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The Food Groups

Fourth graders learn the five food groups — fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy — and how eating a variety of foods from each group helps their bodies grow strong and have energy to play and learn.

Grade 4Nutrition40 minutes1 class periodSHAPE / Skills-BasedExplicit teaching4 StandardsSHAPE
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Name the five food groups.
  • ✓Explain what each group does.
  • ✓Value eating a variety.
  • ✓Enjoy all kinds of food.
Essential Question

Food is fuel for your body — it helps you grow, play, and think! But not all foods do the same job. What are the food groups, and why is it great to enjoy a variety?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Explore · Interactive

The Food Groups Explorer

Project this and tap each food group. Have children learn how a variety of foods helps their bodies grow and have energy.

🍎 Explore the food groups — tap eachTry it

The Lesson · Health & PE Flow (Warm-Up · Learn · Practice · Apply · Cool-Down)

40 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — Food Is Fuel

5 min

Food helps you grow, play, and think — but do all foods do the same job?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Ask about favorite foods.
  • Ask what food does for us.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Share foods.
  • Think about it.
  • Get ready.
2

Learn — Five Food Groups

10 min

Children learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send children to the Food Groups Explorer.
  • Name each group.
  • Note what each does.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Tap each.
  • Name groups.
  • Note jobs.
3

Practice — Practice

12 min

Children practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Sort foods into groups.
  • Plan a balanced plate.
  • Name a food in each group.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Sort foods.
  • Plan a plate.
  • Name foods.
4

Apply — Apply

8 min

Children apply.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Build a variety plate.
  • Explain the groups.
  • Enjoy trying new foods.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Build it.
  • Explain it.
  • Try new foods.
5

Cool-Down — Cool-Down

5 min

Children close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name the five groups.
  • Explain eating a variety.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name them.
  • Explain it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to SHAPE America National Health Education & Physical Education Standards.

SHAPE
HE.1

Comprehend concepts related to nutrition and health.

SHAPE
HE.7

Practice healthy behaviors like eating a variety of foods.

SHAPE
HE.5

Use decision-making skills for healthy eating.

SHAPE
HE.8

Advocate for healthy food choices.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Food-group picture cards.
  • Sentence frame: “___ is a ___.”
  • Sort real food pictures.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with fruits and veggies.
  • Use pictures.
  • Sort a few foods.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Plan a balanced meal.
  • Read a food label.
  • Make a food-group poster.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 🍝Food pictures
  • 💻The Food Groups Explorer
  • 🍽️A paper plate
  • 🖍️Crayons
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

food groupa set of similar foodsfruitssweet foods with vitaminsvegetablesplant foods with vitaminsgrainsenergy foods like bread and riceproteinfoods that build musclesdairymilk foods for strong bonesvarietymany different kindsenergythe power to move and think
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
Name the five food groups.
Fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy.
QUESTION 2
Which food group helps build strong muscles?
Protein.
QUESTION 3
Why is it good to eat a variety of foods?
Different food groups do different jobs to help your body grow, play, and think.

Cool-Down: build a plate.

Have children plan a balanced plate with foods from several groups and share why variety is great. A printable food-groups sheet is in the PE & Health library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 The Food GroupsFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 The Food GroupsQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ The Food GroupsPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: dairy, energy, food group, fruits, grains, protein, variety, vegetables
  1. sweet foods with vitamins
  2. energy foods like bread and rice
  3. plant foods with vitamins
  4. a set of similar foods
  5. milk foods for strong bones
  6. foods that build muscles
  7. many different kinds
  8. the power to move and think

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. Name the five food groups.
  2. Which food group helps build strong muscles?
  3. Why is it good to eat a variety of foods?
Answer key — Part A: 1) fruits · 2) grains · 3) vegetables · 4) food group · 5) dairy · 6) protein · 7) variety · 8) energy
Part B: 1) Fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy. 2) Protein. 3) Different food groups do different jobs to help your body grow, play, and think.