Investigating Healthy Snacks Lesson Plan

kids with food, healthy and not
Photo © Peter Dazeley Getty Images
  • Title: Investigating Healthy Snacks
  • Goal/Key Idea: The overall goal of this lesson is for students to understand that eating foods that are low in fat is important for their overall good health.
  • Objective: The learner will analyze snack foods to determine if they are high in fat as well as identify snack foods that are low in fat.

Materials

  • Brown Paper
  • Pencils
  • Oil
  • Grocery ads

Science Words

  • Fats
  • Oils
  • Snacks
  • Low-fat
  • High-fat

Anticipatory Set: Access Prior Knowledge by asking students to respond to the question, "Why do you think people need to eat healthy snacks?" Then record their answers on chart paper. Refer back to their answers at the end of the lesson.

Activity One

Read the story "What Happens to a Hamburger?" by Paul Showers. After the story, ask students the following two questions:

  1. What healthy snacks did you see in the story? (Students may answer, pears, apples, grapes)
  2. Why do you need to eat healthy food? (Students may respond because it helps you grow)

Discuss how foods that are low in fat help you develop properly, give you more energy and contribute to your overall good health.

Activity Two/ A Real World Connection

To help students understand that oil contains fat and that it is found in many of the snacks that they eat, have them try the following activity:

  • Discuss what foods are high in fat and have a lot of oil.
  • Then have students write the word "oil" on a brown paper square (cut out several squares from a brown paper bag).
  • Then have students place one drop of oil on the paper.
  • Next, have them think of three snack foods that they like to eat and have them write these foods on three separate pieces of brown paper.
  • Then direct students to rub each paper with the snack name on it and wait a few minutes and observe the paper.
  • Tell students to hold their paper up to the light to see if the oil shined through the paper.
  • Have students compare each paper with the square with the oil, then record their data.
  • Have students answer the questions: How did the oil change the paper, and which snack foods contained oil? 

Activity Three

For this activity have students search through grocery ads to identify healthy snack foods. Remind children that foods that are low in fat are healthy, and foods that have a lot of fat and oil are unhealthy. Then have students write down five snack foods that are healthy and tell why they chose them.

Closure

Refer back to your chart on why do you think people need to eat healthy snacks and go over their answers. Ask again, "Why do we need to eat healthy?" and see how their answers have changed.

Assessment

Use an assessment rubric to determine the students' understanding of the concept. For example:

  • Did the student conclude what snack foods are low in fat and healthy?
  • Was the student able to distinguish different foods that were low in fat and high and in fat?
  • Did the student choose healthy snack foods?

Children's Books to Further Explore Eating Healthy Snacks

  • Nutrition written by Leslie Jean LeMaster: This book discusses our bodies' nutritional needs.
  • Nutrition: What's in the Food We Eat written by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent: This book discusses fats and talks about the food groups.
  • Healthy Snacks (Healthy Eating My Pyramid) written by Mari C. Schuh: This book discusses healthy snacks and how to eat healthy using the food plate guide.
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Your Citation
Cox, Janelle. "Investigating Healthy Snacks Lesson Plan." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/investigating-healthy-snacks-lesson-plan-2081797. Cox, Janelle. (2023, April 5). Investigating Healthy Snacks Lesson Plan. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/investigating-healthy-snacks-lesson-plan-2081797 Cox, Janelle. "Investigating Healthy Snacks Lesson Plan." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/investigating-healthy-snacks-lesson-plan-2081797 (accessed March 29, 2024).