Division of Nutrition Assistance

Nutrition Across the Curriculum: Preface

Nutrition Across the Curriculum: Lesson Plans for Grades PreK-12 is an instructional resource for educators at all grade levels. The lessons are designed to help students develop positive attitudes toward good nutritional practices, to establish lifelong healthful eating patterns, to take action for good health, and to provide accurate and current nutrition information.

This document is the product of two USDA Team Nutrition grants and a partnership between the Louisiana Department of Education, Division of Nutrition Assistance, Southeastern Louisiana University, Excellence in Health and Education Project, and Tulane University Health Science Center.

In 2001, a major goal of the project was to integrate nutritional information into content area instruction across the curriculum. These lessons were correlated with benchmarks in science, mathematics, English/language arts, and social studies. Another goal was to promote the Team Nutrition concept by including the cafeteria as part of the total educational system. These lessons can be used as a resource for teachers of health education, nutrition, or food-related topics.

In 2003, the existing lessons were realigned with the Health and Physical Education standards and additional lessons were developed that promote healthful lifestyles for obesity prevention and management.

Helpful suggestions are offered along with current, research-based information that will give teachers and students the knowledge and skills needed to make wise food choices throughout their lives. These lessons easily can be modified to meet the needs of individual students.

All of the lesson plans are available at the Louisiana Department of Education website, Making Connections, at http://mconn.doe.state.la.us/. This website is accessible to all teachers. Questions, suggestions, or comments about Nutrition Across the Curriculum: Lesson Plans for Grades PreK-12 can be directed to Alice Carroll, Division of Nutrition Assistance, or by calling (225) 342-3695.