Nutritional Needs Across the Lifespan
CTE Tennessee State Standards Aligned Lesson
This resource is best for:
Teachers of:
Addressing
Standard(s):
In alignment
with CTSO:
Nutrition Across the Lifespan
Course Standard 2
Career Cluster:
Grade-Band:
Human Services
9-10
FCCLA
www.tennesseefccla.org
CTSO Event:
(if applicable)
Sports Nutrition
Power of One
Learning Objective: The goal of this activity is to develop a student’s understanding of specific nutritional guidelines for a selected stage of the
lifespan. Students will gain an understanding of how to properly use scientifically accurate terms and symbols related to nutritional guidelines.
Discussions, reading, researching, and writing exercises are coordinated in class to help students construct a technical understanding of unique
nutritional guidelines. Students will use this knowledge to create an informational artifact and presentation on the nutritional guidelines for a
specific stage of the lifespan.
The following should be used during this teaching:
• Essays should be evaluated using the 2013-14 Tennessee 9-12 Literacy Informational/Explanatory Rubric, found
at http://www.tncore.org/literacy_in_science_and_technology/assessment/scoring_resources.aspx.
• For information on how to develop text-dependent questions for rich classroom discussion,
visit http://www.tncore.org/literacy_in_science_and_technology/curricular_resources/text_dependent_questions.aspx.
CTSO Competition Overview: Students could use the knowledge and resources gained through research for this lesson to compete in the Sports
Nutrition or Power of One events through FCCLA. Visit the Tennessee FCCLA website for more information.
You can download the competitive event guidelines by visiting http://www.fcclainc.org/content/star-events/.
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Texts
Text 1 Title: “Changing Lifetime Nutrition Needs”
Text Complexity Analysis
Quantitative:
Lexile: 1300
Author: Gordon Wardlaw
Citation/Publication Information: Wardlaw, Gordon. “Changing Lifetime
Nutrition Needs”. World Book Online Reference Center 2013. 16
November 2013.
Link: http://www.worldbookonline.com/advanced/media?id=sr196023
Qualitative:
This article is an introductory summary for students on the different
nutritional requirements of the human diet during specific phases
of the lifespan. In the article, there is domain-specific vocabulary
that will be important to discuss with students, but overall the
article uses conversational text to explain the changes of the human
diet across the lifespan.
Reader and Task:
Students who are familiar with technical vocabulary in the area of
nutrition will be better able to understand concepts referenced in
the text. Purpose and conventionality of this article means that high
school students should be able to engage, however close-reading to
determine the meaning of domain-specific words will be important
for understanding of new concepts.
Text 2 Title: “Common Nutrition Abbreviations”
Quantitative:
Lexile: 820
Author: Shereen Jegtyog
Citation/Publication Information: Jegtyog, Shereen. “Common Nutrition
Abbreviations”. About.Com. 16 November 2013.
<http://nutrition.about.com/od/nutrition101/a/abbreviations.htm>.
Link: http://nutrition.about.com/od/nutrition101/a/abbreviations.htm
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Qualitative:
This article has a low quantitative level of complexity because of the
short sentences, however may be more challenging for students
based on the domain-specific vocabulary. It is a good primer for
technical vocabulary even though the Lexile Measure is lower than
the grade level recommends. The information in the article is
foundational content knowledge and should be a review for most
students in the nutrition content courses.
Text 3 Title: “Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI’s)- New Dietary Guidelines
Really Are New”
Quantitative:
Lexile: 1240
Author: James G. Penland
Qualitative:
This article provides students with an overview of the new Dietary
Reference Intakes (DRIs) and the history of the established intakes.
There is some domain-specific vocabulary that will be important to
address with students, but overall the article is conversational. This
article’s complexity rests with its technical vocabulary and content
should be understandable to most students in the nutrition courses.
Citation/Publication Information: “Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI’s) New Dietary Guidelines Really Are New” United States Department of
Agriculture. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
Link: http://www.ars.usda.gov/News/docs.htm?docid=10870
Reader and Task:
Purpose and conventionality of this article means that high school
students should be able to engage, however close-reading to
determine the meaning of domain-specific words will be important
for understanding of vocabulary and concepts.
Strand
TN Reading for Technical
Subjects: Key Ideas and Details
TN Reading for Technical
Subjects: Integration of
Knowledge and Ideas
TN Writing for Technical
Subjects: Production and
Distribution of Writing
TN Writing for Technical
Subjects: Production and
Distribution of Writing
ELA/Literacy Tennessee State Standards addressed by task
Grades 9-10
1. Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise
details of explanations or descriptions
7. Integrate quantitative or technical analysis (e.g., charts, research data) with qualitative analysis in print
and digital text.
4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to
task, purpose, and audience.
6. Use the technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing
products, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to other information and to display information
flexibly and dynamically.*
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TN Writing for Technical
Subjects: Research to Build and
Present Knowledge
Nutrition Across the Lifespan
8. Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced
searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate
information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a
standard format for citation.*
Tennessee CTE Standards addressed by task
2. Research and prepare informational artifacts for consumers that present the specific nutritional
guidelines for each stage of the lifespan using scientifically accurate terms and symbols. Life span phases
should include:
a. Birth to 1 year
b. Toddlerhood
c. Preschool
d. School age
e. Puberty and adolescence
f. Pregnant and lactating females
g. Early adulthood
h. Middle adulthood
i. Late adulthood
* Standards noted with an asterisk (*) will only be covered if this activity is conducted as a longer-form lesson and research project that would
culminate in a written document, presentation, or website. Other standards may be covered and/or assessed through using this activity as an
assessment or writing prompt.
•
What key insights should students take from these resources?
Different stages of life require different nutritional intakes (such as higher fat for newborns, and higher protein for growing adolescents).
Text-Dependent Questions
Text 1
1. According to this article, why do newborns need a diet that is high in fat?
2. What other nutrients are vital in infant development from birth to two years of age according to the article? What is the correlation
between the nutrients and their role in proper development?
3. Are diet recommendations of an infant similar to or different from that of a senior citizen? Which nutrients are similar? Which ones are
different? What changes in the body require different nutrients and why?
4. Based on the evidence in the article, why is it that nutritional needs change over the course of human development?
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Text 3
1. According to the article, the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) have been replaced with the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) to
better account for use in a variety of settings. Why were the RDAs replaced and what evidence/reasons does the article use to support
that choice? List the four reference values that are used in the DRIs and explain how each reference contributes to the DRIs.
2. In the article, several factors are listed that might modify the DRIs. What are these factors and why are they important to the DRI values?
Suggested Additional Website References:
Additional Resources
Infant Feeding Guidelines
California Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines for Adolescents
Feeding your Baby in the First Year
USDA
Serve Up Good Nutrition for Preschool Children
WebMD
Pregnancy Diet: Focus on these essential nutrients
Mayo Clinic
Nutritional Requirements Throughout the Life Cycle
Nutrition MD
Potential Lesson Plan Design:
Day 1
Bell Ringer:
Write on the white board a list of common nutrition abbreviations (examples could include: mg, FE, BMI, AI, DRI, CA, kCal, mg). Have students
number their papers and make an educated guess of what each abbreviation represents. Give the students a few minutes to complete the
abbreviations bell ringer and proceed with reviewing answers with student input.
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Instruction Component:
Read the first two texts (“Changing Lifetime Nutrition Needs” and “Common Nutrition Abbreviations”) aloud in their entirety. Discuss the main
idea of each text. The first read establishes a familiarity with the most common changes in the human diet as they move through the lifespan.
The teacher should read the text prior to the lesson and use other resources that may be beneficial to facilitate learning. The main objective for
this part of the lesson is for the students to become familiar with the texts and the main ideas presented.
• Read each text aloud in its entirety, straight through, with expression, using tone and volume of your voice to help the students
understand each line and to provide some context for inferring unknown words.
• When you have finished reading, discuss the main ideas presented in each text.
• Teacher may want to refer to the text-dependent questions in the above sections.
Text Under Discussion
Read the first two texts
Sample Teacher Dialogue & Guiding Questions
After reading each text aloud, ask the students, “What is the main idea?”
Guide students to the main idea and include supporting details.
Have students give evidence from the text to support the main idea, encouraging them to return to the text for
evidence.
Examples of teacher questions that draw students back into the text:
“With a partner, compare and contrast nutritional requirements during the lifespan.”
“How do you know?” “What examples from the text support this?”
“What words in the text make you think that?”
Ideas to Check for Understanding:
• Have students recomplete the bell-ringer as an exit slip.
• Create a list of ways that parents can influence making healthy choices.
Day 2
Bell Ringer:
Verbal Q &A with Classroom Discussion
Teacher will ask the following guiding questions:
• Why do you think abbreviations are used in the nutrition field? What are some examples of these abbreviations?
• From yesterday’s texts, what was one of the main themes? Cite specific examples from a text that supports your statement.
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Instruction Component:
Read the first two texts (“Changing Lifetime Nutrition Needs” and “Common Nutrition Abbreviations”) quietly in their entirety. Introduce the
new text, “Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) - New Dietary Guidelines really are New,” and read aloud making sure the teacher pays attention to
specific domain terms. The teacher should read the text prior to the lesson and use other resources that may be beneficial to facilitate learning.
The main objective of the day is for students to become familiar with the text and the main ideas presented.
• Read the text aloud in its entirety, straight through, with expression, using tone and volume of your voice to help the students
understand each line and to provide some context for inferring unknown words.
• When you have finished reading, discuss the main idea presented in the text.
• The teacher may want to refer to the text-dependent questions in the above sections.
Text Under Discussion
Revisit the first two texts
Sample Teacher Dialogue & Guiding Questions
Did you learn anything new from the texts?
Are you looking at the information from a new perspective?
New text
List the four reference values that are used in the DRIs and explain how each reference contributes to the DRIs.
Why are these references important to the DRIs?
Day 3: Discuss with students the expectations of the informational artifacts and review the grading rubric.
• The teacher may assign or allow students to decide which lifespan for which to create their informational artifacts.
• The teacher will exhibit examples of informational artifacts (posters, websites, presentations, brochures) and answer questions on the
assignment.
• The teacher will share examples of resources to use to complete the research; examples are included in the additional resources section
of this document.
• The teacher will review the grading rubric (attached to this document/or their own) with students.
• As a facilitator, the teacher will guide students as they work to create their informational artifacts.
Day 4: Continue working on the informational artifacts.
• The teacher will share examples of resources to use to complete their research; examples are included in the additional resources
section of this document.
• The teacher will review the grading rubric attached to this document/or their own with students.
• As a facilitator, the teacher will guide students as they work to create their informational artifacts.
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Day 5: Turn in informational artifacts and share with the class for discussion.
• The teacher will review the grading rubric attached to this document/or their own with students.
Discussion: These texts may be explored orally and used to form the basic foundation of a lesson or series of lessons. Close-reading questions
should be developed in advance in order to drive student understanding of the material while also practicing reading skills. For information on
how to develop questions for this type of discussion,
visit http://www.tncore.org/literacy_in_science_and_technology/curricular_resources/text_dependent_questions.aspx.
Scaffolding and support for students with special needs, English language learners, and struggling readers: Consider pre-teaching synonyms of
difficult vocabulary words. Lower-level readers and ELL students can still be challenged without being overloaded with difficulty. This strategy
can also be used to differentiate for stronger readers by introducing new, and more challenging, vocabulary. Struggling readers would also
benefit from visual aids to illustrate many of the ideas presented. Pictures, diagrams, and charts alongside the text will go far to aid students as
they dissect the articles.
Note: Social, ethnic, racial, religious, and gender bias is best determined at the local level where educators have in-depth knowledge of the
culture and values of the community in which students live. TDOE asks local districts to review these materials for social, ethnic, racial, religious,
and gender bias before use in local schools.
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Nutrition Across the Lifespan Informational Artifact Assignment: Sample Grading Rubric
Category
4 Well Balanced
3 Healthy
2 Lacks Nutrients
Content Knowledge
Craft & Structure
*Evidence of thorough
knowledge of topic
*Interesting and
intriguing details which
create imagery and
captivate audience
*Well organized
*Clear and concise
*Focused and remains on
topic
*All information accurate
*Clearly answers
question studied
*Specific information is
given to support ideas
*Creative
*Concise terms and
vocabulary
*Contains very few
errors
* Emphasizes structure
to advance key points
*Evidence of knowledge
on topic
*Interesting details.
*Captures audience
attention
*Organized
*Clear message
*Focused and remains on
topic
* All information
accurate
*Answers question
studied
*Information given to
support ideas
*Creative
*Contains few errors
*Concise terms and
vocabulary
*Contains errors
* Emphasizes structure
to advance key points,
but vague
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1 Malnourished
*Evidence of common
knowledge of topic
*May capture but not
necessarily retain audience
attention
*Lacks some organization
*Message may be unclear
*Lacks some focus and
accuracy
*Doesn’t answer entire
question
*Lacks information to
support ideas
*Original but lacks in
creativity
*Several errors present
*Little evidence of
knowledge of topic
*Doesn’t capture or
hold audience attention
*Lacks organization,
focus and accuracy
* Unclear message
*Lacks focus and
accuracy
*Doesn’t answer
question
*Not much information
*Numerous errors
*Incorrect terms and
vocabulary
*Contains errors
*Lack of emphasis on
structure to advance key
points; not organized
*Incorrect terms and
vocabulary
*Contains numerous
errors
Integration of
Knowledge & Ideas
*Student provides
several specific and
relevant facts with clear
explanations.
*The student makes a
strong and convincing
argument.
*Student is able to
express his/her opinion
or viewpoint about
healthy eating and
influence others in a
persuasive manner.
* Student provides some
facts to support his/her
viewpoint and convince
the audience.
Grading: 11-12 points = A
9-10 points = B
7-8points = C
5-6 points = D
Below 4 = F
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*Student is able to give
his/her opinion about
healthy eating but may or
may not be able to
influence or persuade
others.
* Student provides few if
any facts to support his/her
viewpoint.
* Student’s opinion
about healthy eating is
neither clear nor
persuasive.
* The student does not
convince the audience
due to a lack of
sufficient facts to
support his/her
viewpoint,