Engaged Learning Project Template

Title of Project: Getting Up-To-Date with My Plate

Subject(s): Health Education
Grade Level(s): 6th & 7th
Abstract:
Students will explore the My Plate website and hear from a Nutritionist speaker in hopes to become
educated on the different food groups and the importance of nutrition. Part I of the project- students will
be asked to create a Prezi presentation with a group and research the different food groups. Students will
also learn how to calculate their own personal BMI (Body Mass Index) on the site. Part II- students will
keep a journal of their personal nutrition for one whole week. Part III- students will be asked to create a
meal plan for one person in their family. The teacher will act as a facilitator and guide the students
through their project and answer questions they might have. Students will share Part I on to Google
Drive to collaborate and receive feedback from other students and teachers. Parts II and III will be
shared individually to the teacher through Google Drive.

Learner Description/Context:
Chapel Hill Middle School is one of eight middle schools located in Douglas County just outside of
Atlanta. Each year we reach an overall population of about 1,100 students. The students at CHMS range
from 10-15 years old and 50% are on free/reduced lunch. Our vision at Chapel Hill is to be a “model
middle school” in the state of Georgia.

Time Frame:
 Part I- 1 school week; total of 3 hours to complete, 1-1 ½ hour total for all groups to present.
 Part II- 1 week (7 days, work on at home); total of 4 hours
 Part III- 3 days; total of 3 hours

Standards Assessed:

HE7.2: Students will analyze the influence of family, peers, culture, media, technology, and other factors
on health behaviors.

HE7.3: Students will demonstrate the ability to access valid information and products and services to
enhance health.

HE7.7: Students will demonstrate the ability to practice health-enhancing behaviors and avoid or reduce
health risk.

ELAGSE7SL4: Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner
with pertinent descriptions, facts, details, and examples; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume,
and clear pronunciation.

ELAGSE7SL5: Include multimedia components and visual displays in presentations to clarify claims
and findings and emphasize salient points.

ELAGSE7W4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are
appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

ELAGSE7SL1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and

teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and
expressing their own clearly.
Jo Williamson, Ph.D., Kennesaw State University
 Engaged Learning Project Template
ISTE for students:

3. Knowledge Constructor- Students critically curate a variety of resources using digital tools to
construct knowledge, produce creative artifacts and make meaningful learning experiences for
themselves and others.

6d. Creative Communicator- Students publish or present content that customizes the message and
medium for their intended audiences.

Learner Objectives:
Students will understand the importance of nutrition and the process of creating an individual meal plan.
After this project, students will be knowledgeable on what it takes to live a healthy lifestyle and what
resources to locate to assist them.

The “hook” or Introduction:

Before the students begin the project, we will host a Nutritionist guest speaker to help motivate and get
them ready to start their nutritional journey. Students will also watch a short introduction video about
My Plate.

Process:
Day 1- Students will also watch an introduction video to My Plate (see YouTube link in resources
section). Students will be given 30 minutes to begin looking through the website and researching
information with the classroom set of laptops. Teacher will go over some guidelines for the individual
nutrition journals. Students will record what they ate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner then submit
journals through Google Drive to only be shared with the teacher. Students will complete day 1 of their
journal.
Day 2- Teacher will go through the timeline for the project and share documents electronically so they
can check off when things are completed. Teacher will go over questions that need to be answered in the
presentation. Students will choose their partner to work on Part I with. Students will complete day 2 of
their journal.
Days 3 & 4- Teacher will reserve one of the computer labs at school so students can work efficiently on
their Prezi presentations. Teacher will also give examples of other Prezi’s so students can see how they
end product should look. Teacher will walk around and help different groups as needed. Students are
directing their learning by researching and working together with their partner to complete a final
product. Students will complete days 3 & 4 of their journal.
Day 5- Students will use this last day to include any other information for their projects. They will then
submit their Prezi to Google Docs and receive feedback from other groups. Groups will begin presenting
the following week. We will host a Nutritionist to come and speak to our class about the importance of
nutrition and taking care of your body. Students will form a list of questions they want to as the speaker.
Students will complete day 5 of their journal.
Days 6 & 7 (Saturday/Sunday)- Students will complete days 6 & 7 of their journal. Students will
decide which family member they want to create a meal plan for.
Day 8- Students will turn in Part II, their individual nutrition journal to the teacher. Students will have 3
days to work on their meal plan for a family member. (start today with rough draft, can work on at home
if they choose to!) 3 groups will present Part I today.
Day 9- Teacher will walk around and briefly and look at the students’ rough drafts of their meal plan and
help them with any mistakes or questions they might have. Students have the option to view the website

Jo Williamson, Ph.D., Kennesaw State University

 Engaged Learning Project Template
http://www.mhhe.com/biosci/genbio/virtual_labs_2K8/labs/BL_15/ to assist them with starting their
meal plan. 3 more groups will present today.
Day 10- Students will turn in Part III, a meal plan for a family member. The remaining groups will
present today.
-Students will be assessed by answering a list of questions in their Prezi provided by the teacher.
-Throughout this entire project the teacher is acting as a facilitator and guide the students to help make
their end product a success.

Product:
Our class will hear from a Nutritionist making the project culturally responsive. Students will use
myplate.gov to research information on nutrition and the different food groups. Students will then use
prezi.com to produce a presentation based on their findings on the My Plate website. The presentation
should demonstrate creativeness and good nutritional facts. Students will keep an ongoing journal at
home based on their individual nutrition. Lastly, students will create a meal plan for one family member.

Technology Use:
 MyPlate.gov- students will research this website for their project and learn about the different
food groups and why they are important.
 Prezi.com- publish information from research creating an end product.
 Mhhe.com- assist students with creating a meal plan.
 iMovie- students will be filmed while presenting their Prezi presentation. The videos will be
published on the class website for others to view.
The technology in this project supports authentic/meaningful, multi-disciplinary, culturally
responsive, student-directed, challenging, seam-less ongoing, making for a great experience for the
students.

References and Supporting Material:

 Nutritionist speaker
 My Plate
 How to create a meal plan
 Google Drive
 Presentation created from https://prezi.com
 YouTube Video introducing My Plate
 iMovie
 Meal Plan template

Jo Williamson, Ph.D., Kennesaw State University