Eat the Five Food Group Way!®

Combo Shuffle

Grade Level: 4th Grade / Upper Elementary
Rating:

Synopsis:
Students work in small groups to identify Combination Foods based on their ingredients.

Activity Objectives
Students will be able to:

• Identify Combination Foods based on their ingredients
• Create a new Combination Food that they are willing to eat
• Develop skills for working in small groups

• Cut approximately 35 equal-size, small slips of paper.
• Write the names of the foods pictured on the Eat the Five Food Group Way!® handout (PDF) on the slips of paper - one name per slip.
  
  Optional: Add additional foods as desired to give the children more food combination options.
• Review the chart of Combination Foods below:

What to Do:

1. Write "Combination Foods" on the chalkboard. Have students speculate about what the term means. Define Combination Foods for the class. (Foods that combine two or more foods from the Five Food Groups.)
2. Write some examples of Combination Foods on the chalkboard. Have students identify ingredients in each food and the food groups to which each ingredient belongs. Ask students for examples of other Combination Foods.
3. Divide the class into teams of 3 or 4. Assign a number to each team. Teams will compete against each other to play "Combo Shuffle."
   • Pick 3 foods from the bag. Write the foods on the chalkboard.
   • Let teams "buzz" for about 30 seconds to identify a Combination Food that has these three ingredients. (The food can have other ingredients as well.) If they can, also have teams create a new Combination Food. This food must be something they are willing to eat.
4. Let Team 1 have the first chance to identify a food.
   • If they succeed, they get a point. Give them another point if they created a new food that they would eat.
   • Allow other teams (in sequence) to name a different Combination Food with the same 3 ingredients and a new Combination Food. Assign a point for each food named.
5. At the end of each round, select 3 more foods from the bag. Start the next round with Team 2. Continue playing until each team has had a turn being first. Keep track of each team's points and keep a running list of the Combination Foods named on the chalkboard.

Optional
Select 4 foods at a time to make the game more difficult; or select 2 foods at a time to make the game easier.

Foods Pictured in the Eat The Five Food Group Way!® Handout:

Milk Group Foods
• Milk
• Strawberry yogurt
• Pudding
• String cheese
• American cheese
• Chocolate milk

Vegetable Group Foods
• Lettuce
• Tomato
• Corn
• Carrots
• Broccoli
• Potato

Fruit Group Foods
• Apple
• Raisins
• Watermelon
• Grapes
• Orange
• Fruit cocktail

Meat Group Foods
• Hamburger patty
• Egg
• Tuna
• Pork chop
• Chicken
• Peanut Butter
• Tortilla

Bread Group Foods
• Sandwich or hamburger roll
• Bread
• Cereal
• Taco shell
• Tortilla
• Spaghetti
• Saltine crackers

Reviews

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Title: Oops!
Submitted by: Anonymous

I liked this idea, however next time I use it I'm going to have the three foods already picked (so they are somewhat logical) and not draw them from a hat. My principal dropped in and watched this lesson and I kept drawing odd combinations like raisins, hamburger, and pudding. The kids got really silly too.