Activities for a Task-based lesson plan for beginner levels on nutrition labels

Group 2 Activity for Task-based lesson plan

Note: This was an activity to add parts of a lesson plan that was missing from a beginner level reading activity on nutrition labels. 

Pre-reading: 

1. Whole class activity: 

a.              Healthy and unhealthy foods discussion:   How do we know what is healthy and unhealthy? Today we will use information to help us. (This give a purpose to the reading) 

b.               Sticky notes activity: Handout sticky notes with names of foods (pizza, white bread, cookies, frozen peas, milk, etc).  Ask the students to place the sticky note in one of two columns on the whiteboard (healthy foods or unhealthy foods). Ask them to explain why and write by sticky note. (This utilizes their current knowledge.)  Go back to this at the end of the lesson (see later).

c.              Class discussion: from the pairs work, ask the students how the label is divided up. (Use an overhead projection of the label).  Ask what they know about the words on the labels, and what they mean. Ask what the numbers mean to them. What do you think the label information is telling us? Write these on the board around the projected image of the label.

2.              Review: 

a.              Definitions and pronunciation of words on the nutrition label (use pictures if needed).  Ask students what they think the definitions are through prior knowledge or guessing. Use large cards with words and match with cards with definition on the whiteboard.

nutrition                  all the food we eat

calories                   energy (like fuel for a car)

fat                           food like lard/Crisco (too much is bad for us, makes us fat)

cholesterol              fat from butter, meat, eggs (too much is bad for our heart)

sodium                    salt (too much bad for our blood pressure)

carbohydrates         fiber and  sugar (too much can also make us fat)

fiber                         helps our digestion (in bran, fruit and vegetables)

protein                     helps build our muscles (in meat and beans) 

vitamins                  small part of our food that are very important for health

        (from fruits and vegetables )

                        calcium                    comes from milk to help our bones

                        iron                          from meat and spinach for our blood

Informal formative assessment: After explaining the definitions, mix up the cards and then do a quick matching exercise on the board. 

2. Explain how to read percentages on the labels. Visually show what percentage means with examples of 1, 5, 10, 50% by using a jars with colored water or pictures of columns with different percentages.  Have another set of columns with percentages and ask the students to choose from possible percentages from given ones (informal formative assessment).  

c.              Units of measurements: explain ‘g’ and ‘mg’ are for measuring weight like ‘kg’. They are commonly found on labels. Use a visual representation of what a ‘g’ and ‘mg’ are using sugar for a comparison.

d.              Serving size:  the nutritional facts are for a specific serving size, not usually for the whole package. Show examples on some labels.

e.              Healthy and unhealthy foods:  Explain what range of numbers within each category makes a food healthy/unhealthy using the healthy foods and unhealthy foods cards. 

f.               Go through some examples of nutrition labels of healthy and unhealthy foods, so the students can use the information above, and be able to divide the foods into healthy or unhealthy in preparation for the Snap game. 

3.              This task requires:

a.              Some knowledge of numbers, percentages and weight measurements. 

b.              Being able to identify whether the nutritional facts are for a specific serving size or the whole package.  

c.              Understanding the vocabulary used on the labels.

d.              Understanding what amounts of nutrition components makes the food healthy or unhealthy.

            Post-reading: 

4.              Language development outside the classroom

 (ask students to choose one or two of the following:)

a.              Explore the kitchen pantry at home and observe the variety of labels printed on the packaging, and compare nutrition on some choices. Use the information learned in class to assist you in comparing the labels and decide whether they are healthy or unhealthy. 

b.               Determine whether the food on the sticky note (pizza, white bread, cookies, frozen peas, milk, etc) that you were given at the beginning of class is in the right category (healthy or unhealthy) by checking out a label, either at home or in the grocery store. 

c.              In a grocery store, convenience store, or supermarket explore the different nutrition facts labels of the similar products. For example, examine two different brands of oatmeal, such as Quaker and Nature’s Path Organic, and distinguish whether they are healthy, non-healthy and if they display the same or different nutritional values.  

d.              Compare daily nutritional values and calories to your recommended intake. Find your recommended intake and track your daily intake by using a website/app such as MyFitnessPal.