MyPlate School Meal Project

Introduction

Students,

This week we are learning about the relationship between healthy eating and the wellness of our bodies. Throughout the unit, you will be able to do the following:

HS.PW.1: Identify the relationship between healthy eating and total wellness.

HS.PW.2: Evaluate personal nutritional and energy needs.

Many of you eat lunch—and some even breakfast—that is served by the school. However, do you ever stop to consider how nutritious those meals actually are? For this assignment, you will be stepping into the role of the Director of Nutrition. As someone responsible for student health and meal quality, you’ll need to evaluate whether our school meals are meeting nutritional standards. Do they include all the major food groups? Are the portion sizes appropriate? As we learn more about the recommended daily servings for each food group, you will analyze the school’s breakfast and lunch menus to determine whether the meals we’re being served are truly healthy for students. Think like a nutrition expert—and be ready to make recommendations!

Task

Once we have reviewed the MyPlate recommendations and our school's menu, you will be given the following task:

As the Director of Nutrition, a new breakfast and lunch menu for next week is needed. The school board has decided that they want to directly follow the recommendations of MyPlate.

Your task is to create a week-long (Monday-Friday) menu for both breakfast and lunch according to MyPlate recommendations. 

As you construct your menu, here are some questions to ask yourself:

• How well is the school currently doing at meeting MyPlate standards?

• Which foods on my menu have which nutrients?

• Are all five food groups represented in proper portions each day?

• How can I make the meals appealing to students? (Themed weeks, certain meals on certain days, etc.)

• What changes can I recommend based on my menu?

At the end of this project, you will submit your new menu along with a brief (1 page or less) explanation of how your menu choices meet MyPlate guidelines.

Process

Here is a list of steps that will help you complete this assignment

1. Review MyPlate Recommendations

Begin by browsing the MyPlate website and other resources to understand the food groups associated with a balanced diet.

2. Analyze Current School Menus

Look at our current breakfast and lunch menus. Take notes on which food groups are present, proportions, and any gaps you notice.

3. Plan Your Menu

Using a template provided, create a breakfast and lunch menu for each day of the school week (Monday-Friday). Make sure that your menu features variety and meets MyPlate guidelines.

4. Write Your Explanation

Write an explanation (one page or less) on how your menu meets MyPlate recommendations. This should include why you selected certain foods and how your menu supports students' health.

5. Submit Your Work

Turn in your menu and explanation.

Evaluation

Your menu and explanation will be graded using the following rubric:

Criteria

 Excellent(4) Satisfactory(3) Needs Improvement(2) Unsatisfactory(0-1)

MyPlate

Recommendations

 Menu fully meets MyPlate food group proportions daily Mostly meets MyPlate recommendations with a few gaps Some food groups imbalanced or missing Several food groups imbalanced or missing. Poor alignment with MyPlate
Variety & Appeal Menu includes a variety of appealing options across the week Menu has variety, but does have as much appeal Menu repeats some foods, and little creativity is shown Several foods, or even entire meals, are repeated

Nutritional

Explanation

 Clear, detailed, and accurate explanation Quality explanation with a few gaps Explanation lacks detail and connection to menu Explanation is unclear or missing entirely

Presentation

&

Professionalism

 Menu and explanation are both organized with little to no grammatical error Project is most complete and/or has multiple errors Project is disorganized and has several errors Project is incomplete and missing the majority of necessary aspects

 

Conclusion

Great work during your time as the Director of Nutrition! By analyzing the redesigning the school menus, you've gained valuable knowledge on how to create nutritional meals for your own life! You can use what you've learned to make mindful food choices throughout your life, and encourage others to do the same.

Remember, healthy eating doesn't just fuel the body, it fuels the mind!

Credits
Teacher Page

Title: Building a Better School Menu with My Plate

Grade Level: 9-12

Subject: Lifetime Wellness

Time Frame: 2-4 Class Periods

Standards Addressed:

•HS.PW.1: Identify the relationship between healthy eating and total wellness.

•HS.PW.2: Evaluate personal nutritional and energy needs.

Overview:

In this WebQuest, students act as the Director of Nutrition for their school. Their task is to analyze their school's breakfast and lunch menus, then creating a week-long menu based off MyPlate standards. Once they complete the menu, they will accompany the menu with an explanation on how the menu follows MyPlate guidelines.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this WebQuest, students will be able to:

•Apply MyPlate guidelines to real-life meal planning

•Identify food groups and their purposes

•Make informed choices that promote total wellness

Materials:

•Access to MyPlate and other necessary websites

•Current breakfast and lunch schedules

•Menu template

Schedule:

Day 1: Introduce WebQuest and browse MyPlate

Day 2-3: Work on menus and nutrition

Day 4: Turn in and/or present menus