Project Overview

Can a cookbook save your life?

We need food to live, but are we making the best choices when it comes to nutrition? A healthy, well-balanced
diet can help people achieve optimal health and reduce the risk of illness. In this project, students will learn to make
healthier choices by diving deep into the world of nutrition. Students will use their creativity to design and test
healthy recipes. They will think like dieticians, using data to improve on their delicious designs. Finally, they’ll present
their nutritious dishes to a live audience and create a cookbook to sell for a charitable cause.
Imagine if thousands of students just like yours, all around the country, made small changes to improve their
lifestyles. It could add up to an incredible force for good!

Lesson 1: Why Nutrition Matters

Start Kick off this project by playing the card game, “Your Heart or Mine.” The cards represent different diseases
with why associated with unhealthy eating habits. When you reveal what the cards mean, some will live and some will die!
But all will learn a bundle about the perils of junk food. MATH

Lesson 2: Sort of Food

Engage students in thinking about nutrition by having them bring in their favorite food and choose its place on the
Think it Healthy Track. Expand their understanding by exploring resources on nutrition. Discuss any changes that need to
through be made to where food is placed on the Healthy Track.

Lesson 3: The Great GMO Debate

Encourage debate and discourse by introducing the concept of GMOs. Have students read an article that relays the
pros and cons of GMOs to discuss and debate differing perspectives on nutrition. Show a video of a toxicologist
sharing her thoughts on the article. SOCIAL STUDIES

Lesson 4: “Sum” Work with Nutrition

Have students analyze nutritional labels and guidelines using the “All That and a Bag of Chips!” activity. Challenge
students to bring in nutrition labels from their favorite foods to analyze and determine how they can make small
steps to improve their own nutritional choices.

Lesson 5: This Recipe Won’t Write Itself

Promote creative thinking by having your students brainstorm original healthy recipes and write their first drafts.
Work ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

it out Lesson 6: Chef It Up!

Have students don their chef hats as they work together to create their healthy recipes and reflect
on what worked well and what did not. SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING

Lesson 7: Top Chef Revisions

Encourage students to think like engineers by participating in a Top Chef event. Have students taste each other’s
Fix it up food and provide feedback on both taste and nutrition. They will use that feedback to revise their creations. SCIENCE

Lesson 8: Friends and Family Feast

The big day has arrived! Have your students host a tasting party for friends, family, and community members.
Share your Publish these recipes in a cookbook to raise funds for Action for Healthy Kids!
awesome
Suggested project time: 8 hours
Get started at BlueAppleTeacher.org

616.2 34. 5528

 Project Overview

Math Social Studies

EQUIVALENT FRACTIONS ROLE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Explain that fractions are equivalent Students discuss and debate the
Content
Connections by using visual fraction models role of science and technology
while sharing the number of people in our lives as they explore the Project Plan
who die from nutrition-related controversial topic of GMOs. & Supplies
diseases. Use this principle to NCSS D2.Civ.10.3-5
recognize and generate equivalent
Social Emotional
fractions. CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.NF.A.1
Learning Kit Supplies
English Language Arts SELF-AWARENESS AND SELF- • Star Stickers
WRITING EXPLANATORY TEXTS MANAGEMENT • Healthy Track Cards
Write recipes focusing on the Learn self-awareness and self- • Chef Hat Cardstock
conventions of informative/ management by role playing to • Chef Hat Tissue Paper
explanatory texts and conveying solve conflicts as they arise.
• Gregory, the Terrible Eater by
ideas and information clearly. CASEL CORE COMPETENCIES
Mitchell Sharmat
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.2

Science Not teaching these standards?

Online Resources
SENSORY INFORMATION Blue Apple projects include content • “Your Heart or Mine” Card
connections for grades K–8. Go to Game
As students see, smell, and taste BlueAppleTeacher.org to learn more!
their culinary creations, explore how • Why Kids Should Eat Healthy
and Exercise (YouTube 2:27)
we receive sensory information,
process it in our brains, and respond • “Is it Time to Label GMO
Foods?” Article
in different ways.
NGSS 4-LS1-2
• Chef Hat Template
• “All That and a Bag of Chips!”
Activity
Bring the World to Your Bring Your Students • And so much more!
Students to the World
Real-world • Advice from Kids.gov • Connect with Community
Connections • Learn From a Toxicologist • Publish and Sell
• Meet a Nutritionist • Be Talk-Show Worthy!
• Meet the Press
This is just
Recipe Swap the beginning!
Go online to access the
After your class has made their culinary creations, do this complete project.
Collaboration activity again with students from a partner class or school!
Options Not only will students “eat up” the opportunity to have some • Clear learning targets and step-by-step
instructions
more food fun, but seeing how someone else follows your
directions really shows where improvement is needed! • Dozens of links to supporting resources
•M
 ini-lessons aligned to content standards
•V
 ideos and contact information from
Applying Creative Student Choice industry experts
and Critical Thinking and Voice • Ideas to collaborate with other
Professional classrooms
How can I get my students How can I add more student
Development • Practical, point-of-use instructional
to apply critical and creative choice without classroom strategies
thinking to my content? chaos?
• Access to a grade-specific
Project Coach

Get started at BlueAppleTeacher.org

616.2 34. 5528

1.2022