COMPONENTS OF A LESSON PLAN

1. RATIONALE - According to the CDC, childhood obesity has risen from 7% to 18% from the years
1980 to 2012. The importance of nutrition and understanding the impact of foods in our bodies, is a
lesson that the students can use for a lifetime. And though they might not think they need to know
what is going into their bodies now because of what they see on the weight scale, understanding
nutrition is far more than whats on the scale. This nutrition unit plan will be a guide for the teacher
to teach the students how the digestive system works and what nutrients are most important for
your body and what organs they impact the most. This plan will also help the teacher teach
students to understand and analyze the difference between vegan and non-vegan diets, as well as
how to understand a nutrition label. The lesson plan will also include activities that better help
students understand the impact of other food substances, like sugar and cholesterol in foods and
drinks.
2. TARGET AUDIENCE - This plan will be taught to 6th grade students.
3. NEW JERSEY CORE CURRICULUM CONTENT STANDARDS- 2.1.6.B Eating patterns are
influenced by a variety of factors. 2.1.6.B.4 Compare and contrast nutritional information on similar
food products in order to make informed choices. 2.1.8.B Eating patterns are influenced by a
variety of factors. 2.1.8.B.1 Analyze how culture, health status, age, and eating environment
influence personal eating patterns and recommend ways to provide nutritional balance. 2.1.8.B.2
Identify and defend healthy ways for adolescents to lose, gain, or maintain weight.
4. TIME REQUIRED - 80 minutes
5. GOALS - Day 1: To teach students the digestive system and the difference between appetite and
hunger.
6. OBJECTIVES - Psychomotor: Students will be able to write/fill in the blanks on the digestive model
sheet as the teacher teaches the digestive model and what happens to the body's chemistry
before, during, and after food have been eaten. Cognitive: Students will be able to identify the
correct steps in which food is digested. Students will be able to analyze the difference between
appetite and hunger. Affective: Students will be able to complete a KWL chart with their peers by
talking and sharing ideas with one another. Students will complete a digestive model by using their
worksheets and sharing ideas and thoughts with their peers.

7. CONTENT - Students will learn the difference between appetite and hunger. Appetite is the
psychological craving to eat a desired food and hunger is the physical desire to eat food. Students
will also learn about the digestive system. Whether you are hungry or just craving a food, your
mind starts to water your mouth, these are the salivary glands preparing your mouth to
breakdown the food. Once the food is inside your mouth you begin to chew, this chewing and your
saliva work together to breakdown the food. Once swallowed with the help of the muscle the
tongue, the food goes down the esophagus and enters the stomach. Once in the stomach, gastric
juice (enzymes and acid) break down food even more prepping the food for absorption to the rest

of our body. While this is happening, the pancreas should be regulating our blood sugar levels. The
liver also plays a big role, creating bile helps the breakdown of fat in which this makes it easier to
absorb fat. From the stomach food is then passed to the small intestine (18 feet long). This is
where 90% of absorption takes place by villi. The body takes everything it needs to survive and
even more in the small intestine.After food is absorbed and the body no longer needs some of the
food, it turns into solid waste feces and that is made in the large intestine.
8. MATERIALS/PREPARATION 1 apron
Markers
Crayons
Copies of digestive worksheets
Index cards
Giant post it note chart
Pencils
Dry Erase markers
Dry Erasers
9. ACTIVITY/PROCEDURE (METHOD) - First, students will walk into class and attendance will be
taken. After attendance, students will complete a bellwork, the question is what do you think
nutrition is and what is it important to you? This will be written on the board. Students will have
time to write this in their notebook for 5 minutes. After students will stay at the desk groups and
complete a KWL chart. On the board, post one giant post it note, and make a T-chart with 3
columns. Each column will say either What do you KNOW about nutrition, what do WANT to know
about nutrition, and what have you LEARNED about nutrition?Teacher will hand out 1 giant post it
note to each table. And they will follow the same instructions to make their post it look just like the
teachers. The students will answer the first question, then the second question and the last
question What have the learned, will not be answered until the last part of class. Ask students
about what theyve written and lead a discussion of 10 minutes, whole activity will take about 25
minutes.
Next, after the KWL chart, teacher will instruct students to take an index card. Then write down 1
food or snack that you have eaten and write why you ate it. The board will be divided into 2
sections appetite and hunger. Students will then list their food as appetite and hunger. After
students will try to define appetite and hunger. Once weve reached a full definition of both, teacher
will ask if anyone would change their post it card to the other side. This will serve as an intro to the
digestive system.
The teacher will be wearing an apron that has a digestive model on it. And he/she will pass out
digestive system worksheets were the students will write in the blanks what happens at each organ
of the digestive system. The teacher will also have a digestive working model, that will actually
replicate what happens in each organ. Whether you are hungry or just craving a food, your mind
starts to water your mouth, these are the salivary glands preparing your mouth to breakdown the
food. Once the food is inside your mouth you begin to chew, this chewing and your saliva work
together to breakdown the food. Once swallowed with the help of the muscle the tongue, the food
goes down the esophagus and enters the stomach. Once in the stomach, gastric juice (enzymes
and acid) break down food even more prepping the food for absorption to the rest of our body.
While this is happening, the pancreas should be regulating our blood sugar levels. The liver also
plays a big role, creating bile helps the breakdown of fat in which this makes it easier to absorb fat.

From the stomach food is then passed to the small intestine (18 feet long). This is where 90% of
absorption takes place by villi. The body takes everything it needs to survive and even more in the
small intestine.After food is absorbed and the body no longer needs some of the food, it turns into
solid waste feces and that is made in the large intestine.Finally passes through the anus and
rectum and releases waste. Students and teacher will have 20 minutes to complete this activity.
10. EVALUATION Students will hand in their worksheets as evaluation unformal assessments.
11. ALTERNATIVE PLAN
12. References. http://oklahoma4h.okstate.edu/health/digest.pdf
file:///C:/Users/Flavio/Downloads/Model%20Curriculum%20(2).pdf
https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/obesity/facts.htm