The Hungry Reader
the problem:
Our project will serve kindergarten students in low-income schools. The first school to participate in this program will be Pacific Elementary School in Sacramento, California. Forty five percent of the students here are Hispanic and eleven percent are African American—both groups with increased risk of obesity related diseases. Spanish and Hmong are the primary languages spoken at home. Statistics from this school show below average reading levels as well as below average physical education test scores. (In 2007 the STAR exam indicated that 72% of second graders and 82% of fifth graders scored below proficient in language. Physical fitness results also indicated that one fourth of fifth graders were overweight.) Pacific Elementary School is a title one school with over 93% of students qualifying for free or reduced school lunches. Our program would educate these students so that they could make healthy food choices on their own, whether eating at home or receiving a school lunch, all while simultaneously building vocabulary and reading skills. Additionally, this program would educate parents on healthy eating and hopefully reduce the incidence of overweight in this community.
vital stats:
people impacted:
0people involved:
0why it's important:
Our club, the Student Nutrition Association of UC Davis, has developed the curriculum for The Hungry Reader. The program is modeled after Jumpstart, a successful literacy program, but carries a nutrition and health focus. We have eight lessons planned, each on a different nutrition-related topic, such as fruits, hydration, calcium, healthy snacking, and so on. These two-part lessons will enhance the reading level of the students involved while teaching them the importance of making healthy food choices.
The first part of the lesson (circle time) will involve the class in discussion about the topic of the week. It will include teaching a brief lesson, singing a song related to the topic, and then reading a book related to the topic. Improving vocabulary is a main goal of circle time. The reading will take place in small groups so that reading skills can be enhanced by more individualized attention.
The second part of the lesson will involve a creative, hands-on cooking experience with the food highlighted in the lesson. Here, the students can touch, smell, and taste new, healthy foods. Parent handouts with information on healthy eating will also be provided. These handouts will be created by our members and will be translated by the school translator into Spanish and Hmong.
These lessons are to be taught by members of our club once a week for 8 weeks. We are planning to implement our program in October 2008. In 2009, we will review the lessons and make any necessary revisions. Feedback from parent surveys will help us to determine areas in need of improvement. We will then start the cycle over again at a new school in fall 2009.
the plan of action:
Our club, the Student Nutrition Association of UC Davis, plans to carry out our project at Pacific Elementary School in Sacramento, California. The school has already secured a time and location for our lessons to take place and we will begin the lessons in October 2008. Members of our club have already created the eight lesson plans we will be using. In addition, a parent handout will accompany each lesson and these are expected to be completed by our members in July 2008. We are currently in the process of compiling and reviewing the lesson plans, which will also be reviewed by knowledgeable UC Davis nutrition faculty members. We plan on completing this task by the end of summer, 2008. Fundraising for any money not covered by grants will take place in early fall, 2008. Also, for food costs not covered by grants, we hope to receive food donations from food banks, local farmers, and local grocery stores, which we will request in early fall 2008 as well. Once funds are in place, we must obtain the needed materials, such as books, poster boards and pens, food/cooking supplies, and bags for the students to carry information home. In early fall, 2008, we will organize volunteers from our club to teach each lesson.
how you can get involved:
A lot of the planning has already been done for this project but implementation is going to take resources such as books, food, and money for other learning/cooking supplies. Each lesson has its own book, of which we would need at least one, if not a few, copies in order to read with the students. The cooking activities are going to require basic preparation tools and food supplies for each student to create with and/or sample. Book donations and food donations from local farmers, grocers, and food banks would help tremendously. Money for supplies, such as posters, paper, pens, and any food or books not covered by donation will also be essential for implementing our lessons. Although our club members are volunteering their time to help with this program, reimbursement for travel would be helpful as the school is approximately 30 minutes away. Additionally, student volunteers will need a TB test so we are requesting reimbursement for that as well.
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