Hackathon Guide

Objective

In this 40-minute session, your group will design a quick, balanced meal hack and prepare a 1-minute pitch to share school-wide. You’ll practice teamwork, nutrition literacy, creative problem solving, and presentation skills.

Materials & Resources

• This Hackathon Guide
• Healthy Hacks Pitch
• Meal Hack Workshop
• Hack Evaluation Criteria
• Peer Feedback Forum
• Paper or digital whiteboard
• Markers or pens
• Sticky notes
• Timer or stopwatch

Team Roles

Assign or rotate roles so every student practices each responsibility over multiple sessions:
• Timekeeper: Monitors the clock, signals transitions between phases.
• Scribe: Records ideas, ingredients, prep steps, and nutrition notes.
• Designer: Sketches or builds the prototype; considers plating and packaging.
• Presenter: Organizes and delivers the final 1-minute pitch.

Timeline & Steps

0–5 min: Kickoff & Team Setup

• Teacher reviews objective, resources, and rubric.
• Teams confirm roles and gather materials.

5–15 min: Brainstorm & Concept Selection

• Use prompts from Meal Hack Workshop.
• Generate 3–5 quick-prep meal ideas.
• Evaluate each idea for protein, veggies, and whole grains.
• Choose your top hack and note key ingredients.

15–25 min: Prototype Development

• Sketch or build a simple mock-up (paper or real ingredients).
• Detail prep steps, required tools, cost estimate, and prep time.

25–35 min: Pitch Preparation

• Open Healthy Hacks Pitch.
• Complete slides: name, audience, ingredients, prep, benefits.
• Practice delivery to fit within 1 minute; focus on clarity.

35–40 min: Pitches & Peer Feedback

• Groups give 1-minute pitches to the class.
• Class scores each pitch with Hack Evaluation Criteria.
• Provide at least one positive comment and one suggestion in Peer Feedback Forum.

Deliverables

• Concept Sheet: Hack name, ingredients, nutrition highlights
• Prototype Sketch: Visual or real mock-up with notes
• 1-Minute Pitch: Polished, audience-focused presentation
• Peer Feedback: One positive and one constructive comment per group

Reflection Prompts

Answer individually or discuss as a group:

1. What part of today’s process helped your team most?

1. Which nutrition guidelines did you find easiest or hardest to meet?

1. How did you incorporate feedback into your prototype or pitch?

1. What would you change if you repeated this hackathon?

1. What new skill or idea will you take away from this session?

Meal Hack Workshop

Purpose

Students use guided prompts and templates to brainstorm, evaluate, and select the best quick-prep meal hack ideas.

Materials

• Printed Meal Hack Workshop Template (see below)
• Pens, markers, or pencils
• Sticky notes or index cards
• Whiteboard or large paper (optional)

Steps

1. Nutrition Grid (5 min)

On the top of your template, list at least 3 ingredient ideas in each category. Use the examples or add your own.

2. Idea Filters (5 min)

Use these questions on sticky notes to quickly sort your ideas. Write each idea on its own note, then group by “Yes” or “No.”

• Can it be prepped in under 5 minutes?
• Does it cost less than $3 per serving?
• Requires no cooking or only one tool (e.g., microwave)?
• Is it portable or easy to pack?
• Will it satisfy at least two nutrition categories?

3. Decision Matrix (5 min)

Choose your top 4–5 filtered ideas. Score each idea 1 (low) to 5 (high) on each criterion, then total the scores to find the strongest hack.

4. Finalize Your Hack (5 min)

On the next page of the template, complete the details for the highest-scoring idea. You’ll use this sheet to build your prototype and pitch.

Meal Hack Workshop Template (Printable)

Hack Name: ________________________________________

Ingredients & Quantities:

Nutrition Highlights:

• Protein: ____________________________________________
• Veggies/Produce: ___________________________________
• Whole Grains: ______________________________________

Prep Steps (list in order):

Estimated Prep Time: _______ minutes

Required Tools/Equipment: ____________________________

Cost per Serving (est.): $_______

Special Notes (taste, packaging, audience):

Use this worksheet during the Hackathon. Keep it handy when you draft your Concept Sheet and Prototype Sketch.

Hack Evaluation Criteria

Use this rubric to score each group’s meal hack pitch. Circle or highlight the descriptor that best matches performance.

Peer Feedback Forum

Purpose

Provide thoughtful feedback to fellow groups by sharing positive observations, constructive suggestions, and clarifying questions. Use respectful language and focus on the hack’s nutrition, clarity, creativity, and feasibility.

Feedback Guidelines

• Include at least one positive comment, one suggestion, and one question.
• Be specific: refer to particular parts of the hack (ingredients, prep steps, hook, etc.).
• Be respectful and supportive: aim to help your peers improve.

1. Positive Feedback

Use one of these starters, then add details:

• “I really appreciate how you…”
• “Your description of ___ was clear because…”
• “I liked your creative use of ___ because…”

“”

2. Constructive Suggestion

Use one of these starters, then explain your idea:

• “One suggestion to strengthen this hack is…”
• “You might consider adding ___ to improve…”
• “To make the prep steps clearer, you could…”

“”

3. Clarifying Question

Use one of these starters to ask for more detail:

• “Could you explain how ___ works in your prep?”
• “How did you decide on the portion size for ___?”
• “What tool do you plan to use for ___?”

“”

Thank you for helping your peers refine their Healthy Hacks! Your feedback makes everyone’s ideas stronger.