It’s called “Functional Fridays,” and fifth- and sixth-grade students in Debbie Roberts’ class at Springville Middle School are having a blast.

“The students focus on functional living skills,” said Roberts, who is the resource teacher. “Things that will be applicable to them when they are independently living.”

Roberts said it is important to know fractions and math and reading but the focus is how are her students going to use those skills when they are out on their own.

“It’s taking what they are doing and making it practical for them,” Roberts said. “One, to help motivate them to want to do it and show them the usefulness of it and two, sometimes we miss the practical application of what they are learning because we are so academically focused.”

One of the special events of a ‘Functional Friday’ was called Try It, You Might Like It. Roberts presented her students with 16 different types of fruits with hopes her students would learn to eat healthier.

“They were given a grid sheet where they described the fruit they were eating with one adjective,” Roberts said. “They then made a prediction on what the fruit was based on how it tasted and how it looked.”

At the end of the activity, Roberts revealed to the students what each piece of fruit was. Through the activity, Roberts was able to incorporate language through adjectives in describing the fruit the students were eating. She also took the information from their grid sheet and incorporating that into interpreting data.

Which fruit did they like the most? The least? What looked good but tasted horrible? What looked terrible but had a great taste?

“We found out that over half of the students had never tried kiwi before,” Roberts said. “Most were reluctant to eat it because it was green and had black dots in it. Part of the process was to try things because you never know what you might like. By the end of the project, kiwi turned out to be their favorite fruit.”

One of the students told Roberts before the activity started that she hated pears. The last fruit Roberts served the students was a red pear.

“By the end of the activity, this particular student was emphatic on knowing what the last fruit was because she loved it,” Roberts said. “She was blown away that she liked the pear.”

Roberts added that one of the things teachers are battling in school today is childhood obesity.

“They have a lot of unhealthy snacks they are bringing to school,” Roberts said. Snacks like potato chips or snack cakes. As a parent, I know that is easy because I have three kids of my own. But children might be more inclined to ask for healthier choices if they knew there were healthier options they did like. Most of the fruits are fairly affordable and my students were arguing on who could take home my leftovers. They wanted to share these fruits with their families. Most of these students go to the grocery store with their parents so they were curious on where they could buy these fruits. These fruits have the things in them that are good for them — fiber, potassium and so on.”

Roberts said they have started looking at food labels now trying to make them more aware of their own responsibility of making good choices.

“They can be their own advocate and ask for healthier choices,” Roberts said. “Most parents do not mind buying fruit. They just don’t want it to sit there and not be eaten.”

Roberts said students could participate in ‘Functional Fridays’ only if they have completed all of their homework throughout the week.

“So it is an incentive program,” she said. “They have to be doing well not only in my classroom, but the other classes too.’