Facilitator’s Guide

Teaching the Eat, Move and Learn Together curriculum to English Language Learners

How to prepare and teach

Newcomers arrive in the USA with varying levels of English. They also have varying levels of cooking and nutrition knowledge. All of them must learn new ways to source and prepare nutritious foods for themselves and their families. Extension Health and Wellness Coordinators can help newcomers find and cook healthy foods. English language learning teachers bring what they know -- the class participants and language teaching expertise.

Immigrants have many of the same diet-related health issues as all US residents, but some may also experience food insecurity. As most of us know, the American lifestyle and diet makes it easy to over consume sugar, high-fat foods and sugary drinks. Obesity is all too common. In these lessons, participants can preserve their own food traditions, discover new foods to enjoy, and get tips to buy the most nutritious ingredients to prepare them. The youngest immigrants will grow up appreciating their own food cultures as well as the most nutritious local offerings.

As new immigrants are adapting to a new culture, they are often open to learning new habits. This curriculum combines English language learning with learning about eating and moving in healthy ways in this new environment.

A flexible curriculum

You are an Extension Health and Wellness Coordinator or an ELL teacher. You are probably not an expert in both subjects. Look over the section of this guide that fills in gaps for you - Nutrition or ELL teaching.

Moving AND eating well

The magic of these classes is in the interaction and in the activities. The slides illustrate and reinforce the language and nutrition learning, but past participants report that the hands-on learning experiences are the most effective. Participants like to use food cards or models, handle food containers to read labels, draw menus, and cook foods. For lasting change, use the hands-on options wherever possible.

If you are teaching online, have participants find and show items from their home on the topic being discussed, such as a food from the food group, a label on a grain product, a source of calcium, or what they use to make baby food.

Discussion is essential for language learning

Participants will likely learn the most from conversation if they have enough English to share their experiences and understand what others share. As much as the level of the class allows, ensure there is time for them to share their experiences and to encourage or challenge each other. Asking them how they ate healthier last week or how they plan to move more in the coming week will help them to retain and apply their learning in their daily lives.

Choose activities from each lesson

Each lesson in the curriculum contains core and optional activities. You will not have time to do all of them. Choose the activities best for your learners, and that you can complete during the class time. Each lesson should include both movement and nutrition learning, with hands-on activities.

Options are given for approximately 1 ½ hour lessons. Basic ELL classes will go more slowly than advanced classes.

How to choose activities

Consider:

What is your learners' level of English?
How familiar are they with American foods?
What are their main cultural foods and food restrictions?
What are their likely dietary or health concerns?
What foods are available in your local shops, food shelves and farmers' markets?
What is their level of nutritional knowledge?
What cooking skills do they have?
What budget constraints do they have?
Are they using WIC? If so, become familiar with foods they can buy with WIC.

Prep

Prepare for teaching

Before the first day of class

Review the entire curriculum. For each lesson, select the activities you will include. Consult the Supplies and Preparation section for each lesson, and gather teaching supplies you will need for those activities.

Ensure that your classroom will have Internet so you can display slides and videos. If not, download the slides and print out the lesson plans and find a way to show your slides. Without the Internet, you will not be able to show videos.
Extension Health and Wellness Coordinators should check with ELL teachers to choose the topics of most interest to their students. A series of at least 6 lessons, over 6 weeks is recommended to support healthy behavioral changes in participants.

Teaching technology

Slides

How to hide slides while you are talking (hit b or w while in slideshow mode)
You may need to download slides/save as MS Power Point if internet is unsteady. Images use a lot of bandwidth.
If the Internet connection is good, be sure to turn on captions for all videos you show. Seeing the words as they are spoken strengthens ELL.
Consider slowing down the narration speed to 0.75, especially if your participants are ELL beginners. On Youtube, you can do this in "settings".
Many students have smartphones, so they can take pictures of slides to remember the material. But do not assume that they do. They may not have a phone, or it may be shared with a family member, or have limited data storage.
Pull window shades if the room is too bright.

Music

Using a bluetooth speaker and music from your phone adds to the physical activity portion. Select an upbeat song that your participants will relate to. Playing soft music before class or while cooking can also add to the atmosphere of the class.

Before each class

Review that week's lesson and your chosen activities.
Consider what your participants will be most interested in -- Learning about new fruits and vegetables? Cooking healthier? Where to shop for economical foods? Feeding children? Choose the activities that best fit your participants.
Send the vocabulary and writing practice lesson components for the week’s lesson to the ELL teacher, so that they can review these before the actual lesson.
Send the Getting to Know You forms as well, as the ELL teacher may be able to have these filled out before starting class.
Send pre-surveys to ELL teachers.
If possible, learn the students’ names before class, including pronunciation.
Shop for the food and supplies you will need for the activities you have chosen.
Prepare all other materials you will need for your chosen lessons, such as printing handouts. Prepare folders for participants to keep materials in, if they prefer this. Or share a folder with visuals and handouts electronically.
Collect any other supporting materials, such as equipment and posters.

Before teaching the last lesson

Send the post-survey evaluation form to your ELL teaching partner.

Food safety and cultural sensitivities

Food safety

Handwashing

Remind participants about proper handwashing. Review this 39 second video from the Minnesota Department of Health

Handling food safely

Safe Food Handling

Food allergies

On the first day of class, ask participants about food allergies. It's on the Getting to Know You form. Avoid those ingredients in cooking and tasting activities. For more information see Food Allergens or the FD website Food Allergens.

Common allergens include:

Milk
Egg
Fish (e.g., bass, flounder, cod)
Crustacean shellfish (e.g., crab, lobster, shrimp)
Tree nuts (e.g., almonds, walnuts, pecans)
Peanuts
Wheat
Soybeans
Sesame

Cultural sensitivities

Know who is in your class and where they come from. Adapt your lessons according to their food ways. This Religious food guide gives an overview of food restrictions for various religious groups. Keep in mind that various members and subgroups of these faiths interpret these differently, but this provides a general guideline.

In Minnesota, knowing Islamic food guidelines is helpful.

Islamic Halal: Permitted or lawful foods. Examples: Nuts and seeds, certified meat products, legumes, eggs, peanut butter and cereal products.

Islamic Haram: Forbidden foods. Examples: Pork or pork byproducts, eating meat from animals dead before slaughtering, eating meat from animals not slaughtered properly, under the name of Allah, products that contain pork, e.g. gelatin, sweets, marshmallows. Reptiles, birds of prey, and carnivorous animals.

Nourish Cultural Remedies videos You can use videos from this playlist to celebrate the cultural traditions and food as medicine from various cultural groups.

Menu of activities

Do you …?

Serves as an icebreaker and introduces content. You can make it your ragged start as participants enter the room.

Focused breathing

Can be very short - as little as 2 minutes. Taking a moment to focus and fully arrive in class sets people up for learning. It's also restorative for people who may be experiencing stress.

Choose any breathing exercise that works for your group.

See a variety of these breathing exercises here (UMN Extension)
Short mindfulness videos (UMN Extension)

Review

Keep this brief. Ask how they applied last week's lesson. Move on quickly to the day’s lesson.

Activities

Choose the activities that will work for your group. Consider these factors:

Time allotted
Participants' English level
Participants' food ways and nutritional needs
Foods available in your area

Goal-setting

Don’t skip this important activity. Encourage participants to make a small behavior change this week. Setting the intention and saying it out loud can help them make changes that can add up to healthier lifestyles.

Physical activity

Good health requires healthy food AND physical movement. Doing some physical activity together supports the overall goals of the curriculum. Feel free to adapt these to music and movement that suits your group. Be creative and make it fun for all of you!

Cook and taste

To change lifestyles, experiential learning is essential. Cooking and eating together lets participants socialize and learn with all of their senses.

Choose the recipes that work best for your participants
Know your classroom kitchen -- its equipment and stock supplies. If none, what can you bring?
Options are given for recipes that require cooking or not. Sampling ideas are also noted in “Additional Activities”

Recipes

Each recipe and its ingredients illustrate the nutrition, shopping and cooking content of the lesson. For example, canned beans may be called for, to illustrate rinsing salt off the beans. Choose the recipes that serve your participants' needs, local food options and the time you have for class. See all recipes used in this curriculum.

If possible, have participants each cook the food. Cooking stations where 2-4 work together on a recipe are ideal. If this is not possible, demonstrating the recipe works. Involve participants as much as possible. Ask questions throughout. Have them wash their hands beforehand. Have volunteers come up and do parts of the cooking.

How to demonstrate

Show the ingredients.
Prepare the food and put on a serving plate.
Write the name of the food on a card or paper or the board, if you have one.

Explain cooking is a good way to learn about new foods and the food groups.

Pass out the recipe to each participant (printed) or show the slide.
Read the ingredients list.
Show each ingredient and discuss unfamiliar foods.
Ask participants to decide which food group the different ingredients belong to.
Explain how the recipe includes a variety of foods which are healthy.
If using fresh or unwrapped fruits and vegetables explain the importance of washing them before cutting or eating them.
If necessary, review how to read a recipe.
Read the recipe directions aloud, demonstrating the verbs, e.g. chop, sauté, drain.

Language learning

Adapt writing exercises to your learners' skills and interests. Be sure that the activity reflects the lesson's learning objectives. Vocabulary are introduced throughout the lesson. Writing practice is provided at the end, with five sentences for each lesson, as well as in some of the activities during the lesson.

Options:

Educator writes and says a single vocabulary word, participants read, repeat and write.
Educator reads a sentence from the slide, participants listen and transcribe.
Educator asks a more skilled student to read aloud while others write.

ELL teaching fundamentals

Know your learners

Before starting classes, learn about the people in the class. Where have they come from? Before arriving in the USA, did they live in refugee camps or in family homes? What are their educational backgrounds? Are they highly educated? Nonliterate? What are their staple foods? What motivates them?

Adults arrive with a wide array of skills and abilities. They may already know several languages. They may have advanced degrees. They may be excellent cooks and shoppers. They may be non-literate. They may be a combination of these. Support them in preserving their culture and passing cultural ways on to their children, even as they adapt to life in the USA.

Teach from a strengths-based approach. Draw from participants' experiences and knowledge. Maybe there is even a nutrition educator in the group who can help you teach the class!

Teaching adults

Research shows that adults learn best when they can immediately apply their learning to tasks they need to do. Everyone eats, so your subject matter is highly relevant to your participants. Listen to them to find out what they need to find and prepare nutritious meals for themselves and their families. Consider factors such as their cultural food ways, budget, and English abilities. What foods are available in your area? Where do they shop?

Most lessons in this curriculum have optional activities. Choose those that meet your learners' abilities and needs.

Teaching tips

The teaching environment

Create a warm, welcoming space. Be approachable and friendly.
Respect your participants. Suspend judgement. Check your assumptions about their culture, lifestyle, experiences. Learn and use their names, with proper pronunciation.

Communicate and respect

Listen closely to decode their meaning. When you are patient and warm, you will build trust.
Even if they are beginners in English, non-verbal communication goes a long way. Use body movement, gestures, and facial expressions.
Learning English requires listening, reading, writing and speaking skills. Each learner may vary in level, excelling in one area like reading while struggling at another, like speaking.
Recognize that learning a new language as an adult takes courage. Encourage participants in any attempts they make, however small.
Look at your participants when you speak. Always speak clearly and not too fast. Even advanced learners may still be adjusting to your local accent. (And yes, you have one. Everyone does.)
Speak plainly. Use common names for things. Avoid slang, idioms, humor and sarcasm, which can be confusing.
If you communicate with your learners in writing, be sure that your English is written at an 8th grade level or lower. You can check this in MS Word under the editor function, or by copy-pasting your text into hemingwayapp.com.

Adapting the activities

During activities, if your class is mixed-level ELL, you can divide the group into advanced and beginning English learners. You can give groups different activities or customized attention. Some lesson activities are labeled for advanced learners.
Another approach is to pair advanced English learners with beginners to tackle a task or activity together.
If a recipe seems too challenging for your participants, feel free to swap it for a simpler one.

Repeat, repeat, repeat

Repetition is an important learning principle, especially in language learning. The reviews remind them what they learned the past week.
When introducing new vocabulary, say the word more than once, and write it out on the board if you have one. Ask participants to say the word with you. Incorporate new vocabulary as you teach and in the writing exercises. The slides show visuals to support learning words, but if an unexpected new word comes up, you can google a picture of it to help participants learn. Hearing, seeing and saying a new word strengthens language learning.
For the same reason, preview next week's topic at the end of each class.

Warm-up discussion questions

Encourage participants to speak, listen and learn from each other. Discussion questions are incorporated in the lessons, but here are a list of questions:

What is your favorite food? Why?
What do you like to cook? Why?
What foods do you dislike?
What are your comfort foods?
What traditional foods do you eat on holidays or special occasions?
What is dinner time like at your house?
What are your biggest challenges when feeding children?
How are your eating habits different from your parents’?
What makes it hard for you to change your eating habits?
What do you do to save money when shopping for food?
What new foods have you tried recently?

Nutrition fundamentals

Sorting Nutrition Information

MyPlate and Dietary Guidelines for Americans

This course uses MyPlate visuals use throughout the course as a way to teach participants about eating proportions and varieties of foods, based on food groups.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) puts out new dietary guidelines every 5 years and they create ways to promote the recommendations.
Since 2011, the graphic has been a plate. Its sections represent the importance of variety and the recommended proportions of foods to eat from each food group.
These guidelines work for children and adults, but not for people younger than 1 year, or for people who have certain health concerns. For example, there is a diabetes MyPlate for people who are diabetic.
In 2026, new dietary guidelines emphasize eating a variety of foods, including eating real foods instead of overly processed foods. Recommendations state that Americans should:
- Eat the right amount for your body
- Eat protein from animal and/or plant sources at each meal (note: most Americans currently eat enough protein)
- Eat dairy without added sugars
- Eat fruits and vegetables throughout the day
- Incorporate healthy fats
- Eat whole grains
- Limit highly processed foods, added sugars alcoholic beverages and refined carbohydrates
- Some people may need to limit sodium
- Fermented foods may be beneficial for gut health

Nutrition food labels

Some advanced lessons encourage participants to read nutrition labels on packaged foods. For your background information, the parts of Nutrition Facts label include:

Serving Information: This part tells you the size of one serving as well as how many servings are in one package.
Calorie Information: In this section you will find the amount of calories in each serving. If you eat more than one serving then the calorie count goes up.
Nutrients: This section has the most information and it takes some navigating to understand. You will find information about the amount of sugar, fat, sodium and carbohydrates. It is important to note that total sugars includes both natural sugars as well as added sugars. When you are trying to eat healthier you need to limit the amount of added sugars.
Vitamins/ Minerals: Listed in this section is the amount of certain vitamins and minerals found in the food item.
% Daily Value: The % Daily Value tells the % of each nutrient found in the food item based on how much of the nutrient is recommended per day.

Credible Nutrition Information Sources

Credible sources often include government health agencies like the USDA, MyPlate, medical organizations or registered dietitians. These sources use scientific research and expert knowledge to provide accurate and up-to-date information. When looking at a website, check to see if the URL ends in .gov or .edu as these are often more credible than information found on websites ending in .com or .org.

The information should be clear and specific. Good nutrition advice should be straightforward and practical. Also, be cautious of information that makes bold claims without evidence or that uses complicated language that makes it hard to verify.

The field of nutrition and healthy living continues to make new discoveries. However, the basic recommendations remain fairly stable. When reading articles that make nutrition claims, check to see if the authors cite their sources. They could provide links to research journals within the article, or a list of reference sources at the end.