Increase the amount and variety of fruits and vegetables
in students' diets to one serving per day from each of the five color groups
Lesson Plan 1
Monday: What
is A Serving?
Objective
To demonstrate the correct serving size of
fruits and vegetables.
Materials
Bowls or plates
Dry measuring cups
Liquid measuring cups
Fruits and vegetables (examples: mixed green salad, orange juice, raisins,
apples, bananas, canned sliced peaches, cooked green beans, cooked mixed
vegetables)
Student Participation
Have students measure correct serving size of fruits
and vegetables. Discuss actual serving sizes (listed below) versus perceived
serving sizes, making the point that eating 5 A Day is easier than one
might think.
One serving is...
1 medium-sized fruit
¾ cup (6 oz.) of 100 percent fruit or vegetable
juice
½ cup fresh, frozen, or canned fruit (in
100 percent juice) or vegetables
To demonstrate how easy it is to incorporate more
fruits and vegetables into one’s daily diet.
Materials
Chalkboard or overhead projector
Copies of final fruit and vegetable list
Student Participation
In a classroom discussion, have students list simple
ways to incorporate fruits and vegetables into their daily diets, keeping
track of all suggestions on the chalkboard or overhead projector. Separate
suggestions into categories: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Get
things started by asking what meals they’ve eaten recently and
thinking about how those menu items could’ve been enhanced with
fruits and vegetables. You can also use the suggestions below to help
get things started or fill a void when ideas begin to fade. Once the
list is complete, compile all the suggestions and make copies for each
student to take home to his/her parents.
One serving is...
Macaroni & cheese with spinach, zucchini, or other vegetables
Fruit smoothies (favorite fruit, yogurt, and ice in blender)
Fresh fruit on cereal
Finely chopped veggies in meatloaf, hamburgers, or meatballs
Chopped veggies added to spaghetti sauce
Pizza topped with vegetables or pineapple
Peanut butter and banana sandwiches
Apple slices with peanut butter
Tomato and lettuce on sandwiches
Nuts and raisins
Bean & veggie burritos
Omelet or scrambled eggs with veggies
Carrots, tomatoes, celery, radishes, etc., added to a green salad
To raise awareness of where fruits and vegetables
come from and identify different parts of the plants.
Materials
Chalkboard
Student Participation
Have students name their favorite fruits and vegetables
and list them on the chalkboard. Once the list is complete, begin identifying
and discussing which part of the plant these fruits and vegetables
represent. Use the suggestions below as examples to get students started.
Fruits and vegetables that students may not be familiar with, take mangos,
papayas and cauliflower, for example.
Knife for teacher to cut produce
Student Participation
Pass an uncut fruit or vegetable around the group
and have each child examine it closely. Have students think of words
that describe that fruit or vegetable, discuss how and where it’s
grown, if it has seeds or a pit, etc. Cut the fruit or vegetable and
continue exploration by observing the inside. Then taste it and enjoy!
To generate awareness of the variety of fruit
and vegetable products available at the supermarket.
Materials
Pencil
Notebook
Contact with produce manager of local supermarket to arrange for a tour
The 5 A Day Logo
Student Participation
Among other things, the supermarket tour will teach
students what’s available in the produce department, familiarize
them with prices of fruits and vegetables, and educate them about the
job of the produce department manager. When discussing the activity,
explain what the 5 A Day logo represents. Discuss considerate behavior
while in the supermarket. After the tour, have students split up in groups
of 5 and count how many times they see the 5 A Day logo in the produce
department and on fruit and vegetable packaging throughout the store.
Have them write down the different types of fruit and vegetable products
they find the logo on (e.g., juice, bag of potatoes, raisins, frozen
fruits or vegetables, ready-to-eat salads, canned fruits or vegetables).
Back in the classroom, have students discuss what they learned from the
tour and the many different products they found, emphasizing the variety
in selection available to meet their 5 A Day requirements.
To familiarize students with unfamiliar fruits
and vegetables and to make students aware of the many different flavors
available to satisfy everyone’s
tastes.
Materials
5 unusual fruits and vegetables (e.g. mango, star
fruit, jicama, kiwifruit, radicchio)
5 brown paper bags
Napkins
Contact your school foodservice director to arrange for taste samples
to be cut up or heated if necessary.
Student Participation
Without the students seeing,
place each fruit or vegetable in a paper bag and close it. Pass each
bag around the classroom.
Have students stick their hands in the bag and feel it. Discuss how the
produce feels: smooth, rough, hard, soft, bumpy, hairy, round, small,
large, etc. After each bag goes around, have students guess what they
think is
in the bag. Reveal the produce and then sample it. Discuss its taste
and feel in your mouth: sweet, sour, salty, juicy, crisp, hard, etc.
To teach students how to make more fruits and
vegetables available for themselves and their families.
Materials
Chalkboard or overhead projector to keep track of suggestions
Student Participation
In a classroom discussion, ask students how many
of them have easy access to fruits and vegetables. Ask students for suggestions
on how to make sure fruits and vegetables are available at home, at school,
and even when eating out. Or provide scenarios where fruits and vegetables
aren’t readily available and discuss how students can ask for more
of them. (For example, there’s never any juice at home for breakfast.
What can you do to make a change? You’re at a friend's house after
school and he/she asks if you want some chips for a snack. Will you offend
your friend if you ask for an apple?) Write down all the suggestions
and make copies for each student to take home and share with their parents.
Refer to the suggestions below to get started or to fill in if students
run out of ideas.
Ideas
Tell your parents which fruits and vegetables you enjoy
Help your parents put together the grocery list and incorporate produce
Go grocery shopping with your parents and be sure to stop at the produce
department
Encourage your school to have vending machines that provide 100% juice
instead of soda
Ask your parent if you can visit the local farmer's market together
Help your parents plant a small garden
Help plan weekly menus
Order juice instead of soda when eating out
Have a salad with your meal at the restaurant
Have fruit salad for dessert instead of sweets
Have a fruit basket fundraising event with your sports team instead of
a bake sale
To generate awareness of the variety of fruits
and vegetables available with an emphasis on how this makes it easy to
eat 5 A Day.
Materials
Various fruits and vegetables in various forms (e.g., oranges, carrots,
red peppers, strawberries, cucumbers, zucchini, apples, broccoli, raisins,
cauliflower, blueberries, grapes, etc.), or pictures of various fruits
and vegetables.
Student Participation
Arrange the fruits and vegetables on a table so
they’re easily visible by all. Divide the class into 4 teams. Assign
one of four categories to each team: color (blue/purple, green, white,
yellow/orange, and red) size, shape and texture. Have each team sort
the produce or pictures according to their category. Then, in a group
discussion,
have each team reveal what they grouped together and why. Ask the students
if they can think of other fruits or vegetables not represented in class
that would also fit their category. End the discussion by emphasizing
the variety of choices available to meet the 5 A Day guidelines. Stress
that
they will be getting the different nutrients their bodies need to grow
by incorporating variety in their diets. Also explain that frozen, canned
and dried fruits and vegetables add to the ease of eating 5 A Day.
To shed light on where fruits and vegetables
come from and experiment with growing and caring for plants.
Materials
For plant cuttings - a carrot, white potato, sweet potato or onion for
each student; containers for water (glass jar, milk container, etc.); toothpicks
For planting seeds - fruit or vegetable seeds, paper cups or milk containers
with top cut off, potting soil, plastic wrap
Student Participation
For plant cuttings - Have students mark their
names on the containers and then fill with them water. Place vegetables
in water
(point side down) and support with toothpicks so that the vegetable is
not completely submerged. Place all containers in a warm, dark place
and replenish water as necessary. As roots appear and the stems start
to grow
(about 10 days), place the plants in a sunny window and check every day
for new growth and leaves.
For planting seeds - Have students mark their names
on the cups and then fill ¾ of the way with potting soil. Place seeds approximately ½ inch
deep. Water and cover with plastic until sprouts appear. Remove the plastic
and keep the soil moist and in the sun. Continue to watch and discuss the
growth of the plants. If possible, transplant seedlings to an outside garden
at the appropriate time of the year or transplant into larger indoor containers.
To help students gain an understanding of fruit
and vegetable production and what takes place before the produce arrives
at the grocery store.
Materials
Contact local fruit orchard or vegetable farm to arrange for a field trip
or have the farmer be a special guest in the classroom.
Paper
Crayons or markers
Student Participation
Ask the farmer to discuss the details of his/her
job: what type of fruits or vegetables are grown, when seeds are planted,
how the farmer maintains the crop, when the crop is harvested, what happens
after harvest, how the crop gets to the grocery store, what takes place
in winter months, etc. Then have students draw a picture of something
they’ve learned about farming.
Increase the amount and variety of fruits and vegetables in students'
diets to one serving per day from each of the five color groups - blue/purple,
green, white, yellow/orange, and red.
Think about...
Educating and motivating parents to support the goal with a parent/student
activity
Increasing student and parent awareness of the importance of eating a variety
of colorful fruits and vegetables every day
Teaching students and parents the color code system for choosing a variety
of fruits and vegetables
Increasing awareness of gaps in fruit and vegetable consumption, and teach
parents and students ways to close these gaps
Have students identify the colors of fruits and
vegetables: blue, purple, green, white, yellow, orange, and red. Pass
out the 5 A Day The Color Way sheet. Notice that the colors in the first
row
have already been filled in for you. Refer to the back for groupings
of fruits and vegetables by color.
Discuss why there are so many differently
colored fruits and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables have hundreds of nutrients and phytochemicals that
help keep a person healthy.
Vitamins and minerals are nutrients.
“Phyto” comes from the Greek word for
plant, so phytochemicals are chemicals found only in plants.
Phytochemicals give plants their color and aroma. This means that blue
blueberries contain different phytochemicals than green spinach, and oranges
smell differently than onions
Discuss the benefits of eating 5 or more servings of differently
colored fruits and vegetables each day
Each fruit or vegetable has an individual mix of vitamins,
minerals and phytochemicals; and they work in different ways to help keep
a person healthy.
For instance, bananas contain the mineral potassium, which helps keep
blood pressure normal.
Red peppers contain vitamin C, which helps keep gums
healthy.
Grapes contain a phytochemical called Quercitin
that may help keep a person’s
heart healthy.
Some vitamins, like A and C, and many other phytochemicals are antioxidants.
This means they may help prevent disease.
Antioxidants work by gobbling up leftover parts of oxygen molecules (called
free radicals) before they can damage cells in the body that eventually
cause disease.
Fill in examples of fruits and vegetables in
each group on the 5 A Day The Color Way sheet. For more examples, see
back of the 5 A Day The Color
Way sheet
Blue/Purple
Purple Asparagus, Purple Belgian Endive, Blackberries, Black
currants, Black Salsify, Blueberries, Purple Carrots, Dried Plums, Eggplant,
Elderberries, Purple Figs, Purple Grapes, Purple Peppers, Plums, Purple
Potatoes, and Raisins
Green
Green Apples, Artichokes, Arugula, Asparagus, Avocados, Green
Beans, Broccoli, Broccoli Rabe, Brussels Sprouts, Green Cabbage, Celery,
Chayote Squash, Chinese Cabbage (Napa/Bok Choy), Cucumbers, Endive, Green
Grapes, Honeydew Melon, Kiwifruit, Leafy Greens, Leeks, Lettuce, Limes,
Okra, Green Onion, Peas, Green Pears, Green Pepper, Spinach, and Zucchini
White
Bananas, Brown Pears, Cauliflower, Dates, Garlic, Ginger, Jicama,
Mushrooms, White Nectarines, Onions, Parsnips, White Peaches, White Potatoes,
Shallots, and Turnips
Red Apples, Beets, Blood oranges, Red Cabbage, Cherries, Cranberries,
Pink/Red Grapefruit, Red Grapes, Red Onions, Red Pears, Red Peppers, Pomegranates,
Red Potatoes, Radicchio, Radishes, Raspberries, Rhubarb, Strawberries,
Tomatoes, and Watermelon
Have each student take the 5 A Day The Color Way sheet home and spend
three days recording the fruits and vegetables they eat in the appropriate
color column. Review the gaps and have students work with their parents
on a plan to fill in the gaps with the missing fruits or vegetables. For
example, add a banana to your cereal at breakfast or snack on an ice pop
made from purple grape juice. Share these ideas with the class. Vote on
the best ideas and sample them.
