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Exercise Your Options


Description

Middle school students assess their nutrition and physical activity knowledge in this curriculum that aligns with education standards and is based on a behavior-change model. The program helps students apply decision-making skills to real-life issues that influence their health. The nutrition lessons are skills-based to help students apply problem-solving, reasoning, and critical thinking techniques, making them successful in the classroom and beyond. Ideas for extension activities, questions, and projects for students are included. The media disk provides common scenarios faced by students, such as making choices from food court menus in shopping malls and choosing realistic portion sizes. Other lesson topics include eating disorders, sports nutrition, bone health, and body image.

What’s Inside

A teacher guide, student activity booklet, and a media disk with eight video segments that introduce the key issues in each lesson.

Activity Highlight

In lesson 5, Keep Moving, Keep Fit, students recall the amount of moderate to vigorous physical activity recommended daily, classify a variety of activities as moderate or vigorous or low levels of physical activity, evaluate a record of their physical activity, and make a plan to increase their physical activity levels to meet the recommendations.

  • Key Content Areas: After School, Cafeteria Connections, Integrated subjects, MyPlate, and Physical Activity.  

  • Originator of Resources: Dairy Council of California

  • User of Resource: Teachers and Physical Education Teachers

  • Audience: Grades 6–8

  • Languages: English

  • Number of lessons: 8

  • Amount of time per lesson: 45–60 minutes

  • Format: Downloadable and Supplemental DVD

Resource

To access the curriculum, visit the Dairy Council of California Healthy Eating Made Easier web page External link opens in new window or tab..

Contacts

If you have any questions, please visit 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: Wednesday, March 18, 2026
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