Choose My Plate Assignment

Damaris Talamantes
PPE 310
Jessica Skipper

I am placed at Madison Heights Elementary School and they do meet the requirements for the National
Standards for School Meals. (National School Lunch Program) According to The Arizona Department of

Education (The Arizona Nutrition Standards and Competitive Foods), they developed the standards to help
the schools in providing a healthy meal for the students. They mandate that all K-8 schools who participate
in the National School Lunch Program must follow the Competitive Food Standards. Madison Heights is
on a free-reduced policy for only a few students. The requirements are that the school lunches must meet
meal pattern and nutrition standards based on the Dietary Guidelines for American. The current meal
pattern is fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in the school menu. Students who qualify for the program is
if their families with incomes at or below 130% of the poverty level. Those who have incomes between
130% and 185% of the poverty they are eligible for the reduced-price meals, and the students cant be
charged more than 40 cents per meal.
Even though the food choices that are given to the students may meet certain healthy requirements, it
doesnt mean that the child consuming it meets those guidelines. A student may have all of the required
foods in their plate but it doesnt mean that they will eat it. The students at Madison Heights are required
to take either a fruit or vegetable but when I walk in the cafeteria most vegetables are being thrown away
and not eaten.
The changes that could be made at the school are to teach the students about what is healthy for them
and why it is important for them to eat heathy. Students need to know the importance of what food does to
their bodies and why people eat, which is to give the body energy! Another way that we can improve the

food the students eat at the school is by making sure that the snacks that are being brought from home
are only healthy snacks. The students in our grade are able to have snacked only if they bring it from home
and if it is healthy. Most students do bring healthy snacks but there are other students who bring potato
chips and very sugary stuff. As a teacher I would really enforce students to only bring healthy snacks or
they cannot eat in. That way I am helping the students to make healthier choices when they are picking
out their snack. About half of the classroom brings their own lunch and in order for the students to bring
their own lunch, there would have to be a guideline that they have to follow. No sweets or potato chips
would be allowed for the students to bring. As a school they would have to create a guideline for the
parents to follow if the students want to bring their own lunch.

Reflection
The way that this activity can be used is to show the students what they are eating daily. If the teacher is
teaching the students about what they need to eat and what is healthy for them, then once they
understand that then they are able to understand the graph of what is in their menu daily and what they

need to eat. If the teachers everyday shows the students what they are going to eat during lunch then
they can see why they need to eat it. When the students learn about why they need to make healthier
choices then they can transfer that knowledge to their homes and teach their own parents or siblings
about what they need to eat.
This activity can also help the teachers know what they are consuming and how the teacher can go about
teaching the lessons that have to do with healthy eating. The teacher can get a lot of information from the
students if this activity is done by realizing what they are eating and also to have the teachers make
healthier choices of what they are eating in front of the children. Always encouraging the students to eat
healthy which means not giving candy as a treat or a reward. Teachers are the role models and the
students notice everything that goes on in the classroom. When the teacher teaches about eating
healthier and why it is important to eat healthier, and the teacher isnt eating healthy and the students see
that then they will think it is ok not to eat heathy if the teacher doesnt even follow his or her own advice.
Setting the example can help the students with making decisions because most students want to be like
their teachers.
References
National School Lunch Program (NSLP). (n.d.). Retrieved October 25, 2015, from
http://www.fns.usda.gov/nslp/national-school-lunch-program-nslp
The Arizona Nutrition Standards and Competitive Foods. (n.d.). Retrieved October 25, 2015,
from http://www.azed.gov/health-nutrition/the-arizona-nutrition-standards-and-competitive-foods/

Criteria

Points (5) Exemplary

Points (3) Proficient

Introduction
SCORE:x1

Introduction was well organized

and created a plan for the paper

ChooseMyPlate
Analysis

SCORE: x1

One breakfast and one lunch (or

2 restaurant options) were
evaluated
Results reflect a hypothetical
student
Screen shot was included
Contained a very detailed
application of National
Standards for School Meals
Contains very detailed
applications of Dietary
Guidelines for Americans
Contains very detailed
discussions for 3 changes to
improve nutrition

Application of
results and proposed
changes
SCORE:x1

Introduction was somewhat

organized and created a plan for the
paper
Only one breakfast or lunch (or 1
restaurant option) was evaluated
Results reflected a hypothetical
student, but not enough information
was provided
Screen shot was included, but
incomplete
Contained a somewhat detailed
application of National Standards for
School Meals
Contained somewhat detailed
applications of Dietary Guidelines for
Americans
Contains somewhat detailed
discussions only 2 changes to
improve nutrition

Points (1) Needs Improvement

Introduction was disorganized and

did not create a plan for the paper

Only one breakfast or lunch (or 1

restaurant option) was evaluated but
was incomplete
Results did not reflect a hypothetical
student
Screen shot was not included

Contained little detail on the

application of National Standards for
School Meals
Contained little detail on the
application of Dietary Guidelines for
Americans
Contained little detail or only
included 1 change to improve
nutrition

Summary/Reflectio
n SCORE: x1

Writing

SCORE: x1

Referencing Style

SCORE:
x1

A summary of the current state

of the schools nutrition was
included
Summary of changes were
included
A detailed reflection regarding
how this teacher knowledge of
students impacts your students
inside and outside your
classroom
Proper grammar and
punctuation is used throughout
the proposal
All sentences are clear &
developed
Paper was at least 3 pages with
standard margins, font, & text
size
APA style referencing used
throughout paper and on the
reference sheet
The file document name
contains
Lastname.firstname.assign#.cou
rse#
This rubric was attached

A summary of the current state of the

school in terms of nutrition was
included
but did not align with paper
A summary of the proposed changes
was included but did not align with
paper
A general reflection of how this data
impacts your students

Most grammar and correct

punctuation is used throughout the
proposal
Most sentences are clear &
developed
Paper was 1-3 pages with standard
margins, font, and size of text

APA style referencing mostly used

throughout the paper and on the
reference sheet with some errors
The file name somewhat contains the
Lastname.firstname.assignment#.cou
rse#
This rubric was added but not at the
end

A summary of the current state of the

school in terms of nutrition was not
included
A summary of the proposed changes
was not included
A reflection of the practical data as it
relates to your classroom was
missing or incomplete

Many grammar and correct

punctuation issues are found
throughout the proposal
Many sentences are not clear and
underdeveloped
Paper was less than 1 page in length
with larger than standard margins,
font text size
Many errors in APA style referencing
throughout the paper and on the
reference sheet
The file document name does not
contain the
Lastname.firstname.assignment#.cou
rse#
This rubric was not added to the
document submitted