Description:
This unit combines library media skills with health, social studies, and economics by teaching students about the food groups, having them budget for a meal, and learn about the foods of other cultures.
Goals & Objectives:
LIBRARY MEDIA SKILLS OBJECTIVES:
-The student will define nutrition and give examples of foods that make up the basic food groups.
-The student will choose nutritious meals from a restaurant menu within a given budget.
-The student will classify foods enjoyed by people of different countries into the basic food groups and list the findings on a food guide pyramid.
CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES:
-This activity can be used to integrate a health unit on building good eating habits or a social studies unit on geography and different cultures, and provide practice of mathematical skills such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and counting money.
Materials & Sources:
"A Pizza the Size of the Sun" by Jack Prelutsky
"Stone Soup" by Marcia Brown
"The Hungry Thing" by Jan Slepian and Ann Seidler
Local Restaurant Menus
CD-ROM version of popular Encyclopedi
| Credits: |
Author: Angela D. Page
Adapted for SOS by Jennifer Nace, School of Information Studies, Syracuse University |
| Sources: |
| Source: School Library Media Activities Monthly |
Procedures:
INSTRUCTIONAL ROLES:
The teacher and the library media specialist work cooperatively on this unit of study. The library media specialist introduces the unit and provides all research assistance and feedback. The classroom teacher is responsible for the progression of the unit and assessment after food groups and food guide pyramids have been introduced.
ACTIVITY AND PROCEDURES FOR COMPLETION:
Lesson 1:
Introduce the unit by reading Jack Prelutsky´s poem "A Pizza the Size of the Sun". After reading the poem, ask students to recall all of the ingredients the author put on his pizza and classify the items in the correct food groups. For example, cheese was an ingredient and belongs in the dairy group. Following the discussion, each student may describe a favorite type of pizza to the class.
Lesson 2:
Read "Stone Soup" by Marcia Brown. Draw a four-column chart and label the columns: Meat, Grain, Fruits/Vegetables, and Dairy. As you read the story to the students, pause each time a food or drink is mentioned and decide in which food group the item belongs. Allow one student at a time to write the name of the food or drink in the appropriate column. Next, different students, one at a time, may draw a picture of the food or drink next to its name.
Separate students into pairs or triads. Give each pair or group a menu from a local restaurant, paper, pencils, and a calculator. Explain to the students that they are taking their families out to dinner. At random, they will choose a piece of paper from a box. The piece of paper will tell them how many people are in their "family" and the amount of money they can withdraw from the bank. The library media specialist or media aide acts as the banker. Remind students that they must choose nutritious meals from the menus for their family members without going over their budgets. They are not allowed to lend or borrow from classmates or the bank. After the students complete the task, they record what they chose for dinner, the total cost, and the amount of money they have left (if applicable).
Lesson 3:
Read "The Hungry Thing" by Jan Slepian and Ann Seidler and discuss the odd names The Thing called foods we eat. Explain to the students that people of other cultures sometimes eat different foods or some of the same foods that we eat but call them by different names. Separate the students into groups of four. Allow the students to choose a country by using a globe or world map. Assign each group of students a food group. Allow students to use the encyclopedia on CD-ROM to compile lists of foods that are prepared and/or eaten in the chosen country. The students list the foods from the different nations on one large food guide pyramid. The pyramid may be displayed in the library media center.
FOLLOW-UP:
Students may work individually to keep diaries in which they keep track of all the foods they eat each day and compare the list to recommended daily allowances.
Assessment:
Students can be evaluated based on their contributios and participation in the storytelling and activity sessions
Sources:
Source: School Library Media Activities Monthly
