| Purpose: |
To allow 6th through
8th grade students an opportunity to explore food
cultures and the impact of their own food culture
on their food choices. |
| Objectives: |
- Students will explore factors
that influence attitudes about food and nutrition.
- Students will explore the foods
from other countries.
- Students will examine their
own snacking habits.
|
Summary of Learning Activities:
Food Around
the World
Students will look on-line at food habits in different
parts of the world. They will then use the Internet
to search for information on a country of their choice,
and file an on-line report about their findings.
Food Folkways
Students will look more closely at some of their favorite
foods. They will have a chance to learn food preparation
and food safety tips for their favorite foods. They
can plan a menu using one of their favorite foods.
The menu sheet may be turned in as an assignment.
Snacks I
Eat
This activity allows the student to assess their snacking
habits by answering an on-line questionnaire. They
will receive an on-line report about the sugar, fat
and salt intake from their snack food choices.
Familiar
Food Phrases
This is a quick on-line activity for students to match
familiar phrases that send a message to each of us
during our growth years.
Supplemental Activities
The following are additional assignments
you can use with your students as they explore their
food culture.
Family Interview
Ask students to interview an older person in their
family about a family food tradition or habit. Ask
students to trace when the tradition or habit started.
This can be assigned as a creative writing project
and displayed on a bulletin board. Key questions to
help the students:
- If a food tradition is broken, how
do family members respond?
- Are food traditions important? Why
or why not?
Food and
Special Observances Report
Ask students to research and organize information
for an oral report. Select an upcoming holiday or
observance and ask students to describe the foods
and food traditions for that time. Students can look
at differences between other countries who also have
the same observance.
Ticklers for Starter:
| |
New
Year |
Are
there foods that bring good luck for the year?
|
| |
Valentine's
Day |
Is
there a story behind the candy hearts? |
| |
Passover |
What
are the Passover foods and what symbolic meaning
do they have? |
| |
Easter |
What
is the origin of Easter eggs? |
| |
Juneteenth
|
What
is this observance and is food an important part?
|
| |
Fourth
of July |
What
are the favorite foods for this holiday? |
| |
Ramadan |
What
happens with food during this month? |
| |
Halloween |
Have
"treats" always been a part of Halloween? |
| |
Thanksgiving |
What
foods were likely to be present at the first Thanksgiving
and how does that compare to the student's Thanksgiving
dinner |
| |
Hanukkah |
Does
food play a special role in this observance? |
| |
Christmas
|
What
are special foods that are used for celebrating
this time in other countries? |
| |
Kwanzaa |
When
was this holiday begun and why? What role does
food play in the observance? |
Final Note
Encourage creativity and have fun. This unit offers
a chance to also develop some kitchen skills if facilities
and time allow.
| 
