Nutritional Needs Focus

Overview

This 50-minute lesson for Year 10 students explores the nutritional needs of specific population groups to support healthy living and physical activity, in line with the NSW PDHPE (Personal Development, Health and Physical Education) Curriculum requirements.

Curriculum Links

NSW PDHPE Stage 5 (Years 9-10) - Focus Area: Nutrition and Physical Activity

• Outcome: Investigate the general nutritional needs of specific groups for healthy living and physical activity, e.g., people with disability, children, elderly .
• Content: Students understand how nutrition supports body functions, growth and activity, considering varying needs related to age and ability.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. Identify general nutritional needs for healthy living and physical activity in children, the elderly, and people with disabilities.
2. Explain how nutritional needs differ among these groups and the importance of tailored nutrition strategies.
3. Participate in discussions to compare nutritional recommendations and apply this understanding to real-life scenarios.
4. Assess their learning through an exit ticket focused on key nutritional concepts for specific groups.

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Resources Needed

• Whiteboard and markers
• Printed or digital fact sheets summarising nutritional needs for each group (children, elderly, people with disability)
• Worksheet for group work activities
• Exit ticket slips or digital forms

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Lesson Breakdown (50 minutes)

1. Introduction and Context Setting (7 minutes)

• Teacher Input: Briefly introduce the concept of nutrition and its role in health and physical activity.
• Highlight that nutritional needs vary with age and physical condition.
• Present the three focus groups: children, elderly, and people with disabilities.
• Explain today’s learning goal: understanding how nutrition supports health for these groups.

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2. Learning Activity 1 – Jigsaw Research and Sharing (15 minutes)

• Activity Setup: Divide the class into 3 groups of 10 students. Assign each group one population group (children, elderly, people with disabilities).
• Task: Each group studies the fact sheets on their assigned group’s nutritional needs (macro and micronutrients, hydration, special considerations).
• Outcome: Groups prepare 3 key points to share with the class.
• Teacher Role: Circulate, support understanding, prompt deeper thinking about diet differences and reasons.

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3. Learning Activity 2 – Whole-Class Discussion (15 minutes)

• Format: Groups share their key findings.
• Discussion Prompts:
  • How do nutritional needs differ between these groups?
  • Why might these differences exist (e.g., metabolism, activity levels, health conditions)?
  • What challenges might these groups face in meeting their nutritional needs?
  • How can physical activity influence nutritional requirements?
• Teacher Action: Use probing questions to facilitate reflection and relate findings to healthy living and physical performance.

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4. Learning Activity 3 – Scenario Problem Solving (8 minutes)

• Task: Present brief scenarios/sample meal plans for each group.
• Example: An elderly person with reduced appetite, a child with high energy needs, a person with a mobility-related disability.
• Students work in pairs to identify nutritional strengths and gaps in the scenarios, and propose simple improvements.
• Share insights briefly as a class.

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5. Exit Ticket – Reflect and Summarise (5 minutes)

• Students respond individually to the prompt:
  “Explain one way nutritional needs of your assigned group differ from others and why it is important to meet these needs for healthy living and physical activity.”
• Collect exit tickets as formative assessment for understanding.

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Assessment and Feedback

• Informal assessment during group sharing and discussion, noting depth of student explanations and engagement.
• Exit ticket provides evidence of individual understanding aligned to the learning outcome.
• Teacher provides positive feedback and clarifies misconceptions in the next lesson.

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Differentiation and Engagement

• Provide scaffolds such as guided questions and vocabulary lists for students who need support.
• Challenge higher-achieving students to consider cultural or medical factors influencing nutrition.
• Use inclusive language and examples to acknowledge diversity in abilities and life experiences.

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Teacher Reflection Suggestions

• Did students effectively differentiate nutritional needs among the groups?
• Was the discussion rich with connections to health and physical activity?
• How did students respond to the scenario problem solving?
• Consider gathering student feedback on which activity helped their learning most.

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This lesson design closely aligns with the NSW PDHPE curriculum goals for Stage 5 Health, promoting student understanding of nutrition in context with physical activity and diverse health needs, with active engagement through collaborative learning and critical thinking tasks .