Pyramid Explorations™

The Food Guide Pyramid

The Food Guide Pyramid
Students learn about the Food Guide Pyramid in detail learning a second health benefit of each food group and the nutrients in each group. They discuss a metaphor to help them understand why all Five Food Groups are essential to a healthy diet.

• Recognize the Food Guide Pyramid
• Identify at least two ways each of the Five Food Groups helps keep them healthy
• Name a key nutrient from each food group
• Explain why they should eat foods from all the food groups every day

• Draw a large, 2-dimensional pyramid on the chalkboard or a large newsprint
• Pyramid Explorations Mini-Poster PDF (1 per student)
• The Pyramid Explorations™ Theater,
• Act II PDF (1 per student)
• Review Act II and decide the number of students for small reading groups. Options for small groups include:
  • 7 students in a group - 1 character per student
  • 6 students in a group - 1 reads the Queen and Royal Gentleman
• Getting Your Facts Straight PDF worksheet (1 per student)
• Thank You Memo PDF worksheet (1 per student)
• Optional: Daily Food Guide Pyramid handout (1 per student)

• Open by pointing out the 2-dimensional pyramid on the chalkboard. Ask students what it is. Ask where they have seen pyramids or where famous pyramids are located. Generate a list of characteristics of a pyramid. Tell them that they're going to learn about another pyramid today - the Food Guide Pyramid. Distribute the Pyramid Explorations Mini-Poster.
• Ask how many have heard of the Food Guide Pyramid and where they have seen pictures of it. (Possibly food packages, text books, newspaper, Web sites.)
• Explain that the Pyramid is designed to give us a picture of a healthy diet.
  • What's the foundation? (Grain Group foods)
  • What builds on top of Grain Group foods? (Fruit Group and Vegetable Group foods.)
  • What builds on top of them? (Milk Group and Meat Group foods.)
  • What's at the tip? (Foods from the "Others" category.)
• Ask students what they think would happen if you took a chunk out of the Pyramid. (The Pyramid would topple.) What would happen if they didn't eat foods from one of the food groups? (They might not stay healthy and/or might not have energy.)
• Distribute Act II, "The Crown Jewels of Nutrition." Assign roles and have students read the act in small groups. Position the groups so they can read with minimal disruption to one another.

  Ask students why they think the act is named "The Crown Jewels of Nutrition"? (Because it's about nutrients, which the Queen says are more valuable than jewels.)

• Write "nutrients" on the chalkboard. Ask students what they know about nutrients. Point out:
  • Nutrients are substances in food that help the body stay healthy.
  • There are more than 40 nutrients. Today the play mentioned six nutrients.
  • Nutrients are released into your body during digestion.
  • Your body automatically knows where the nutrients need to go to do their work.
• Distribute and have students complete the Getting Your Facts Straight worksheet individually, with a partner or as a large group. Point out:
  • All foods in a food group contain the same nutrient(s). (Note: In the Grain Group, two nutrients are discussed: carbohydrates and fiber.)
  • When a nutrient is digested and absorbed by the body, it provides the body with its health benefits.
• Ask why the aliens compared the Five Food Groups to a star. (It needs five points to be a star; if one is missing it's not a star. You need to eat from all Five Food Groups to get the nutrients your body needs.)
• Distribute and have students complete the Thank You Memo. Have several read their memos aloud. Students listening should raise their hand when statement they included in their memo is read.
• Optional: Distribute copies of the Daily Food Guide Pyramid for students to take home. Briefly compare what's similar and different between this and the pyramid on the Pyramid Explorations Mini-Poster.

Going Further
Food Feedback
Invite the cafeteria manager to discuss a new recipe or product that will be on the school menu, and if possible, bring samples for the class to taste. After the manager's presentation, divide the class into teams of 4 to 6 and ask each team to develop a 30-second radio commercial about the new food, including:

• the food groups it belongs to
• the nutrient(s) it provides
• the health benefits it provides
• that the cafeteria is the place to get this new food item

Arrange for the commercials to air over the school's public address system the day the new item is served.

Note: PDF documents require the Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you don't have Acrobat Reader, click here to download a free copy.

Note: This activity is from the Pyramid Explorations™ student workbook. Pyramid Explorations™ is available from your local dairy council. Click here for contact information.

Reviews

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Title: Good basic lesson plan for nutrition
Submitted by: Kel from MI

Good Lesson and format! Just couldn't open the links!

Title: GREAT!
Submitted by: Janessa from TN

Great lesson! It was a lot of fun to teach and a great way to incorporate reader's theater in the classroom! Thanks for sharing!

Title: Milk
Submitted by: Anonymous

Legends about milk?