Healthy Kai and Hauora

Overview

In this eighth lesson of the Matariki Reading and Writing unit, ākonga revisit healthy lunchbox choices and read an informational page about eating well. They classify food and drink choices, then use oral rehearsal to write a simple explanation using “I choose … because …”. The lesson connects English reading and writing with hauora and making healthy choices.

Learning intentions

• WALT explain how healthy kai and water support our health and wellbeing.
• WALT read a simple information text for meaning.
• WALT classify lunchbox choices and use health vocabulary.
• WALT give a reason for one healthy choice in speaking and writing.
• WALT manage ourselves and think carefully about choices.

Success criteria

• I can identify healthy food and water choices.
• I can use words such as healthy, energy, water, fruit, vegetables and hauora.
• I can explain one choice using “I choose … because …”.
• I can write a sentence that begins with a capital letter and ends with a full stop.

Curriculum links

• English — reading and comprehending simple and extended sentences, including information in a shared text.
• English — using simple sentences, capital letters and full stops to write an explanation.
• English — identifying basic features and answering questions about an information text.
• Health and Physical Education — hauora, managing self and making healthy choices that support wellbeing.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–10 min · Revisit and connect. Display the healthy lunchbox page and open with the opening lunchbox image and discussion prompt. Ask, “What do you notice? Which choices might help our tinana, hinengaro, whānau and wairua?” Briefly revisit that hauora means wellbeing and that healthy choices can look different across cultures, whānau and dietary needs. Students turn and talk, then name one food or drink they might put in a lunchbox. Accept home-language contributions and clarify vocabulary with gestures and pictures.

2. 10–25 min · Shared reading. Read the uploaded “Eating Well” page aloud once for enjoyment and once with stops for meaning. Use the shared-reading slides with highlighted vocabulary and questions to model tracking print, noticing the title and finding information. Ask: “What does the text tell us about water?” “Which foods help give us energy?” and “How might these choices help us feel or learn?” Students join in with repeated phrases, point to evidence in the text and answer in complete oral sentences. Record key words and simple meanings on the board.

3. 25–40 min · Classify lunchbox choices. Show a selection of food pictures, including water, fruit, vegetables and everyday lunch foods, using the Food Vocabulary Flashcards alongside the teacher’s food pictures. Explain that the class is sorting choices for a balanced lunchbox, not labelling foods as “good” or “bad”. In groups of four, students place pictures under headings such as “often choices”, “sometimes choices” or “water”, explaining their thinking. Use the sorting instructions and discussion prompts. Groups compare one decision and respectfully notice that some foods may be suitable for particular cultural, medical or dietary needs.

4. 40–55 min · Oral-to-written explanation. Model an example: “I choose water because it helps my body stay hydrated.” Think aloud about choosing a capital letter, spaces and a full stop. Give each student the Healthy Kai explanation sheet and orally rehearse the stem, “I choose ___ because ___.” Students choose a food or water picture, tell a partner their sentence, then write or draw and label their idea on the worksheet. Confer with individuals, prompting them to add a reason connected to health or wellbeing. Students who finish may write a second sentence about another choice.

5. 55–60 min · Review and share. Revisit the success criteria using the final review and self-assessment slide. Invite two or three students to read their sentences. Students show thumbs up, sideways or down for how confidently they can identify a healthy choice and give a reason, then share one new health word they used.

Resources

• Uploaded “Eating Well” page
• the Healthy Kai and Hauora slide deck
• the Healthy Kai explanation sheet
• the Food Vocabulary Flashcards
• Teacher food pictures and lunchbox images
• Whiteboard and markers
• Pencils, crayons and clipboards or writing books

Assessment

• During shared reading, listen for students locating information and explaining how food or water supports wellbeing.
• During sorting and partner rehearsal, note use of health vocabulary, respectful reasoning and ability to give a relevant reason.
• Collect the worksheet or journal response. Look for an identifiable choice, a sensible reason, a capital letter and a full stop. Conference briefly with selected students to clarify their thinking and next writing step.

Differentiation

• Support learners with realia, gestures, picture choices, a reduced choice set and repeated oral rehearsal before writing.
• Provide the sentence frame “I choose ___ because ___” and allow drawing, dictation, scribing or an oral recording for students developing writing confidence.
• Pair EAL learners with supportive peers, pronounce and revisit vocabulary, and invite students to use familiar foods and home-language words before sharing in English.
• Respect cultural, religious, allergy-related and sensory differences. Students may select water or any suitable food choice and explain that healthy lunchboxes vary between people and whānau.
• Extend confident writers by adding a second explanation or using “also” to link two choices.

Extension

• Design and describe a balanced lunchbox containing three choices. Students write or record three reasons explaining how the choices support different aspects of hauora.