Food Knowledge Celebration

Overview

In this final lesson of “Exploring Food Science Fun”, students share what they have learned by setting up a small class mini-exhibition. They create and present simple posters about food groups, cooking experiences, and basic nutrition facts, showing observation, curiosity, and science talk.

Learning intentions

• WALT present information about foods using pictures and simple words.
• WALT sort foods into familiar food groups.
• WALT describe what happened during a cooking experience and what foods helped.
• WALT share one simple nutrition idea (for example, “some foods give energy” or “fruit and vegetables help our bodies”).

Success criteria

• I can point to my poster and tell what it shows using at least 1–2 clear sentences.
• I can place foods into the correct food group (with support).
• I can explain one thing we did in our cooking experience using a beginning–middle–end idea.
• I can say one nutrition fact using my own words (e.g., “eat fruit and vegetables” / “drink water”).

Curriculum links

• Te Mātaiaho Science — Years 0–3: begin observing and describing surroundings through direct, hands-on experiences.
• Te Mātaiaho Science — Food chains (Year 3 context not used): we focus on simple food group ideas and where foods fit in our daily eating, not food webs.
• Te Mātaiaho Science — Foundational science communication: students use drawings, objects, and simple language to share ideas and observations.
• Science strands (Years 0–3): building curiosity and basic understanding through talk, sharing, and representations of everyday science (food and nutrition).

Lesson structure (30 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Welcome & mini-exhibition set-up. Teacher lays out “exhibition areas” (poster board/table) and shows 1 example poster (picture of food group + “We tried…” cooking sentence). Students choose a spot, put on a “presenter” badge, and briefly show what their poster contains (pointing only).

2. 5–12 min · Poster creation (last checks). Teacher circulates with a checklist: “Food group picture,” “Cooking experience drawing,” “Nutrition fact sentence.” Students work in pairs to finish or correct one missing part using pre-prepared picture cards and sentence strips (e.g., “We cooked…”, “I noticed…”, “Fruit and vegetables…”). Teacher prompts with questions: “What food is this?” “Where does it go?” “What did we do first?”

3. 12–20 min · Rehearsal science talk. Teacher models a short presentation using a prompt strip: “My poster is about… / We tried… / My nutrition fact is…” Students rehearse using sentence starters and practise one “show and say” turn with a partner. Teacher listens for correct use of simple science language (food group name, “cooked/mixed/washed/chopped with help”, “noticed”).

4. 20–26 min · Mini-exhibition gallery walk. Teacher explains respectful audience behaviour: look with your eyes, listen with your ears, ask one question using a question card (e.g., “What food did you try?” “Which group is this?”). Students rotate through the exhibition areas (teacher supports pacing so everyone gets a turn), presenting their poster to classmates and answering with short responses.

5. 26–30 min · Wrap-up & closing reflection. Teacher gathers students and asks: “What is one thing we learned about food?” Students contribute one shared idea using either a gesture (point to poster part) or one sentence stem. Teacher thanks presenters and celebrates growth: “You observed, you talked, you shared your ideas.”

Resources

• Class example poster (1 completed sample for modelling)
• Student poster paper or A4 card, crayons/markers
• Pre-prepared picture cards of foods (fruit/vegetables, grains/bread/cereal, dairy, protein foods, “sometimes” snacks—keep categories simple)
• Sentence starter strips (print-ready): “We cooked…”, “First… Then…”, “I noticed…”, “My nutrition fact…”
• Sticky notes or badge stickers for presenters
• Simple food group reference cards (with pictures, not long text)
• Allergy-aware “no tasting” reminder signage (if needed)
• Teacher checklist for each student poster (3–4 items)

Assessment

• Formative: teacher checklist during poster creation (food group placed correctly, cooking experience included, nutrition fact included).
• Formative: observe student during rehearsal and gallery walk—can they share a clear, short explanation using sentence starters.
• Quick exit check at the end: students answer “Show me one poster part and tell me one thing you learned” (either verbally or with a gesture + single word).

Differentiation

• Support for emerging communicators: sentence strips with only 1–2 words to complete; allow pointing to pictures instead of full sentences.
• Support for students needing extra structure: provide a “3-part poster” template (Food group / Cooking / Nutrition fact) so they always know what to include.
• Extension for confident speakers: ask for an extra detail question during gallery walk (e.g., “What did you notice about how it changed?” or “Which foods help us feel strong?”).
• EAL/SEN considerations: use picture-first materials, model pronunciation, accept home language responses for concept sharing, and keep sentence starters consistent across the room.