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The Five Food Groups

Fifth graders learn the five food groups — fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy — and how eating a variety from each group gives their body everything it needs to grow strong and healthy.

Grade 5Nutrition40 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 food groups.
  • ✓Explain what each gives you.
  • ✓Build a balanced plate.
  • ✓Enjoy variety.
Essential Question

A healthy plate has a little of everything! The five food groups each give your body something special. What are they, and what does each one do?

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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 group. Have students learn the five food groups and what each one gives the body.

🍽️ Explore the five 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 — A Healthy Plate

5 min

A healthy plate has a little of everything — what are the food groups?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show a balanced plate.
  • Ask what’s on it.
  • Get ready.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Look.
  • Consider.
  • Get ready.
2

Learn — The Food Groups

10 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to the Food Groups Explorer.
  • Note each group.
  • Note variety.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Tap each.
  • Note them.
  • Reflect.
3

Practice — Practice

11 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name foods in each group.
  • Build a balanced plate.
  • Explain variety.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name them.
  • Build it.
  • Explain.
4

Apply — Apply

9 min

Students apply.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Plan a balanced meal.
  • Include several groups.
  • Explain the benefits.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Plan it.
  • Include them.
  • Explain.
5

Cool-Down — Cool-Down

5 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a food group.
  • Say what it gives you.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name one.
  • Say 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 about food groups.

SHAPE
HE.7

Practice healthy eating.

SHAPE
HE.5

Use decision-making for balanced meals.

SHAPE
HE.3

Access valid nutrition information.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Food-group cards.
  • Sentence frame: “___ gives me ___.”
  • Use food pictures.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with fruits and grains.
  • Use pictures.
  • Name one food each.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Build a full MyPlate.
  • Explain whole grains.
  • Plan a day of meals.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Projector / board
  • 🥗Food pictures
  • 💻The Food Groups Explorer
  • 🍽️A paper plate
  • ✏️Pens
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

food groupa group of similar foodsfruitssweet plant foodsvegetableshealthy plant foodsgrainsenergy foods like breadproteinmuscle-building foodsdairymilk-based foodsbalanceda mix from each groupvarietymany different foods
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 three of the five food groups.
Sample: fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, or dairy.
QUESTION 2
What does the protein group help build?
Strong muscles.
QUESTION 3
Why is it good to eat from all five food groups?
Each group gives your body something different it needs.

Cool-Down: build a plate.

Have students plan a balanced meal that includes several food groups. 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 Five Food GroupsFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

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

📝 The Five 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 Five Food GroupsPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: balanced, dairy, food group, fruits, grains, protein, variety, vegetables
  1. a mix from each group
  2. a group of similar foods
  3. energy foods like bread
  4. many different foods
  5. healthy plant foods
  6. muscle-building foods
  7. sweet plant foods
  8. milk-based foods

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. Name three of the five food groups.
  2. What does the protein group help build?
  3. Why is it good to eat from all five food groups?
Answer key — Part A: 1) balanced · 2) food group · 3) grains · 4) variety · 5) vegetables · 6) protein · 7) fruits · 8) dairy
Part B: 1) Sample: fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, or dairy. 2) Strong muscles. 3) Each group gives your body something different it needs.