Honors in Action 2012-2013

Purpose

The Honors in Action project encourages students to work together on a research project and develop a program to benefit the community beyond our campus grounds.

The Honors in Action Project enables students to address a substantial need in the community by developing a service project based on detailed research.

Planning Process

The Honors Study Topic is an biennial, interdisciplinary, and timely topic of interest related to global challenges. The Culture of Competition is the 2012-2013 Honors Study Topic.

Stage 1

Purpose:
 
• Instill better nutritional habits in 1st-grade students
• Inform parents of the value of proper nutrition by first educating their children.
 
Research: Our research demonstrates a substantial need in the Mesa community for nutritional education for preschoolers, Kindergarteners, and 1st-graders. Moreover, MyPlate has received unusual rejection from children and their parents. “Embrace MyPlate” attempts to address this significant community challenge.
 

Lesson 1:

o Purpose: To introduce students to fruits and vegetables and the value of proper
nutrition and to evaluate students’ current nutritional knowledge
 
o Preparation:
Knowledge:
• Explore the MyPlate webpage (www.choosemyplate.gov).
• Collect facts about common fruits and vegetables, and be prepared to respond to students’ questions about fruits and vegetables. (e.g. carrots improve eyesight)
• Know examples of each of the four MyPlate categories of fruits, vegetables, grains, and proteins.
 
Materials:
• Samples of fruits and vegetables
• Paper-plates (one per student)
• Crayons, markers or other coloring materials
• Optional: stickers or other incentives
 
Note:
• Incentives and competition encourage active engagement in activities
• Feel free to teach and present these lessons according to your classroom
 
o Activities:
Ice-Breaker: Inquiry of nutritional knowledge
• What’s your favorite color? What’s your favorite fruit that has this color?
 
Fruit Identification Challenge:
  • Hold up a fruit/vegetable and ask the following question: What’s the name of this fruit or vegetable?  Who’s tried this?  What did it taste like?  Did you like it?
  • Keep points for each team, possibly on the board.
Wrap-Up:
  • Award stickers to all groups and students.
  • This might be a good time to allow children to try the fruits and vegetables, and if appropriate, ask them if there are different produce items they’d like to eat next time.
o Pre-survey: Introducing MyPlate
  • Explanation of 4 colors: Green is vegetable. Red is fruit. Brown is grain (pasta, rice, bread, oatmeal). Purple is protein (meat, eggs)
  • Pass around paper plates and crayons and/or markers.
  • Ask children to shade in their paper-plates to show how much of the plate they think should be filled with each of the four food groups.
  • Teach the basics of MyPlate.
 
 
Take-home message: Choose a new fruit/vegetable to eat every day.