Skip to main content
California Department of Education Logo

Shaping Up Your Choices

This resource teaches students the skills they need to apply problem-solving, reasoning, and critical thinking techniques to their food choices. Resources include: Teacher guide, student workbooks and assessments, and compact disc (CD) with pictures.

Description

This resource teaches students the skills they need to apply problem-solving, reasoning, and critical thinking techniques to their food choices. The program aligns with education standards, uses a proven behavior-change model, and helps students develop healthy eating habits that will help them succeed in the classroom and beyond.

What’s Inside

Teacher guide; student workbooks; poster; transparencies; and a CD with vocabulary cards, color master documents, and food pictures. The curriculum also includes cafeteria connections in the extension activities, and home connections.

Activity Highlight

Lesson 9, Test Your Beverage Choice, presents students with healthier beverage choices that they can make after physical activity or with any meal or snack. Pre- and post-assessment activities and guidance for presenting the lesson with the whole class together with individual work are provided to support student knowledge gain and behavior change.   

  • Key Content Areas: After School, Cafeteria Connections, Integrated Subjects, MyPlate, Parent Family Connections, and Physical Activity

  • Originator of Resources: Dairy Council of California

  • User of Resource: Teachers

  • Audience: Grades 3

  • Languages: English and Spanish

  • Number of lessons: 10 lessons

  • Amount of time per lesson: 30–60 minutes

  • Format: Downloadable

Resource

To access the curriculum, visit the Dairy Council of California Shaping Up Your Choices web page External link opens in new window or tab..

Contacts

If you have any questions, please contact the Dairy Council of California Contact Us web page External link opens in new window or tab..

Questions:   Nutrition Services Division | 800-952-5609
Last Reviewed: Tuesday, April 22, 2025
Related Content
Recently Posted in Nutrition

  • New Legislation Regarding Ultraprocessed Food (added 13-Oct-2025)
    This page announces the signing of Assembly Bill (AB) 1264 and announces a webinar that provides an overview of AB 1264, explores implementation strategies, and presents current research and policy approaches to reduce UPF consumption among students.
  • LMS Account Setup & Site Overview Webinars (added 13-Oct-2025)
    This new learning management system will be used as the primary venue for delivering training content to satisfy your annual mandatory training hours for Professional Standards and beyond.
  • October Celebrations 2025 (added 08-Oct-2025)
    Encouragement for program operators to participate in any of the following special occasions: National Farm to School Month, California Crunch Day, National School Lunch Week, Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and National Farmer Day.
  • SUN Bucks Reminder - EDCS Data Accuracy (added 08-Oct-2025)
    Reminder about ensuring data accuracy in Education Data Collection System (EDCS) submissions.
  • CNAC Minutes for the April 30, 2025 Meeting (added 08-Oct-2025)
    Meeting minutes for the State Superintendent of Public Instruction Child Nutrition Advisory Council (CNAC) on April 30, 2025.