Smart Food Choices

Year Level

Year 3

Learning Area

Health and Physical Education

Strand

Personal, Social and Community Health

Sub-Strand

Healthy and active communities

Curriculum Content Descriptor

WA3HEHPH1 — Actions in daily routines that promote health and wellbeing

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Lesson Duration

55 minutes

Class Size

18 students

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Lesson Overview

In this engaging and hands-on Health lesson, Year 3 students will explore the differences between healthy and unhealthy snacks through interactive activities, discussions, and creative group tasks. The lesson is designed to encourage critical thinking about everyday food choices while aligning with the Western Australian Curriculum’s focus on health-promoting behaviours embedded in daily routines.

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Learning Intentions

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

• Identify a range of healthy and unhealthy snack options.
• Explain how certain snacks can affect health and wellbeing.
• Demonstrate informed decision-making about choosing healthier snacks during daily routines.

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Success Criteria

Students will:

✅ Accurately categorise snacks into ‘Healthy’ and ‘Unhealthy’
✅ Articulate how healthy snacks benefit their bodies and minds
✅ Make improvements to a common lunchbox by swapping in healthy alternatives
✅ Participate respectfully and constructively in group tasks and class discussions

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Resources Needed

• Printed visual cards of various snack items (e.g. apples, muesli bars, soft drinks, veggies, chips)
• Two large boxes or baskets labelled “Healthy” and “Unhealthy”
• Whiteboard and markers
• Large A3 “Lunchbox Sorter” worksheets (1 per group)
• Glue sticks, scissors, crayons or pencils
• Craft materials for building a "Snack Smart Superhero" poster (coloured paper, glitter, googly eyes, etc.)
• Pre-recorded 2-minute video clip: “What Makes Snacks Healthy?” (teacher-made or downloaded ahead of time)
• iPad or laptop for video display (optional)
• Reflection cards (exit tickets)

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Lesson Breakdown

Introduction (10 mins)

“Snack Detectives” – Whole Class Hook

1. Begin the lesson holding a lunchbox and a mystery snack inside. Playfully ask:

   “Hmm... do you think this snack is a helper or a hinderer for my body?”

2. Share the real snack (e.g., chocolate bar or apple) and invite students to explain their thinking using their prior knowledge.
3. Briefly introduce key vocabulary:
   • Energy
   • Nutrients
   • Sugar
   • Processed
   • Natural
4. Show the 2-minute video clip: “What Makes Snacks Healthy?” (or teacher-led explanation with visuals).

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Body (35 mins)

Activity 1: Snack Sort Relay (15 mins)

A physically active and team-based warm-up to engage kinaesthetics.

1. Split students into 2 teams of 9.
2. Spread snack food cards across the far end of the room.
3. Students take turns running to grab a card, return to their team, and decide if it belongs in the Healthy or Unhealthy basket. The team places it in the appropriate box.
4. Conduct a class debrief by unpacking a few cards and correcting any errors:
   • “Why is a muesli bar tricky to categorise?”
   • “Can a food be sometimes healthy or misleading?”

Activity 2: Build a Better Lunchbox (10 mins)

Collaborative task-based learning for deeper understanding.

1. In groups of 3, students receive a printable “Lunchbox Sorter” with a mix of healthy and unhealthy items.
2. Teams cut out the food items and stick only the healthy options into a blank lunchbox.
3. Extension: Add new healthy snack ideas on sticky notes. Encourage culturally inclusive ideas (e.g., rice paper rolls, veggie sushi, fruit salad).

Activity 3: Snack Smart Superhero Poster (10 mins)

Creative task to synthesise learning with visual art and persuasive messaging.

1. Each student creates a mini-poster featuring their imaginary "Snack Smart Superhero".
   • Superpowers: "X-ray sugar vision", "Fruit Speed", "Lunchbox makeover powers!" etc.
   • Include a speech bubble advocating smart snack choices.
2. Posters are displayed as part of the class “Snack Smart Squad” wall.

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Conclusion (10 mins)

Pair Share

• Students turn to a buddy:

  “What’s one healthy snack you’ll ask for this week — and why?”

• Volunteers share with the class.

Reflection Exit Tickets

Each student completes a mini card to hand in on their way out:

• One healthy snack I like: __________
• One unhealthy snack I’ll eat less of: __________
• I can tell if it’s healthy by: __________

Teacher uses this to gauge understanding and adjust follow-ups.

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Differentiation Strategies

• Visuals and hands-on materials support learners with EAL/D needs and additional learning needs.
• Peer-work scaffolds oral language development and encourages inclusion.
• Question prompts during the poster creation stage provide differentiation by complexity:
  • “What makes this snack unhealthy?” (simple recall)
  • “How does your superhero help kids think critically?” (higher order)

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Assessment Opportunities

Assessment Type	Evidence Collected
Formative Observation	During snack relay and group task
Student Work Samples	Lunchbox poster, Superhero poster
Exit Ticket Reflections	Individual understanding

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Links to General Capabilities

• Critical and Creative Thinking: Analysing what makes a snack healthy or unhealthy
• Personal and Social Capability: Collaborating in groups to sort and discuss lunchbox items
• Ethical Understanding: Considering how food choices affect our bodies and minds

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Cross-Curricular Opportunities

• English: Oral language development through discussion and persuasive communication
• The Arts: Drawing and designing a poster
• Mathematics: Categorising and sorting (ACMNA031 – classify data)

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Extension Ideas

• Students keep a Snack Tracker over a week and graph healthy vs unhealthy snacks they eat.
• Role-play a “Healthy Snack Chef” interview where students explain snack swaps.
• Connect with school canteen manager to practice reading a real lunch menu for choices.

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Teacher Reflection Prompt

• Which students demonstrated a strong sense of health-conscious thinking?
• Were any snack misconceptions surprising or worth revisiting next week?
• How engaged were students with creative representations of wellbeing?

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Let’s Empower Snack-Smart Kids!

This lesson combines movement, collaboration, creativity, and real-world food awareness — all aligned to the SCSA Health Curriculum. It’s a vibrant, doable classroom experience that sets the stage for mindful, empowered young eaters.