Course

Nutrition for School-Aged Children

Important Notice

This course is not active. Please contact Department Chair for more information.

Faculty
Science & Technology
Department
Sport Science
Course code
SPSC 5491
Credits
3.00
Semester length
31 weeks
Max class size
25
Method(s) of instruction
Hybrid
Tutorial
Typically offered
To be determined

Overview

Course description
An overview of the science of nutrition, nutrition education, and nutrition’s relation to the growth and development of school-aged children.
Course content
  1. Nutritional Principles
    • Describe the basic principles of healthy eating
    • Use the Canada Food Guide
    • Read Labels
    • Basics of Growth and Development
      • Describe the relationship between physical growth and nutritional needs
      • Describe the concept of the growth curve in relation to peak bone building
      • Describe the effects of puberty and gender differences in relation to nutritional needs
      • Understand and identify childhood malnutrition
      • Understand childhood nutrition in relation to brain development
      • Understand childhood nutrition in relation to behaviour
    • Nutritional Needs for Active Living
      • 1.5.1. Describe the nutritional demands of exercise and physical activity
      • Understand energy balance and childhood obesity
      • Describe the guidelines for adequate hydration
      • Understand the role of personal planning
  2. Teaching Nutrition for Early Primary-Aged School Children (K- grade 1)
    • Use the principle of variety through food identification using the “Food Explorers Program”
  3. Teaching Nutrition for Late Primary-Aged School Children (grades 2-3)
    • Classifying foods into 4 food groups using the “Food for Us! Program”
    • Choosing snacks from the food groups
    • Identifying and creating balanced meals
  4. Teaching Nutrition for Early Intermediate-Aged School Children (grades 4-6)
    • Teaching students to assess their diets for balance using the “Food Sense Program”
    • Teaching students to make personal plans and improve daily food choices
  5. Teaching Nutrition for Late Intermediate-Aged School Children (grades 7-9)
    • Teaching students to assess their diets for balance using the “Space Station 5-5-3-2 Program”
    • Teaching students to problem solve their diets and make plans to carry out
  6. Learning Resources available for teachers
    • Explore various resources available to teachers for classroom / gym instruction
    • Promoting healthy eating in schools
    • Understand the role of vitality leader
Learning activities
  • Self-study via print or online materials
  • Application of content to field observations
  • Reading assignments
  • Online discussion groups
  • Instructor tutoring
Means of assessment

Evidence of learning is demonstrated through:

  • Application of concepts to self; and
  • Application of concepts to school and classroom context
  • Application of concepts to students

The selection of evaluation tools for this course is based on:

  1. Adherence to college evaluation policy regarding number and weighing of evaluations, for example a course of three credits or more should have at least three separate evaluations.
  2. A developmental approach to evaluation that is sequenced and progressive.
  3. Evaluation is used as a teaching tool for both students and instructors.
  4. Commitment to student participation in evaluation through such processes as self and peer evaluation, and program/ instructor evaluation.
Learning outcomes

Upon completion of the course the student will be able to:

  1. demonstrate a basic knowledge of nutritional principles with regard to the major nutrients,
  2. demonstrate understanding of the basic tenets of the Canada Food Guide and Harvard Healthy Eating Pyramid,
  3. identify nutritional needs of school-aged children,
  4. describe the effects on nutritional value of processing and preparation techniques,
  5. identify their own eating habits and attempt to modify them to suit their own nutritional requirements,
  6. identify nutritional learning resources available to teachers to enrich their classrooms.
Textbook materials

Textbooks and Materials to be Purchased by Students

A list of recommended textbooks and materials is provided on the Instructor's Course Outline, which is available to students at the beginning of each semester.

Requisites

Prerequisites

No prerequisite courses.

Corequisites

No corequisite courses.

Equivalencies

No equivalent courses.

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

(Current)

Course Transfers

These are for current course guidelines only. For a full list of archived courses please see https://www.bctransferguide.ca

Institution Transfer details for SPSC 5491
There are no applicable transfer credits for this course.

Course Offerings

Winter 2025