WHOLE GRAINS GIVE YOU SMART BRAINS

NutritionEducationPlan:
WholeGrainsGiveyouSmart
Brains
By:
ByronBatchelor,LorenzoGomez,NelsonReames,KristenShawver,AlexandraTracchio

NutritionEducationPlan:
WHOLEGRAINSGIVEYOUSMARTBRAINS

a. Title:
WholeGrainsGiveYouSmartBrains

b. Intendedaudience
:
OurintendedaudiencesarefirstgradersatMillCreek,JuliaP,LangstonChapel,Mattie
LivelyandSallyZElementaryschoolswhoareinvolvedintheBullochParks&
RecreationAfterschoolGarden&NutritionClub.

c.Purpose/background:

Itisimportanttoinformchildrenatayoungagetheimportanceof
wholegrainconsumptionintheirdiet.Wholegrainscontainnaturalfiberthataidswith
digestionandbloodlipids.Wholegrainsalsocontainalowerglycemicloadwhichaidsin
controllingbloodsugarlevels.Childrenatyoungagesareoftenexposedto
advertisementsthatdirectthemtoeatalargeamountofrefinedproducts,whichcontain
unnecessarycalories.Also,thenewschoollunchprogramrequiresthatatleasthalfofthe
grainsservedarewhole.Thislessonwilldeveloptheabilitytorecognizeandappreciate
thehealthbenefitsofwholegrains.Teachingthemtheimportanceofwholegrain
consumptionearlyinlifecancreateapositiveoutcomeindietlaterinlife.

d.NutritionlearningobjectivesandNationalHealthEducationStandards
:

Selectthecomponentsofawholegrainthatareimportantforhealth(NHES1.2.1)
Studentswillcomprehendconceptsrelatedtohealthpromotionanddiseasepreventionto
enhancehealth.

Recognizethehealthbenefitsofwholegrains(NHES7.2.1)

Studentswilldemonstrate
theabilitytopracticehealthenhancingbehaviorsandavoidorreducehealthrisks.

Differentiatebetweenawholegrainandarefinedgrain(NHES1.2.2)
Studentswill
demonstratetheabilitytousedecisionmakingskillstoenhancehealth.

e.Assessmenttool
:
Studentswillbegivenapre/posttest.

Assessment:
Circlethebestanswer(s).
1. Selectthegrainthatcontainsallpartsofawholegrain.

2. Choosetheitemsthatareawholegrain.

3. Choosetheitemsthatarerefinedgrains.

4. Whatdoeswholegrainscontainthatrefinedgrainsusuallydonot?
A. Sugar
B. Fiber
C. Protein
D. Fat
5. AwholegraincontainstheEndosperm,Germ,andBran.
True
False
6. Whichofthefollowingarehealthbenefitstoeatingwholegrains?
A. Healthyheart
B. Moremuscle
C. Longerhair
D. Prettysmile

Assessment:
Circlethebestanswer(s).
AnswerKey
1. Selectthegrainthatcontainsallpartsofawholegrain.

2.Choosetheitemsthatareawholegrain.

3.Choosetheitemsthatarerefinedgrains.

4.Whatdoeswholegrainscontainthatrefinedgrainsusuallydonot?
E. Sugar
F. Fiber
G. Protein
H. Fat
5.AwholegraincontainstheEndosperm,Germ,andBran.
True
False
6.Whichofthefollowingarehealthbenefitstoeatingwholegrains?
E. Healthyheart
F. Moremuscle
G. Longerhair
H. Prettysmile

f.Nutritioneducationoutlinetable
:

TypeofActivity

Duration

MaterialsNeeded

Presenterintroductions

1minute

N/A

Icebreakerandfavorite
foods

6minutes

N/A

Preassessment

5minutes

Preassessmentpaper
Writingutensils(i.e.pencils)

LearningObjectives
Lesson
Buildingandrefininga
wholegrain

10minutes

Pictureofwholegrain
Pictureofrefinedgrain

Activity:BreadTasting
activityanddiscussion

6minutes

Loafofwholegrainbread
Loafofwhitebread
Timer
Pitcherofwater
Dixiecups

Snack:WholeWheat
OatmealCookies

8minutes

WholeWheatOatmealCookies

Distributehandoutand
discussion

1minute

WholeGrainHandout

Postassessment

5minutes

Postassessmentpaper
Writingutensils(i.e.pencils)

g.Nutritioneducationcontent
:

WholeGrainsGiveYouSmartBrains

Say:(Presenterintroduceshim/herself)
Hello!Mynameis______,andtodaywearegoing
tobetalkingaboutWholeGrainsandhowtheymakeyousmart!

(IceBreaker)

Say: Doesanyoneknowwhatanicebreakeris?Itisafunlittlewaytobreaktheiceand
gettoknowoneanother!Wearegoingtoplayonenow.First,youaregoingtointroduce
yourselfandthenyouaregoingtotellusyourfavoritegrainbasedfood!Illbegin:Hi,
mynameis______,andmyfavoritegrainbasedfoodinthewholewideworldis
_______.Sonowitisyourturn.
Do: Presenterchoosesaquietchildononesideoftheroomtobegin.Eachstudentwill
introducethemselfandstatetheirfavoritegrainbasedfood.

(PreTest)
Say
: Thankyoueveryoneforsharing.Nowwearegoingtotakeapretesttoseewhatyouall
alreadyknow.Pleasequietlyanswerthequestions,andIwillpickthemupwhenyouare
finished.
Do: Presenterpassesoutpretestsheetsofpaperforstudentstodisplaytheirknowledgeof
wholegrains.Oncestudentscompletethetest,thepresentercollectsthepretest.

Say: Thankyouallforfinishingthetestsoquietly.Noweveryonepleasecomeandsitin
thefrontoftheroom.
(Afterthestudentsareseatedinthefrontoftheroom,Presenterwillbeginexplainingthe
learningobjectives.)

(LearningObjectives,Lesson,andBuildingandRefiningaWholeGrain)
Say: Duringourlesson,therearesomethingsIwouldlikeeachofyoutolearncalled
LearningObjectivesandtherearethree.Imgoingexplainthemnow.First,atthe
endofthislessonyoushouldbeableto1.)Selectthecomponentsofawholegrainthat
areimportantforhealth,2.)Recognizethehealthbenefitsofwholegrains,and3.)
Differentiatebetweenawholegrainandarefinedgrain.Doyouthinkyoucanremember
those?Good!

Say: Now,howmanyofyouhaveheardofwholegrains?Cansomeonetellmewhatawhole
grainis?
Do: Presenterwillcallonstudenttoanswerthequestion.
6

Say: Awholegrainistheentirepartofthegrainseedofaplant.Oatmeal,rice,corn,and
sometypesofbreadareexamplesoffoodsthatcontainwholegrains.Eatingthewhole
grainisverybeneficialforourbodiesbyhelpingwithdigestion,givingusenergy,anda
otherthingswewilldiscuss.Now,wearegoingtoformalifesizeexampleofawhole
grain.CanIpleasehaveavolunteertobethegermofourwholegrain?
Do
: Presenterchoosesastudenttostandinthefrontoftheroomandrepresentthegermofthe
wholegrain.

Say
: Ineed4morevolunteerstobetheendospermofourgrain.
Do: Presenterchooses4studentstosurroundthestudentrepresentingthegerm.

Say: Noweveryoneelsepleaseformacirclearoundtheendospermtoformthebran.
Do: Studentswillsurroundthestudentsalreadyformingtheendosperm.

Say: Youstudentshaveallformedawholegrain!Thisiswhatawholegrainlookslike.
Do: Presenterwillshowthestudentsthepictureofawholegrain.

Say: Letstalkabouteachpart.Studentsformingtheoutsideofthecircle,pleaseraiseyour
hands.Youaretheouterlayerandarethebran.ThebrancontainsBvitaminsandfiber.
Fiberhelpskeepyoufeelfulllongerandhelpswithdigestion.
Studentsinthemiddlecircle,pleaseraiseyourhands.Yourepresenttheendosperm.The
endospermprovidesenergytoanewplant.Itcontainscarbohydratesandprotein.
Carbohydratescanbeusedasenergyforthebody.Proteinisanimportantbuildingblock
foryourbonesandmuscles.
Nowwillthestudentinthemiddlepleaseraiseyourhand?Yourepresentthegerm.The
germisthepartthatcanproducethenewplant.ItalsocontainsBvitaminsandfats.
Sometimes,thegrainisrefinedandputinfoods.Whenawholegrainisrefined,thebran
andgermareremoved.Studentsontheoutercirclerepresentingthebran,andthestudent
representingthegerm,pleasesitdown.Thebenefitsofthesepartsofthegrainarealso
removed,suchasBvitamins,fiber,andprotein.Onceagrainisrefined,theendospermis
leftover.Thisiswhyeatingwholegrainsinsteadofrefinedgrainsisimportant,because
itprovidesmanymorebenefitstothebody.

Say: Thankyoueveryoneforhelpingtocreateawholegrain.Everyonecannowsitdown.
Wearegoingtosee,taste,andfeelthedifferencebetweenwholegrainandrefined
grain.

Do:

Say:

Do:

(Activity:BreadTexture)
Presenterpassesoutsmallpiecesofwhiteandwholegrainbreadtoeachstudent
Nobodyeatthebread,okay?Everyonelookatthetwopiecesofbreadinfrontofthem.
Raiseyourhandifyoucantellmesomedifferencesthatyousee.
Presenterwillcallonstudentstocreatediscussionaboutthedifferencesbetweenrefined
andwholegrainbread.

Texture(hardvssoft)
:Wholegrainsareharderthanrefinedgrains.Thisisdue
tothewholegrainsretainingallthreepartsofthegrainascomparedtorefined
grainsthatonlyuseendosperm.Withouttheothertwoparts(BranandGerm)the
structureisntasstrongasthatofawholegrain.
Color
:Wholegrainsareabrown,darkercolorwhilerefinedgrainsarewhite.
Howeversometimesthiscanbemisleadingasgrainsmaybecoloredbrown,but
lookattheingredientsonandlookforWholeWheatorWholeGrainasthe
firstingredient.

Correctanswers:

Thegrainhasthreenutrientrichparts:thebran(outerlayer),thegerm(theinnermost
area),andtheendosperm(starchypartinbetween).Wholegrainscontainallthreeparts
ofthegrain,whilerefinedgrainsonlyusetheendosperm.

Becausewholegrainscontainallthreepartsofthegrain,theycontainhigheramountsof
higherfiber,vitamins,andminerals.Refinedgrains,suchaswhitebread,losesthemost
nutritiouspartsofthegrain(branandgerm)whichcontainmostofthefiber,vitaminsand
minerals.Somuchfiberislostthatyoudhavetoeat8piecesofwhitebreadtogetthe
theamountoffibercontainedinonepieceofwholegrainbread.

Say: Noweveryonetakethewholegrainpieceofbread,andwhenItellyou,putthebreadin
yourmouth.Iwilltimeyoufor30secondswhileyouchew.Attheendofthe30seconds,
youcanswallowit.Makesurenottoswallowitbeforehand!Doeseveryoneunderstand?
(Assumingallthestudentsunderstand)Okay,youcanputthewholegrainpieceofbread
inyourmouth.

Do: Studentswillholdthewholegrainpieceofbreadintheirmouth.Presenterwilltimethe
studentsfor30secondsasstudentschewthebread.After30seconds,studentswill
swallowthebread.
8

Say: Everyonepleasedrinksomewater.Wearegoingtodothesameactivitybutwiththe
whitepieceofbread.Asareminder,whenItellyou,putthewhitebreadinyourmouth
butyoucannotswallowit.Iwilltimeyoufor30secondswhileyouchew,andthenyou
canswallowit.Doeseveryoneunderstand?(Assumingallthestudentsunderstand)Okay,
youcanputthewhitepieceofbreadinyourmouth.
Do: Studentswillholdthewhitepieceofbreadintheirmouth.Presenterwilltimethe
studentsfor30secondswhiletheychew.After30seconds,theywillallowthestudentsto
swallowthebread.

Say: Pleaseraiseyourhandandtellmewhatyounoticedabouteachpieceofbread.

Do
: Presenterwillcallonstudentstocreatediscussionbetweenrefinedandwholegrains.
Ifthestudentsaysits:

Taste:
Bothbreadsshouldbegintotastesweeterasyouchewit.Thisisbecause
oursalivabreaksdownthebreadintosugars.
Texture(hardvssoft)
:Wholegrainsareharderthanrefinedgrains.Thisisdue
tothewholegrainsretainingallthreepartsofthegrainascomparedtorefined
grainsthatonlyuseendosperm.Withouttheothertwoparts(BranandGerm)the
structureisntasstrongasthatofawholegrain.

(SnackandRecipe)
Say
: Youallhadsomegreatideasaboutwholegrainsandrefinedgrains.Wearegoingto
finishtodaybyeatingawholegrainsnack.TheseareWholeWheatOatmealCookies.
Do
: Presenterpassesoutsnacktostudents.

Say: Thesecookiescontainawholegrain.Cananyonetellmewhatthatwholegrainis?
(Waitforresponse).Thesecookiesactuallycontaintwowholegrains:oatsandwhole
wheatflour!Oatsareverygoodforyourhearthealthandloweryourcholesterol.Oats
alsocontainagoodsourceoffibertohelpkeepyoufulllongerandaidsindigestive
health.Wholewheatflourhasmoreproteinandvitaminscomparedtowhitewheat
flour.

Say
: Todaywehavetalkedaboutwholegrains.Rememberthebenefitsthatwholegrainsgive
youwhenyoueatthem,andtrytoeatmorewholegrainsratherthanrefinedgrains.Do
youhaveanyquestions?

Do
: Presenteranswersanyquestionsfromthestudents.Passouthandout.
9

Say
: Thisisahandoutaboutwholegrainsandallthatwetalkedabouttoday.Makesureyou
takethishandouthometosharewithyourparentswhatyoulearnedaboutwholegrains
today.Justtoreview,itsimportanttohaveallthreepartsofthegrain.Cansomeone
namethemformeplease?(Bran,thegerm,andtheendosperm)Andwhyaretheseparts
importantforourhealth?(Givesyourbodyextrafiber,carbohydrates,vitamins,and
mineralsoverrefinedgrains).

Say
: Thelastthingwearegoingtodoisonemoreworksheettoseewhatyouhavelearned.
Pleasequietlyanswerthequestions,andIwillpickitupwhenyouarefinished.

Do
: Passoutposttestandpickupwhenstudentsarefinished.

Say
: Thankyouallforbeinggreatlistenersandforparticipatingtoday.Haveawonderful
afternoon,anddontforgettochoosewholegrains!

10

h.ActivityandInstructions:
1. Title:
BuildingandRefiningaGrainActivity
Purpose
:Thepurposeofthishandsonactivityistohelpthestudentsidentifythepartsofa
wholegrainandthestructuraldifferencebetweenwholeandrefinedgrains.Studentswill
alsolearnthebenefitsofeachpartofthegrainkernelandhowhavingwholegrainsthat
containthebran,endosperm,andthegermaremorenutritionallybeneficialthanrefined
grains.
Duration
:10minutes
Equipmentandsupplies
:Pictureofawholegrain,pictureofarefinedgrain
Directions
:(manipulatedependingonthenumberofstudents)
1. Beginbydescribingthestructureofawholegrainandexplainthattheywill
bebuildingawholegrain.Useapictureofawholegraintoreferenceduring
teachingpoints.

2. Askonechildtostandtorepresentthegerm.
3. Havefourchildrentosurroundtheonechildinthemiddletorepresentthe
endosperm.
4. Havetheremainingnumberofchildrensurroundthechildrenfromstep2,to
representthebran.
5. Nowthatyouhavebuiltawholegrainwiththestudents,youwillwantto
explainthebenefitsofeachpartofthewholegrain.
Benefits:
ThebranisthehardoutershellthatcontainsBvitaminsanda
lotofthefiberinthekernel.Theendospermcontainsmostofthe
carbohydratesofthekernel,withlittlevitamins,minerals,andprotein.The
germcontainshealthyfats,alongwithBvitamins,minerals,andprotein.
11

6. Askthechildfromstep1toremovehis/herselforthegermfromthewhole
grain.
7. Askthechildrenfromstep3toremovethemselvesorthebranfromthewhole
grain.
8. Nowthatyouhavearefinedgrain,discusswhatwaslostbyremovingthe
branandgerm.
Say:
Byremovingthebranandthegermyoulosemostoftheprotein,
fiber,minerals,andvitaminsthatarecontainedinthebranandgerm.
Expectedresults
:Thisactivityisexpectedappealtoeverylearningstyleasitgivesa
visual,itiskinesthetic,anditusesauditoryreinforcement.Itaimstoaccomplish
twoofourlearningobjectives.Thefirstbeingidentifythepartsofawholegrain
andthesecondbeingdifferentiateandidentifybetweenawholegrainanda
refinedgrain.

12

2.
Title:
BreadTextureActivity
Purpose
:Thepurposeofthisactivityistohelpstudentsdistinguishbetweenawhole
grainandarefinedgrain.Itwillalsoallowstudentstoapplytheknowledgethatthey
learnedinthebuildingandrefiningactivity.
Duration:
810minutes
Equipmentandsupplies
:Smallpiecesofwholegrainbreadforeachstudent,smallpieces
ofwhitebreadforeachstudent,awholepieceofwholegrainbread,awholepieceof
whitebread,2bowlstoholdthepiecesofbreadforthechildren,wholegrainproducts
Directions
:
1.Explaintothestudentsthatwearegoingtocomparefoodsthatarewhole
grainversusrefinedgrains.
2.Showthemvariouswholegrainproductsandthencomparethemtorefined
grains.
3.Passoutasmallpieceofwholegrainbreadandasmallpieceofwhitebread
4.Askthestudentstofeelthedifferenceintexture,look,taste,etc.
5.Discusswithstudentsaboutwhythesegrainsaredifferent
6.Allowstudentstotastethepiecesofbread
7.Discusswithstudentsaboutwhythesamplestastedifferentbetweenwhole
grainbreadandwhitebread
SayTexture(hardvssoft)
:Wholegrainsareharderthanrefinedgrains.
Thisisduetothewholegrainsretainingallthreepartsofthegrainas
comparedtorefinedgrainsthatonlyuseendosperm.Withouttheother
twoparts(BranandGerm)thestructureisntasstrongasthatofawhole
grain.

Expectedresults
:Thisactivityisexpectedappealtovisualandkinestheticlearning
styles.Itaimstoaccomplishoneofthelearningobjectives.Studentsareexpectto
meet,isthatthestudentswillbeabletodifferentiateandidentifybetweenawhole
grainandarefinedgrain.

13

i.Snack
:
StudentswillbegivenWholeWheatOatmealCookiesasasnack.

Say:

Thesecookiescontainawholegrain.Cananyonetellmewhatthatwholegrain
is?(Waitforresponse).Thesecookiesactuallycontaintwowholegrains:oatsand
wholewheatflour!Oatsareverygoodforyourhearthealthandloweryour
cholesterol.Oatsalsocontainagoodsourceoffibertohelpkeepyoufulllonger
andaidsindigestivehealth.Wholewheatflourhasmoreproteinandvitamins
comparedtowhitewheatflour.

j.Audiencehandouts
:
Studentswillbegivenahandouttotakehomethatreinforcesthe
objectiveswewentoverinthelesson.Theseincludethedifferencesofwholegrainandrefined
grainaswellasthebenefitsofconsumingwholegrain.

Say
: Thisisahandoutaboutwholegrainsandallthatwetalkedabouttoday.Make
sureyoutakethishandouthometosharewithyourparentswhatyoulearned
aboutwholegrainstoday.Justtoreview,itsimportanttohaveallthreepartsof
thegrain.Cansomeonenamethemformeplease?(Bran,thegerm,andthe
endosperm)Andwhyarethesepartsimportantforourhealth?(Givesyourbody
extrafiber,carbohydrates,vitamins,andmineralsoverrefinedgrains).

14

References
:

WholeGrainsCouncil.WholeGrains101.In
OldwaysWholeGrainCouncil
.Retrieved
September16,2015,from
http://wholegrainscouncil.org/wholegrains101

TI2GR,
(nodate).
HenryandMaudiesOatmealCookies
.RetrievedSeptember16,2015,
from
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/25082/henryandmaudiesoatmealcookies/

WholeGrainsCouncil.WelcometoWholeGrains.RetrievedSeptember16,2015,from
http://wholegrainscouncil.org/files/WholeGrains101brochure.pdf

15