Need ideas for your grains unit? Look no further! Taste tests, power points, videos, labs, and unit quizzes.

Time Frame: 3-4 blocks

Objectives

1. Apply food selection and preparation guidelines related to rice, grains, and pasta.
2. Identify types of rice (brown, instant, long grain and short grain), and cooking methods for rice.

1. Identify cooking methods for pasta.
2. Identify the functions and food sources of fiber.
3. Identify foods high in natural fiber, and how to increase the bulk in low-fiber foods.

Set

• Class Questions: What is a grain? What is the difference between whole grain, multi-grain, and white bread? What are the health benefits of grains?

Materials

• Projector/Computer
• Betty Crocker Whole Grains Recipes
  • Grains (for samples, taste tests, and grains cooking lab)
    • Kamut
    • Quinoa
    • Buckwheat Flour
    • Amarantha
    • Rye Berries
    • Oat Grouts
    • Triticale Rolled Flakes
    • Bulgar
    • Jasmine Rice
    • Couscous
    • Polenta
    • Instant Rice
    • Wild Rice (actually a grass not grain)
    • Long Grain Rice
    • Barley
    • Arborio Rice

Instruction

• PowerPoint lecture
• Taste test most grains that are discussed in the lecture (prepare these ahead of time and/or pass around bags of them for students to look at)

Activities

• Day  1: Introduction PowerPoint & Grain tasting and/or handling
• Day  2: Grains Lab (Quinoa pilaf, Barley Soup, Bran muffins, Buckwheat pancakes, Tabbouleh)
• Day  3: Rice Lab
• Day  4: Pasta Fundraiser (lasagna, stuffed shells, chicken Alfredo)
• Day  5: Quiz/Test

Background for Teachers

• Depending on your time frame for this unit you can either have samples prepared of each of the unusual grains or you can have the class make these grains by having each lab group (3-4 students) make a different grain recipe.

Evaluation

• Grains Unit Quiz
  

Attachments

• Grains, Pasta, Rice PowerPoint (PPT)
• Grains PowerPoint Fill-in Notes (Word)
• Grain Taste Testing Chart (Word)
• Grains Quiz Version A (Word)
• Grains Quiz Version B (Word)
• Grains Quiz Modified Version (Word)

Links

• Cooking Whole Grains Information Packet (PDF)

Similar Lessons

• Cereal Grains
• Grains and Rice Lab