LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

La comida y la salud

Focuses on food and health using the food pyramid in Spanish. Students consider food choices and share food likes and dislikes. This lesson should be used after introducing food vocabulary and me gusta.

A lesson plan for grades 6–8 Second Languages

By Alison Yount

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Learning outcomes

Students will:

  • use food vocabulary to draw and label a food pyramid in the target language
  • write a short paragraph comparing and contrasting healthy and unhealthy food choices in Latin American and the United States
  • present food pyramids by using the target language to share their likes and dislikes

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

90 minutes

Materials/resources

  • Materials for student use to create food pyramids such as construction paper, colored pencils, markers, and crayons.
  • Example of food pyramid (PDF). Teacher could choose to make this into an overhead transparency for easier viewing or give a paper copy to each student.

Technology resources

Overhead projector if teacher decides to use a transparency of the food pyramid.

Pre-activities

Teacher begins with a brainstorming session of healthy and unhealthy food choices to stimulate students prior knowledge. Teacher writes two columns on the board, one labeled Comida Buena Para la Salud and the other Comida Mala Para la Salud. As students give different foods from their vocabulary, teacher has them decide whether the food is good for your health or bad for your health and writes the words in the target language (Spanish) in the appropriate columns. Teacher then initiates a class discussion about whether the foods already learned are typical of the United States, Latin America, or both.

Activities

  1. Teacher shows the example of the food pyramid and asks students how the food pyramid would be labeled in the target language.
  2. Teacher writes the names of the food groups in the target language on the board or overhead.
  3. Teacher explains that students will draw and label their own food pyramids in the target language using prior vocabulary.
  4. Teacher explains that after drawing the pyramids, students will write a short paragraph telling what foods are healthy choices and what foods are not healthy choices. Teacher models and writes sentences that can be used for paragraphs.
  5. Students draw pyramids, label food groups, and draw and label food.
  6. Students write paragraphs comparing and contrasting healthy and unhealthy food choices.
  7. Teacher models me gusta and no me gusta using the food from the vocabulary to share likes and dislikes.
  8. Students present their pyramids and share their likes and dislikes using me gusta and no me gusta for at least one of the food items in each food group.

Assessment

Teacher will use the attached rubric to assess grammar, content, pronunciation, and clarity in student presentation of food pyramids.

Teacher will assess student’s completed food pyramid for correct placement of vocabulary, spelling, and overall neatness.

Teacher will assess student’s completed paragraph for correct usage of vocabulary, grammar, and overall congruence of paragraph.

Supplemental information

Comments

This lesson is designed to last two class periods (about forty-five minutes each). The first day would likely end with the students writing the paragraphs and the second day could continue with a brief recap of what had happened the day before and then pick up with the modeling of me gusta.

This lesson plan was created as a result of the 2004 Second Language Standard Course of Study Regional Workshop hosted by the Southwest Education Alliance March 7–8, 2005.

North Carolina curriculum alignment

Second Languages (2005)

Grade 6–8 — Continuing Sequence

  • Goal 1: INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION - The learner will engage in conversation, express feelings and emotions, and exchange information and opinions orally and in writing in the target language.
    • Objective 1.03: Share likes and dislikes, feelings and emotions with each other giving supporting information orally and in writing.
  • Goal 3: PRESENTATIONAL COMMUNICATION -The learner will present information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics in the target language.
    • Objective 3.02: Recombine known language to produce personalized statements.
  • Goal 5: COMPARISONS - The learner will develop insight into the nature of language and culture by comparing his/her own language(s) and culture(s) to others.
    • Objective 5.06: Continue to develop an appreciation for cultural differences by comparing patterns of behavior or interaction in various cultural settings including his/her own.
    • Objective 5.07: Demonstrate an awareness of his/her own culture based on comparisons of sample daily activities in the target cultures and his/her own culture.