NE in Reading/Writing

Healthy Role Modeling in Language Arts Classrooms

This week, well explore how nutrition education and physical activity can be incorporated into language arts classrooms. This could include subjects such as reading, writing, and at the high school level, even foreign language classes and any other that fall into the language arts category.

Ask participants if any of them can think of examples of times that nutrition education or physical activity have been incorporated into their language arts curriculum. Encourage sharing of ideas from those that have already included this in their lessons.1Including Nutrition Education

Food is an integral part of nearly every culture on the planet. Because of this, it is inevitable that food makes it into our literature as well. There are plenty of ways to include simple healthy nutrition concepts into language arts and reading lessons.

2Nutrition Education in Reading/Writing - PreschoolStorytelling through picturesGather nutrition-related books for story timeUse healthy foods to teach the alphabet:N is for NoodlesO is for OrangeP is for Peaches

Just like with math, there is little actual reading and writing going on in preschool classrooms; however, the foundations of written language are laid in preschool years as students learn basic concepts. And just like math, these basic concepts provide plenty of opportunities to teach and learn about nutrition.

There are lots of ways to include nutrition education as young children begin to explore language.

Instruct children to draw pictures of healthy foods, eating healthy foods, or mealtime with family members. Students may do a series of pictures to tell a story about eating healthy foods, or you could keep the activity short and ask students to just draw one picture. Compile the drawings into a class book about food. Consider taking photos of preschoolers eating healthy foods at meal and snack time and including these photos in the book as well. Look at the book together as a class, and share with parents when they drop off or pick up their kids.

Work with your local community or school librarian to gather nutrition-related books for story time. Encourage discussion among preschoolers when applicable: Would you taste that? Have you ever tried this? What does this taste like? What color is that? What food group does this belong to? etc. Refer participants to the handout Childrens Books About Nutrition.

When learning the alphabet, relate the letters to different healthy foods, when you can. A few examples include N is for Noodles O is for Orange and P is for Peaches. If students seem to be interested or curious about a certain food (especially foods that might be a little unusual like squash or zucchini), consider including it in a snack or meal that week. 3Lets give it a try!Compiling an Alphabet Book of Healthy FoodsAssign each person a letter of the alphabet. Write the letter and draw a picture of a healthy food beginning with that letter.This activity can be continued over several weeks until all letters of the alphabet are used. Compile all the pictures into a book.Have the class decide what should be on the cover of the book and then read it together!Discuss each food and what food group it belongs in.Lets practice a nutrition activity that you can do with your students. Pass out a blank sheet of paper to each participant and distribute coloring tools- crayons, markers, colored pencils, etc.

Read directions from the PowerPoint slide, explaining that we will by trying this activity together as a group.

Assign each participant a letter of the alphabet (may not have enough participants to do the entire alphabet, or if you have too many, assign the same letter to more than one person). Participants must write the letter on their sheet of paper and then draw a picture of a healthy food beginning with that letter. If participants receive a difficult letter, like u, they may select a food with that letter in its name, like jUice, or they may be assigned another letter. When participants are finished, gather the papers, put them in alphabetical order, and flip through the book together! Discuss each food and what food group it belongs in. 4

Nutrition Education in Language Arts Elementary SchoolLearn the concept of sequencing. How is that food made? Creative writing- have students write a folk tale about a favorite, healthy foodCreate a class book about food Healthy food book reports

One of the best resources you have in your school is your librarian. If your own school library is small or has a limited selection, work with your librarian to contact other school libraries, your community library, or another library in the state. There is actually a statewide library network in Kansas, and most local libraries can connect to this excellent resource.

Work with your librarian to gather books that explain how a product is made. Read these books as a class and use this opportunity to introduce the concept of sequencing. Then have students choose a particular food product and research how it is made OR choose a favorite food and explain how to prepare that food. Discuss whether or not these foods are healthy choices. For foods that are not healthy, discuss ways to make these foods healthier (reduce salt or fat, serve smaller portions, add more vegetables, etc.).

Have students pick a healthy food that they enjoy and then ask them to write a folk tale about that food. This allows children to use their imaginations as well as their taste buds. Some possible examples could be how the peas got their pod or how the banana got its yellow color.

As a class, you can prepare a book about healthy foods. This could be a compilation of students favorite foods, recipes, information about fruits and vegetables from different states, etc. Share the class food book with parents during parent-teacher conferences and/or open house activities.

If youre teaching students how to write a book report, opt for a book about a nutritious food. Work with your librarian to gather books about healthy foods, how foods are grown, nutrition, etc. and have students pick a topic or assign topics to one or more students.

Refer participants to the handout Childrens Books About Nutrition.5Elementary School, cont.Use nutrition concepts as spelling/vocabulary wordsPractice alphabetizing with a list of healthy foodsHave students to prepare an oral report on one of the food groups

In addition to the different reading and writing assignments, nutrition education can also be included in activities like spelling and alphabetizing, or to teach skills like comparing and contrasting and making presentations. Some examples of relatively simple ways to inject nutrition education into your classroom lessons are:Use nutrition concepts as spelling/vocabulary words (i.e. moderation, plate, variety, calorie)Have students practice alphabetizing with a list of healthy foodsInstruct students to prepare an oral report on one of the food groups from MyPlate.

Remember to focus on healthy foods in these activities. Fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products and lean proteins should be in the spotlight. Work with your school foodservice director whenever possible to connect the foods that students learn about and discuss in your classroom with the kinds of foods that are offered in your schools cafeteria at breakfast and lunch.6Nutrition Education in Language Arts Middle/High SchoolTeach different writing styles:PersuasiveInformativeDescriptiveImpromptu/Extemporaneous

Take this opportunity to learn and apply different styles of writing to the nutrition education subject.

Have students write a persuasive piece related to nutrition education. Possible topics could include encouraging their peers to consume healthier foods at lunch, convincing administration to put healthier foods in the vending machines, building support for a salad bar in the cafeteria, etc. These could be presented to the schools administration, students, and teachers.

Have students write an informative piece on the benefits of healthy nutrition. This could include the impact on a persons body, a persons mind, their external appearance, their ability to complete physical activity, etc.

Write a descriptive piece about a favorite healthy food or meal.

You could even test students nutrition knowledge by asking them to write or present an impromptu, extemporaneous piece about nutrition at school, at home, or even as a nation.7Middle/High School, cont.Compare and contrast a healthy diet with an unhealthy dietInstruct students to prepare an oral report on a current nutrition topic Have students create an ad for healthy food

You can also compare and contrast a healthy diet with an unhealthy diet, including the components, like foods and portion sizes, and the effects, like high cholesterol, increased blood pressure, weight gain, clogged arteries, etc.

Instruct students to research and present information about a current nutrition topic (such as functional foods, heart-healthy foods, healthy beverages vs. unhealthy beverages, soy foods, fad diets, an important nutrient in one of the foods groups, etc.). Nutrition is always in the news, so there is no shortage of possible topics including functional foods, heart-healthy foods, soy foods, fad diets, etc.

Look through magazines for food advertisements and discuss them. Have students create their own ad for a healthy food.

8Including Physical Activity

Physical activity certainly isnt the first thing that comes to mind when you think reading and writing class but there are still opportunities to get kids thinking about, and participating in physical activity during Language Arts classes.

9Physical Activity in Reading/Writing - Preschool Ask for help from your local school or community librarianInstruct students to draw pictures of their favorite physical activity Letter scavenger huntExamples:Find something in the room that starts with the letter CFind something that has an uppercase (capital) letter A written on it

As young children are learning language basics, physical activity can be incorporated into lessons such as letter recognition.

Ask your school or community librarian to help you identify childrens books that discuss or include physical activity. If possible, read the stories to the children as a group and then have children act out the different activities as theyre happening.

Instruct students to draw pictures of their favorite physical activity and compile them into a class book. Look at the book together and discuss different types of physical activity.

You could also use letters, words, or their sounds in a scavenger hunt format with your youngsters to get them learning and moving. Children can look for items that start with a certain letter, items that have a certain letter written on it, or even items whose names have a certain sound (like the mmmm sound in milk, or the zzz sound in zipper). 10Lets Try It! Time for Letter Line-Up!

cat

Okay, lets try an activity. This one is called Letter Line Up and its a great way to get everyone up and moving while you work on letters, spelling, and even writing. Start with a word. You can say it, write it, or both. Ask children to spell it back to you, naming each letter. As they name each letter, they must do one of three actions:If the letter sits on the line, like the c and the a in the word cat, children bend down a little bit like theyre in a half-squat. If the letter goes above the middle line, like the t in the word cat, children will stand up straight and put their arms in the air. If the letter dips below the line, like the letter g children will squat low and touch the floor.

Okay, now lets give it a try with this example word cat. Everyone stand up! Lets spell this word together while doing the actions. Ready? C *bend down a little bit into a half squat*, A *stay in that half squat*, T *stand up and put your arms in the air.* Great!

Lets try another one.11Let Line Up, cont.Lets try another example

play

Now were going to spell the word play. Is everyone ready? Here we go! P *everyone squat down and touch the floor*, L *everyone stand up straight and lift arms up into the air*, A *everyone duck down into a half squat*, Y *everyone squat down and touch the floor.*

Phew! Great job everyone! Lets try one more!12Letter Line Up, cont.Are you ready???

physical activityHa-ha! I hope youre ready! P *squat down and touch the floor*, H *stand up and reach into the air*, Y *squat down and touch the floor*, S *duck into a half squat*, I This one is tricky! You can either say that its on the line, or that it goes over the middle line because of the dot at the top, lets say that its over the line so everyone stand up straight and reach your hands into the air! *perform motion*, C *duck into a half squat*, A *stay in that half squat*, L *stand up straight and reach into the air.* Phew! We get a little break with the space between the letters. Here we go with the word activity. A *continue to spell the word activity and run through the appropriate motions with participants.*

Obviously these words are longer, and probably more advanced than words that youd be using for your preschoolers, but I wanted to do this to show you that this can be done with shorter words as well as longer words. It can also be done with sentences, childrens names, etc. Its a pretty good workout too!

Older and more advanced children may be able to do this activity without seeing the letters written down, but you may need to write down letters and point to them as you go through this activity with younger children.13Physical Activity in Language Arts Elementary SchoolWrite stories or poems about their favorite sport or activityCreate a class book about physical activityHave your librarian assist you in obtaining physical activity related books for students to readUse exercise concepts as spelling/vocabulary wordsGive each student a physical activity related word and time them to see how fast they can line up in alphabetical orderConsider asking students to write a short story, paragraph or poem about a favorite sport or activity.

As a class, create a book about physical activity (this could incorporate narrative stories, sequencing to explain how a certain game/sport is played, a checklist of rules and equipment, etc).

Work with your school librarian to find books about physical activity that are suitable for class lessons, or to have available for students to read during free time (or reading time).

You can also utilize physical activity terms and information when teaching other concepts like comparing and contrasting of things. For example, you could ask students to compare similarities between soccer and softball (both are team sports, both use a ball, both involve running, etc.) and then ask them to contrast the differences between those same sports (softball players hit the ball with a bat, soccer players hit the ball with their feet, you can touch a softball with your hands but cant touch a soccer ball with your hands, etc.).

You can even take physical activity words and turn them into spelling and vocabulary words (i.e. duration, intensity, sedentary)!

For younger elementary students learning how to alphabetize a list, give each student a word related to physical activity, each starting with a different letter of the alphabet and have them line up in order. Use a timer to see how fast the class can do it.14Elementary School, cont.Sequencing/following directionsActivity breaksJump for HomophonesTo, too, twoThere, their, theyreIts, its

Have students work in pairs or small teams to write sequences for different physical activities (examples could be walking, throwing a baseball, kicking a soccer ball, etc.). Then one at a time, the students read their instructions and the other student(s) in the group must follow the directions and try to guess what activity theyre doing.

Take short activity breaks to break up long spans of sitting time. This is especially helpful during reading time when kids may begin to get antsy, sleepy or daydream. Watch for signs that students need a break and then get everyone up. If its a nice day, try taking a quick 5-minute walk around the outside of the school. If youd prefer to keep students in the classroom, take 3-5 minutes to let students stand up and stretch.

Try putting a physical activity twist on a potentially-tedious lesson. One example of this could be to Jump for Homophones. Instruct students to do a certain movement for each word (for example, to could signal crouching down, too could be jumping up and down, and two could be holding up two fingers, like a peace sign), then read a sentence aloud to students and have them perform whatever movement they think is appropriate. A sentence like I like to eat apples should have students crouching down, but a sentence like, I have an apple too! should have students jumping up and down. 15Physical Activity in Language Arts Middle/High SchoolTalk/Write about itWrite about an Olympic event, the most challenging sport/hobby theyve ever tried, etc.Develop physical education presentations for peers or younger students.Compare and contrast being physically active with being sedentary.Write a research paper on an unusual sport, high-energy hobby, or emerging trend in sports/activities. The easiest way to incorporate healthy messages into your language arts and foreign language classes is to start talking about it. Use health and wellness themes for writing assignments, presentations, and exercises like comparing and contrasting.

Some examples of assignments to get students thinking about being physically active include:Write about an Olympic event, the most challenging sport/hobby theyve ever tried, etc.Develop physical education presentations for peers or younger students.Compare and contrast being physically active with being sedentary.Write a research paper on an unusual sport, high-energy hobby, or emerging trend in sports/activities.

16Middle/High School, cont.Then get moving!Act it out!Vocabulary Word RelayPlay This or ThatIn foreign language classes, have students work in groups to write out a list of actions (individual words or phrases) to complete using vocabulary words. Instruct students to read their list of actions out loud while another group listens and then must act them out (sample actions could be simple phrases like walk to the door look out the window or pick up the green book).

Language arts classes or foreign language classes can play Vocabulary Word Relay! Write weekly vocabulary words on cards or type them onto pieces of paper. Do the same with prefixes and suffixes of words, and possibly even some individual letters so that students can build different words. Students, in small groups, must go one-at-a-time to pick up the correct word, prefix, suffix, etc. from a table of word cards across the room. To make this a little more challenging for older students, read only the definition of a word and then provide a word form like a verb, adjective, etc. The goal is for students to work together to build the correct word in its correct form.

The same This or That game that weve discussed for other subject areas can also fit into language arts and foreign language classes. Designate different areas of the room as different answers about a story, as before or after, singular or plural etc. Ask questions about chapters from a book students were assigned to read, vocabulary words, etc. and instruct students to get up and go to the side of the room that represents the correct answer. Be sure to discuss answers with students before moving on to the next question.

For more ideas, refer participants to the handout Sample Language Arts Energizers for Middle School.17