A HEALTHY DIET

As part of this integrated unit in 4th ESO, students worked on a cross-curricular project linking History and Physical Education through the topic of healthy eating and food culture. The unit allowed students to explore food not only from a nutritional point of view, but also from a historical and social perspective, helping them understand how diet has changed over time and why healthy habits remain so important today. By combining both subjects, students were able to connect the past and the present while using English in a practical and meaningful context.

History

In History, students explored the evolution of European gastronomy, travelling through different historical periods from Ancient Greece and Rome to the 21st century. They learned how food habits have changed over time depending on social class, historical events, trade, new ingredients and cultural influences. Special attention was given to the contrast between past and present eating habits, helping students understand that food is also an important part of social history.

They also worked on the topic of food poverty during the Industrial Revolution, analysing historical sources and extracts that described the poor diet and difficult living conditions of the working class. This part of the unit encouraged students to reflect on inequality, living standards and the relationship between food, health and social conditions in the past. In this way, History helped them see diet not only as a personal choice, but also as something shaped by historical and economic circumstances.

Physical Education

In Physical Education, students focused on the importance of a balanced diet and its connection with physical activity and overall health. They learned about the main components of a healthy diet, including carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and hydration, and they reflected on how these elements contribute to energy, recovery, physical performance and wellbeing.

They also worked on the benefits of regular physical activity, understanding how exercise and nutrition support each other in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. As part of this work, students learned how to apply the healthy plate rule and how to plan a balanced meal for a day, considering portion sizes, healthy choices and hydration. This practical approach helped them relate the theoretical content directly to their own daily lives and habits.

Final Product

The final product of the unit brought together the knowledge developed in both subjects through a practical and creative task. On the one hand, students prepared a triptych about the evolution of food, focusing on the contrast between meals in the past and meals in the present. This allowed them to organise and present the historical content in a visual and accessible way.

On the other hand, students designed a healthy meal plan with a given budget, applying the nutritional guidelines studied in PE and thinking carefully about healthy choices, balance and affordability. As a final step, they also created a video showing the cooking process of their healthy meal, turning the project into a more dynamic and realistic experience.

Overall, this integrated unit was a very positive example of how History and Physical Education can work together to help students reflect on food from multiple perspectives. It combined historical understanding, health education, creativity and practical application, while encouraging students to use English in a meaningful bilingual learning context.

dances of the world

4th ESO Integrated Unit 2: Dances Around the World

As part of this integrated unit in 4th ESO, students worked on a cross-curricular project linking History and Physical Education through the theme of dances from around the world. This unit allowed students to explore the cultural diversity of different societies while also experiencing dance as a form of expression, identity and communication. By combining both subjects, students were able to understand that dance is not only an artistic or physical activity, but also an important cultural element deeply connected to the traditions and history of different communities.

History

In History, students studied the main characteristics of different cultures around the world, paying special attention to their traditions, customs and associated dances. Through this work, they discovered how dance can reflect the values, beliefs and ways of life of a particular society, and how it can become a symbol of cultural identity.

This part of the unit helped students broaden their understanding of world cultures and appreciate the richness of cultural diversity. It also encouraged them to make connections between historical knowledge and contemporary cultural practices, seeing dance as a living expression of heritage and tradition.

Physical Education

In Physical Education, students worked on the practical side of the unit through the specific content of dance and movement. They learned and performed movements inspired by different dances from around the world, focusing on typical steps, rhythms and cultural elements connected to each one.

This practical work allowed students to develop coordination, body awareness and rhythm, while at the same time experiencing the cultural dimension of dance in an active and engaging way. Through movement, music and group participation, they were able to connect physical activity with cultural learning and to use English in a more dynamic and meaningful context.

Integrated Learning Experience

The strength of this unit lay in the connection between both subjects. While History provided the cultural and social background of the dances studied, Physical Education gave students the opportunity to bring that knowledge to life through movement and performance. In this way, the unit became a very positive example of integrated learning, combining cultural awareness, physical expression and bilingual work in one shared project.

Overall, this experience helped students develop a greater appreciation for cultural diversity, improved their confidence in movement and participation, and showed them how traditions from different parts of the world can be understood, respected and enjoyed through both study and practice.

real food: then and now

Promoting healthy habits is a key element in our curriculum. Our current pandemic has forced us to stay at home more than we did in the past and have changed most of our routines, affecting our diet. Recent studies have proven a healthy diet to play a major role when facing the virus successfully. Being this the case, we wanted to raise awareness regarding our students's diet.

This is why our unit is focused on a not so new tendency: REAL FOOD.

history 

In history classes, our super teacher Luisa has analysed the history of food through different periods, connecting past and present recipes that imply a return to healthier ways of cooking and eating. Our language assistant Nolan Bulger created this video to help them understand this process a bit better:

Additionally, students created posters to show how real food works, how benefitial it can be and how it connects our present back to other periods of time when food was less processed. Here are some examples: 

P.E. and English

Our students have also put into practice their own real food recipes. This is why our P.E. teacher has encouraged them to design a recipe using only non-processed products to create a healthy meal. They have created their videos and posters of the cooking process and the ingredients. Here are some examples: 

OLYMPIC GAMES THROUGH HISTORY AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS