“Youth Obesity: Schools Fight Back”
Language Arts Lesson Plan
is a feature of
A daily news broadcast for High School and Middle School students
now under development by MacNeil/Lehrer Productions Youth Obesity: Schools Fight Back
Language Arts Curriculum
Table of Contents
Letter to the Educator ...................................................................................... 1
“Youth Obesity: Schools Fight Back”
Language Arts Curriculum ............................................................................. 2
Spring, 2012
Dear Educator,
the.News online video reports for the.Sci and the.Gov provide middle and high school students with a valuable exercise in
social studies and language arts with this 6:22 segment on “Youth Obesity: Schools Fight Back” at
www.pbs.org/newshour/thenews/thesci and www.pbs.org/newshour/thenews/thegov. Mitch Mattern investigates a
national youth obesity problem and how a school community in Omaha Nebraska addresses this challenge. You can view
this report in the “For Educators” section of the website. All videos and curricula have been informed by the.News
instructional design that can be found on the website www.pbs.org/newshour/thenews/foreducators . The curriculum
includes content-based standards, discussion questions, student activities, vocabulary and primary reference sources. A
complete transcript of each video report includes time codes to assist in isolating specific segments of the video and to
augment the instruction of media literacy and multimedia production. All of this material is presented as options to fit
teachers’ instructional needs.
References to Larry Bell’s “The 12 Powerful Words” are highlighted in bold in the lesson plans and in the “thought
starter” questions on the home page and educator’s page, and in the transcript (to denote where they are used in the video
segment).
We have also added a section called general topics to correlate to the lessons and video as well as concept based standards
with conceptual lens and enduring understanding.
We welcome our partners at the Omaha Public Schools who have joined the.News in the third year of a special pilot
project. We have also developed a special authoring tool for students called YOU.edit which gives students an online tool
to remix the content of the.News reports, so they can create their own multimedia presentations. This editing tool can be
found by clicking on the YOU.edit button on the home page of the website. Currently used with our OPS teacher
consultants it is password protected so that it can serve as a viable educational asset that allows classroom teachers to
assign multimedia projects within the security and content safety of the.News website.
Answers to student “thought starter” questions listed below the video.
1. According to a recent report from the CDC more than 12 million children are considered obese in the US.
1 of every 6 US children and teens are considered obese.
2. U.S. Department of Agricultue’s Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Program.
3. See transcript on page 3 (shot #14) for examples.
Sincerely,
Karen W. Jaffe
Manager, Education Projects, the.News
MacNeil/Lehrer Productions
27 00 S. Quincy Street, Suite 250
Arlington, VA 22206
kjaffe@newshour.org
www.pbs.org/newshour/thenews
©
1
Youth Obesity: Schools Fight Back
This lesson was designed to support the.News video “Youth Obesity: Schools Fight Back.” The video can be found online at
www.pbs.org/newshour/thenews/thesci
Omaha Public Schools Standards :
http://bit.ly/wgAPad
Grade Level: Grades 7-12
Reading Grade 7
Standard 01: Students will read a variety of
grade level texts fluently with accuracy,
appropriate pace, phrasing and expression.
Content Areas: Language
Standard 03: Students will extract and
construct meaning using prior knowledge,
applying text information, and
comprehension while reading grad level text.
Writing Grade 7
Standard 04: Students will apply the writing
process to plan, draft, revise, edit and publish
writing using correct spelling, grammar,
punctuation, and other standard conventions
appropriate for grade level.
Standard 05: Students will write for a variety
of purposes and audiences in multiple
genres.
Standard 06: Students will develop and apply
speaking skills to communicate key ideas in
a variety of situations.
Standard 09: Multiple Literacies: Students
will research, summarize, and communicate
information in a variety of media and
formats (textual, visual, and digital).
Reading Grades 9-12
Standard 01: Students will read a variety of
grade level texts fluently with accuracy,
appropriate pace, phrasing and expression.
Standard 03: Students will extract and
construct meaning using prior knowledge,
applying text information, and
comprehension while reading grad level text.
Conceptual Lens: Choices and
Consequences
Enduring Understanding: Choices may
have enduring consequences on one’s life
Arts, Media Literacy
Key Concepts:
This lesson contains a series of
activities to help students
understand their eating habits
and how they compare with the USDA Dietary Guidelines
for Americans. They will also analyze what schools are
doing to address the youth obesity problem. As an authentic
assessment, students will formulate a presentation that
appeals to key stake holders and encourages them to
participate in a program to improve students eating habits.
Objectives:
Students will
• Compare their eating habits to federal
recommendations
• Analyze what schools are doing to address the
youth obesity problem
• Analyze the 2010 USDA Dietary Guidelines for
Americans and the Healthy Eating Plate program
• Formulate an infomercial on the merits of the 2010
USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the
Healthy Eating Plate program
Key Vocabulary:
•
Authoritative: substantiated or supported by
documentary evidence and accepted by most
authorities in a field.
•
Conventional wisdom: A widely held belief
on which most people act.
Omaha Public Schools Standards :
http://bit.ly/wgAPad
•
Cholesterol: a sterol (waxy insoluble
substance) found in all animal tissues, blood,
bile, and animal fats: A high level of
cholesterol in the blood is implicated in some
cases of atherosclerosis, leading to heart
disease.
Writing Grades 9-12
Standard 04: Students will apply the writing
process to plan, draft, revise, edit and publish
writing using correct spelling, grammar,
punctuation, and other standard conventions
appropriate for grade level.
•
Diabetes: a disorder of carbohydrate
metabolism, usually occurring in genetically
predisposed individuals, characterized by
inadequate production or utilization of insulin
and resulting in excessive amounts of glucose
in the blood and urine, excessive thirst,
weight loss, and in some cases progressive
destruction of small blood vessels leading to
such complications as infections and
gangrene of the limbs or blindness
Standard 05: Students will write for a variety
of purposes and audiences in multiple
genres.
Standard 06: Students will develop and apply
speaking skills to communicate key ideas in
a variety of situations.
Standard 09: Multiple Literacies: Students
will research, summarize, and communicate
information in a variety of media and
formats (textual, visual, and digital).
•
Lobbyists: a person who tries to influence legislation on behalf of a special interest group
•
Mandated: a command or authorization to act in a particular way on a public issue given
by the electorate to its representative
•
National Nutritional Monitoring and Related Research Act: enacted to establish a
comprehensive, coordinated program for nutrition monitoring and related research to
improve the assessment of the health and nutrition of the U.S. population
•
Nutritionists: a person who
specializes in nutrition and the
nutritive value of various foods
•
Slandered: to have a malicious,
false, and defamatory statement
or report made against someone
•
Special interest group: a
community with an interest in
advancing a specific area of
knowledge, learning, or
technology
•
US Department of Agriculture:
Federal agency (and Cabinet
department) responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on
farming, agriculture and food.
•
US Department of Health and Human Services: Federal agency (and Cabinet department)
responsible for of protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human
services.
Source: Dictionary.com and .gov websites
Time Frame:
• Opening Activity: 20 minutes
• Viewing Activity: 20 minutes
• Main Activity: one to two class periods
Lesson Topics:
• Youth Obesity
• Diet
• Government
recommendations
• Lobbyists
• Special interest
groups
• Adulthood diseases
in children
Materials:
• the.News segment Youth Obesity: Schools Fight
Back (www.pbs.org/newshour/thenews/thesci)
• Internet access
• Student Handouts
o Healthy Eating Plate Diary
o Viewing Activity Mind Map
o Infomercial on 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans
Common Core State Standards Initiative
http://www.corestandards.org/
English Standards 6-12
Reading – Informational Text: Craft and Structure
RI.7.6. Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author distinguishes
his or her position from that of others.
RI.8.6. Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author acknowledges
and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints.
RI.9-10.6. Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an author uses
rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose.
RI.11-12.6. Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly
effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness or beauty of the text.
Writing
RI. 6.1. Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
RI. 8.1. Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
RI. 9-10.1. Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
RI. 11-12. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid
reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
RI.6.2. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts using valid reasoning
and relevant and sufficient evidence.
RI. 8.2. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts using valid
reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
RI. 9-10.2. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts using valid
reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
RI. 12-12.2. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts using valid
reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
Background Essay
The USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans are
the government’s recommendations on what and
how Americans are supposed to be eating. First
introduced in 1977, they have been a source of
controversy ever since. Critics, at the time,
complained the recommendations were based more
on conventional wisdom than actual science, and
that conventional wisdom is not always accurate.
To address these concerns, in 1979, the US
Department of Agriculture and the
US Department of Health and Human Services
(then called the Department of Health, Education,
and Welfare) tapped members of its scientific
community to provide authoritative and consistent
information no science and health.
The 1980, Nutrition and Your Health: Dietary
Guidelines for Americans was met with a fair
amount of controversy from members of the food
industry and scientific groups. A Dietary
Guidelines Advisory Committee composed of
scientific experts outside the Federal government
was established and contributed to the development
of the 1985 dietary guidelines. In 1990 Congress
passed the National Nutritional Monitoring and
Related Research Act, which mandated the
dietary guidelines be issued every 5 years. Over the
past decades, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans
has become broadly accepted and serves as the
federal government’s nutrition policy from which
guidelines for federal assistance and educational
programs are developed. The guidelines provide
Americans advice on making food choices that
promote health and help prevent disease. 1
1
Partnership for 21st Century Skills
www.21stcenturyskills.org
Civic Literacy
• Participating effectively in civic life
through knowing how to stay
informed and understanding
governmental processes
Creativity and Innovation
• Use a wide range of idea creation
techniques (such as brainstorming)
• Elaborate, refine, analyze and
evaluate their own ideas in order to
improve and maximize creative
efforts
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
Reason Effectively:
• Use various types of reasoning
(inductive, deductive, etc.) as
appropriate to the situation
Make Judgments and Decisions:
• Effectively analyze and evaluate
evidence, arguments, claims and
beliefs
• Analyze and evaluate major
alternative points of view
• Interpret information and draw
conclusions based on the best
analysis
Communication and Collaboration
• Articulating thoughts and ideas
clearly and effectively through
speaking and writing
• Listen effectively to decipher
meaning, including knowledge,
values, attitudes and intentions
• Utilize multiple media and
technologies, and know how to
judge their effectiveness a priori as
well as assess their impact
Report of the DGAC on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010; Appendix E-4: History of the Dietary
Guidelines http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/DietaryGuidelines/2010/DGAC/Report/E-Appendix-E-4History.pdf
Most nutritionists and health experts
believe the 2010 Advisory Committee
did an admirable job compiling the
2010 guidelines. However, there is
still controversy. Food industry
experts still question some of the
guidelines’ recommendations and
health advocates question whether
food industry lobbyists and special
interest groups have undue influence
over the final recommendations. The
food industry believes no one can
know food like they do and often feels
their expertise is ignored. Nutrition
experts charge that one of the
responsibilities of the Department of Agriculture (which co-sponsors the project) is promoting
the nation’s agricultural businesses. They point to the fact that one reason eggs, meat, dairy, and
grains have long been promoted as key components of a healthy diet has a lot to do with the fact
that our nation’s farmers have a lot of eggs, meat, dairy, and grains to sell. 2
What is indisputable is the fact that more than 12 million children—nearly 17 percent of the
population—are considered obese. Boys tend to be obese more than girls and the numbers of
each have increased in the last decade, especially in minority groups. Because of these high
levels, doctors are reporting early onset of adult health problems like hypertension, high
cholesterol, and diabetes. The reasons are numerous, but not hard to see: unhealthy diets
consisting of fast food, sugary drinks and super-size portions. Kids spend too much time with
television and video games and don’t get enough physical activity.
Numerous organizations are trying
to address this problem with
comprehensive programs designed
to help kids and their parents
become more aware of the
problems with obesity and
establish new eating habits to
address the problem. Schools are
taking the lead in providing more
healthy choices for snacks and
lunch programs. They are
educating students on what foods
are good for them and what aren’t
and they are instituting more recess
and physical education programs to
make exercise a lifelong
2
Nutrition Over Easy, Monica Reinagel Nutritionovereasy.com http://nutritionovereasy.com/2011/01/2010dietary-guidelines-will-science-prevail-over-politics/
experience.
The USDA’s 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans has presented solid science on what causes
obesity and gives clear guidance on how to address it in our eating habits. But the politics
remain. The food industry wants to make sure its science is included in the guidelines and it is
slandered or misrepresented. Health advocates want to make sure the message of what food is
good for you and what isn’t doesn’t get lost in the language of the guidelines.
Opening Activity:
In 2010, the USDA scraped the Food Pyramid and developed the “ChooseMyPlate” graphic to
help explain a healthy, balanced diet. Harvard School of Public Health has taken the
“ChooseMyPlate” graphic one step further by creating the “Healthy Eating Plate”, which
provides detailed explanations of each food group. In this opening activity, students review the
“Healthy Eating Plate” and construct a diary of the past week’s eating habits.
1. Distribute copies of the Student Handout 1: Healthy Eating Plate to all students (or have
them go to Harvard School of Public Health’s “Healthy Eating Plate” website. [INSERT
LINK: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-eating-plate/healthy-eatingplate-vs-usda-myplate/index.html)
2. For the next 5 minutes, have students fill out the food diary chart on the second page of
the handout.
3. After students have completed the chart, review the following questions:
• How many days in the past week did you have all three meals?
• How many meals did you have all six food groups in that meal?
• How many days did you have all six food groups in all three meals?
• Which of the six food groups do you seem to eat the most of? Why?
• Which of the six food groups do you seem to eat the least? Why?
• What steps can you take to improve you eating habits and have more balanced meals?
News Segment Viewing Activity
1. Show the video “Youth Obesity: Schools Fight Back” (www.pbs.org/newshour/thenews/thesci)
or have students watch the video as homework.
2. Divide students into pairs or trios. Have each group develop a mind map (See Student
Handout #2) based on the following questions from the of the the.News segment “Youth
Obesity.” Direct students to title each blank circle with one of the italicized terms in the
questions below. Have students fill in the mind map with the information from their
discussions.
•
Describe different ways schools like Western Hills Elementary School helping kids learn
good eating habits.
•
Explain why so many adults have become more concerned about childhood obesity in
recent years. What evidence supports these concerns?
•
Describe the reasons doctors like Christina Frenandez believe there are such high rates
of youth obesity?
•
Describe the health problems doctors are seeing in kids with obesity. Why do you think
obesity is causing young kids to have these problems?
•
Explain how schools are trying to give their students more physical activity. What
relationship does physical activity have to academic achievement?
•
The USDA recently issued new school meal guidelines that set new rules for school
lunches. Explain what more needs to be done to help kids prevent obesity? What do you
think are some of the challenges in accomplishing these goals?
Main Activity
In this activity, students will formulate an infomercial on the 2010 USDA Dietary Guidelines for
Americans report and the Healthy Eating Plate program. These can be presented either in class
or to other classes in school. Students can also develop a forum to inform community members
about the new guidelines. The infomercial can be conducted as an interdisciplinary unit or serve
as a service learning project by a class, a homeroom, or extracurricular activity group. Students
will be producing several different visual media to appeal to the different audiences.
1. To give students a background on the 2010 USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans,
have them read the Background Essay included in this lesson as a homework assignment
a before you begin this activity. Have students discuss the following questions
•
Explain is the purpose of the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
•
Describe the controversy that has surrounded the guidelines in the past between the
USDA and the food industry.
•
Describe the purpose of the National Nutritional Monitoring and Related Research
Act of 1990.
•
Summarize the hard facts about childhood obesity.
•
Describe what some schools are doing to address the problem of childhood obesity.
2. Distribute copies of the 2010 USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americas Executive
Summary
http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/publications/dietaryguidelines/2010/policydoc/execsumm.pdf
3. Provide time for students to review the key recommendations and summarize the main
points.
4. Divide students into five groups and assign each group the following topics:
a. Explain the ChooseMyPlate program and why ChooseMyPlate replaced
MyPyramid to illustrate the five food groups.
b. Summarize the Key Recommendations of the 2010 USDA Dietary Guidelines for
Americas Executive Summary
c. Describe programs schools are implementing to help students make better food
choices
d. Describe programs schools are implementing to help students get more exercise.
e. Explain why a healthy food program would be good for your school and
community.
5. Distribute the Student Handout #3 “Infomercial for 2010 USDA Dietary Guidelines for
Americas” to all students. Review the directions and the assessment rubric with students
and provide time for them to conduct their research and formulate their presentation.
6. After students have formulated their infomercial presentations, have them rehearse to
make sure they are prepared. Set a date for the infomercial presentations and send out
notices to all invited guests. Be sure to provide time for questions and answers at the end
of the presentations.
Assessment
Evaluate students on both their efforts and ability to analyze their audience, apply ideas from the
resources to the construction of their own media, and articulate their thinking. It might be helpful to
assign students to write a brief process/reflective response in which they trace the steps by which
they took to complete the project and describe the thinking/rationale behind major decisions made
by the group; they can also evaluate the efforts of their fellow group members. You may also choose
to use the rubric below.
CATEGORY
4
3
2
1
Content
The presentation
has a well-stated
clear purpose and
theme that is
carried out
throughout the
site.
The presentation
has a clearly
stated purpose
and theme, but
may have one or
two elements that
do not seem to be
related to it.
The purpose and The presentation
theme of the
lacks a purpose
presentation is
and theme.
somewhat muddy
or vague.
Content
Accuracy
All information
provided by the
student in the
presentation is
accurate and all
the requirements
of the assignment
have been met.
Almost all the
information
provided by the
student in the
presentation is
accurate and all
requirements of
the assignment
have been met.
Almost all of the
information
provided by the
student in the
presentation is
accurate and
almost all of the
requirements have
been met.
There are
several
inaccuracies in
the content
provided by the
students OR
many of the
requirements
were not met.
Spelling and
Grammar
There are no
errors in spelling,
punctuation or
grammar in the
final draft of the
presentation.
There are 1-3
errors in spelling,
punctuation or
grammar in the
final draft of the
Web presentation.
There are 4-5
errors in spelling,
punctuation or
grammar in the
final draft of the
Web presentation.
There are more
than 5 errors in
spelling,
punctuation or
grammar in the
final draft of the
presentation.
Layout
The presentation
has an
exceptionally
attractive and
usable layout. It is
easy to locate all
important
elements. White
space, graphic
elements and/or
alignment are
The presentation
has an attractive
and usable layout.
It is easy to locate
all important
elements.
The presentation
has a usable
layout, but may
appear busy or
boring. It is easy
to locate most of
the important
elements.
The presentation
is cluttered
looking or
confusing. It is
often difficult to
locate important
elements.
used effectively to
organize material.
Graphics
Graphics are
related to the
theme/purpose of
the site, are
thoughtfully
cropped, are of
high quality and
enhance reader
interest or
understanding.
Graphics are
related to the
theme/purpose of
the site, are of
good quality and
enhance reader
interest or
understanding.
Graphics are
related to the
theme/purpose of
the site, and are of
good quality.
Graphics seem
randomly
chosen, are of
low quality, OR
distract the
reader.
Resources:
National Sources
• the.News http://www.pbs.org/newshour/thenews/
•
Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010
http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/MSNBC/Sections/NEWS/z_Personal/AJohnson/Elements/
111128_DietaryGuidelines.pdf
•
PowerPoint presentation from the University of Nebraska
http://food.unl.edu/web/fnh/dietaryguidelines2010
Commentary on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010
• Atlantic Monthly article listing other articles
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/02/the-new-dietary-guidelinesnutritionists-react/70998/
•
CBS News article on Dietary Guidelines and circus of Food Lobbying
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505123_162-44041202/dietary-guidelines-hearingunleashes-a-predictable-circus-of-food-lobbying/?tag=bnetdomain
•
Food Politics: Review of the 2010 Report of the Dietary Guidelines – the politics
http://www.foodpolitics.com/2010/06/dietary-guidelines-advisory-committee-thepolitics/
•
Food Politics: Review of the 2010 Report of the Dietary Guidelines – the lobbying
http://www.foodpolitics.com/2010/07/dietary-guidelines-hearings-lobbying-in-action/
•
Nutritional Salad.com Plate Wars! http://nutritionsalad.artscienceillustration.com/platewars-controversy-in-the-new-dietary-guideline-graphics/
Activity Designer:
Greg Timmons is a former social studies teacher, now freelance writer and education consultant.
Student Handout1: The Healthy Eating Plate Diary
Fill half of your plate with vegetables and fruits. The more color, and the more variety on
this part of the plate, the better. Potatoes and French fries don’t count as vegetables on the
Healthy Eating Plate, because they are high in fast-digested starch (carbohydrate), which has
the same roller-coaster effect on blood sugar and insulin as white bread and sweets. These
surges, in the short term, can lead to hunger and overeating, and in the long term, can lead to
weight gain, type 2 diabetes, and other health problems.
Save a quarter of your plate for whole grains—not just any grains: Whole grains—whole
wheat, brown rice, and foods made with them, such as whole wheat pasta—have a gentler
effect on blood sugar and insulin than white bread, white rice, and other so-called “refined
grains.” That’s why the Healthy Eating Plate says to choose whole grains—the less processed,
the better—and limit refined grains.
Put a healthy source of protein on one quarter of your plate: Chose fish, chicken, beans or
nuts, since these contain beneficial nutrients, such as the heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids in
fish, and the fiber in beans. An egg a day is okay for most people, too (people with diabetes
should limit their egg intake to three yolks a week, but egg whites are fine). Limit red meat—
beef, pork, and lamb—and avoid processed meats—bacon, cold cuts, hot dogs, and the like—
since over time, regularly eating even small amounts of these foods raises the risk of heart
disease, type 2 diabetes, and colon cancer.
Use healthy plant oils. The glass bottle near the Healthy Eating Plate is a reminder to use
healthy vegetable oils, like olive, canola, soy, corn, sunflower, peanut, and others, in cooking,
on salad, and at the table. Limit butter, and avoid unhealthy trans fats from partially
hydrogenated oils.
Drink water, coffee or tea. On the Healthy Eating Plate, complete your meal with a glass of
water, or if you like, a cup of tea or coffee (with little or no sugar). Limit milk and dairy products
to one to two servings per day, since high intakes are associated with increased risk of prostate
cancer and possibly ovarian cancer. Limit juice to a small glass per day, since it is as high in
sugar as a sugary soda. Skip the sugary drinks, since they provide lots of calories and virtually
no other nutrients. And over time, routinely drinking sugary drinks can lead to weight gain,
increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, and possibly increase the risk of heart disease.
Stay active. The small red figure running across the Healthy Eating Plate’s placemat is a
reminder that staying active is half of the secret to weight control. The other half is eating a
healthy diet with modest portions that meet your calorie needs.
Fill out the Food Diary below for the past week.
After you’ve reviewed the different food groups above, fill out the chart below by checking the
meal box for each time you ate each one the items from the six good groups.
Food
Group
Meal
Vegetables
Fruits
Whole
Grains
Protein
Healthy
oils
Water
Day 1
B
L
Day 2
D
B
L
Day 3
D
B
L
Day 4
D
B
L
Day 5
D
B
L
Day 6
D
B
L
Day 7
D
B
L
D
Student Handout 2: Video Viewing Activity Mind Map
Directions: Watch the.News segment “Youth Obesity” and then in your small group, review the
following discussion questions by using the mind map below.
Youth Obesity
Student Handout 3: Infomercial on 2010 Dietary Guidelines for
Americans
Synopsis: Your team has been assigned to do an infomercial on the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for
Americas. The infomercial can include handouts, posters, slide presentations, and online
websites. Your team is to develop a media message what will encourage students to consider
practicing better eating and exercise habits and parents and school officials to promote such
habits. 3 Use this guide to help plan and design your infomercial.
Part I. Know Your Audience
•
Analyze the current attitudes of students in your school on the recommendations made in
the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americas report. What level of knowledge to you think
your audience has about the report?
•
Identify the best contact people of parents and school officials for promoting the
recommendations in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americas report. Who are the
decision makers among the parent groups and school administrators?
•
Predict any challenges or doubts you are likely to encounter from each group on
accepting and acting on the recommendations made in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for
Americas report.
•
Formulate the messages that might persuade each of your audiences who might be
skeptical of the recommendations in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americas report.
Part II: The Power of Appeal
Describe feelings, reasons, and values to which you would appeal in order to have your
audiences accept and act on the recommendations in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americas
report. (Use an extra sheet of paper, if necessary.)
• Emotional messages:
•
Logical messages:
•
Credibility messages:
3
This lesson activity was adapted from the.News lesson plan “Electric Car: American Industry and Innovation”
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/thenews/materials/electric_lesson_3.pdf
The Medium is the Message
What is the best form with which to reach the audience you established earlier? Common formats can
include advertisements, videos, PowerPoint presentations, editorials, pamphlets, etc. Explain why
you have chosen this format.
Part IV: The Vision ‘Thing’
Sketch or outline your concept in the space below.
Compose a slogan or catchphrase that represents and reflects your intended appeal.
Resources:
•
ChooseMyPlate http://www.choosemyplate.gov/
•
Healthy Eating Plate http://www.choosemyplate.gov/ and
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/pyramid/index.html
Dietary Guidelines for Americas Executive Summary
http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/publications/dietaryguidelines/2010/policydoc/execsumm.pdf