Healthy Snacks

Lesson Overview

In this 60-minute lesson, Year 10 students will be introduced to the concept of healthy snacks within the Technology learning area. The focus will be on understanding nutritional benefits, the importance of a balanced diet, and differentiating between healthy and unhealthy snacks. This lesson is the first of 18 in the unit "Snack Biz: Creating Healthy Treats". The lesson aligns with the New Zealand Curriculum by developing students' knowledge and skills around nutritional science, critical thinking, and decision-making in relation to food technologies.

Learning Area and Curriculum Links

Learning Area: Technology Strand: Technological Practice (Planning, Brief Development, and Outcomes) Achievement Objective:

• Understand how characteristics and properties of materials, systems, components, and tools can be combined to develop technological outcomes (New Zealand Curriculum, Technology)
• Develop critical thinking about the impacts of technological outcomes on society and the environment
• Understand the role of nutrition and healthy eating in technological outcomes related to food products

Key Competencies:

• Thinking: Critically evaluating information about food
• Managing Self: Making informed, healthy choices
• Participating and Contributing: Working collaboratively in snack selection and discussion

WALT (We Are Learning To)

• Understand what constitutes a healthy snack
• Identify the nutritional benefits of healthy snacks
• Recognise the importance of a balanced diet
• Differentiate between healthy and unhealthy snacks

Success Criteria

• I can explain why snacks should be healthy
• I can identify key nutrients in healthy snacks
• I can compare and contrast healthy snacks with unhealthy alternatives
• I can describe the role of balanced eating in overall wellbeing

Resources

• Whiteboard and markers
• Projector or interactive screen
• Examples of various snack foods (real or images) — both healthy and unhealthy
• Nutritional labels from snack packaging
• Worksheets for snack sorting activity
• Dyslexia-friendly reading handouts with key points and simple infographics
• Food model cut-outs or cards

Lesson Structure

1. Introduction and Hook (10 minutes)

• Begin with a question: "What do you like to snack on after school?"
• Brainstorm student favourites and record responses visibly.
• Present a short multimedia clip or slideshow that highlights the benefits of healthy eating and the problems of unhealthy snacking (simple visuals, clear captions for dyslexic learners).
• Outline the lesson's WALT and success criteria.

2. Class Discussion and Teacher Input (15 minutes)

• Define "healthy snack" and discuss the concept of balanced eating — emphasising macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, fats) and micronutrients (vitamins, minerals).
• Use real examples: show snacks and their nutrition labels, identifying sugar, salt, fat, fibre, vitamins.
• Discuss why some snacks are healthier than others, considering energy levels, concentration in school, and long-term health.
• Link the discussion to the technological outcome: creating a healthy snack product.

3. Group Activity: Snack Sorting (20 minutes)

• In groups of 4-5, students receive a set of snack cards or real examples with nutritional information.
• Each group sorts snacks into "Healthy," "Unhealthy," and "In-between" categories, justifying decisions using key nutritional facts.
• Groups create a poster or digital presentation summarising their reasoning.
• Teacher circulates, offering targeted help, especially supporting learners who need scaffolding with vocabulary or concepts.

4. Sharing and Reflection (10 minutes)

• Groups present their sorting decisions and reasoning briefly.
• Class discussion moderated by teacher to clarify misconceptions and reinforce understanding.
• Highlight how snack choices affect wellbeing and eating habits.
• Use questioning to connect to wider technological processes (designing snacks with health benefits).

5. Plenary and Assessment (5 minutes)

• Students complete a quick exit slip answering:

1. What is one key difference between a healthy and an unhealthy snack?
2. Why is it important to eat balanced snacks during the day?

• Review answers to inform future lessons and differentiate for mixed abilities.

Differentiation Strategies

• Provide dyslexia-friendly reading materials with larger font, clear layouts, infographics, and colour contrasts.
• Use verbal explanations alongside written tasks.
• Allow varied ways to present group work (oral, written, drawing).
• Pair or group stronger readers with peers to support understanding.
• Provide sentence starters for snack sorting explanations for those less confident in writing.
• Visual aids for vocabulary (e.g., nutrient cards).

Extension Activities for Advanced Learners

• Research the health impact of specific snack ingredients (e.g., sugar or preservatives) and report back.
• Investigate cultural differences in snack choices and nutritional approaches.
• Begin designing a concept for a new healthy snack product incorporating nutritional guidelines.

Assessment

Formative assessment through observation of group discussion and exit slip. Use these to gauge learner understanding of healthy snack concepts and inform adjustments for upcoming lessons in the unit.

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This lesson plan is designed to engage Year 10 students actively while aligning closely with the New Zealand Curriculum’s technology learning area and key competencies. It balances direct instruction with collaborative and inquiry-based learning, accessible to diverse learners, and sets a foundation for the "Snack Biz: Creating Healthy Treats" unit.