Lesson Planning of Balanced Diet and Its Importance Subject General Science Grade 4th

 

Lesson Planning of Balanced Diet and Its Importance

Subject General Science

Grade 4^th

Students` Learning Outcomes

• Differentiate between balanced and unbalanced diet.
• Suggest a balanced meal from the given list of food and give reasons to explain why each food was chosen?
• Explain the effects of unbalanced diet on health

Information for Teachers

• A balanced diet contains all food groups (carbohydrates, proteins, fats, minerals, vitamins and water) in right proportions according to the body needs.
• A balanced diet provides us the required energy, keep us healthy and help us in growth and repair.
  
• A unbalance diet does n`t contain any of the food group in right proportions.
• An unbalanced diet can cause problems in maintenance of body tissues (bones and muscles), brain functions, and growth.
• If there is not enough proteins in our diet, growth will be effected and the body will not be able to repair itself, wound will not heal properly.
• If we take more fat than required amount, that will be stored in our bodies and make us obese.

• Taking more meat whereas less vegetables and fruits for eating. It will cause the body disturbance and can result in many long term health problems.
• The food items in balanced diet depend on the requirements of the body. It is also related to age, health, gender and occupation of the person.

Material / Resources

Writing board, chalk / marker, duster, picture, chart of balanced diet, textbook

Introduction

• Ask students to let you know about food items in their dinner.
• Conduct a class discussion on food and its categories present in student’s dinner.
  
• Discuss what made their meals nutritious.
• Ask students to explain why some people are conscious about fats and sugar in their food?
• Inform them that eating to much fatty foods can lead to heart diseases in later life whereas, taking too much sugary food like cakes, biscuits, sweets, candies, chocolates and soft drinks can lead to dental caries.
  

Development

Activity 1

• Ask students to see the picture of balance diet from textbook.
• Discuss this picture with the students:

• By using reference food pyramid, ask:

1. What does it show?
2. Which food should we eat less? (Expected answer; Fatty food)
3. Which foods should we eat the most? (Expected answer; Carbohydrates and proteins)

• Conclude the discussion by mentioning the required amount of various food groups i.e. balanced diet.

Activity 2

• Draw following “Food Pyramid” on the board and discuss it with students.

• Ask students to make menu for whole day and choose suggested amount of different types of food from each group for breakfast, lunch and dinner meal.
• Draw picture in each meal (pictures from newspapers / magazines / stickers can also be used).
• Ask students to present their lists in front of the class.
• Ask them to explain whether their meal list is nutritiously balanced or not.

Types of Food	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner
Bread, Grains, Rice
Vegetables
Fruits
Milk, Yogurt, Cheese
Meat, Fish, Eggs
Fats, Oil, Salt, Sweet

Activity 3

• Ask students:
• Do you take a balanced diet?
• If yes, how can you show that your diet is balanced?
• If not, then how can we make your diet better and more balanced?
• Ask them to discuss briefly in groups to list some of the things they eat daily which aren`t good for them.
• Suggest what they should do and don`t to improve their diet.
• Draw a table on the board and ask students to identify the right and wrong actions for ensuring a balanced diet.

Action / Behaviors	Right	Wrong
Don`t eat spicy and crispy food daily.
Don`t take potato prathas instead of chips in lunch break.
In break time, eat one apple / banana instead of chocolate.
Don`t save money and buy snacks while going back to come from school.

Sum up / Conclusion

• Recap the importance of balanced diet with the help of picture / chart / book.
• The learning of the concept of balanced diet will lead to understanding the basic principles of hygiene.

Assessment

Activity

• Ask the students to draw a circle on paper and write the names of food items indicating balanced diet.
  
• Observe the balanced diet circles developed by students to assess their understanding.
• Observe students understanding by checking the home work assigned to them.
• Teacher is also required to involve students in solving the problems given in the exercise at end of unit / chapter.

Follow up

• The teacher should designed survey Per forma and ask students to distribute it to friends and family members to find out:

1. Which food people like to take most?
2. Which food people like to take less?

• Conclude, whether people lives in our surrounding are taking balanced / healthier diet or not.

Food Item	Image	How many people
Bread		Like	Dislike
Salad
Sweets
Milk
Eggs
Meat