Final Thoughts

I've learned a lot from this short 1 unit class.  I enjoyed learning the technical aspects of how to post, embed, create a grade book with excel, and etc.  I also enjoyed learning about how to think outside the box in regards to technology and social networking for teaching students in the classroom as well as communicating with parents and colleagues.  I think technology is a great tool to use if used appropriately and in conjunction with traditional mediums.  I particularly like wordle.com , polleverywhere.com, surveymonkey.com, blogger, the smart board, and facebook.  I would like to try to use these tools in my classroom in the future as well as other ones that I may find.  I think it is very exciting to learn about new ways to potentially enhance my teaching for my students.  Finally, it was very helpful that the class was very hands on and we got to play around with a lot of different functions. 

Final Project - Menu

Health education is becoming increasingly more important due to the increase in obesity and diabetes among children and adults.  Healthy children also equals greater academic success as well as less absences in schools.  This lesson aims to teach kindergarten students how to become "health literate" by learning how to identify and create healthy breakfasts, healthy snacks, and physical activities.   

1. Standards
2. Content Instruction
3. Lesson Structure
4. Rubric & Assessment of Student Performance
5. Technology
6. Evaluation Survey

Final Project - Technology

A smart board, a powerpoint presentation, and youtube videos will be used by the teacher to present information and lessons to the students.  The students will use a smart board to communicate and show understanding of what they've learned about identifying and creating healthy breakfasts, snacks, and physical activities.  Technology enhances the project and lesson by making it interactive and flexible for the students.  Students can go up to the smart board and drag pictures around to create healthy breakfasts, snacks, and physical activities.  Powerpoint and youtube also provides additional visuals for students who are more visual learners.

Next: Evaluation Survey
Previous: Rubric & Assessment of Student Performance

Final Project - Lesson Structure

Week 1:

• A picture collage of various foods and activities will be on a smart board.  If students see anything on the collage that they had for breakfast or activities they've participated in the past week, they can volunteer to go up to the smart board and circle the picture(s).

• The teacher will give a brief power point presentation about the different components of the food pyramid including grains, vegetables, fruits, milk, meat and beans, oils, fats and sugars, and exercise as mentioned in the content instruction section.  Limiting unhealthy and non-nutritious foods such as sugary cereal, bacon, cookies, chips, etc. as well as non-active activities such as watching television or playing video games will also be addressed.   

• The teacher will show a youtube video of various games and activities that promotes movement.  

• A picture of the new food pyramid along with the circled picture collage mentioned above, will be placed on a smart board.  As a class, we will drag the circled pictures of the different foods and activities into their place on the food pyramid.  The unhealthy and non-nutritious foods as well as non-active activities will also be addressed. 

• As a class, we will create a healthy breakfast, a healthy snack, and a healthy exercise routine for the day. A different picture collage of various foods and activities along with 2 empty plates and an empty box will be on a smartboard.  We will drag pictures from the picture collage onto the first empty plate to create a healthy breakfast, then to the second plate to create a healthy snack, and finally to the empty box to create a healthy exercise routine. 

• Each student will get a chance to create their own healthy breakfast, snack, or exercise routine on the smart board.

Each week:

• Each week as a class, we will compile a list on the smart board of foods and activities that students had for breakfast, for snack, and for activities they have participated in.

• Students will take turn going to the smart board and drag the items into their proper place on the food pyramid.

• The teacher will show a youtube video of a game that promotes movement that we can do as a class during recess or physical education time.
  

Next: Rubric & Assessment of Student Performance
Previous: Content Instruction

Final Project - Content Instruction

Students will learn about the different components of the new food pyramid in order to identify and create healthy and nutritious breakfasts, snacks, and physical activities.

The 5 food groups of the food pyramid:

• Grains (half should be whole grains): oatmeal, brown rice, bread, pasta, cereal, and tortillas.  
• Vegetables (go for dark green and orange colors): carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, spinach, and sweet potatoes.  
• Fruits (for juices, look for 100% juice): apples, orange, banana, grape, strawberry, and blueberry.  
• Milk (look for low fat or fat free): milk, yogurt, and cheese.  
• Meats and Beans (eat lean or low fat meats): chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, peanuts, and seeds.  

The food pyramid also includes: 

• Oils (not a food group but needed for good health): in fish, nuts, and cooking oils.
• Fats and Sugars:  limit solid fats and sugars including sugary cereal and juice.
• Exercise and Move (60 minutes a day):  walk, dance, bike, rollerblade, soccer, basketball, walk your dog, run, baseball, etc...

Next: Lesson Structure
Previous: Standards

Final Project - Standards

Kindergarten - Nutrition and Physical Activity
The following standards will be used to teach kindergarten students how to become "health literate".  

Content Standards (California Curriculum Standards)
1.1.N  Name a variety of healthy foods and explain why they are necessary for good health.
1.2.N  Identify a variety of healthy snacks.
1.3.N  Describe the benefits of being physically active.
1.4.N  Recognize the importance of a healthy breakfast.
5.1.N  Describe ways to participate regularly in active and enjoyable physical activities.
7.1.N  Select nutritious snacks.
7.2.N  Plan a nutritious breakfast.

Technology Standards
1.  Engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources.
2.  Promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes.
3.  Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.
4.  Develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress.
5.  Communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats.

Next: Content Instruction
Previous: Menu

Final Project - Rubric & Assessment of Student Performance

As my assessment of the students, each student will go up to the smart board and create their own healthy breakfast, snack, and exercise routine by dragging pictures of food and activities onto two empty plates and an empty box.

As my continued assessment each week, students will drag what they've had for breakfast, snack, and participated activities into their proper places on the food pyramid on the smart board.

Next: Technology
Previous: Lesson Structure