In my opinion, two heads are always better than one!  When Arlene DeJoy-Meckes of Twins & Teaching reached out about collaborating on an activity for plant based diets, I was excited to collaborate! The Plant-Based Rummy Card Game is a free resource reinforcement activity and assessment that can be used when teaching about plant-based diets. Read on to see what we developed!

Prior to Playing

• Students will have already learned about vegan or plant-based diets–types, examples, etc.
• Prepare game cards for playing by printing them out on cardstock and then cutting apart or by printing them on regular copy paper, cutting them out and then gluing them to index cards.  Either can be laminated to help preserve them for future use. Prepare one set of cards for each team of 2-4 players.
• Copy and laminate Cheat Sheets and Game Rules; one per team.
• You may need to reacquaint yourself with the rules of rummy before assigning this activity to your students.
• Once students have an understanding of vegan plant based diets, and you’ve done some prepping on your part, you’re ready to go!

Materials

• Rummy Cards Printed on Cardstock (easier to hold the cards)
• Rummy Cards Printed on Copy Paper & Glued to Index Cards (optional, but easier to hold the cards)
• Plant-Based Foods Cheat Sheet (laminated–optional)
• Plant-Based Rummy Game Rules (laminated–optional)
• Scissors
• Glue Stick (optional)
• Paper for Scoring
• Prizes (optional)
• Manila Envelopes (affiliate link–great way to keep all materials together for future use)

Tips & Directions

• Once you’ve prepped the cards for the rummy game, place students into groups of 2-4.
• Pass out the game directions and the cheat sheet. The cheat sheet is only to be used for the first few rounds of play until students know the categories of foods that make up an ideal plant-based diet:  plant-based proteins, grains, vegetables, sauces/dressings and herbs/spices.
• Talk students through a round or two of the game so they understand the instructions.
• Once they understand the categories, take away the cheat sheet.
• When a student declares rummy, check the categories for accuracy. If correct, that person scores and the team starts a new round.  If incorrect, play until accurate.
• When ready, assign the assessment.  Students are given several recipes and must determine if they qualify as a plant-based diet or not and provide evidence to support their responses.

Attachments

• Plant-Based Rummy Game
• Student Directions–Plant-Based Rummy (please make a copy if you wish to edit)

Additional Vegetarian or Plant Based Resources

• KWL Vegetarianism E-Learning Activity
• Vegetarianism
• Plant Based Proteins Part I: Beans & Legumes
• Plant Based Proteins Part II: Seeds
• Twins & Teaching Culinary Arts & FACS Resources Website