Lesson 8: Dairy

What is dairy?
Where does dairy go on MyPlate?
How does dairy help our bodies?
What happens when we cook with dairy?
How are homemade and boxed mac and cheese different?
When is pasta fully cooked?

Pasteurization
Homogenization
Lactose
Lactase
Lactose Intolerance
Dairy
Milk
Cheese
Yogurt
Butter
Cream
Calcium
Protein
Melt
Stir
Mix
Scratch (homemade)
Convenience (boxed)

National Standards for Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) Education:
8.5.1 Demonstrate professional food preparation methods and techniques for all menu categories to produce a variety of food products.
8.5.3 Demonstrate knowledge of food science and nutrition principles.
14.3.1 Analyze the effects of food preparation techniques on nutrient retention.

Vocabulary development with visuals
Sequencing steps in recipes
Comparing “more/less” (time, cost, ingredients)
Understanding charts/pictures like MyPlate

What Is Dairy? (DOK 1)
Purpose: Identify dairy foods.
Activity: Picture sort, real-life food demonstration.
MyPlate + Dairy (DOK 2)
Purpose: Understand dairy as part of a healthy meal.
Activity: MyPlate mats — place dairy foods in correct spot.
Cooking With Dairy (DOK 2–3)
Purpose: Notice changes when heating or mixing dairy.
Activity: Melt cheese, stir milk, watch texture thicken.
Scratch vs. Boxed Mac and Cheese (DOK 3–4)
Purpose: Compare time, taste, texture, and process.
Activity: Students taste test (if appropriate) and discuss with visuals:

Students can explore dairy in: school lunches, grocery stores,
and traditional foods from many cultures.
Discuss what are practical real world substitutions for individuals with lactose intolerance.

All dairy is the same.
Teach forms: milk, yogurt, cheese, butter.

More cheese is always healthier.
Teach balance and serving size

Dairy never spoils.
Teach refrigerator storage and expiration dates.

Dairy must always come from cows.
Discuss goats, sheep, and plant-based alternatives.

For struggling students: Provide additional visual aids, simplified instructions, and one-on-one guidance during lab activities. Picture-only recipes
First-Then schedules and language.
Hand-over-hand guidance as needed
Peer helpers and modeling
Repetition and extra processing time
Sensory supports (smell, feel, taste when appropriate)
Allow multiple response types

Formative: Observations during lab activities, participation in discussions, and feedback during the learning and cooking process using MyPlate sorting, matching cards, teacher observation checklist, and exit question: “Point to the dairy.”

Summative Assessment: Participation during labs
Reflection sentence strip: “My favorite dairy food is ____.”
Compare scratch vs boxed mac and cheese with visuals

Verbal evaluation/reflection of labs.

Materials: Ingredients, mixing bowls, measuring cups and spoons, whisks, spatulas, baking dishes, ovens,MyPlate posters & mats, and models or picture cards of dairy foods

Resources: Visual aids on the functions of dairy and cooking techniques and video demonstrations.