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This lesson headlines “Dairy and the Food Pyramid”


P.E. & Health  


1, 2  


Title – Dairy and the Food Pyramid
By – Tara Kopnitsky
Primary Subject – Science
Secondary Subjects – 
Grade Level – 1-2


      1. Students will identify the different parts of the food pyramid and how they are all needed to stay healthy and describe details about the dairy section.


      2. Students will be able to explain where milk comes from, name different dairy products, and the key nutrient (calcium) in dairy foods that makes bones and teeth strong.


    3. Students will construct and describe the components that make up a healthy lunch versus an unhealthy lunch, be able to pick out the dairy product in their lunch, and think logically on how to improve their lunch

Subject Integration:

      music- “The Farmer in the Dell”


    technology-web pages


    CD, brown bags, pre-made/packed “lunch” items, paper towels colored chalk, magnetic food pyramid components, paper plates, small cups, spoons, milk, cheese, vanilla ice cream


    agriculture, cow, calcium dairy, farm, farmer, food pyramid, construction paper

Instructional Procedures:

Anticipatory Set-

      A. Play CD of “The Farmer in the Dell” as the children come in just to give them a hint of what the lesson will be.
      B. Ask children, as a class, if anyone knows what the food pyramid is and if so, can they name any parts of the pyramid.
    C. Using the food pyramid I drew on the blackboard, one by one, allow some of the children to come up and place the magnetic food pictures in the pyramid and talk about why they put their food picture in that specific section.

Developmental Activities-

      A. Now, I will move into talking about the special topic for the day, which will be the dairy section of the pyramid, by bringing out the picture of the cow and asking the class what kind of animal it is.


      Ask if anyone knows what substance comes from a cow.


      Ask if anyone has ever seen a live cow and where did they see the cow.


      Brainstorm to see if the students can list any dairy products.
      B. Now I will go over the vocabulary words: agriculture, cow, calcium, dairy, farm, farmer, and food pyramid.


      I will use the flashcards I created.
      C. Then, I will pass out the brown bag lunches to each table (the table serves as the small group).


      Give directions on how to work with the “lunch”

        1. Take all pieces out of the bag


        2. I will have them pick out the component that they think is in the dairy group (it has a star on the bottom) and set it aside.


        3. While in group I will ask what parts of their specific lunches are part of the food pyramid and what parts are not so healthy and let them talk individually.


      Lastly, have the students go back to the dairy product that they picked out of the bag, and let them know if the star sticker on the bottom they chose the right item, if someone does not pick the correct item I will explain why it is not and guide them into picking the correct one.
    Now, we will discuss the different types of dairy products again, how dairy foods are beneficial to people (calcium), and then I will cover other products if they do not mention them. This is the transition into the dairy tasting.


      A. Now, I will begin the dairy tasting. One table at a time…

        1. Hand sanitizer will be dispensed.


        2. They will then pick up their cups, plates, and spoons and take them back to their tables.


        3. I will pass out the cheese.


        4. I will scoop the ice cream.


        5. Everyone enjoys!


      B. After clean-up have the students go back to their “lunch” bags and I will ask them if they thought their lunches were healthy or not and why. Then, I will ask them about foods they could add or subtract from their lunches to make them fit properly into the food pyramid.
    C. Lastly, I will review key terms, food pyramid, and dairy group information.


      A. oral questioning


    B. observation of how the students group their lunch items-if they correctly pick out the dairy product, and the healthy and unhealthy items.

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