Long-term Lesson Plan: Good Foods

LaTresha Cox
Rationale Statement: (What is your hook, why have you chosen this set of objectives/unit/project?
Which childrens interests have you noted that you are using to create your theme/project?):
My preschool program is a part of the Empower Plus program which aims to make the early
childhood education environment as healthy as possible for young children. With childhood
obesity on the rise I feel that it is important to teach young children about the importance of
taking care of themselves. This lesson will allow children to develop healthy habits for life. It is
designed to teach children about good foods, good health, and nutrition. It is necessary for young
children to learn how to eat and be healthy to prepare them for future experiences. My students
are fascinated about how things grow and change over time. Many of the activities provided for
this lesson are progressive and allow children to observe and document change.
Objectives (What are the goals of the activity/ies? What will children learn? What are the expected
outcomes?):
The goal of this activity is to teach children how to identify healthy foods. They will learn where
fruits and vegetables come from. It is expected that children will be able to name food groups
and discover concepts of good health.
State Standards (Which standards are met by the activity/ies?):
Language and Literacy 1, 2.1, 2.4, 2.5, Approaches to learning 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Science 1 & 2, Social
Studies 2.1, Physical 1.1 &1.2, Fine Arts 2.1 3.1, Mathematics 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4
Environmental Plan: Materials/activities you will add to learning centers to encourage curiosity,
thinking, mathematics, language and vocabulary related to objectives, theme, and/or project.
Literacy

Science

Manipulatives

Music/Movement

Children will be
introduced to the
book Eating the
Alphabet to identify
letters of the
alphabet, fruits and
vegetables

Children will use Ziploc

bags and wet paper
towels to plant pinto
beans and observe
progress over time

Children will use fruit

picture cards and
puzzles to identify
numbers and count
symbols

Children will also

discuss progress each
day and record
observations in Sprout
Journals

Children will also use

tongs to pick up pinto
bean and place them
into cups the count
them

Children will listen to

the song Go Bananas
while performing the
dance to become
familiar with how
some fruit and
vegetable are prepared
for eating

The book will be

placed in the reading
center for children to
enjoy

Dramatic Play

Computer/Technology

Outdoor

Sand/Water

Children will use

dress up clothes, toy
food, pots, and
dinner ware to
engage in role play as
chefs cooking up
healthy food.

Children will watch a

10 minute video of Doc
McStuffins Explaining
the importance of teeth
brushing and limiting
sugary foods

Children will play a

game of Fruit, Fruit,
Vegetable (Duck, Duck,
Goose) Children will be
asked to name a fruit as
the duck then call out a
vegetable as the goose
when selecting a
classmate

Children will engage

in pretend play as
gardeners who grow
fruits and vegetables
using toy fruits and
vegetable then the
water table with water
to wash them
developing vocabulary
like vine, orchard,

Blocks

Art

ELL Adaptations

Children will use

blocks to create a
balance beam and
practice walking it
and jumping over it
to discuss the
importance of
exercise

Children will use sliced

apple wedges green and
red to create apple
stampers and paint to
create healthy smelly
art discussing the
similarities and
differences between the
two

Special Needs
Adaptations
Some play groups will
be specifically assigned
by the teacher

Some activities will be

explained in both
English and Spanish

Students with mobility

issues will be allowed to
sit during all activities

Number cards will be

labeled in both
English and Spanish

ELL Adaptations

Children with visual

impairments will be
provided cue cards

Assessment (criteria by which the students progress will be evaluated, how will you know the student
met the objectives?):
Childrens understanding, learning, and growth from this activity will be documented through
naturalistic assessment. I will be taking photos of the children during the process of pretend play
and experimentation. Photos will be placed in student portfolios. I will also be taking anecdotal
notes through the day to be placed in student logs. I will be paying close attention to student
movements, use of muscle control both fine and gross, understanding and use of vocabulary
words, understanding of concepts, concentration, and interactions with peers. Children will also
be given a verbal quiz to determine if they can identify food groups and name different fruits
and vegetables.
Developmental Domains (What areas of development are promoted by the activity/ies? Must include
specific examples from all four areas-Physical, Cognitive, Social and Emotional, and Language
Development):
Physical development is promoted by this lesson because children will be learning about their
physical self and how to identify healthy foods to eat. Through this lesson children will be getting
active with physical music and movement activities which requires them to use gross motor skills
such as jumping, hopping, and raising their arms. It also help children strengthen fine motor
control by requiring them to utilize their hands and fingers to manipulate tools during play such
as when completing puzzles and handling beans. This lesson also stimulates children cognitively

by enabling them to discover new concepts of science such as how fruits and vegetables grow and
parts of a plant. They also explore how to use tools properly during dramatic play as chefs.
Children will develop socially and emotionally through direct interactions with the teacher and
peers while engaging in pretend play as chefs and farmers children will be required to have
verbal and physical exchanges. They will also gain inter personal skills and partake in gave and
take interaction skill while enjoying pretend play as chefs by following social norms and using
manners during dialogue. Language development is a huge part of this lesson. Children will
become aware of concepts of print, identify letters of the alphabet, identify numbers 1-10, rote
count to 10, develop role playing skills, use receptive language, develop new vocabulary words,
and develop rhythm through song and dance.
Materials (What materials do you need to gather? What resources do you need to locate? What do you
need to prepare in advance?):
Materials needed include: dramatic play chiefs coat, toy foods, fruit baskets, Ziploc bags, paper
towels, pinto beans, real apple wedges, red and green paint, white paper, fruit puzzles, fruit
number cards, and fruit and vegetable picture cards
Locate sources: Go Bananas song from The Learning Station, Book Eating the Alphabet, Video
Doc McStuffins: Taking Care of Myself

Lesson Reflection (How well did the plan work, was enough planned? Too much? Did children
maintain interest or go in other directions? Were children engaged? Was the activity meaningful?
What will do the same if you repeat this? What will you differently the next time?):
When completing this lesson in the classroom with my students I think it went very
well. Each interest center in the classroom contained new props for the students to enjoy. I
believe enough was planned because the lesson was carried out over the course of five days.
Materials were out and available for students during center free play each day. Many children
wanted to complete very activity on the first day and some even repeated activities. However, I
do believe I could have planned more just to provide students with more play options.

The children seem fascinated to learn more about some of the foods that we see and
eat every day. This lesson provided us with more opportunities for discussion in the classroom,
especially during meal times. Children were able to easily complete task with little to no
assistance from the teacher. There was little direction for the teacher only during time of
discussion and evaluation. Children were able to move a play as the saw fit. I found myself
documenting progress and complementing students on their understanding and application of
knowledge.
I feel that this activity was meaningful because when student growth and
understanding was assessed the seemed to understand concepts and were able to expand or
elaborate when asked questions about where good foods come from. Children can also identify
foods which are not so good for us and why we should avoid them such as foods high in sugar
and salt. Children can now relate letters of the alphabet to fruits and vegetables. I also noticed
that children are more willing to try some of the vegetables provided during lunch time. They
were more vocal eager to explain to me where the things we were eating come from. Children
also displayed growth in social interactions with other students after the completion of this
activity because some of them learned that they have favorite foods in common and we had a
little practice using food etiquette and manners. We are now using bigger vocabulary words with
the addition of words such as, chef, vine, sprout, and orchard not to mention the many new
fruits and vegetables we learned about.
I have used this lesson a few time before and I have modified it each time. When this
lesson is taught in the future I plan to everything the same. Next time I will however, expand the
lesson to teach children about good foods from other food groups. I would also like to bring in a
variety of different fruit and vegetables for children to taste and experiment with. Also, this is a

lesson which I believe can be taught over a greater period of time to allow children to fully
experience the changes which occur as the bean sprout grows and more effectively apply their
knowledge in the classroom through dramatic play.