Making Healthy Choices

Overview

Lesson 3 of 4 in Nourishing Taha Tinana. Students explore everyday food and drink decisions, recognising that healthy choices can look different for different people and are influenced by whānau, culture, cost, availability and advertising.

Learning intentions

• WALT describe features of a nourishing snack or drink.
• WALT consider different factors that influence food choices.
• WALT practise making realistic choices in everyday situations.
• WALT listen respectfully to others’ ideas and experiences.

Success criteria

• I can suggest a snack or drink that supports my taha tinana.
• I can explain one reason for my choice.
• I can identify how whānau, culture, cost, availability or advertising may influence a decision.
• I can respect that people and families may make different choices.

Curriculum links

• Health and Physical Education: Hauora—Taha Tinana, understanding how food and drink contribute to physical wellbeing.
• Health and Physical Education: Healthy Communities and Environments, recognising influences on health choices.
• Health and Physical Education: personal health and physical development, making simple health-enhancing decisions.
• Key competencies: managing self, relating to others, participating and contributing.

Lesson structure (30 minutes)

1. 0–4 minutes – Welcome and hook

Display the opening question from the introduction slides: “Which snack would help your body feel ready to learn?” Show two contrasting snack-and-drink combinations without labelling either as “good” or “bad”. Invite a few quick responses and explain that today the class will practise making choices, not judging people or families.

2. 4–9 minutes – What makes a nourishing choice?

Use the food and drink discussion slides to revisit simple ideas: include variety, choose water often, and notice how different foods help our bodies. Introduce “sometimes foods” as foods we can enjoy sometimes, without calling foods “bad”. Explain that a healthy choice is not always the same for everyone because families have different cultures, budgets, routines and access to food.

3. 9–12 minutes – Influences on choices

Briefly teach the five influences using picture cues on the influences slides: whānau and culture, cost, availability, advertising and personal preference. Ask: “If a shop only has two choices, what might happen?” and “How might an advertisement try to make us choose something?” Emphasise that noticing an influence helps us make thoughtful decisions.

4. 12–21 minutes – Scenario discussion

Place students in five groups of five. Give each group a small selection of the Nutrition Choices Scenario Cards. Groups read or listen to one scenario at a time and discuss: “What are the choices?”, “Which choice could support taha tinana?” and “What might make this decision tricky?” Students may choose either option if they can give a sensible reason. Circulate, supporting respectful discussion and ensuring students do not comment on classmates’ lunches or family choices.

5. 21–26 minutes – Individual application

Distribute the healthy choices reflection worksheet. Students complete two short scenarios, circle or draw a choice, and finish the sentence “I chose this because…”. They also identify one influence, such as cost, whānau, culture, availability or advertising. Students may draw, dictate to an adult or use the word bank.

6. 26–30 minutes – Share and exit reflection

Return to the discussion and plenary slides. Invite pairs to share one realistic choice and one influence they noticed. Finish with: “One thing I can remember when making a food or drink choice is…” Take two or three responses and preview the next lesson, where students will plan a nourishing snack using available resources.

Resources

• the introduction, teaching and plenary slides
• the healthy choices reflection worksheet
• the Nutrition Choices Scenario Cards
• Whiteboard and pens
• Pencils, crayons or colouring pencils
• Five group tables or floor spaces
• Optional picture books, food packaging or classroom food images
• Word bank: nourishing, variety, water, whānau, culture, cost, available, advertising, choice

Assessment

• Observe group discussion: students identify choices, give a reason and recognise at least one influence.
• Review the worksheet for a realistic food or drink choice and a connected explanation.
• Listen during the plenary for understanding that healthy choices are influenced by context and may differ between people and whānau.

Differentiation

• Support learners with the picture cards, oral reading of scenarios, sentence frames (“I choose ___ because ___”) and drawing instead of writing.
• Pair EAL learners with a supportive peer and pre-teach key words using gestures and food images. Accept home-language discussion before sharing in English.
• For learners needing additional support, provide only two scenarios and allow an adult to scribe responses.
• Extend confident learners by asking them to suggest two possible choices, explain which influences each choice and consider how advertising could change the decision.