Healthy Role Modeling in Language Arts Classrooms

Including Nutrition Education

Nutrition Education in Reading/Writing - Preschool Storytelling through pictures Gather nutrition-related books for story time Use healthy foods to teach the alphabet: N is for Noodles O is for Orange P is for Peaches

Let’s give it a try! Compiling an Alphabet Book of Healthy Foods Assign 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.

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

Elementary School, cont. Use nutrition concepts as spelling/vocabulary words Practice alphabetizing with a list of healthy foods Have students to prepare an oral report on one of the food groups

Nutrition Education in Language Arts – Middle/High School Teach different writing styles: Persuasive Informative Descriptive Impromptu/Extemporaneous

Middle/High School, cont. Compare and contrast a healthy diet with an unhealthy diet Instruct students to prepare an oral report on a current nutrition topic Have students create an ad for healthy food

Including Physical Activity

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

Let’s Try It! Time for Letter Line-Up! cat

Let Line Up, cont. Let’s try another example play

Letter Line Up, cont. Are you ready??? physical activity

Physical Activity in Language Arts – Elementary School Write stories or poems about their favorite sport or activity Create a class book about physical activity Have your librarian assist you in obtaining physical activity related books for students to read Use exercise concepts as spelling/vocabulary words Give each student a physical activity related word and time them to see how fast they can line up in alphabetical order

Elementary School, cont. Sequencing/following directions Activity breaks Jump for Homophones To, too, two There, their, they’re Its, it’s

Physical Activity in Language Arts – Middle/High School Talk/Write about it… Write about an Olympic event, the most challenging sport/hobby they’ve 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.

Middle/High School, cont. …Then get moving! Act it out! Vocabulary Word Relay Play “This or That”