Activity 1: The Importance of Protein

1. Read the book Good Enough to Eat: A Kid's Guide to Food and Nutrition by Lizzy Rockwell.
2. Show the students the MyPlate Activity Poster or project the MyPlate Image onto a large screen. Point out the purple "Protein" section. Ask the students, "Why is protein important?" Reread the section of the book about protein.
3. Ask the students to name foods that belong in the Protein Foods Group. Make a list of the foods the students name on the board.
4. Provide each student with a highlighter and a school breakfast and/or lunch menu. Study the menu. As a class, identify and highlight the foods from the Protein Foods Group. Add any new foods to the list on the board.
5. Pass out the Protein Daily Requirements activity sheet. Project the Daily Protein Foods Table onto a large screen. Ask the students to use the chart to identify the amount of protein they should eat each day and record the amount on their activity sheet.
6. Provide the students with Food Model Cards from the protein group or refer to the Protein Foods List. Instruct the students to identify foods they could eat for one day's breakfast, lunch, and dinner that would meet their daily requirements for protein. Have them fill out the Protein Daily Requirements activity sheet with their choices.

Activity 2: Eggs—Protein MVP

Teacher Note: Due to the precautions that need to be taken when working with Biuret reagent, a lab demonstration video has been provided. It is not recommended to use this chemical in an elementary classroom.

1. Pass out a Protein Demonstration Lab Sheet to each student.
2. Explain to the students that they will be watching a video lab demonstration that tests six different samples for the presence of protein—apple juice, egg white, cooking oil, water, milk, and lemon-lime soda.
3. Biuret reagent is a chemical used to detect the presence of proteins. If proteins are present, the solution will turn purple. Ask the students to predict which sample(s) they think will contain protein on their lab sheet.
4. View the Protein Lab Demonstration video, pausing when indicated to record observations.
5. At minute :35, pause the video and have the students record which sample is in each test tube and use colored pencils to record their observations of each test tube on their lab sheets.
6. At minute 1:48, pause the video and have the students use colored pencils to record their observations of what each test tube looks like after the Biuret reagent is added.
7. Ask the students, "Which sample(s) contain protein? Were your predictions correct?"
8. Explain to the students that eggs are a naturally nutrient-rich food, containing eight essential nutrients, including protein. Eggs are a high-quality complete protein. One egg contains 6 grams of high-quality protein and all nine essential amino acids for only 70 calories. 
9. Ask the students to create a nutritional meal plan that features eggs. Visit the recipes at incredibleegg.org for inspiration.