Introduction

Frenchy Fry and his friends have been giving Granny Smith and her friends a hard time on the playground for awhile.  Frenchy Fry claims that he and his gang are better than Granny Smith and her gang because they taste better and more people prefer them over her. Frenchy's gang consists of his friends Potato Chip, Kandy Barr, and Fizzy Soda.  Granny's gang is made up of her friends Carrot Top, Betty Spagetti, and Milky White.  It will be your job to help them resolve their confict and compromise their differences.  Each of you will have a role in your groups and you will try to resolve this conflict by getting information about each group.

The Task

For this activity you will be creating a Balanced meal based on the research you do.  Your meal should include:

• a list of selected foods
• each food item should be from a different food group listed on the Food Pyramid
• an explanation for your choices of food
• and discuss what you found out about each group and whether or not it is okay to eat junk food on an occasion. 

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The Process

1. Your teacher will divide the class into groups of 3 and each student will select a role.
   
2. Each student will select one of three roles - a mediator and two investigators.
   
3. Using the resources listed below, one investigator will research Frenchy's group and the other investigator will research Granny's group.
4. The mediator will research the different food groups and learn information on all of them and come up with a way to compromise.
5. Once everyone has researched the information they needed, the group will share their research and create a meal based on what they found.
6. When creating the meal, you will think of explanations for your choice of food.
7. After each group has completed the assignment, they will present it to the class and discuss how they compromised each group of food.
8. When discussing your compromise, you will explain to the class  when it is appropriate to eat each group of food and the recommended amount.
   

•     Does this meal have a variety of food?

•     Is the food in our meal nutritious?

•     Does this meal consist the recommended amount or serving size?

Resources:

Investigators:

1. Learning About Fats
   http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/nutrition/food/fat.html
2. Go, Slow, and Whoa! A kid's guide to eating right
   http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/nutrition/food/go_slow_whoa.html  

1. Food Pyramid
   http://teamnutrition.usda.gov/Resources/mpk_poster.pdf
2. Interactive Food Pyramid
   http://www.nutritionexplorations.org/kids/nutrition-pyramid.asp

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Evaluation

Describe to the learners how their performance will be evaluated. Specify whether there will be a common grade for group work vs. individual grades.

Teacher Page

The students will be learning about different foods and their nutritional values.  They will learn to make decisions as to which foods are best for them.  Through this activity, they students will learn the importance of good decision-making and how to create a well-balanced meal with their decisions.  

West Virginia Content Standards and Objectives:

WE.4.4.05 - Plan a balanced meal using proper nutrition guides (e.g. Food Guide Pyramid for Children)

Materials:

1. Poster board or large paper
2. markers
3. magazines or other resources for food pictures
   

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Conclusion

For this activity, you needed to learn the different food groups within the Food Pyramid and make an effort to create your own balanced meal based on the information your group found about food and nutrition.  By completing this activity, you will gain a better understanding of what a balanced meal consists of and use towards a healthier life now and in the future.