Sample Lesson Plan

Friendly Fruit

Plan Ahead

For this lesson, you will need:

SPIN Heart Chart fresh fruit required to construct SPINNER's Friendly Fruit Tree (see the Supplement to this lesson), paper plates, forks, toothpicks, plastic bags, and napkins (optional activity)copies for each student of NAPSAC 10 and the recipe for fruit kabobs.

Introduction

Fruit, an excellent SPIN food, will be discussed in this lesson.

Objectives for the Students

To recognize that all fruits are low in fat, except avocado, coconut,and olives.

To recognize that it is desirable to replace SOMETIMES foods, such as cake, cookies, and pies, with fruit.

To identify the various forms in which fruits are available (canned, fresh, dried, frozen, and juice).

To understand that it is important to eat fruit because it provides vitamins, minerals, and fiber needed for growth and good health.

To eat a SPIN food made with fruit (fruit kabobs).

Background Information

In this lesson, you will discuss how fruits grow: on trees (apples, peaches, oranges), on bushes (blueberries, currants, gooseberries), and on vines (strawberries and melons). Also discuss the various forms in which fruits are available in the supermarket (fresh, frozen, canned in own juice,canned in syrup, dried, and juice). In Lesson 9, the students were asked to bring pictures of fruit that they had cut out from magazines. They may keep them at their desks to show in response to your discussion, or you may collect them to show to the class during the first part of the lesson.

Emphasize that all fruits, except avocado, coconut, and olives, are low in fat and are SPIN foods. Discuss the desirability of replacing some of the students' usual snacks and desserts (e.g., cake and cookies) with fruit. Since many families use canned fruits as a regular part of their diet, it is important that the students understand that some canned fruits are SPIN foods. Fruits canned in light syrup or in their own juice contain less sugar and calories and are a more desirable SPIN choice.

If the activity of constructing the Friendly Fruit Tree is not feasible for the class, lead a discussion of how fruits can be included in the students'diet.

Examples of some of the ways that fruits can be used are:
As a salad: cottage cheese with pineapple or pear; grapefruit and avocado, apple, raisin, and walnut

As a snack: fresh oranges, apples, bananas, pears

As a garnish: cranberry sauce with turkey

In combination with other foods: bananas on cereal, strawberries, on ice cream or pudding, blueberries on pancakes

As a dessert: baked apple, peach cobbler, apricot bars, prune whip,cherry pie, fruit kabob (recipe provided in the Supplementary Materials for this lesson)

Encourage the students to include whole fresh fruit in their daily eating pattern. Emphasize the variety of fruit that is available throughout the year, as well as the many advantages of eating fruit rather than highly sugared and processed foods.

The NAPSAC assignment will test the students' ability to distinguish between SPIN and SOMETIMES fruits and fruit dishes. They will be asked to identify fruits that they have tried and to try one that is new to them next week.

Activity

SPINNER's Friendly Fruit Tree.

Have the students construct SPINNER''s Friendly Fruit Tree. Use a pineapple ring as the base and one half of a banana as the trunk. Toothpicks should be provided from which they can hang various kinds of fruit to make colorful branches. Provide each row with plastic bags containing a variety of fruits. Examples of fruits to use are tangerine segments, apple wedges, kiwi slices, pomegranite seeds, pear chunks,and raisins. When they have all completed their trees,they may eat their creations. Instructions on how to construct the fruit tree are provided in the Supplement to this lesson.

Lesson Plan

Begin a class discussion about how fruits are grown.

Help the students identify the different forms of fruit available in the supermarket and give examples of each.

Have the students show the pictures of fruits that they have cut from magazines.

Mention that most fruits are low in fat and are SPIN foods.

Encourage the students to eat fruit instead of the SOMETIMES foods that they usually eat as a snack or dessert.

Discuss the many ways that fruit can be used: on cereal, in blender drinks, mixed with yogurt, in fruit salads, with cottage cheese, etc.

Have the students record the names of a few fruits in the Fruits and Vegetables part of the SPIN Heart Chart.

Optional activity: Students will make and eat SPINNER's Friendly Fruit Tree.

Distribute NAPSAC 10 and the recipe for fruit kabobs (recipe provided in the Supplementary Materials for Lesson 10).