, in a cup.
- Make half your grains whole grains.
Teacher notes
Image: the MyPlate graphic: a plate divided into four sections (vegetables top left, fruits bottom left, grains top right, protein foods bottom right) with a cup labeled dairy at the top right. Labels in English, Turkish, Portuguese, and Spanish. [Sal: the USDA graphic is public domain; use it.]
Rate the dinner
- Dinner 1: a plate of pasta with a little sauce and a roll.
- Dinner 2: rice, grilled chicken, a pile of broccoli, orange slices, a glass of milk.
- Dinner 3: two slices of pizza and a soda.
- Close to MyPlate or not close? Thumbs up or down for each one.
Teacher notes
Image: three dinner photos, one per line, plain and real, not styled.
Dinner 1 is almost all grains. Dinner 3 has no fruit, little vegetable, and no dairy in the cup (cheese on pizza counts a little). Dinner 2 is close.
Fix your circle
- Redraw your do now circle on the handout so it matches MyPlate.
- Four sections and a cup.
- Write one food in each.
- Three minutes.
Teacher notes
Walk the room. The two errors to catch: fruit bigger than vegetables; protein bigger than grains.
Serving versus portion
- A SERVING is the standard amount on a label or on MyPlate. Somebody else set it.
- A PORTION is how much you choose to put on your plate. You set it.
- 1 cup of cereal is a serving. A big bowl is a portion, about 3 servings.
- 1 ounce of chips is a serving. A family size bag is about ______ servings. [Sal: read the bag.]
Teacher notes
Image: a 1 ounce chip bag next to a family size bag; a deck of cards next to a piece of chicken.
The deck of cards is 3 ounces of cooked meat, one serving.
Build a plate
- Food cards and a paper plate. Build a dinner that follows the four rules.
- Every section filled.
- At least one whole grain.
- Protein foods from two different sources if you can.
- Then draw it on the handout. Ten minutes.
Teacher notes
Image: a paper plate with food cards laid on it in the MyPlate sections.
Partner check
- Trade handouts.
- Find one section on your partner's plate that is too big or too small. Or write "matches MyPlate."
- Sign it.
- Then: pick one food from your plate. Write one serving of it and the portion you would actually eat.
Teacher notes
Serving sizes for the slide: 1 cup cereal; 1 slice bread; 1/2 cup cooked rice or pasta; 1 cup raw leafy greens; 1/2 cup cooked vegetables; 1 medium fruit; 3 ounces cooked meat or fish; 1 egg; 1/4 cup cooked beans; 1 cup milk or yogurt; 1 1/2 ounces cheese.
The plate check is private
- This page is yours. Nobody reads what you ate. Not me, not your partner.
- I check that it is filled in. I never check what is on it.
- Fold it in half. Hand it in face down.
- You can list foods or just circle the groups. Either counts.
Teacher notes
Say this out loud before anyone writes. Some students are on restricted diets, some do not have enough food at home, and some are fighting about their bodies. This slide is why FACS can do this and health class often cannot.
The other half of wellness
- Ages 6 to 17: 60 minutes or more of physical activity a day.
- Walking to school counts. Gym counts. Sports, dancing, chores that make you breathe harder: count.
- Most of the 60 should get your heart going.
- A MyPlate dinner and a day on the couch is half a healthy day.
Teacher notes
Image: a simple clock face with a 60 minute wedge shaded.
Source: Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition, health.gov.
What came up short?
- On your plate check, circle ONE MyPlate group that was missing or small.
- Circle whether your movement was under 60, about 60, or over 60.
- Write one change for this week. Small enough to actually happen.
- Not "eat perfectly." Something like "an apple with lunch on Tuesday."
Teacher notes
Volunteers only in the share, and they share the change, never the food.
Exit card
- 3 MyPlate groups and their size: big, medium, or small.
- 2 differences between a serving and a portion.
- 1 thing you will do for movement this week.
- Essential question, hands up: MyPlate dinner, sat all day. Healthy day or not?
Teacher notes
Sort the cards. The "needs more" pile on serving versus portion decides how long the serving size slide runs in Lesson 1.11.