Nutrition Unit Plan 
for Sixth Graders

Nutrition Knowledge is the      to Good Health

Introduction

·                    1 in 5 children in the United States are overweight.    

·                    One extra soft drink a day gives a child a 60% greater chance of becoming obese.

·                    Childhood obesity has increased since the 1960's by 54% among children ages 6 to 11 and 39% among children 12 to 17 years of age.

·                    Excess weight in childhood and adolescence has been found to predict overweight for adults. Children with obesity, age 10 to 13, are reported to have a 70% likelihood of obesity persisting into adult years

Between 5-25 percent of children and teenagers in the United States are obese. According to data from the American Obesity Association, obesity among children is on the rise. “Diabetes, hypertension and other obesity-related chronic diseases that are prevalent among adults have now become more common in youngsters. The percentage of children and adolescents who are overweight and obese is now higher than ever before. Poor dietary habits and inactivity are reported to contribute to the increase of obesity in youth.”
American Obesity Association: Obesity in Youth
http://www.obesity.org/subs/fastfacts/obesity_youth.shtml

Description:  Young people are bombarded by food issues–what to eat, where to eat, and how to eat.  This unit will enable 6th graders to make better food choices on a daily basis. The purpose of the lessons is for students to gain knowledge about nutrition, their bodies and how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Additionally, students will use technology to design educational materials including a PowerPoint presentation and a printed brochure.

Prior knowledge:  Conducting Online Research

Follow Up:  Identifying physical activities that contribute to maintaining or improving the components of health related fitness (strength, endurance, flexibility).

Unit Goal:  Students will demonstrate the ability to apply knowledge to areas of nutrition for healthy growth, development, and maintenance.

Specific Unit Outcomes:

•     Students will demonstrate the ability to develop and implement goals for healthful eating habits.

•     Students will define common terms on food labels to be able to determine whether the food has a little or a lot of certain nutrients.

•     Students will demonstrate the ability to make healthy food choices in accordance with the USDA guidelines as presented in the Food Guide Pyramid.

•     Students will differentiate between nutritious and non-nutritious fast food choices.

Site by Suesan Sullivan, UNCW MIT Student
Last Update 10/20/06
©2006

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