My Pyramid
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Lessons for Grades 3 and 4
Find your loalanc<'lo<'tw<'<'n food and fun Fats and su9ars -~now yo~r limits
USDA - ~ - tv
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United States Department of Agriculture
Food and Nutrition Service FNS-385
September 2005
The U S Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and
activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability.
To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W,
Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call
(202) 720-5964 (voice or TDD) USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
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MyPyramid
for Kids
Food Math
Vary Your
Veggies and
Focus on Fruits
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Students identify Students listen as Students create Students categorize
the food groups the teacher reads cartoons based on lunchroom foods
that make up "A Conversation with "A Conversation according to the
MyPyramid for Pyramid Pal" aloud. with Pyramid Pal." food groups in
Kids and learn how During the story, MyPyramid for Kids.
much from each students answer ques-food
group they tions on the MyPyramid
should eat. for Kids handout.
Students discuss Using the Food Math Students create a A representative from the
the importance handout, students rap song about the school foodservice staff
of eating all the practice adding and importance of eating visits the classroom to
food groups and subtracting amounts all the food groups. discuss how they
calculate how much of food to meet the create balanced menus.
they need to eat recommended amount
from each food from each food group.
group to meet the
MyPyramid for Kids
recommendations.
Students learn Using the Steps to a Students research a Students review the
about the nutri- Healthier You handout, dark green or orange cafeteria lunch menu to
tional qualities of students learn about vegetable and create find the dark green and
vegetables and goal-setting as they an ad campaign for orange vegetables offered.
fruits and set goals think about ways to that vegetable. Groups Students develop signs
to eat more fruits add more fruits and perform their ad for to advertise these
and vegetables. vegetables to their diet. the class. vegetables to
other students.
A C:lose \.ook
at MyPyramidForl<i~s
MyPyramid for Kids reminds you to be physically active every day, or most days, and to make
healthy food choices. Every part of the new symbol has a message for you. Can you figure it out?
Be Physically Active Every Day
The person climbing the stairs reminds you
to do something active every day, like running,
walking the dog, playing, swimming, biking,
or climbing lots of stairs.
Choose Healthier
Foods From Each Group
Why are the colored
stripes wider at the
bottom of the pyramid?
Every food group
has foods that you
should eat more
often than others;
these foods are at the
bottom of the pyramid.
Grains Vegeta .. les
Make Choices That Are Right for You
MyPyramid.gov is a Web site that will give everyone in the
family personal ideas on how to eat better and exercise more.
Eat More From Some
Food Groups Than Others
Did you notice that some of the color
stripes are wider than others? The different
sizes remind you to choose more foods
from the food groups with the widest stripes.
Every Color Every Day
The colors orange, green,
red, yellow, blue, and purple
represent the five different food
groups plus oils. Remember
to eat foods from all food
groups every day.
Mil it 1!!11
liiilli
Take One Step at a Time
you do not need to change overnight
what you eat and how you exercise.
Just start with one new, good thing,
and add a new one every day.
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1
1
Table of Contents
Lesson 1: MyPyramid lor Kids
Lesson 2: Food Math
Lesson 3: Vary Your Veggies and Focus on Fruits
Reproducibles:
Lesson
Lesson
Lesson
• • • • • • • • • • • • •
MyPyramid lor Kids
Black-and-white handout
• • • • • • •
Steps to a Healthier You
• • •
---··----
Lesson Highlights
Objectives
Students will:
• Identify food groups and
how to get the right
amount of food from
each food group.*
• Review MyPyramid for
Kids to learn how they
should eat more from some
food groups than others.
*MyPyramid for Kids poster
illustrates an 1,800-calorie diet.
Some children may need more or
fewer calories. To find the amounts
that are right for an individual
child, go to MyPyramid.gov.
Curriculum Connections:
Language arts, Art
Student Skills Developed:
• Listening comprehension
• Writing
• Thinking skills - categorizing
Materials Needed:
• MyPyramid for Kids
classroom poster
• MyPyramid for Kids
black-and-white
handout for each student
Lesson 1:
MyPyramid lor Kids
Getting Started:
Hang the MyPyramid lor Kids poster on the wall so all students can
see it. Pass out the MyPyramid lor Kids black-and-white handout to
each student.
Activity: A Conversation with Pyramid Pal
This activity introduces students to MyPyramid for Kids concepts in a
fun way.
Read A Conversation with Pyramid Pal aloud. During the story, help
students answer the questions based on the teacher's talking points.
A Conversation with Pyramid Pal
Pyramid Pal: Hi. I'm the kid climbing the side of the pyramid on the
classroom wall. Did you notice that I'm running up the steps? That's
because I've got lots of energy from eating right and exercising a lot.
What do you do for exercise? On the steps (of the black-and-white
handout}, write the ways you stay active.
Pyramid Pal: Let's take a look at the MyPyramid lor Kids I'm
climbing, it's called MyPyramid for Kids because it's just for you.
Pyramid Pal: Look at the MyPyramid lor Kids poster on the wall.
Now wave at me. Come on, wave. If I weren't stuck on this poster, I'd
wave back. The poster shows how much food kids our age should eat.
Pyramid Pal: Do you know the food groups? Do you see the orange
stripe next to the steps? That's the grains group! Do you know what
grains are?
Teacher: Who can name the grain group foods illustrated on the
poster? Write the word "grains" in the box under the grain stripe on
your handout.
Pyramid Pal: Do you know what whole grains are?
Teacher: Whole wheat products are commonly eaten whole grains.
Examples of whole-grain foods include: whole-grain cereal, whole-wheat
bread, and oatmeal. Explain that just because a bread is brown,
it's not necessarily whole wheat. The only way to tell is to look at the
ingredient label. The first ingredient should read "whole wheat."
I
Pyramid Pal: My favorite whole grain is lowfat popcorn! Did you know it
actually turns itself inside out when it pops? It's yummy!
Pyramid Pal: The next color stripe is for vegetables. Some kids don't
get enough vegetables. Write the word "vegetables" in the box. It is
important to eat dark green and orange vegetables. Come on, name a few.
Teacher: Before reading the examples, let the students name their
favorite dark green and orange vegetables.
Pyramid Pal: I like broccoli, carrots, spinach, collard greens, sweet
potatoes, and pumpkin.
Pyramid Pal: See the red stripe? That's for fruits! Write the word "fruits"
in the box. I always put a fresh fruit in my backpack, and eat a piece of
fruit as a snack every day. Dried, frozen, and canned fruits are great too.
Did you know there is a fruit snack made from dried grapes? Can you
name it?
Teacher: Raisins
Pyramid Pal: The blue stripe is the milk group. Write the word "milk"
in the box. Did you know that foods in this group include more than just
the milk we drink? They are foods made from milk. Can you name a few?
Teacher: Yogurt pudding, cheese. Explain that calcium is important for
building strong bones. Students should consume the equivalent of three
cups of milk or other calcium-rich foods each day, emphasizing choices
that are lower in fat or fat-free.
Pyramid Pal: The last stripe on the right is meat and beans! Write
those words in the box below the meat and beans group. Meat and beans
provide protein, which is important in building muscles.
Teacher: Lean meat chicken, turkey, fish, nuts, beans, peanut butter, and
eggs are all from this group.
Pyramid Pal: OK. We're done with the food groups. No, you say?
What's that skinny yellow line up there between the fruits and milk?
Those are oils. Write the word "oils" in the long box. They are not a food
group, but everyone needs some. I get mine from nuts and seeds.
Teacher: Other good sources are fish and liquid oils such as olive, corn
soybean, and canola oil.
[J..
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- ----- -
Lunchroom
Link:
Look at the lunch menu for
today. Ask students into
which food groups each of
the items on the menu would
fit. You may need to explain
mixed foods, like hamburgers
and pizza, which fit in
several groups. (Pizza=
grain, milk. vegetable, meat)
Pyramid Pal: Why are some of the food groups bigger than others?
The wider color stripes show that you should eat more foods from those
groups and less foods from the groups with the narrower stripes. Put an
"X" in each of the three widest food groups. Which groups are the widest?
Teacher: Grains, vegetables, milk.
Teacher: Students should learn to eat healthier foods more often and
foods such as candy, potato chips, or French fries less often. Moderation
is represented by the narrowing of each food group from the bottom to
top. The wider base stands for foods with little or no solid fats or added
sugars. These should be selected more often. The narrower top area
stands for foods containing more added sugars and solid fats.
Pyramid Pal: Now look closer for some MyPyramid lor Kids secrets.
See how each of the color stripes is wider at the base of the pyramid and
narrower at the top? That's to remind you (and me, too) that the healthier
foods in each group are at the base of the pyramid. Those are foods low
in fat and added sugar. We should eat mostly those foods. Can you name
some?
Teacher: Whole-grain cereal, fruit, vegetables.
Pyramid Pal: See how the colored stripes are narrow at the top?
That's for foods that are high in fats and added sugars. These foods are
for eating once in a while.
Pyramid Pal: Here is a Pyramid Pal example. In the grain group, a slice
of whole-wheat bread is a healthy lowfat choice and is at the base of
MyPyramid for Kids, while a donut is a high-fat and a high-added-sugar
choice. I only eat these on special occasions. Then I run up and down the
stairs of MyPyramid for Kids a bunch of times! Draw a slice of bread at the
bottom of the grain group, and a donut at the top.
Pyramid Pal: Here's another Pyramid Pal example. In the vegetable
group, a baked sweet potato is low in fat and added sugar and great for
you any day. But French fries are high in fat. You should eat them only
once in a while.
Pyramid Pal: Thanks, kids. Hope you enjoyed Pyramid Pal's tour of
MyPyramid for Kids. I hope your teacher leaves me up here on the wall so
you can see me every day.
Group Activity: Pyramid Pal Cartoons
Have students work in groups to create Pyramid Pal cartoons in which
Pyramid Pal gives kids nutrition advice from MyPyramid for Kids. Students
can use the poster on the wall as background information. Display
cartoons around the room or in the lunchroom.
Lesson Highlights
Objective
Students will:
• Add and subtract fractions
as they calculate how much
of various food groups they
need to meet the MyPyramid
for Kids recommendations.
• Create a daily menu based
on the MyPyramid for
Kids recommendations.
• Discuss the importance of
eating fruits and vegetables.
Curriculum Connections:
Math, Language arts, Music
St dent Skills Developed:
• Math skills - adding and
subtracting fractions
• Creative writing
• Song development
Materials Needed:
• Food Math worksheet
for each student
• Paper and pencils to use in
creating their day's menu
• (Optional) Glass measuring
cup, cut raw fruits or
vegetables to fill
measuring cup to 1- cup line
• (Optional) Paper plate for
the fruits or vegetables.
Lesson 2:
Food Math
Getting Started:
Have students look at the MyPyramid tor Kids poster. Point out that
MyPyramid for Kids tells how much of each food group to eat; MyPyramid
for Kids gives the amounts for each day in ounces and cups. Grains and
meats are weighed in ounces. For example, a piece of bread is 1 ounce,
so is a cup of ready-to-eat breakfast cereal or one small tortilla. A small
chicken breast half is 3 ounces. Vegetable, fruit, and milk amounts are
given in cups. For example, one small apple, about 12 baby carrots, and
an 8-ounce glass of milk count as 1 cup equivalent.
You may want to help students understand what 1 cup of vegetables or
fruit looks like. Put food in a measuring cup, then pour out onto a paper
plate. Or, mention that a baseball is about the size of 1 cup and a small
computer mouse is 11z cup.
Ask students to estimate how many fruits and vegetables they eat in a
typical day. Point out that most students their age should eat more foods
from these food groups. They are high in nutrients.
Activity: Food Math
Have students work in pairs. Hand out the Food Matll worksheet.
Tell students they are going to choose foods they think would make
a healthy menu for a day for Jason. Their menu should include
breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack.
The menu they create must include the right amount of food from
all the food groups. For one day, that would be: 6 ounces of grains,
2 11z cups of vegetables, 111z cups of fruit, 3 cups of milk, and 5 ounces
of meat or beans. (This amount of food is based on 1,800 calories, the
estimated energy requirement for a moderately active 9- to 10-yearold.)
Before students begin work, review each of the food groups and
the amounts needed.
Have them write their menu on a sheet of paper including the
amount of food for each entry and the totals for each group along the
bottom of the sheet.
Discuss students' choices and have them check their math. Also
have students check to see whether half their choices from the grain
group are whole grains. Did they choose any dark green or orange
vegetables?
(Note to teacher: Food Math will help prepare students to play the
MyPyramid Blast-Off game on the enclosed CD ROM.)
Group Activity: Be Hip-Hop Healthy
Divide students into groups. Have each group write a rap (at least eight
lines long) about the importance of eating from all the food groups. Have
the group come up with movements that go along with their rap. Groups
should perform their raps for the entire class. Then post a written copy of
the rap on your bulletin board. (To help the students get started, you can
use the Power Panther™ songs on the enclosed CD ROM that have a
"hip-hop" beat.)
Lunchroom
Link:
Invite a staff member from
your school foodservice
program to talk about how
they create balanced menus
and determine the amount
of each food to serve.
(Have the students work
with the lunchroom staff
to plan a menu and then
announce over the PA
system when the menu
is served, recognizing the
students' efforts.)
Lesson Highlights
Objective
Students ill:
• Learn more about the
nutritional qualities of
fruits and vegetables.
• Brainstorm about ways they
can increase their intake
of fruits and vegetables.
• Set a goal of eating more
fruits and vegetables and
develop specific steps
to reach their goal.
Curriculum Connections:
Language arts
Student Skills Developed:
• Thinking and analysis
• Writing
• Setting goals
ate rials Needed:
• Steps to a Healthier You
worksheet for each student
Lesson 3:
Vary Your Veggies and Focus on Fruits
Activity: Vary Your Veggies and Focus on Fruits
Ask students if they eat fruits and vegetables every day.
Ask them to name the fruits and vegetables they usually eat.
Talk to students about the importance of fruits and vegetables.
Eating fruits and vegetables can help them be healthy.
Fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of many nutrients,
including vitamins A and C, potassium, and dietary fiber.
Most fruits and vegetables are naturally low in fat and calories
and do not contain cholesterol.
Vitamin A keeps eyes and skin healthy and helps to protect
against infections.
Vitamin C helps heal cuts and wounds and keeps teeth and
gums healthy.
Fiber keeps food moving through the digestive tract.
Dark green and orange vegetables are important to eat. See if
students can name some.
French fries, which make up one-fourth of all vegetables eaten by
elementary school students, are an exception. They are high in fat
and calories. A medium order of fries has 460 calories, more than
one-fourth the total daily calorie intake appropriate for most 8- and
9-year olds. A medium baked potato, however, has only about
100 calories.
Now pass out the worksheet, Steps to a Healthier You.
Have students review the goal of trying a new fruit and vegetable.
Ask students what vegetables and fruits they already enjoy.
Remember that dried, frozen, or canned fruits and vegetables
count, too.
Have students complete the worksheet.
Next, have students brainstorm some other ways they can eat more
fruits and vegetables. Add these to their worksheet.
Finally, complete the "Where and How" box.
Ask students to look at the worksheet to see which of the steps they could
take to meet their goal of increasing their intake of fruits and vegetables.
Have students circle on the worksheet the steps they plan to take. Point
out that small changes really add up. Once they try a new food and like it,
they can add it to the foods they eat regularly. That's how they can meet
their goal.
Note to teacher: Students may add additional ideas on the back of
their worksheet.
As students learn about goal-seHing, here are some points
to remember:
Success breeds success. Encourage children to set goals they can
accomplish. A child who usually chooses only corn and apple juice
might set a goal of trying one new fruit this week.
Take one step at a time. Children do not need to change overnight
what they eat. They can start with one new, good thing, and add a
new one every day.
Group Activity: Vegetable Ad Campaign
Have students create an ad campaign for a vegetable. Working in groups,
research a dark green or orange vegetable. (They can find information at
MyPyramid.gov.) Why is it a nutritious choice? Have students use their
creativity to create a poster and perhaps a TV ad - a jingle, a skit - that
they can perform for the class.
Lunchroom
Link:
Have students review the
lunch menu to find out
when dark green and
orange vegetables are being
served. Have them develop
signs for the serving line to
inform other students.
Also, coordinate with the
foodservice staff to offer a
vegetable/fruit tasting party.
Reproducibles
Lesson
..................... -~~""~
Lesson Food Math
• • • • • • • • :::::.::.::--,.. ,., ....
:: ·-- "":- Lesson Steps to a Healthier You -~ - ---
-- ~ - -·- --- - - - -- - -
Name:
Food Math
Jason is 9 years old. He's physically active sometimes. Each day, he needs to eat:
Grains Vegetables Fruit Milk Meat and Beans
6 ounces 21/z cups 11/z cups 3 cups 5 ounces
Help Jason decide what to eat today. Plan breakfast lunch, dinner, and a snack. Be sure he gets all
the food he needs from each group. lfood items may be selected more than once.)
Grains 6 ounces
_ 1 slice whole-wheat toast* II oz EQ.I
_ 5 whole-wheat crackers* 11 oz EQ.I
_ 1 slice white bread II oz EQ.I
_ 1 slice whole-wheat bread* II oz EQ.I
_ 1 cup whole-grain ready-to-eat
breakfast cereal* II oz EQ.I
_ 1iz cup cooked brown rice* II oz EQ.I
_ 1 cup cooked pasta 12 oz EQ.I
_ 1 hamburger bun 12 oz EQ.I
_ 3 cups lowfat popcorn* II oz EQ.I
Items marked with a * are whole-grain
Vegetables 2 1/z cups
_ 6 baby carrots* llfz cuP EQ.I
_ 3 spears broccoli* II CUP EQ.I
_ 1iz cup tomato juice (liz cuP EQ.I
_ 1 cup chopped lettuce 11iz cuP EQ.I
Items marked with a * are dark green or orange vegetables
Key: (1 oz EQ.) means (equals 1 ounce equivalent)
Fruits 11/z cups
_ 1 small apple or 1iz large apple II cuP EQ.I
_ l large orange II cuP EQ.I
_ l snack-sized container of peaches 11iz CUP EQ.I
_ l large plum 11iz cuP EQ.I
_ l small box raisins 11iz cuP EQ.I
_ 1 cup 100% orange juice II cuP EQ.I
_ 1 medium wedge cantaloupe (liz cuP EQ.I
_ 1 small wedge watermelon II cuP EQ.I
Milk 3 cups
_ 1iz cup lowfat or fat-free
cottage cheese (1/4 cuP EQ.I 8 _ 1 cup fat-free milk II cuP EQ.I
_ l snack-sized lowfat or fat-free yogurt 11iz cuP EQ.I
_ l half-pint container 1% or 2% milk II cuP EQ.I
_ 2 ounces of lowfat or fat-free American cheese II cuP EQ.I
_ 11iz ounces of lowfat or fat-free cheddar cheese 11 cuP EQ.I
_ 1liz cups light ice cream II cuP EQ.I
Meat and Beans 5 ounces
_ 1 ounce of nuts 12 oz EQ.I
_ 1 cup split pea soup 12 oz EQ.I
_ 1 small chicken breast half 13 oz EQ.I
_ 1 small lean hamburger 13 oz EQ.I
_ 1 hard-boiled egg II oz EQ.I
_ 1 tablespoon peanut butter II oz EQ.I
_ 1/4 cup of pinto beans II oz EQ.I
_ 1 slice of turkey II oz EQ.I
Name: M P mid
---------------------------------~~VG~S
Steps to a Healthier You
My Fruit and Vegetable Goals
Fruits
Circle the names of the fruits you have eaten:
mango papaya kiwifruit cantaloupe
star fruit pineapple strawberry blueberry
Other fruits I have eaten:
Write the name of a fruit you would like to try:
How will you eat this fruit? {Perhaps on cereat as a
snack, for dessert, with dinner, or on pancakes.)
Where and How
Vegetables
Circle the names of the vegetables you have eaten:
spinach collard greens sweet potato
broccoli jicama zucchini squash
Other vegetables I have eaten:
Write the name of a vegetable you would like to try:
How will you eat this vegetable? {Perhaps for a
snack, as a salad, with dip, or for lunch.}
I will try these foods by: asking my parents to purchase them, helping my parents prepare these foods,
choosing them from a restaurant menu, eating them from the school lunch menu, or eating them at a
friend's house.
Signature Date
Notes
MyPyram id'.,~;ds
MyPyramid.9ov
Oils Oils are not a food group, but you need some for good health. Get your oils from fish, nuts, and liquid oils such as corn oil, soybean oil, and
Find your balance between food and fun Fats and su9ars- know your limits
fiT l<IGI-IT
1 ake h If your graiPs whole Choose whole-grain foods,
such as whole-wheat bread, oatmeal, brown rice, and lowfat popcorn,
more often.
2 Vary your veggies. Go dark green and orange with your
vegetables-eat spinach, broccoli, carrots, and sweet potatoes.
3 Focus on fruits. Eat them at meals, and at snack time, too.
Choose fresh, frozen, canned, or dried, and go easy on the fruit juice.
4 Get your calcium-rich foods. To build strong bones serve
lowfat and fat-free milk and other milk products several times a day.
.5 Go lean with protein. Eat Jean or lowfat meat, chicken, turkey,
and fish. Also, change your tune with more dry beans and peas. Add
chick peas, nuts, or seeds to a salad; pinto beans to a burrito; or kidney
beans to soup.
6 Change your oil. We all need oil. Get yours from fish, nuts, and
liquid oils such as corn, soybean, canola, and olive oil.
7 Don't sugarcoat it. Choose foods and beverages that do not have
sugar and caloric sweeteners as one of the first ingredients. Added
sugars contribute calories with few, if any, nutrients.
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1 Be active and get your family to join you.
Have fun together. Play with the kids or pets. Go for a walk, tumble in
the leaves, or play catch.
2 g s i Track your
individual physical activities together and earn awards for active
lifestyles at www.presidentschallenge.org.
3 Ish a routin . Set aside time each day as activity timewalk,
jog, skate, cycle, or swim. Adults need at least 30 minutes of
physical activity most days of the week; children 60 minutes everyday
or most days.
4 a e a c 1 1 .y party. Make the next birthday party centered
on physical activity. Try backyard Olympics, or relay races. Have a
bowling or skating party.
.5 Set up a home gym. Use household items, such as canned
foods, as weights. Stairs can substitute for stair machines.
6 Move it! Instead of sitting through TV commercials, get up and
move. When you talk on the phone, lift weights or walk around.
Remember to limit TV watching and computer time.
7 Give activity gifts. Give gifts that encourage physical
activity-active games or sporting equipment.
US DEPOSITORY
PROPERTY OF THE LIBRARY
JUN 1 0 2008
University of North Carolina
at Greensboro
Home Economics and Household Collection
