Healthy Eating & Art

Lesson Overview

Subject: Art and Design
Year Group: Year 4
Lesson Duration: 40 minutes
Class Size: 30 students
UK Curriculum Area: Art and Design (National Curriculum for England)
Specific Focus: The Eatwell Plate – Exploring different food groups through creative art

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Learning Objectives

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

• Identify and classify the different food groups on the Eatwell Plate.
• Understand the importance of a balanced diet.
• Visually represent the Eatwell Plate by creating a collaborative food collage using mixed media.

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Resources Needed

• Large A2 paper or a cardboard circle (one per group)
• Old magazines, food packaging, coloured paper
• Scissors and glue sticks
• Coloured pencils, crayons, felt-tip pens
• Printed image of the Eatwell Plate (for reference)
• Labels with food group names
• A real fruit or vegetable for inspiration (optional)

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National Curriculum Links

Art and Design:
✔ Develop creativity and imagination through exploring visual language related to food.
✔ Improve collage and composition skills using mixed materials.

Science – Healthy Eating Link:
✔ Understanding the Eatwell Plate and recognising different food groups.
✔ Discussing how food contributes to a healthy, balanced diet.

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Lesson Breakdown

1. Introduction – 10 minutes

Discussion & Engagement (5 minutes):

• Begin by holding up a real fruit or vegetable and asking:
  "What food group does this belong to?" (Encourage discussion on other food groups too.)
• Show the image of the Eatwell Plate and briefly explain:
  • Fruits & Vegetables
  • Carbohydrates
  • Proteins
  • Dairy
  • Fats & Oils

Quick Quiz (5 minutes):

• Ask rapid questions like:
  "Name a healthy carbohydrate."
  "What foods are high in protein?"
  • Keep it fast-paced and interactive to engage students.

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2. Main Activity – 20 minutes

Group Collage Creation:

• Split students into 5 groups – each will focus on one food group.
• Give each group magazines, coloured paper, scissors, glue.
• Pupils cut out or draw food items belonging to their assigned food group.
• Stick their items onto a large circular Eatwell Plate template.
• Add hand-written or printed labels for each food group.

🔹 Teacher tip: Circulate the room, prompting students with questions like: “Why do we need dairy?” or “How does protein help our muscles?”

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3. Reflection & Sharing – 10 minutes

• Each group presents their section of the Eatwell Plate Collage.
• Class discusses:
  • Which food group should we eat the most of?
  • Are there any foods we should eat less often?
• Complete a self-assessment traffic light system (Green = confident, Yellow = unsure, Red = need more help).

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Differentiation

✔ For students who need extra support: Use pre-cut images instead of drawing or cutting.
✔ For higher ability students: Challenge them to create a 3D food model using scrap materials.

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Assessment Opportunities

• Teacher observation during the collage-making process.
• Group presentations to assess understanding of food groups.
• Individual self-assessment traffic light response.

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Extension/Homework

• Ask students to draw their ideal healthy meal at home, ensuring it includes ALL food groups.
• Create a mini food diary for one day, where they reflect on how balanced their diet is.

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Final Thought

🎨 This lesson is a fantastic fusion of science, nutrition, and creative expression! Pupils will leave not only with a visually engaging Eatwell Plate collage but also a deeper understanding of healthy eating.

🚀 A wow-worthy lesson that is both hands-on and knowledge-rich!