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Author

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Grades

7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th

Subjects

Science, Biology, Health

Resource Type

  • Interactive Media

Regional Focus

Global, North America, United States, USA - Northeast, Massachusetts

Healthy Plate, Healthy Planet: An Interactive Guide to Healthy, Sustainable Eating

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Synopsis
  • This interactive guide from Harvard University and the Gaples Institute explains the many ways that plant-based diets keep people and the planet healthy. 
  • Students will learn that diets including more plants and fewer animal products are more sustainable and may reduce the risks of disease. 
Teaching Tips

Positives

  • The guide consists of a series of narrated slides that break the material up into manageable sections.
  • Interactive tasks throughout the course will keep students engaged.
  • The last slide in the guide links to other resources.

Additional Prerequisites

  • Students that want to learn more about the environmental impacts of meat production can watch this video.

Differentiation

  • Life skills, culinary arts, or health classes could cook a variety of meat-free recipes. Students could choose their favorite recipes to compile into a digital cookbook, then share it via email or the school's website.
  • Biology classes could track the number of animal products they eat each week. Students could replace a few animal products each week with plant-based foods.
  • Science classes could use this resource for lessons about cellular respiration, nutrition, macromolecules, the carbon cycle, the water cycle, or climate change.
  • Environmental clubs or science classes could evaluate the school cafeteria's monthly menu and request more plant-rich meals.
  • Other resources on this topic include this foodprint calculator, this Project Drawdown article on plant-rich diets, and this Hot Mess video on the global food system.
Scientist Notes
This interactive guide displays good tips on eating healthy foods in order to save the planet. It provides charts for students to explore and compare the carbon footprints of selected plant-based and animal-based foods. This resource is adequately cited and thus, it is recommended for teaching.
Standards

This resource addresses the listed standards. To fully meet standards, search for more related resources.

  • Science
    • ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
      • MS-ESS3-3. Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.
      • HS-ESS3-4. Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces impacts of human activities on natural systems.
  • English Language Arts
    • Speaking & Listening (K-12)
      • SL.ES.7.3 Delineate a speaker's argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning and the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
      • SL.II.11–12.2 Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data.
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