Teaching Sequence

This lesson is organised a little different. It revolves around a Snack-Fest event, where students make or bake healthy snacks for guests. It also involves a lot of event organisation, and could be a great opportunity to extend your students and do something a little different.

If you don't feel equipped to manage an event, or to manage and oversee the kitchen component, you could potentially enlist the support of a Home Economics or other qualified cooking teacher. Alternately, consider focusing on making a class recipe book, as in Part C. This lesson is designed to be modular, so you can add or remove parts to suit the needs of your class.

Currently, each of the parts below has a 'before the day' and 'on the day' component, relating to the different tasks students must undertake both before and during the Snack-Fest. The main thing to remember is that for this lesson, the different parts don't have to happen one after the other. Some of them might happen at different times - and they'll all come together on the big day! The timeframes are also very flexible, depending on your requirements. Each part will probably take at least an hour over multiple sessions.

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes – Introduction
60+ minutes – Part A: Food and Drink
60+ minutes – Part B: Event Coordination
60+ minutes – Part C: Recipe Book
60+ minutes – Part D: Student Presentations
10 minutes – Reflection

Introduction

Before starting this lesson, we recommend completing the previous three lessons in this sequence. While this lesson can be completed by itself, it works much better as the culmination of students' learning.

Step 1.

Begin by asking students to recall their learning from the previous SugarByHalf HPE lessons. Cater for visual learners by making notes on the whiteboard while students share what they remember.

For reference, some of the main points in the earlier lessons were:

The (physiological) impact of sugar on our bodies
The many different forms and names that sugar can take
How to find out about the amount of added sugar a food or drink contains
The impact of consuming too much added sugar on the human body
The benefits of limiting sugar consumption

Students will use this learning to share what they know about how consuming sugar can impact health and wellbeing. They will work as a class to organise and host a 'Good Health Snack-Fest': they’ll plan, prepare and share food and drink that is of high nutritional value, without the added sugar and the health risks that come with it. At the event, students will also educate their guests about sugar, based on what they have learned throughout the SugarByHalf HPE lessons.

Part A: Food and Drink

In this part, students will plan and create their snacks for the Snack-Fest. We've split it into two sections: planning and making. You'll probably want to make the food either on the day of the Snack-Fest or the day before - it depends on what you're making and how long it keeps for.

Planning for Food Prep Day:

Step 1.

Invite students to form groups of 2-3: they will work in these groups for the majority of this lesson. Assign each group to plan either a savoury or a sweet option. Make sure you've got an appropriate balance of savoury and sweet snacks - we want to be conscious of the amount of added sugar!

Step 2.

Encourage groups to find a recipe for a snack that they will prepare. They could try searching online, or they could use recipe books from the school library. Make sure you check the recipe before confirming their decision - ideally it should be relatively quick and simple to make. There is space on the Student Worksheet for students to record their recipe.

Ask groups to provide you with a copy of the recipe they have chosen, so that you have a back-up in case they forget to bring it for food prep day!

Step 3.

Once students have decided what to prepare for the Snack-Fest, direct groups to create a list of ingredients, utensils and other required resources. They'll need to think about the number of servings they want to create, which will depend on the number of people invited (we deal with invitations in Part B).

Step 4.

Before food prep day, organise for the ingredients to be purchased and for the class to have access to utensils and other equipment required for the preparation of snacks and drinks. You might want to use the Food Technology department in your school.

Food-Prep Day:

Step 1.

When you and your students arrive in the food prep space, take some time to cover basic food hygiene and handling rules with them. You might want to draw on the resources of a qualified Food Technology teacher here - people will be eating this food, so be careful with how it's prepared!

Step 2.

Invite students to work in groups to prepare their planned food or drink. Make sure they know how much time they have to prepare. Oversee their preparations, ensuring that they are preparing food in a clean, safe way. Again, the kitchen can be dangerous if students decide to clown around with knives or ovens: please take sensible precautions.

Step 3.

Once students have prepared their snacks, encourage them to plate it up in a way that is appealing, cover it with food wrap and either store it appropriately or take it straight to the Snack-Fest, depending on your arrangements.

Part B: Event Coordination

In this part, we plan and execute the event.

Before the day:

Step 1.

First, we need to decide who the class will invite to attend the Snack-Fest. Ask students to suggest possible invitees who would benefit from learning about how to reduce their sugar intake. Also think about how your guests might affect the time and length of the Snack-Fest - are you inviting parents to a Saturday afternoon event? Are you inviting other students to something during lunch?

You may wish to invite groups such as:

A class of peers - another Year 7 or 8 class
A class from a local primary school
The wider school population
Parents and caregivers.

Step 2.

Once you've made a decision, students will work in their groups to create invitations to the Snack-Fest. Think about how the invitees might affect the nature of the invitation: are you writing a formal invitation for adults? Are you putting up posters around the school for other students to see?

Students will require the following details to be able to create invitations:

Date, time and location of the event
Some brief details about the event - what people should expect when they attend
Any details about potential allergens that may be present at the event
…as well as other details (i.e. will attendees be expected to make a gold coin donation?)

There is space on the Student Worksheet for students to note down these details.

Step 3.

Allow students time to create invitations, according to the agreed requirements and details. You can change the workflow here depending on your circumstances: you might want six groups making a range of different invitation types, or you might want to reassign one group to make invitations instead of baking (Part A). Once the invitations are complete, make plans for their distribution.

Step 4.

Now you can start making plans around hosting duties for the Snack-Fest. Help the class decide who will take charge of different responsibilities:

Responsibilities:
Welcoming party - 1-2 groups will need to stand at the entrance to the event, and let attendees know where to go and what to do once they arrive.
MC - One group will need to be the central presenters for the event. They will be responsible for officially welcoming people to the event, and informing them about its purpose. They will also need to oversee the presentations (which are planned in Part D), introducing each group before they present, and thanking people for attending to close the event. Make sure these students are confident public speakers who're up to the task! They might even need to share responsibilities with you or with another supporting adult.

Make sure to record the names of students who volunteer to fulfil these roles. Catch up with each of the students in the days preceding the event to check that they’re prepared and ready to go.

On the day:

Step 1.

Before attendees arrive, remind students about your expectations for the event - make sure each group knows what their responsibilities are.

Step 2.

Help students to set up the room/space:

You might need to move tables or chairs around, either to create seating or to make more space for people to move around.
Make a place for the food and drink to go. Make sure to include plates, cups, and serviettes.
Include a stage or 'front' space for students to present from.
Set up a display table for the booklets, if you've included them (we deal with the booklets in Part C)
Hang up any posters or visuals that might be needed for student presentations.

Step 3.

Ensure that the welcoming party is ready to welcome people as they arrive - they should also encourage people to begin the Snack-Fest! Once people have arrived, cue the event MC to begin proceedings - they should coordinate the order of students’ mini-presentations.

Step 4.

After the presentations, the MC should thank everyone for coming and announce the end of the event. You will need to spend some time in pack-down with your class, to get everything cleaned up and put away. Make sure to replace any furniture that has been moved around, and restore the environment to its original state.

Part C: Recipe Book

This part of the lesson is optional. If you have a particularly creative group of students who would like to put together a recipe book based on the treats made for your Snack-Fest guests, this section is for them! If that's not something that would necessarily suit a small group from your class, or if the resources for printing and other costs are too difficult, consider giving it a pass.

Before the Snack-Fest:

Step 1.

Choose the students responsible for creating the booklet. They should acquire a copy of every group's recipe, including the sources for attribution.

Step 2.

The students should then use word-processing or publishing software to design the booklet. Keep a close eye on the development of important factors, such as consistent formatting and visual arrangement, proofing, citations, font, and so on. This project can really be scaled up or down depending on your resources and time - you might want to get in touch with a local writer or designer to help oversee the process, for instance, or connect these students with any creative writing groups around the school.

Step 3.

Once students have completed the booklet, make sure you look it over for any final accidental typos or edits that might be needed. Then have the students send through a saved file, and print out copies for your guests. Some further work may be needed to turn the printed pages into booklet form.

On the day:

Place the recipe booklets on a display table. Prompt students to hand out the recipe booklets at the end of the event, or ask the MC to encourage attendees to take one as they leave the event. You might even ask the students who created the booklet to introduce it and explain what it is.

Part D: Student Presentations

This part covers the presentations that students will give during the Snack-Fest. These presentations allow students to share the information that they have learned from the first three lessons in this unit, so that they're educating the guests as well as sharing great snacks.

Before the day:

Step 1.

Inform students that they will work in their groups to create a 1-2 minute mini-presentation, which will provide more information about how sugar can impact our health. Each group’s presentation should cover information that they learned in the SugarByHalf HPE Finding Out lessons. If needed, give a specific focus to each group:

What is the (physiological) impact of sugar on our bodies?
What are the different forms and names that sugar can take?
How can we find out about the amount of added sugar a food or drink contains?
How can limiting sugar consumption benefit us?
Details about the process followed to organise the food and drink presented at the Snack-Fest. What informed the choices made about the food and drink that was included?

Note: If you need more focal points, split the ones listed above into subcategories (for instance, how does sugar affect our teeth vs how does sugar affect our energy levels).

Step 2.

Encourage groups to work on their mini-presentations. Students shouldn’t need to conduct any extra research - they will only need to look back through what was covered in the SugarByHalf HPE Finding Out lessons. Encourage students to use the paper and creative supplies to plan and draft their presentations.

Encourage groups to create and include visuals in the form of images or a poster to refer to while they are presenting. Allow some time for students to create these visuals.

Step 3.

Time permitting, ask two or more groups to join together to practice their mini-presentation and offer peer-to-peer feedback on improvements that could be made.

Step 4.

Note down the order in which students will deliver their mini-presentations. Ensure that the MC has a copy of the list on the day so that they can direct and introduce groups.

On the day:

Step 1.

Ask students to hang up any posters/visuals in preparation for their presentations. Groups will stand next to their visuals when they are presenting, so some extra planning may be needed to facilitate the details here.

Step 2.

Prompt the MC to ask students to get ready to deliver their mini-presentations, and begin proceedings when all groups are ready. Once groups have presented, the MC should either encourage attendees to continue to enjoy the event, or thank people for coming and draw the event to a close.

Reflection

Depending on your audience, you might want to invite attendees to give feedback on how they found the food and drink during the Snack-Fest. Ask them to respond to this question:

Can you see yourself eating less sugar in the future? Why/why not?

Invite volunteers to share their responses.

Differentiated Learning

Extension – Encourage students to take on extra responsibilities in coordinating the Good Health Snack-Fest.

Provisions for Learning Support – Mixed ability groups - should be made up of students with skills and talents that are different from each other.

Teacher Reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching:

What did you learn about your teaching today?
What worked well?
What didn't work so well?
What would you share?
Where to next?
How are you going to get there?

Taking it Further

If you would like more information about SugarByHalf or the movement to reduce our sugar intake, check out the SugarByHalf Teachers Network here.

SugarByHalf would also love to share the results of your teaching with the world! If your students are making amazing changes, consider emailing info@sugarbyhalf.com to let them know. They're excited to tell people about your success!

SugarByHalf - Good Health Snack-Fest!

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