This is the VOA Special English Education Report.
这里是美国之音慢速英语教育报道。
About one-fifth of Americans age six to nineteen are considered overweight. To reduce those numbers, some schools are teaching children to make better food choices.
大约1/5年龄在6到19岁的美国人体重超标。为了降低这一比例，一些学校开始教孩子们如何更好地选择食物。
TEACHER AND STUDENT: "So I can have spinach and what, who can give me one combination. Spinach and -- Diego?" "Eggplant?" "Eggplant. Spinach and eggplant. So here is my first combination."
教师和学生：“我可以吃菠菜和什么？谁能给我一个搭配？菠菜和 - 迭戈（学生名）？” “茄子？” “茄子。菠菜和茄子。这是第一个搭配。”
Hannah Chen is teaching the eight and nine year olds in this math class in Washington how to make sets.
陈汉娜在华盛顿的这堂数学课上教8-9岁的学生如何搭配食物。
HANNAH CHEN: "We just incorporated food into different types of combinations, like with the pizza we had two types of toppings that the kids can provide, and figuring out the different combinations using those toppings."
陈汉娜：“我们只是把食物组合成不同类型的搭配。例如搭配匹萨我们有两种点心。孩子们可以计算出用这些点心可以搭配出多少种不同类型。”
The EW Stokes Public Charter School has started to include food topics in its third-grade math and English teaching. The school formed a partnership with Seedling Projects, an environmental group in San Francisco, California.
EW Stokes公立特许学校已经开始在3年级的数学和英语教学中涉及食物话题。该校与加州旧金山环保团体“幼苗项目”达成合作伙伴关系。
Peter Nalli is a curriculum director for the program called Farm to Desk. He says they are doing this in part to address the issue of childhood obesity.
Peter Nalli是“农场到课桌”项目的教务主任。他表示，他们做这个项目是为了解决儿童肥胖问题。
PETER NALLI: "One of the main components of our program is our belief that if kids are exposed to positive and healthy messaging about food throughout the instructional day, that has the most potential to impact long-term change."
Peter Nalli：“我们项目的一个重要组成部分就是，我们认为，如果孩子们在教学过程中接触到和食物有关的积极健康的信息，就最有可能带来长期变化。”
School chef Makeisha Daye says the school buys most of its food from local farms, but the students grow some themselves.
学校主厨Makeisha Daye表示，学校大部分食物购自当地农场，但也有部分是学生亲手种植的。”
MAKEISHA DAYE: "They are replanting everything now so that we will be using fresh herbs, fresh vegetables straight from our garden. So, the children, they love it."
MAKEISHA DAYE：“他们现在正在种植蔬菜，这样我们就能用上自己菜园子里的新鲜香料和蔬菜。孩子们也非常喜欢这点。”
Teacher Hannah Chen agrees.
陈汉娜老师表示同意。
HANNAH CHEN: "We have a salad bar at the school, and now the kids love the salad bar. They love the fruits and vegetables. So I think it is making a big difference in their lives."
陈汉娜：“我们学校里有个沙拉园。孩子们非常沙拉园和园子里的蔬菜水果。所以我认为这在他们的生命中将产生重大影响。”
She says the third graders have also learned to read the sugar and fat content listed on food packages. She says the EW Stokes Public Charter School in Washington plans to expand the Farm to Desk program to other grades next year.
她说，三年级学生还学习怎么阅读食品包装上列出的糖和脂肪含量。他说，华盛顿EW Stokes公立特许学校计划明年将“农场到课桌”项目扩大到其他年级。
Charter schools get public money but do not have to follow the same rules as traditional public schools.
特许学校获得公共资金，但不用遵守和传统公立学校一样的规则。
Many charter schools have specialized areas of study -- like Environmental Charter High School near Los Angeles. Students learn the importance of protecting the environment. Rigo Estrada says he used to be the kind of person who threw trash on the street.
许多特许学校都有专门的学习领域。例如洛杉矶附近的环境特许学校的学生们学习保护环境的重要性。Rigo Estrada说，他过去经常在大街上乱扔垃圾。
RIGO ESTRADA: "But now that I have seen firsthand videos, I have done beach cleanups, I have helped develop like water-catchment systems, I have taught elementary schools like the importance of water conservation, I know the importance of green and that it actually is a really serious topic."
RIGO ESTRADA：“但现在我看过了第一手视频资料，我做了沙滩清洁工作，帮助开发了排水系统，还在小学宣传节水的重要性，我了解环保的重要性，这的确是一个非常严肃的话题。”
Students also learn how to prepare a business plan that they can use to help pay for college. They learn from teachers and outside experts like Nancy Gale. She owns an environmentally friendly business that makes handbags.
学生们还学习如何筹备商业计划来帮助支付大学费用。他们从老师和外界专家那里学习，例如Nancy Gale，她拥有一家制作手提袋的环保型企业。
NANCY GALE: "The idea behind the program is that if these kids see what they can do together and what they can accomplish, that they recognize that their skills extend into the same real world as kids that go to successful private schools."
NANCY GALE：“该项目的想法是，如果孩子们看到他们可以一起做什么，他们可以取得什么成就，他们就会意识到，他们能和那些成功的私立学校的孩子一样，将自己的技能扩展到现实世界。”