Michigan Agriscience Education
For Elementary Students
Grades 3-4
Training Table Race
LENGTH: 20 minutes
OBJECTIVE:
To increase the student’s level of cardiovascular fitness while applying their
knowledge of the carbohydrates food group and its role in sports performance.
INTRODUCTION:
There are two types of carbohydrates—simple and complex. Simple sugars from
fruits, juices and milk provide nutrient and add to a quick energy boost in the body.
Foods like soda, candy and table sugar also contain simple sugars, but they possess
no nutrients.
Unlike simple carbohydrates, complex carbohydrates contain starches that require
more digestion. This type of carbohydrate is found in grains, vegetables and
legumes. Rich in vitamins, minerals, and iron, these are the best source of energy
because it is burned in a constant time released manner. Thus providing sustained
energy for an athletic event.
Athletes should eat between 60 to 70 percent of their total calories in the form
of complex carbohydrates, which are stored in the muscle groups as glycogen and
used as a source of energy. The rest of the diet should include the other food
groups with only about 17 percent coming from fats. An example diet is attached.
LESSON:
Students will be divided into groups and attempt to retrieve 6 food items as part
of a high carbohydrate, low-fat meal. If using the recommended breakdown, the
student would retrieve three items from the carbohydrate group, one from the
dairy group and one vegetable.
MATERIALS:
- 50-80 Solo or Styrofoam cups
- 4 paper plates
- 24 laminated pieces of food: 3 carbohydrates, 1 meat, 1 vegetable and 1 dairy.
Examples: 6 bagels, six 1 cup servings of pasta salad, 6 slices banana nut bread, 6
carrots, six 3 oz. pieces of chicken, and 6 glasses of milk.
PRE-LAB:
Have students list the food they ate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner the day
before then have them categorize each one into the appropriate food group.
PROCEDURE:
Hide the pieces of the food groups under the cups on one half of the gym; including
cups with nothing in them. Then divide the students into four groups and line them
up in a single file line on the opposite end of the gym (the training table) where the
cups are. Place a paper training plate in front of the first person in each line. When
you say, “go,” the first person in line runs to the training table and may look under
one cup. If the cup is empty, the player turns the cup back upside down and returns
to the line. The next player sprints to the other side of the gym and turns over
another cup. If it contains a piece of food, the student picks it up and puts it on
the paper plate located in front of their line. The student cannot bring the same
piece of food back to the line. They must leave it and turn the cup upside down.
Whenever a teammate returns to the line, the next person may go. There should
never be two people from the same line looking at once. When the team has filled
their plate they sit down and the teacher checks to see if they have all the food
groups represented.
ASSESSMENT:
Observation by the teacher to see if the groups have completed the activity by
retrieving the correct six food items to complete a training table meal.
NOTE:
This lesson should be used after students have read about nutrients and learned
about the Food Guide Pyramid.
Handout 1
* Original can be found at Kansas Ag in the Classroom, www.ksagclassroom.org