In the Ethnic Foods class, students study all of the regions of the world. The course begins with “Why do
we Eat the Foods we Eat?” This lesson was created to stimulate the ‘investigative minds’ of students, encouraging them to ask questions and seek answers. In the study of American Culture, each region is celebrated with an authentic foods lab. This project was created to get students to understand the influence of other cultures on our own American favorites.
Set
- Begin by viewing TED Talk videos “The Danger of a Single Story” and “The Hunt for General Tso” and answer the assigned questions. Discuss responses.
Materials
- Projector & Screen
- Laptops or iPads
Activities
- Choose a Partner!!
- Select a FOOD from the basket. Food options may include, but are not limited to: Macaroni & cheese, buffalo wings, corn dogs, banana split, chili, biscuit & gravy, pretzel, spaghetti & meatballs, smores, grilled cheese, meatloaf, potato chips and doughnuts.
- Research: You are investigating the ORIGIN of your food. You must use a minimum of three websites with stories about your food origin. Using 3 sites allows to FACT CHECK the story. Do not use Wikipedia as source. Record your website addresses on the pre-writing activity below. You may write this information on a printed sheet that will be provided or you may complete your work in google classroom and turn it in online.
- The FACTS you are looking for the WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHY & HOW of your story
- Create a VENN diagram OR a Similarities and Differences
- Write the FACTS that are Similar from the article & where there are discrepancies – write those in the differences column or in the separate circles of the VENN diagram. IF there ARE too many discrepancies in the stories about your food, YOU must continue searching for the TRUE Story using additional websites.
- As part of the rubric and work chart, you will document WHO did WHAT: Group decision- ARE YOU making a paper poster or are you making and online poster using an app or a website! Online poster or presentation options include glogster, piktochart, canva, and adobe spark. See guide sheet and poster set up below.
- Students presented their posters and notes to the class. The audience had to take notes using a folded sheet of paper divided into the number of foods that were presented in each class . Their notes had to be brief. They wrote the food, American origin, the person who created the food, the year and the additional country connections.
- Sample: Doughnuts
Attachments
- Ted Talk Activity (PDF)
- Instructions for Food Origin Investigation (PDF)
- Food Origination Poster Investigation (PDF)
- Rubric For Food Origin Investigation (PDF)
- Food Origin Project Samples (PPT)
