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What’s On Your Plate?

Nadege Thomas

Tier 1
For Schools

Lesson Plan

Plate It Right Lesson Plan

Students will identify the five MyPlate food groups, analyze their daily meals for balance, and create healthy plate diagrams to reinforce lifelong nutrition habits.

Understanding balanced nutrition helps students make healthier food choices, supports academic focus, and establishes lifelong wellness practices aligned with health standards.

Audience

5th Grade

Time

3 sessions (45 minutes each)

Approach

Interactive slides, hands-on sorting, creative plate design, and formative assessment.

Materials

  • Balanced Meal Bonanza Slides, - MyPlate Makeover Activity, - Food Group Sorting Sheet, and - Nutrition Knowledge Check Quiz

Prep

Prepare Materials and Review Slides

15 minutes

  • Print enough copies of Food Group Sorting Sheet and MyPlate Makeover Activity for each student pair
  • Queue up Balanced Meal Bonanza Slides on classroom projector
  • Familiarize yourself with quiz questions on Nutrition Knowledge Check Quiz

Step 1

Session 1: Exploring Food Groups

45 minutes

  • Open with a brief discussion: “What did you eat yesterday for breakfast, lunch, and dinner?” Record responses on board
  • Present Balanced Meal Bonanza Slides to introduce the five MyPlate food groups
  • Ask students to recall examples of each food group from their own meals
  • Distribute Food Group Sorting Sheet and sample food cards; students sort cards into correct groups in pairs
  • Debrief: Review each group and discuss why variety matters

Step 2

Session 2: Designing Healthy Plates

45 minutes

  • Quick recap of food groups and their benefits
  • Introduce MyPlate Makeover Activity; explain task: redesign an unbalanced meal into a balanced one
  • Students work in pairs to draw and color-code their plates, ensuring inclusion of all five groups
  • Circulate to provide feedback and ask guiding questions about portion sizes
  • Invite pairs to share their plate designs with the class, highlighting creative choices

Step 3

Session 3: Knowledge Check and Reflection

45 minutes

  • Hand out Nutrition Knowledge Check Quiz; allow students time to complete individually
  • Review answers together, clarifying any misconceptions
  • Facilitate a reflection discussion: “How will you use what you learned to make healthier choices?”
  • Ask each student to write and illustrate a personal nutrition goal on a blank plate diagram
  • Collect goal sheets to display in the classroom as reminders
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Slide Deck

Balanced Meal Bonanza

A fun dive into balanced nutrition using MyPlate. Let’s explore what makes a meal healthy and colorful!

Welcome students! Today we begin our Balanced Meal Bonanza. Introduce the overall goal: learning the five food groups and why balanced meals matter. Prompt: “Think of your favorite meal—what’s on your plate?”

What Is MyPlate?

• A colorful plate divided into five food groups:
– Fruits (red)
– Vegetables (green)
– Grains (orange)
– Protein (purple)
– Dairy (blue)

MyPlate reminds us to fill half our plate with fruits & veggies.

Explain that MyPlate is the USDA’s visual guide for healthy eating. Point out each section and color. Encourage students to share where their favorite foods fit.

The 5 Food Groups

  1. Fruits – vitamins & fiber
  2. Vegetables – minerals & antioxidants
  3. Grains – energy & fiber
  4. Protein – muscle-building nutrients
  5. Dairy – bone-strengthening calcium

Go through each food group one by one. Ask for examples from student lunches or dinners. Highlight key nutrients each group provides.

Healthy vs. Unhealthy Meals

Example Meals:
• Meal A: Burger, fries, soda (mostly grains & fats)
• Meal B: Grilled chicken, brown rice, broccoli, berries, milk (all 5 groups!)

Discuss: Which would you choose and why?

Show two contrasting meal photos: one unbalanced (all grains), one balanced. Ask: “What’s missing in each meal?” Use this to reinforce variety.

Let’s Sort Some Foods!

In pairs:

  1. Take a food card.
  2. Decide which MyPlate group it belongs to.
  3. Glue or place it on your Sorting Sheet.

Be ready to explain your choices!

Introduce the hands-on sorting activity. Explain how to use the Food Group Sorting Sheet and food cards. Circulate and guide pairs as they sort.

Reflection & Next Steps

Today’s Recap:
• MyPlate’s 5 food groups
• Why variety matters

Next session: DIY MyPlate Makeover—design a perfectly balanced meal!

Review key takeaways: balance, variety, MyPlate colors. Preview next session: redesigning unbalanced meals into balanced ones with the MyPlate Makeover Activity.

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Activity

MyPlate Makeover Activity

Objective: Pairs will redesign an unbalanced meal into a balanced MyPlate illustration, applying knowledge of the five food groups and appropriate portion sizes.

Materials:

  • Blank plate diagram sheets
  • Colored pencils or markers
  • Unbalanced meal example cards
  • Food Group Sorting Sheet (for quick reference)

Time: 45 minutes

Instructions:

  1. Introduction (5 minutes)
    • Quickly recap the five MyPlate food groups using the Balanced Meal Bonanza Slides.
    • Show one unbalanced meal card and ask: “Which groups are missing or underrepresented?”
  2. Design Phase (25 minutes)
    • Distribute an unbalanced meal card and a blank plate diagram to each pair.
    • In pairs, analyze the meal’s weaknesses and decide how to add or adjust foods to include all five groups.
    • On the blank plate, redraw the meal in correct MyPlate proportions, color-coding each section to match its group.
    • Label example foods and portion sizes.
  3. Peer Review (10 minutes)
    • Pairs swap plates with another pair.
    • Review each other’s designs, checking for these criteria:
      • Inclusion of all five food groups
      • Balanced portion sizes (half plate fruits & vegetables)
      • Clear labeling and color-coding
    • Provide one positive comment and one constructive suggestion.
  4. Share & Reflect (5 minutes)
    • Invite 2–3 pairs to present their makeovers to the class.
    • Ask: “What changes did you make and why?”
    • Reinforce how variety and balance support health and energy.






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lenny

Worksheet

Food Group Sorting Sheet

Instructions: Cut out the food cards below and glue or place each under the correct MyPlate food group heading.

Fruits (Red)Vegetables (Green)Grains (Orange)Protein (Purple)Dairy (Blue)






























Cut-and-Sort Food Cards

Cut out along the dotted line and sort each food item into the table above.

  • Apple
  • Banana
  • Carrot
  • Broccoli
  • Bread
  • Rice
  • Chicken
  • Fish
  • Milk
  • Cheese
  • Yogurt
  • Beans

(This line marks where to cut.)

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Quiz

Nutrition Knowledge Check

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