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Title | For The Teacher | For The Student | The Resources

An English Lesson About Good Health

Food Choices Determine Health & Life Expectancy:
benefits of healthy diets and exercise can improve a more enjoyable existence


Why should students care about their health?
What food choices have a higher nutritional value?
How much or how little can students get away with eating?
Does one person's serving size differ from another?
How do our food choices affect longterm health?

Summary
These are some of the questions students will answer through studying this unit. This lesson is very important as many Americans continue to expand their waistlines and heart disease and other nutritionally-related diseases continue to rise. Attitudes surrounding nutrition and exercise are formed during a students school experience. This lesson has the impact to make positive change in the perspectives of students at an earlier age and has the potential to continue into adulthood. Through this lesson, students will learn about nutrition through an educational video, analyze their own health and exercise choices and consider alternatives, and write a five-paragraph response explaining their transformed views about nutrition and good health.

ALL materials are provided, herein. This unit may be taught on the internet or in a classroom environment without access to computers. For schools with access to technology, students may download documents to format in a more professional format. This project has the possibibility to influence not only the student, but also families and friends, by extension determined by how the student is able to promote the new knowledge s/he has gained.

The importance of good health is a serious issue and because it is presented in a non-fiction, documentary-like, students are forced to examine their own healthful choices. This site is designed to provide a clear purpose for learning, a step-by-step overview of instruction, and provide resources for extended learning.

Click HERE to view the standards-based objectives of this unit.



Time Allocation
Actual instructional time for this unit will comprise about one week, based on 50-minute class sessions.
Teachers who would like to integrate this unit into their classroom, must first start by distributing the food and exercise charts to students, so they may accurately analyze their habits for one week as a precursor to the lesson. It is suggested that teacher give these materials to students one week prior to teaching this unit. Then, teachers will need to rent and show the Super Size Me video, approximately ___ minutes. After that, teachers will need to determine for themselves the length of the drafting process. Not only GAT students will be intrigued by this unit, and so extension activities or additional research articles for students to consider were provided for additional learning. Some teachers will want to include this into lesson design, thus lengthening the overall lesson duration.



Technology Use
English and Health teachers will really enjoy this invaluable lesson because it provides cross-curricular integration and the technology engages students. This unit was designed for schools with varying degrees of access to technology implements. The only basic classroom requirements are a television with vcr or dvd player. Teachers must have the skill to be able to use this technology, as well as print the handouts found herein for students without access to computers. Classrooms equipped with computers already, will need the capability to download the student handouts or have already provided the files on the student servers. Further extensions of this initial design is articulated on the Extension Activities page.

Title | For The Teacher | For The Student | The Resources

Last Updated: December 15, 2004

Designed By: Gina Hansen, ahshansen@hotmail.com

DeJean Middle School | 3400 MacDonald Ave | Richmond, CA 94805 | 510.415.8300