HEALTH, FOOD, AND NUTRITION:
A Kid`s Guide to Vitamins

Objectives:

• Students will be able to name the two kinds of vitamins and describe how they are different.

• Students will be able to name four fat-soluble and two water-soluble vitamins.

• Students will be able to describe a role that each vitamin plays in the body.

• Students will be able to name food sources of each vitamin.

Suggested Grades:

3rd Grade - 4th Grade - 5th Grade

Lesson Procedure:

Print the reading comprehension passage and questions (see below).

Students should read the passage silently, then answer the questions. Teachers may also use the text as part of a classroom lesson plan.

Lesson Excerpt:

You`ve probably heard a lot about vitamins. Maybe you take vitamin pills or hear adults tell you to eat your vegetables because they are loaded with vitamins. But what exactly are vitamins?
Vitamins are found in foods. They are very important for good health. There are two different kinds of vitamins. The first kind, fat-soluble vitamins are usually stored in your body until you need them. The second kind, water-soluble vitamins, travel through your bloodstream and are either used right away or sent out of your body when you urinate. All vitamins have special jobs to do in your body.
The fat-soluble vitamins are vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E and vitamin K. They can be stored in your body for as long as six months. Because of this, you have to be careful not to take vitamin pills that have too much of any of these vitamins. But if you eat foods with fat-soluble vitamins, you will probably never eat too much.

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