Number and measurement: Food Pyramids

Lesson Plan: Year 8 Mathematics – Number and Measurement: Food Pyramids

Unit: Number and Measurement – Rates, Ratios, and Percentages
Target Year Level: Year 8
Focus of the Achievement Standard:

• Solve problems involving rates, ratios, and percentages in real-world contexts
• Convert between units of measurement for area and volume
• Model situations using ratios and percentages
• Apply efficient mental and written strategies for calculations
• Solve problems involving volume of prisms

Lesson Objectives:

1.    Understand and apply rates, ratios, and percentages to real-life scenarios.

2.    Solve problems involving the calculation of nutritional values and portions in food pyramids.

3.    Convert between units of measurement for volume and area.

4.    Use percentages and ratios to model real-world situations, such as daily food intake.

5.    Apply reasoning to connect ratios and proportions to dietary recommendations.

Materials Needed:

• Food pyramid diagram showing different food groups and recommended daily intake percentages
• Nutritional labels or data showing serving sizes and nutritional information for various foods
• Calculators
• Graph paper and rulers
• Worksheets with rates, ratios, and percentage problems related to food consumption
• Handouts explaining volume calculation for different types of food servings (e.g., cereals, fruits, liquids)

Lesson Plan:

Introduction

1.    Recap of Rates, Ratios, and Percentages:

o   Begin the lesson by reviewing the concepts of rates, ratios, and percentages. Remind students how these concepts apply to real-world situations, such as shopping discounts, cooking recipes, and fuel consumption.

o   Introduce the context of daily food intake and the food pyramid, which provides recommendations for different food groups.

Prompt:
What is a ratio? How do percentages help us make comparisons? How do we use rates in everyday life?

2.    Introduce the Food Pyramid Task:

o   Explain that students will be using ratios, rates, and percentages to calculate daily food intake based on a food pyramid and nutritional information provided.

o   Show a food pyramid diagram and explain how each section represents a different food group with a recommended percentage of daily intake.

Prompt:
How can we use ratios and percentages to plan a balanced diet based on the food pyramid?

Main Activity 1: Understanding the Food Pyramid

Task: Students will analyze the food pyramid and connect it to daily intake percentages.

1.    Step 1 – Analyzing the Food Pyramid:

o   Provide each student with a diagram of a food pyramid and explain how it divides food into groups such as grains, vegetables, proteins, fruits, and dairy.

o   Discuss the recommended daily intake percentages for each food group (e.g., 30% grains, 20% vegetables, etc.).

Prompt:
What percentage of your daily intake should come from grains? How about fruits and vegetables?

2.    Step 2 – Daily Intake Calculation:

o   Provide a daily calorie requirement (e.g., 2000 calories per day) and ask students to calculate the calories per food group based on the pyramid’s percentage recommendations.

o   Example: If 30% of your daily intake should come from grains, calculate how many calories that represents (e.g., 2000×0.30=6002000 \times 0.30 = 6002000×0.30=600 calories).

Prompt:
How do we calculate how many calories we should consume from each food group? What proportion of your daily diet comes from vegetables?

Main Activity 2: Applying Ratios and Percentages to Food Portions

Task: Students will apply ratios and percentages to calculate portion sizes for different foods.

1.    Step 1 – Nutritional Labels:

o   Hand out nutritional labels for common foods (e.g., bread, rice, fruits, milk) that show serving sizes and calorie information.

o   Ask students to calculate how many servings of each food they would need to meet the daily calorie requirement for that food group.

Prompt:
If one serving of bread contains 80 calories, how many servings of bread would you need to reach 600 calories from grains?

2.    Step 2 – Converting Units:

o   In cases where food portions are given in grams or milliliters, ask students to convert between units of measurement (e.g., grams to kilograms, milliliters to liters) to calculate the total amount of food needed.

Prompt:
How many grams of rice would you need to consume to reach the recommended calorie intake for grains? How do we convert grams to kilograms or milliliters to liters?

Main Activity 3: Investigating Volume and Serving Sizes

Task: Students will calculate the volume of certain foods and relate this to serving sizes.

1.    Step 1 – Volume of Prisms:

o   Explain how food portions can be thought of as three-dimensional objects, such as boxes of cereal or containers of liquid. Provide the formula for the volume of a rectangular prism V=l×w×hV = l \times w \times hV=l×w×h.

o   Ask students to calculate the volume of a container of cereal or a carton of milk based on its dimensions (e.g., 10 cm x 5 cm x 20 cm).

Prompt:
How do we calculate the volume of a rectangular prism? What does the volume tell us about the serving size of this food?

2.    Step 2 – Portioning Based on Volume:

o   Challenge students to calculate how many servings of a liquid or solid food are in a given container based on the total volume and the serving size. For example, if the volume of a carton of milk is 1 liter, how many 250 mL servings can you get?

Prompt:
How do we calculate how many servings are in a container based on its volume? How does this relate to your daily intake?

Class Discussion: Reflection and Analysis

1.    Analyzing Daily Intake:

o   Lead a discussion where students reflect on how the calculations they made compare to their actual daily food intake. Ask them to think about whether they meet the food pyramid’s recommendations and where they might need to adjust.

Prompt:
Does your daily intake match the food pyramid recommendations? How might you adjust your food choices based on the calculations you did today?

2.    Connecting Ratios, Rates, and Percentages:

o   Discuss how students used ratios, rates, and percentages to make decisions about food portions and daily intake. Highlight how these concepts apply in everyday life beyond just food consumption.

Prompt:
What did you learn about how ratios and percentages can help you make better decisions about your diet and daily food intake? How can you apply this knowledge in other situations?

Main Activity 4: Creating a Daily Meal Plan

Task: Students will use the information they’ve learned to create a balanced daily meal plan based on the food pyramid.

1.    Step 1 – Designing the Meal Plan:

o   Ask students to design a daily meal plan that meets the food pyramid’s recommendations. They should use the ratios and percentages discussed earlier to determine how many servings of each food group they need and calculate the total calories for the day.

Prompt:
What foods will you include in your meal plan to meet the daily intake recommendations? How can you balance your meals to ensure you’re getting enough of each food group?

2.    Step 2 – Presenting the Meal Plan:

o   Students can present their meal plans to the class or submit them for feedback. Encourage them to explain how they used ratios, percentages, and volume calculations to create their plan.

Prompt:
How did you use ratios and percentages to plan your meals? What adjustments did you make to ensure your meal plan was balanced?

Assessment Criteria:

1.    Accurately calculating daily intake based on food pyramid percentages and nutritional information.

2.    Using ratios and percentages to determine food portions and calorie intake.

3.    Converting between units of measurement when calculating serving sizes and food quantities.

4.    Applying knowledge of volume and surface area to solve problems related to food portions.

5.    Creating a balanced daily meal plan that aligns with food pyramid recommendations.

Extension Activity:

1.    Explore Other Nutritional Concepts:

o   Challenge students to explore other nutritional concepts, such as macronutrient percentages (carbohydrates, fats, and proteins), and adjust their meal plans accordingly.

2.    Real-World Application:

o   Ask students to research how professional athletes or individuals with specific dietary needs adjust their intake ratios and percentages for optimal performance.