Drexel University, MS-Calcium Evaluation Lesson, revised 7/15, Page 1

TRACKS

Lesson Plan Calcium Calcium Counts Grades 5-8

I. Lesson Objectives:

A. Students will describe the importance of calcium in their diet. B. Students will recognize a variety of foods that contain calcium. C. Students will explain the role of weight-bearing activity in bone health.

II. Behavior Outcomes:

A. Make half your plate fruits and vegetables, at least half your grains whole grains, and switch to fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products.

III. Pennsylvania Educational Standards: A. 1.6 Speaking and Listening B. 10.1 Concepts of Health C. 10.2 Healthful Living D. 11.3 Food Science and Nutrition

IV. Materials:

A. Handouts: “APPetite for Health” workbook (pages 24-27) OR “No Bones about it… Calcium Counts”, “Where’s the Calcium?” (5th and 6th grade) worksheets

B. Laptop/Projector with Moo Jeopardy PowerPoint presentation (7th & 8th grade) C. Optional Visuals: comparison cards of healthy and unhealthy bones, osteoporosis disk

set, loss of bone display D. Alternate Activity: Calcium Bingo E. Reinforcement that conveys the appropriate nutrition message F. Hand Wipes G. Food Tasting and any necessary supplies H. Ten Tips Fact Sheet: Got Your Dairy Today? (available from:

http://choosemyplate.gov/healthy-eating-tips/ten-tips.html) or other appropriate fact sheet V. Procedure: Text in italics are instructions for the presenter, non-italicized text is the

suggested script. A. Introductory:

1. Lesson Introduction: a. Introduce yourself and the nutrition education program/organization presenting

the lesson. b. Review previous lesson.

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c. Distribute student workbooks, if using, and turn to page 24. Review the title of today’s lesson/APP, “Calcium Counts”, and the “Highlights” box. Explain that today the students will be learning all about calcium. They will learn why calcium is important, how much calcium we need daily, and different sources of calcium.

2. Icebreaker: No Bones About it…Calcium Counts a. Have students turn to page 25 in their workbooks or distribute copies of “No

Bones About it…Calcium Counts” worksheet. b. Read the instructions to the class.

i. For 5th & 6th grade, have students complete it together as a class. Ask for student volunteers to read each sentence out loud, then see if they know the correct word to fill in the blank.

ii. For 7th & 8th grade, have students complete it on their own, then review the answers as a class. Ask for student volunteers to read each sentence out loud with the word they used to fill in the blank.

B. Developmental:

1. Refer to page 24 in workbook or review the points below to discuss the importance of calcium.

2. Ask students: What is calcium? Discuss responses. Have a student read the first bullet point. Calcium is a mineral. Dairy products and dark green leafy vegetables are good sources of calcium. Ask students for examples of dairy foods and dark green leafy vegetables. Milk, cheese, and yogurt are dairy group foods that are good sources of calcium. Broccoli, spinach, kale, and other greens also contain some calcium.

3. Ask students: What does calcium do for our bodies? Discuss responses. Have a student read the next bullet point. Calcium helps build bones and teeth and keeps them strong. Calcium is also involved in muscle contraction.

4. Ask students: Why is it important to get enough calcium every day? Discuss responses. Have a student read the next bullet point. Osteoporosis is a disease in which bone becomes fragile and more likely to break. Eating enough calcium every day throughout life can prevent osteoporosis later in life. If available, display a visual that shows the difference between healthy and unhealthy bone and how osteoporosis causes bones to become weak. a. As part of the natural aging process, bones begin to break down faster than new

bone can be formed. b. Osteoporosis takes away the minerals that make up the internal supporting

structures of bone until it becomes so weak and brittle that bending to pick up a newspaper, lifting a vacuum, or even coughing can cause a fracture.

c. Even though it may not seem like you need to worry about this now, your bones are busy storing calcium they need for later in life.

5. Ask students: How else can we keep our bones strong. Discuss responses. Have a student read the next bullet point. Weight-bearing activities cause your bones and muscles to work against the force of gravity and help your bones absorb the calcium that they need. Ask student to name examples of weight-bearing activities. Examples of weight bearing activities include walking, jogging, aerobics, dancing, gymnastics,

Drexel University, MS-Calcium Evaluation Lesson, revised 7/15, Page 3

tennis, push-ups, basketball, volleyball, field hockey, football, soccer, racquetball, weight-lifting.

6. Ask students: What is another nutrient that is important for bone health? (Hint: ourbodies can make it when we’re out in the sun) Discuss responses. Have a studentread the next bullet point. Vitamin D is also needed to help absorb calcium. Ourbodies can form vitamin D while we are outside in the sun. Ten to fifteen minutes ofsun exposure 2-3 times per week may be sufficient to make enough vitamin D. Wecan also get vitamin D by drinking milk or eating other foods that are fortified withvitamin D such as cereal. Milk does not naturally contain vitamin D, but most of themilk we drink is fortified, meaning it contains added vitamin D, to help us get enoughof it in our diet.

7. Ask students: How much do we need from the Dairy group each day to get enoughcalcium? Discuss responses and have a student read the last bullet point. Childrenand teens 9-18 years old should get at least 3 cups of dairy foods each day to help getthe recommended 1300mg of calcium. Ask students how they could include dairyfoods with their meals and snacks. Discuss responses. Including a dairy food, likemilk, cheese, or yogurt, with each meal can help you get enough calcium in your diet.Here’s an example of a menu that contains calcium-rich foods:a. Breakfast- whole grain cereal with low-fat milk and a glass of calcium fortified

orange juice.b. Lunch- a turkey sandwich on whole grain bread with lettuce, tomato and cheese;

low-fat yogurtc. Dinner- grilled chicken, broccoli, macaroni and cheese, low-fat chocolate milk

8. Ask students: What is lactose intolerance? Discuss responses. People with lactoseintolerance have a hard time digesting the lactose (sugar) that is in milk and manydairy products. Eating or drinking dairy foods may upset their stomachs; however, itis still important for people with lactose intolerance to get enough calcium. Here aresome ways for people with lactose intolerance to consume dairy products and getenough calcium:a. Eat dairy foods as part of a meal, rather than alone.b. Eat smaller, more frequent portions of dairy foods.c. Choose cheeses like Swiss, Colby, Parmesan and Cheddar. Because they are aged,

they are lower in lactose.d. Yogurt is more easily digested because of its active cultures.e. Buy lactose-reduced or lactose-free milk.f. Buy calcium-fortified juices and soy/rice/almond milks.g. Eat Calcium-rich non-dairy foods, such as, canned fish, collard greens, turnip

greens, white beans and calcium-fortified cereals and soy products.9. Activity: Where’s the Calcium? (5th & 6th grade)

a. Have students turn to page 26 in their workbooks or distribute copies of “Where’sthe Calcium?” worksheet.

b. Read the instructions to the class, and then have the students complete the activityon their own circling the pictures of the foods that they think are calcium-rich.

c. Review the correct answers with the class. Read each food and have studentsraise their hands if they circled the food. For the foods that are calcium-rich, aska student to name which food group it belongs in.

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d. Calcium-Rich Foods:• Spinach/greens (vegetable)• Cheese (dairy)• Canned salmon (if it contains bones) (protein)• Fat free milk (dairy)• Chocolate milk (dairy)• Macaroni & cheese (dairy & grains)• Yogurt (dairy)• Frozen yogurt (dairy)• Broccoli (vegetable)• Hot chocolate (made with milk) (dairy)• Pudding (made with milk) (dairy)• Pizza (dairy, grains, vegetable)• Baked beans (protein)• Fortified juice (fruit)• Soymilk (dairy)• Fortified oatmeal/cereal (grains)

10. Activity: Moo Jeopardy (7th & 8th grade)a. Set up laptop and projector with Moo Jeopardy PowerPoint presentation or draw

a Jeopardy game board on an available board.b. Divide students into teams (at least 2). It is helpful if each team selects a

captain/spokesperson who will say the team’s selection for which category/pointvalue they would like to answer and gives the team’s final answer.

c. Choose a score keeper (teacher or a student) to record the score on the board.d. Each team will take turns selecting a category/point level and answering the

question. They will have 20 seconds to answer each question. If they answer thequestion correctly, they are awarded the points. (No stealing of questions by otherteams if it is answered incorrectly and no negative points for incorrect answers)

e. Discuss the answers to the questions while playing the game. Students may followalong in their workbooks on page 27.

f. When all questions have been answered or the allotted time is up, total up eachteam’s score, and the team with the most points is the winner. (You may give thema reinforcement of your choice)

11. Alternate Activity: Calcium BINGO

C. Conclusion:1. Distribute hand wipes.2. Provide each student with a food tasting and encourage him or her to make small

changes in his or her diet now. Explain why the food is a healthy option.3. Distribute the reinforcement, read the message and/or explain the reason why they

are receiving the reinforcement.4. Distribute Ten Tips Fact Sheet (or other appropriate fact sheet) and encourage

students to share it with their families.5. Thank the students for their participation and answer any questions the students may

have.

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No Bones About It… Calcium Counts Worksheet

Directions: Fill in the blanks with the correct word from the word bank below.

Word Bank swimming, unhealthy, calcium, running, lactose, healthy, three

1. _____________ is the name of the natural sugar found in milk that some peoplehave a hard time digesting.

2. Humans need to eat foods rich in __________ so that they will have strong teethand bones.

3. A middle school student should have at least ____ cups of dairy each day.

4. __________ is an example of a weight-bearing activity, which helps build ourbones.

5. __________ is not an example of a weight-bearing activity. This does not helpbuild bones in our body.

6. This is an example of _________ bone.

7. This is an example of _________ bone.

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ANSWER KEY No Bones About It… Calcium Counts Worksheet

Directions: Fill in the blanks with the correct word from the word bank below.

Word Bank swimming, unhealthy, calcium, running, lactose, healthy, three

1. _Lactose__________ is the name of the natural sugar found in milk that somepeople have a hard time digesting.

2. Humans need to eat foods rich in _calcium_______ so that they will have strongteeth and bones.

3. A middle school student should have at least _three_ cups of dairy each day.

4. _Running______ is an example of a weight-bearing activity, which helps buildour bones.

5. _Swimming_______ is not an example of a weight-bearing activity. This doesnot help build bones in our body.

6. This is an example of _healthy_____ bone.

7. This is an example of _unhealthy____ bone.

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Where’s the Calcium?Directions: Circle the pictures of the foods that are calcium-rich.

Spinach/Greens Cheese Orange Chicken

Canned Salmon Celery Fat Free Milk Crackers

Chocolate Milk Macaroni & Cheese Pretzels Yogurt

Eggs Frozen Yogurt Broccoli Hot Cocoa (made with milk)

Pudding (made with milk) Tomato Pizza Baked Beans

Fortified Juice Soymilk Spaghetti Fortified Oatmeal/Cereal