Lesson 1 - Diet and health - Teaching plan

Sep 4, 2026

Year 8 Lesson 1 focuses on recalling and applying the Eatwell Guide principles to pupils’ own diets. Learners revisit food groups, then explore main nutrients in greater detail, including their functions and how portion size affects energy and nutrient intake. The lesson also builds understanding of hydration by examining the sources and roles of water in the body. Activities include sorting, paired nutrient identification, and a plenary circle map task.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatDOCX

Pages3

Reading Time1 min

AccessFree to download

Learning objectives

Learning outcomes by ability

Teaching and learning activities

Starter

Main activity 1

Main activity 2

Plenary

Homework

Extension activity

Lesson 1 Key Stage 3 Year 8 Lesson number: 1 Date: Time: 1 hour Lesson title: Diet and health This lesson recaps on the principles of The Eatwell Guide and the ways in which pupils can apply this to their own diet. They begin to explore the main nutrients in more detail and consider the importance of good hydration. Learning Learning objective Learning outcomes To recall the principles of The Eatwell Guide and relate it to their own diet. All pupils will … recall the principles of The Eatwell Guide and relate it to their own diet. Most pupils should … describe and explain the principles of The Eatwell Guide and relate it to the diet. Some pupils could … describe and explain the principles of The Eatwell Guide, and use it when devising meals and menus for themselves and others. To list and explain the main nutrients provided by a healthy diet. All pupils will … name the main nutrients provided by The Eatwell Guide food groups. Most pupils should … name the main nutrients and their functions provided by The Eatwell Guide food groups. Some pupils could … name the nutrients and their functions provided by The Eatwell Guide and recognise that the amount of energy and nutrients provided by food depends on the portion eaten. To explain the importance of hydration. All pupils will … explain the importance of hydration. Most pupils should … explain the sources and functions of water and the importance of hydration. Some pupils could … explain the sources and functions of water, discuss the importance of hydration and apply the principles to their own diet. Teaching and learning activities Time Activity Resources and equipment 0 5 Register and introduction Welcome to Cooking and nutrition. Outline the plan for the sessions. Review learning objectives for the lesson. Starter Introduce the learning that will be covered through the following sessions. Review the learning journey booklet with the pupils and identify their learning goals. Lesson plan HYPERLINK "https://www.foodafactoflife.org.uk/media/7646/my-learning-journal-ws1114ap.docx" My learning journey booklet 10 Main activity 1 Use The Eatwell Guide videos to recap the important points. Look at some images of meals/foods, ask the pupils to identify the main ingredients and which of the food groups they are from. Note: the meal cards show the main ingredients for each dish, the cards can be edited to suit the aim of the task and your pupils. Alternatively, show The Eatwell Guide presentation and task the pupils to complete The Eatwell Guide worksheet. Using a sort activity, challenge the pupils to sort the main nutrients and identify main sources and functions. Alternatively, use the healthy eating dominoes to test pupil’s knowledge through active learning. HYPERLINK "https://www.foodafactoflife.org.uk/11-14-years/healthy-eating/eat-well/" \l "videos" \h Eatwell Guide videos HYPERLINK "https://www.foodafactoflife.org.uk/media/7739/meal-cards-316.docx" Meal cards HYPERLINK "https://www.foodafactoflife.org.uk/media/1771/the-eatwell-guide-ppt-1114he1.pptx" \h The Eatwell Guide presentation HYPERLINK "https://www.foodafactoflife.org.uk/media/1772/the-eatwell-guide-ws-1114he1.docx" \h The Eatwell Guide worksheet HYPERLINK "https://www.foodafactoflife.org.uk/media/1799/nutrient-matching-activity-c-1114he2.docx" Nutrient matching activity HYPERLINK "https://www.foodafactoflife.org.uk/media/7632/healthy-eating-dominoes-316.docx" Healthy eating dominoes 25 35 Main activity 2 Select a meal combination and use as an example to recap the main nutrients. Ask the pupils to work in pairs and to identify the main nutrients provided in their example. Introduce the pupils to the importance of hydration; use the hydration PPT. Challenge the pupils to list the sources of water in the diet. Alternatively, use the short The Eatwell Guide video on hydration. HYPERLINK "https://www.foodafactoflife.org.uk/media/7739/meal-cards-316.docx" Meal cards HYPERLINK "https://www.

FAQs

What is the main focus of Year 8 Lesson 1?

The lesson recaps the Eatwell Guide and how pupils can apply it to their own diet, with an emphasis on nutrients and hydration.

How do pupils explore nutrients during the lesson?

Pupils use Eatwell Guide videos and meal/food images, then complete sort and matching activities to identify nutrients, sources, and functions.

What does the lesson cover about hydration?

Pupils learn why hydration matters, identify sources of water in the diet, and discuss the sources and functions of water before applying the ideas to their own diet.

Sep 4, 2026

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