Teaching with TrueFlix
Creating healthy habits and making sure we make wise decisions regarding what we eat is something that takes time, thought, and consistency. But building good habits can yield great results, and now is the perfect time to do it during National Nutrition Month. The TrueFlix unit on Healthy Eating, part of the all new Health category, provides students with clear explanations of the food groups, examples of healthy habits, and a brief history of healthy eating, including the true story of a US Army surgeon who made great discoveries in how our stomachs work by studying a patient who had a hole in his stomach left from a rifle wound. Of course, students don't need to go to these extremes to experiment on the effects of a healthy diet. But it sure makes for a history lesson they won't soon forget!
A Multitude of Media
Chances are the information your students already know about eating healthy will vary from student to student. Habits such as staying hydrated, being active, selecting healthy snacks, and balancing your plate representation across all food groups are all key things we want students to know but some need emphasis of certain topics more than others. Providing your students with the option to explore what information each feels is most relevant to him or her can help to personalize the learning and create more lasting connections with the information explored. In addition to the articles provided through the Explore More tab, let's highlight two excellent resources found under Explore the Web for meeting this need with students:
1.  KidsHealth hosts a wide collection of over 80 articles under the Staying Healthy category, grouped into four subcategories: Keeping Fit & Having Fun, Being Good to My Body, Fabulous Food, and Wondering About Weight. The article on School Lunches is particularly interesting. These articles are written specifically for readers in grades 3-5 and many include videos, like the fantastic How to Read a Nutrition Facts Label. The articles link to related content on the site and include a text reading feature for those who prefer to read along with a narration.
2.  KnowItAll.org includes plenty of engaging videos on a variety of health topics hosted on this site that are geared specifically for students in grades 3-5. A filtered list is available here, but providing time for students to explore based on their own questions and information needs can help support a classroom environment built on collaborative sharing and inquiry.
Project Idea
One easy-to-do way to track healthy eating is to keep a food journal. Begin by having students work as a group to name all of the things they have eaten in the past day or two. Sort the items listed into the categories represented on ChooseMyPlate.gov, including Fruits, Vegetables, Grains, Proteins, and Dairies. Have students track what they eat and drink over the next school week, sorting the foods into each category and identifying foods such as trans fats that can be reduced over time. At the end of the week, have students analyze the data they gathered about their weekly eating habits. You can print out a Daily Checklist that can be copied for the students in your classroom and glued to the front of the food journal to help remind students of their food goals for each category. Have students set healthy eating goals that they can track over the course of the month based on simple questions such as, Did I eat enough fruit today?, Were a variety of colors represented in the vegetables I ate today?, or How many cups of water did I have today? These goals are easily manageable and can help students on the way to developing healthy eating habits.
Matthew's Tip of the Month
It's difficult to talk about food and eating without talking about food allergies. Understanding allergies may be difficult for those who do not have to manage food allergies daily. Thankfully, the Trueflix Allergies unit in the Health category can answer a lot of questions and can also help students build empathy for those classmates who may suffer from life-threatening food allergies. Be considerate in your discussions of food choices and consider where you may be able to offer up food alternatives for those who have allergies. Better yet, invite those students with food allergies to share their own food experiences with classmates. Government regulations for labeling food and for identifying how foods are processed and produced in factories aid those with food allergies in particular. It is important to understand that cross contamination can affect allergies even if the food does not directly contain allergens. And from that understanding, students can help determine safe food handling practices at snack and in the lunchroom to be sensitive to those with food allergies.
- Matthew Winner -
Library Media Specialist & TrueFlix Ambassador
UPCOMING WEBINAR DATES
Learn more about getting the most out of TrueFlix by attending one of our monthly online training sessions.
Thursday, March 9, 2017
5:00 pm to 6:00 pm EST
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
12:00 to 1:00 pm EST
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