Elaine Pauline Agusto-Laster - Daniel Hale Williams Elementary School 



Stacking the Deck on Nutrition    

Elaine Pauline Agusto-Laster   Daniel Hale Williams Elementary School 
                               2710 South Dearborn                 
                               CHICAGO IL 60616        
                               (773) 534-9226

Objective(s):

        To introduce and demonstrate the word classify.  This will be done by 
having students arrange a variety of foods into their proper food groups.  This 
and other related activities will aid in the development of the students' 
critical thinking skills.
        An introduction to the food pyramid and the grouping of food will 
provide for students an awareness of how foods are categorized, as well as their
levels of importance to the human body.
 
Materials Needed: 

        Construction paper; Food Playing Cards; 3-inch by 5-inch index cards; 
paste or glue sticks; scissors; crayons or markers; The Pressure's On! 
scorecards; and pencils. 

Strategy:
    
        Discuss with the class that classifying is a way of assigning (a 
thing) to a class or category.  Demonstrate on the chalkboard how classifying 
is done. Have a food ready list for students to select from.  From this list, 
have students place each of the foods into their correct sections.
        Through a variety of class activities students will learn how foods 
are classified, and are arranged into groups on the food pyramid.  In the 
first activity the class will play the game Go Fish! (1) Divide the class into 
groups of three and give each group a set of cards.  (2) Deal seven cards face 
down to each player and put the remaining cards face down to form a draw 
pile.  (3) If players have two foods from the same food group, they place them 
down as a match.  (4) In turn, each player asks the player to the left for all 
the foods from a certain food group.  For example, Horace might say to Hilary, 
"Give me all your Grains."  If Hilary has cards from the Grain Group she must 
give all of them to Horace.  If not, Hilary says, " Go Fish." Horace then has 
to draw from a pile.  (5) Play continues until a player has matched all of the 
cards and has none left in his/her hand.  That person is then declared the 
winner. 
       The second activity is called The Pressure's On! The concept, of this 
activity, is that foods vary in amount of sodium, cholesterol, and fat that 
they contain.  Limiting the amount of these substances in the diet can help 
reduce the risk of heart disease.  The objective is for the player to have the 
least amount of sodium, cholesterol, or fat when the foods cards are totaled.  
The directions for this activity are: (1) Prior to class, photocopy one set of 
Food Cards for each group of six.  Then photocopy one The Pressure's On! 
Scorecard for each person.  (2) Divide the class into groups of six and give 
each group a set of Food Cards, which have been cut apart and shuffled.  Turn 
the cards face down on the desk or playing surface.  (3) One at a time, in 
turn, each player draws a card, turns it face up, and announces the food, and 
the amount of sodium.  That person then records the amount of sodium on their 
score card under the sodium column.  Continue choosing, and recording until 
all forty-eight cards have been selected.  (4) Each player adds up the total 
amount of sodium on their cards, and the player with the fewest milligrams is 
the winner.  (5) Shuffle the cards, and play again, but for this round, count 
total milligrams of cholesterol.  Once again, the lowest amount wins.  (6) 
Shuffle and play round three counting grams of fat.  Again, the lowest amount 
of fat is the winner.  (7) Discuss the effects large amounts of sodium, 
cholesterol, and fat have on health.

Performance Assessment:

        To assess the students' understanding of classifying, give each 
student a pre-drawn food pyramid on construction paper and reproduce sheets 
of the six food groups.  Tell the students that they are to place each of the
foods in their correct food groups.

Conclusions:                         

        The students have gained a greater understanding of classifying.  They 
also have an awareness of the food groups, and what foods have a significant or 
insignificant value to the human body.  Most of the activities were hands-on and 
allowed for greater student participation. 

References:
                       
        Toner, Patricia Rizzo.  Diet and Nutrition Activities. New York:
                The Center For Applied Research in Education, 1993.

        Sharon, Michael Dr. Complete Nutrition: How To Live in Total Health.
                New York: Prion, 1994.