Download This Lesson: Spinach
Brief Description: Students will be able to explain the history of spinach and locate where it is grown on a Maine map. They will be able to explain what part of the plant spinach is, the growing season and its nutritional benefits. Students will be able to plan a healthy lunch menu and write a persuasive letter that includes spinach. Students will also be able to participate in composting activities.
Goals
Students will…
- Increase their familiarity with spinach.
- Eat spinach when it is offered to them.
- Increase their awareness of the environmental benefits of composting.
- Increase their understanding of nutrition.
Objectives
Students will…
- Locate the origin of spinach on a world map
- Identify the growing season of spinach in Maine
- Identify what part of the plant spinach is
- Write a persuasive letter using the appropriate format
- Explain how spinach nutrients help the body
- Plan a healthy lunch menu that includes spinach in some way
- Participate in composting activities.
Lesson Activities
- Review points about safety, sanitation, and cooperation
- Introduce spinach
- Background information on spinach
- Lessons from the Farm
- Prepare spinach wrap-ups
- (Form groups of 4 to 6 students)
- Do compost activity
- (See compost lesson for mini-lessons)
- Eat
- Wrap-up
- Distribute copies of recipe and challenge sheets to students
- Clean-up
Other Spinach Activities
Nutrition science lesson
Why eat spinach?
Global and regional mapping
Spinach fact sheet
Writing ideas
Word search
(Download Complete Answer Key)
Cooking Maine Foods from the Ground Up
Alignment-at-a-Glance
| Learning Objective |
Health Education Standards |
Cross-Discipline |
| a. | ||
| b. | ||
| c. | ||
| d. | ELA B5a | |
| e. | ELA B2a |
(Provided by Maine Nutrition Network)