Download Alien Health Game Teacher`s Guide- Pre-play

Alien Health Game Teacher’s GuidePre-play Lecture and Gameplay
Alpha Version with V1 with Kinect
Written by Mina C. Johnson-Glenberg, PhD
Learning Goals:
Students will learn:
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How to make quick choices on paired foods, deciding which is better based on a nutrient profile
What are the major nutrients and optimizers in common foods.
How to assess major nutrients in the foods they commonly eat (If assigned as Homework)
How to make a balanced meal using the USDA MyPlate plate.
(The teacher says):
This is a game to help you learn about what goes into a well-balanced meal.
The back story is that you have just found an alien under your bed. You can see he is hungry because he
looks tired, but you don’t know what will make him feel better.
You learn that he has a body like a human’s and so what makes him feel better is also what will make you feel
better throughout the day. To make choices about what to feed him given the two items on the screen you will
need to understand the nutrient profile.
So you will need to pay attention to the Nutrients and Optimizers at the bottom of the screen; a longer bar
means there is more of the content. In this example there is a lot of protein and not so much fat. CARBS
stands for carbohydrates.
Nutrients and Optimizers
A nutrient is a chemical that you need to eat to live and grow. They are used to build and repair tissue and to
give us energy.
An optimizer helps you get the most out of the food you eat. It helps you feel your healthiest. These are things
like fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Most minerals are very good for you but too much salt or sodium can be a
problem. If a food is processed – wrapped in plastic – it probably has a high salt content.
Every food item will contain a proportion of these five categories.
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Let’s go over them quickly:
1)Proteins – these give you fuel or energy
2) Carbohydrates or “carbs” for short- these convert to sugar in your body
3) Fiber – this helps you to digest
4) Vitamins/Minerals - these are part of keeping your body balanced and are necessary to help you feel your
best
5) Fats - Yes, we need fat in our diet because it is one of the best ways to store energy. You can’t live without
some fat, but you have to be smart about the best kids of fat and not eating too much. Plus, fats often do make
food taste better!
(Teacher: depending how in depth you want to go, here is more on the profile):
Carbohydrates
A carb is a mixture of molecules that have lots of “complex starches” in them. These starches have sugar
molecules in them. Some well-known complex carbs are cereal, bread and pasta. When you choose to eat
carbs you should try to eat the ones with lots of fiber in them. When carbs don’t have fiber they are called
“refined” - and these refined or very processed foods often have added sugars. Refined carbs pass through the
body too quickly. Again, almost anything you get at the fast food store wrapped in plastic will contain too many
refined carbs – candy bars are a good example, they may give you quick energy but then you are extra tired
afterwards!
Carbohydrates give you energy but the best carbs are the ones that have some fiber in them they are better for
you- think of the brown part of brown rice. The brown bran and hull contain most of the nutrients AND make the
rice pass through your body slower so you can absorb all the energy and nutrients from it.
You will find better carbs in - vegetables, whole fruits, and grains like darker breads, cereals, and pasta, try to
eat whole grains and breads.
Fiber
Fiber is a type of carbohydrate, or carb, that the body cannot digest. It has many health benefits though. Fiber
comes from plants and helps move food through the digestive tract at an optimal speed (remember if the food
goes too fast then you cannot absorb all the nutrients). Fiber also helps you feel full - so you eat less.
Remember, carbs that contain more fiber will get absorbed more slowly into our system and this help people
to avoid unhealthy blood sugar levels.
You will find lots of fiber in many: fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Protein
Proteins are one of the building blocks of body tissue, and they act as a longer term fuel source for the body.
They are polymer chains of amino acids. You can get them from vegetables as well as meat. You should try to
eat some protein every day.
(Teacher prompt) Can you think of some foods high in protein?? – call them out (write on board)
Good sources are:
Meats (like lean beef, pork, lamb, chicken and turkey)
Seafood (like cod, shrimp, salmon, tuna)
Eggs, beans and peas (like black beans, falafel, lentils)
Soy products (like tofu and edamame)
Nuts and seeds (like cashews, sesame seeds, peanut butter)
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Vitamins and Minerals.
Your body needs vitamins to grow and stay healthy.
Who can name some vitamins in foods?
(Let students call out some – write them on the board.)
Some important vitamins are:
Vitamin A — helps protect your eyes and skin. It plays an important role in helping you see at night. Vitamin A
also helps you fight off infections.
Where to find: dark-green, red, and orange fruits and vegetables, such as cantaloupe, carrots, sweet potato,
tomatoes, spinach, and romaine lettuce.
The B Vitamins (lots of different ones) — helps your body tap into the energy from food so you can play hard.
Where to find: chicken, fish, and other protein foods; beans and peas, cereals, and some breads.
Vitamin C — helps your body heal cuts and scratches. Keeps your teeth and gums healthy.
Where to find: fruits and some vegetables, such as oranges, grapefruits, kiwi fruit, strawberries, tomatoes, bell
peppers, potatoes, and broccoli.
Vitamin D — helps the body have strong bones, and can help you maintain a good mood.
Where to find: most milk has added vitamin D. Also, some soy milks, breakfast cereals, and yogurt have added
vitamin D. Some fish (tuna, salmon) have it, too.
Some minerals are:
Teacher to note - Although Salt (Sodium) is a mineral and helps foods taste good, remind children it is best to
not have too much. We do not include salt it in “Vita/Min Health” bar of the nutrient profile.
Potassium — keeps your muscles and nervous system working correctly. It also plays a role in helping your
heart pump blood easily through your body.
Where to find: dairy foods such as milk, yogurt, and soy milk; fruits and vegetables such as bananas, dried
apricots, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, orange juice, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, white beans, kidney
beans, tomatoes, and spinach.
Calcium — builds strong bones and teeth, helps brain function.
Where to find: milk, yogurt, cheese, and calcium-fortified soy milk.
Iron — helps with healthy blood. Your body uses iron to carry oxygen from your lungs to the rest of the body.
Where to find: protein foods such as turkey, chicken, fish, beef, beans and peas; as well as spinach some
grains
Fats
Fats help your body absorb, or take in, certain vitamins; fats also play a role in healthy skin and brain function.
The body uses fats for energy.
There are several types of fats.
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Liquid fats, like oils, provide us with the “good fats” and some vitamins. Fats that are solid, or hard, at room
temperature, like butter, stick margarine, and Crisco are not as good for our hearts. But as you know SOME
butter will not kill you!
The better oils are found in avocados, olives, nuts, seeds, and some fish.
Solid fats can be found in some foods in the protein foods and the dairy group, such as the skin on chicken and
the milk fat in regular cheese and whole milk, these in moderation are fine.
The bad fats come from fried foods during the frying process and those fats should be avoided or eaten in very
small amounts... it usually just the first few bites that taste good anyway. Try to eat just ONLY six french fries
and through the rest away.
Level 3- My Plate
Explore the USDA My Plate - without Dairy.
(Teacher can Say):
We have talked about the 5 items that are nutrients and optimizers, they are all in the FOUR categories on
MyPlate. Many nutritionists recommend that you make your lunches and dinners look like the MyPlate picture.
Mainly fruits, grains and vegetables. Fruits and proteins would be the smaller categories.
Image from http://www.fns.usda.gov/multimedia/tn/sump_level2.pdf
The game does not focus on dairy or milk; it primarily addresses solid foods.
CATEGORY I. The Vegetable Group
The vegetable group has five subgroups:
Dark-Green, Red and Orange, Beans and Peas, Starchy, and Other. Eating vegetables from all of the
subgroups helps us get different kinds of nutrients — and also makes eating more interesting and fun.
Most Americans need to eat more dark-green, red, and orange vegetables.
Can they think of some vegetables from these subgroups? What are they?
Did you eat any today?
CATEGORY II. The Grain Group
The grain group is divided into two subgroups.
But first, what is a grain?
It is the edible part of a type of grass family.
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Any food made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley, or another “cereal” grain is a grain product.
Can you name something you ate today that was mainly made of grain?
A cereal bar has some grain and maybe nuts or fruit inside?
Bread, pasta, oatmeal, breakfast cereals, tortillas, and grits are examples of grain products.
The two subgroups of the Grain Group are Whole Grains and Refined Grains.
Whole grains contain the entire grain kernel: this includes the bran, germ, and endosperm. Whole grains
include foods such as 100% whole-wheat bread, brown rice, oatmeal, popcorn, whole-wheat tortillas, and
whole-grain cereal. These are usually darker.
Refined grains have been sent through a mill to remove the bran and germ of the grain. This process also
removes some nutrients we need for good health. It makes the grain light in color and texture.
Examples of refined grain foods are white bread, most corn bread, regular pasta, white rice, cornflakes and
puffed rice cereal, and most pretzels, crackers, and cookies. MyPlate encourages us to replace some of the
refined grains we are eating with whole grains, so that at least half of the grains we eat are whole grains.
Instead of making a sandwich with white bread, make it with whole-wheat bread. Or, think about having
oatmeal for breakfast instead of a white bagel..
CATEGORY III. The Fruit Group
Who can name some fruits!?
Examples include: Apple, grapefruit, blueberries, watermelon, cantaloupe, plum, banana, kiwi, grapes, papaya,
orange, raisins, strawberries. Apples are particularly high in fiber as well.
CATEGORY IV. The Protein Group.
Proteins are one of the building blocks of body tissue, and they act as a fuel source for us. They are polymer
chains of amino acids. You can get them from vegetables as well as meat. Here is a list of some proteins:
Meats (lean beef, pork, lamb, chicken and turkey) and seafood (cod, shrimp, salmon, tuna)
Eggs, beans and peas (black beans, falafel), soy products , tofu
Nuts and seeds
(Approximate FK-Readability 6.2)
Majority of content from http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/Resources/sump_level3.pdf 5th and 6th graders
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Playing the Alien Health–Beta Game
PRACTICE FIRST:
Make sure the game runs on your Windows system (this version will not run on a Mac).
Download the game and the drivers from website www.embodied-games.com
Double click the icon saved to your desktop.
Accept Unity plugin.
The game is built for two players.
If you are alone hit 5 so you can practice with one person.
If you have a second body in the room, just stand 6 to 9 feet away from the Kinect V1 sensor.
Your partner should be far enough away from you so that you don’t hit each other while doing jumping jacks.
For the sensor - the spot in between the two bodies is the “sweet spot”. The sensor reads the HIGHEST hand
of the player. Thus, the red player needs to raise his/her right hand and the blue player needs to raise his/her
left hand. The sensor is tracking their wrists. Hand icons should appear on the screen.
(TEACHER prompt: Once you find the right places to stand for the two players in your classroom, you should
place taped X’s on the floor so the players know where to stand.)
To really play test, it is best you have a second body.
Troubleshooting:
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Sensor won’t work in pure sunlight (outdoors).
Make sure other bodies are not in the active space- just the two players. The rest of the class should be
at least 15 feet back.
If you lose tracking, cover the sensor with your hand for two seconds – try not to touch the lens though.
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We recommend getting the ENTIRE classroom to stand and exercise, not just the two active players at the
front of the screen.
So make sure if the class makes a semicircle behind the active players that they are not close enough to have
their joints read by the sensor. Again, they should be at least 15 feet from sensor.
If you have not told the backstory start with:
“You have just awoken to find an alien under your bed. You can see he is hungry because he looks tired, but
you don’t know what will make him feel better. You will learn that he has a body like a human’s and so what
makes him feel better is also what will make you feel better throughout the day. The players will need to agree
on the choice to feed him, so pay attention to the nutrient profile below.”
There are 3 levels.
Level 1 - Real Foods
Students are making the best choice of the two randomly displayed pairs.
They should try to perk the alien up so he can fly back home.
In the image above - Which would be better to give him to eat, given what you have learned about fiber, fat and
minerals? Obviously the bran muffin.
Only the red player can drag the barn muffin to the Alien’s mouth – but BOTH players hands must hover their
hands over the item for it to be released.
{Note: In this way we encourage dialogue between the students because they have to agree on the food to
give the alien.}
When the item is released a circle appears around it and it can be dragged to the mouth of the alien.
He is now ready to metabolize the food and to do that BOTH players must exercise.
One of six stationary exercises will randomly appear – you, as the teacher can set the levels to easy (3 reps)
medium (5 reps) or hard (9) reps. Hit ESC for these options. The default is medium.
After the students have done the short exercises – and the alien has “metabolized”, he will either appear
healthier (greener) or more fatigued (drooping, yellower). Becoming bright red and bent over is a fail state –
he is fully asleep. Some kids like to have fun seeing if they can make him sick – and that is fine as long as they
are learning.
Level 2 - Nonfoods
By 4th grade, we have found that students were extremely savvy about what they “should” choose in a test
situation, in the choice of ice cream vs. low fat frozen yogurt, they know the yogurt is better for them, but they
might not know why. Given that children can often make the desired choice without thinking through the
nutrients, we included a level in the game that forces them to attend to the nutrient/optimizer profile.
We called these “nonfoods”. The back story is that these odd food molecules were found in the alien’s back
pack and you need to figure out which ones make him feel better. Similar to the real foods, these also have
four levels of magnitude in the profile. An example of names might be “Horch” versus “Chupacab”. This has
been very successful in making students discuss the profile.
They play with five of these pairs and then the non-foods are interspersed with real food items.
You, as the teacher, can skip ahead by hitting the down or right arrow if you see a player’s attention is
flagging; this level can be quite long.
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Level 3 - My Plate and Build a lunch
In level three - Build a lunch - the students
do not need to agree on a food, they can
individually drag items that showed up on
their side of the screen and place items on
a cafeteria tray.
The players still need to agree when a meal
appears balanced and when they should hit
the EAT button at the top of the screen for
the alien to eat/metabolize.
The USDA MyPlate template is introduced.
Students can only place up to six items
on the tray. As an item is deposited on the
tray the proportion of a daily serving for a
12-year old male fills the MyPlate icon. Note there is no dairy circle (represented by a glass of milk in MyPlate)
in this version we wished to focus on solid food choices only.
Putting junk food in the alien and a very unbalanced meal has a cost associated with it because the players
must exercise longer. At the end of this final sequence when all the food choices have been metabolized
fireworks are displayed and players receive feedback they have finished.
Controls:
Ctrl + I
ESC
M
Space
View this List of Controls / Instructions
Options.
(Easy, Medium, Difficult controls the number of exercises needed to metabolize)
Toggle Mouse Control Mode versus Kinect
In Exercise Mode, complete one exercise (easy way to advance)
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In Mouse Mode, Mouse controls Player 1
In Mouse Mode, Mouse controls Player 2
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Owner – Players can only select their own foods
Co-Op – Player can only select their own food, second player must “release” it
Shared – Players can select any food at any time
Tandem Mode – Every action requires both players to overlap the item
Right Arrow
Left Arrow
Down Arrow
Up Arrow
Next Level
Previous Level
Next Food
Pause
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HOMEWORK:
Teacher prompt: Ask your students to come in the next day with a list of foods they ate last night.
Have them work in teams to create nutrient profiles around those items.
They will just be guessing at percentages for the nutrient profile, but it is a valuable exercise to make them
more mindful about their choices.
You can send them to http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list to check.
Students can make index cards and have them pair with another healthier food and make choices. Then small
teams can play it board game style. (In the next Alien Health version students will be able to insert these items
into the videogame.)
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