STEM Education Applications
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects are those that
American educators have identified as necessary in order to increase national and
individual competitiveness in the global marketplace. The skills and knowledge
taught through these subjects are integral to functioning successfully within today’s
modern society. The Center for Food and Culture feels that education in the
Humanities is also necessary and should be integrated with STEM subjects. The
Humanities are those disciplines that study the ways in which humankind has
sought and defined the meaning and purpose of life.
STEM addresses “how;” the Humanities address “why.”
Food is an ideal subject for studying both STEM and the Humanities.
The Foodways Communities Project uses a folkloristic perspective on food as a
cultural domain of meaning-making.
Package Contents:
Common Core Writing Standards as applicable to History/ Social Studies, Science & Technical
Subjects
Common Core State Standards for Mathematics
Mexican-American Food Lesson Plan
Polish-American Food Lesson Plan
Composting Lesson Plan
Foods From Nature Lesson Plan
Sauerkraut Lesson Plan
Farmers’ Market Lesson Plan
Developed by Heritage Education Resources through funding from the American Folklore Society
for the Center for Food and Culture, 2014.
1
Common Core Writing Standards as They Apply for Literacy in
History/Social Studies , Science and Technical Subjects, 6 -12.
Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content
a. Introduce claim(s) about a topic or issue, acknowledge and distinguish
the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims and organize the reasons
and evidence logically .
b. Use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text,
create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claims and
reasons, between reasons and evidence and between claim(s) and
counterclaims.
c. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from or
supports the argument presented. '
2.
Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of
historical events, scientific procedures/experiments, or technical
processes.
a. Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what it to follow; organize ideas,
concepts , and
information into broader categories as appropriate to achieving
purpose, include formatting (e.g. headings); graphics (e.g. charts,
tables) and multimedia when useful to aiding a presentation.
b. Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts,
extended definitions.
Concrete details, quotations , or other information and examples
appropriate to the audience's knowledge of the topic.
3. Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of
historical events/scientific procedures/experiments or technical
processes.
1.
Common Core State Standards for Mathematics
7 EE:
Solve real-life and mathematical problems using numerical and algebraic
expressions and equations .
2. Geometry :
a. Solve problems involving scale drawings of geometric figures, including
computing actual
lengths and areas from a scale drawing at a different scale
Solve real life and mathematical problems involving angle measure, area, surface area,
and volume .
1.
2
Mexican Food Lesson Plan
Use the Common Core Standards as an assessment tool for the unit. Instead of giving a
test, have the class use the Scientific Method (question, hypothesis, experiment,
presentation) to select and compose their own presentations on the subject.
Objectives
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Watch the video
Identify key ingredients of Mrs. Enriquez-Pizana’s tortillas
Identify two social dimensions of tortillas in Mexican-American life
Compare and contrast the kinds of tortillas
Define what is traditional about Mrs. Enriquez-Pizana’s tortillas
Supporting Activities
1. Write out the recipe for tortillas. Take the recipe to the supermarket and look at
the kinds of tortillas it sells. Write out the ingredients of the kinds of tortillas the
supermarket sells. Back in class, diagram the ingredients identified. Identify the
key ingredients of the tortillas and speculate on why ingredients differ. How
would these affect taste? Purchase different kinds of tortillas, taste them, and chart
the differences and similarities.
2. How do foods like tortillas reflect who we are and where we come from? Discuss
this, regarding tortillas, but also discuss class foods, from bagels to peppers and
what they have to say about us.
3. Mrs. Enriquez-Pizana’s recipe for tortillas makes enough for 2, to 3 or 4 per
person. Given her recipe, adjust it to accommodate 60 people.
4. Why is food important? On a page of paper, divide into two columns: biology and
socially. List and discuss these differences. On another sheet, also divided, create
a chart on your important foods.
3
Polish American
Use the Common Core Standards as an assessment tool for the unit. Instead of giving a
test, have the class use the Scientific Method (question, hypothesis, experiment,
presentation) to select, create, and compose their own presentations on the subject, like a
radio broadcast , a script on Polisah-American foods or create a festive day featuring
ethnic foods in the school community.
Objectives
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Watch the video
Name two kinds of Polish traditional foods.
Locate, on a map of Northwest Ohio where Polish foods can be found
Discuss ingredients popular in Polish American food
Supporting Activities
1. Take a fieldtrip to a store where Polish foods are prepared and sold. Before taking
the trip have students work in groups to prepare questions related to the history of
the store, the goods sold, and how they relate to the Polish community. Upon
return to class, use the Common Core Standards to write about the experience. Be
sure, too, to write a thank you note to the person you visited.
2. Throughout the video, music is in the background? What kind of music is it? It is
called “Polka” and it is very popular in eastern and western Europe. Research
polka and use You Tube to find representative examples. As a hint, call up “The
Chicken Dance.” Can you do it?
3. Why is pork such a dominant feature in Polish-American cooking? It is often
called “the other white meat.” Why is this the case? In Polish-American cooking
are other types of protein used? What are they? How are they different from pork?
4. Explore Polish cooking. What other foods are used? Why is frying important?
How hot is hot in the cooking? You can experiment with a burner and various
cooking oils and Crisco. Do you have any foods that have important ingredients
and need to be cooked in a certain way? What are they and why are they cooked
the way they are.
5. In the video, what else did you notice? How were the dancers dressed and why
were they dressed that way? Have you ever seen eggs decorated like the ones in
the program? Do you know anyone who decorates eggs, or pysanky? Could
someone come to your school to demonstrate?
4
Composting Lesson Plan
Use the Common Core Standards as an assessment tool for the unit. Instead of giving a
test, have the class work through the Scientific Method (question, hypothesis,
experiment, presenting results) to compose a skit based on their research and the video
and perform it for the school. They might consider creating school-wide exhibits that will
require their geometry and writing skills.
Objectives
1. Students will distinguish between “healthy” dirt and “unhealthy” dirt.
2. Students will outline the composting process
3. Students will identify what northwest Ohio foods make the best compost and
explain why.
Supporting Activities
1. Look up the word “compost.” What does it mean? Discuss the difference between
compost and garbage.
2. Share opinions: what makes good dirt, what makes bad dirt.? Research the topics
and select two groups to have a debate.
3. Class compost heap? Can your class create and monitor one at school? In
addition to creating a “heap,” monitor the rate of decomposition and chart it on a
table/graph. When does the heap thrive? When does it suffer? Note all of these
things and discuss the life of compost.
5
Foods from Nature Lesson Plan
Use the Common Core Standards as an assessment tool for the unit. Instead of giving a
test, have the class work through the Scientific Method (question, hypothesis,
experiment, presentation of results) to do such things as produce an article or a video on
foods from nature in your school area.
Objectives
1. Define flora and fauna
2. Create a vocabulary of flora in your school area
Supporting Activities
1. Have a Cooperative Extension or Parks Agent come to class to talk about foods
from nature. If possible, have the visitor bring examples.
2. Plan a pot luck meal based on foods from nature. Discuss your choices for the pot
luck, such as why you chose one herb over another.
3. Explore a supermarket. What kinds of foods from nature do you see on sale there
(hint: look at the produce section)?
4. One example of common fauna is deer. In some parts of the country, schools will
close for a week so students who hunt can go out in deer hunting season. Is there
anything like that in your school area? If so, describe. If not, discuss hunting
practices: who hunts, why, food processing, and the like.
5. How was flora and fauna used by Native Americans? How is it different from
non-Natives?
6
Sauerkraut
Use the Common Core Standards as an assessment tool for the unit. Instead of giving a
test, have the class work through the Scientific Method (question, hypothesis,
experiment, and presentation of results) to explore the science of making sauerkraut and
the process of fermentation.
Objectives
1.
2.
3.
4.
To define sauerkraut and its uses
Outline the process of making sauerkraut
Identify other foods that are similar to sauerkraut in terms of how it is made
Examine the process of fermentation
Supporting Activities
1. Define sauerkraut
a. Note that it comes from two German words: “sauer” (pickled) and “kraut”
(cabbage) that has been chopped and pickled in brine
b. Look up brine: why is it important?
2. Discuss why sauerkraut is a popular condiment in NW Ohio cooking
a. Look up the word “condiment” and explore other popular condiments
b. What meals in the video have sauerkraut as a condiment? Why is it
popular?
3. Describe the process of making sauerkraut in the video. Discuss:
a. How it is a time and labor intensive process
b. Why use tools that come from generations past?
c. Why use non-iodine salt?
4. Another word for pickling is “fermentation.” Look up the road and discuss other
foods that are fermented, like sourdough bread, or pickles.
a. What do you think are some of the health benefits of fermented foods?
Use the Internet to explore this and report findings.
5. It is sometimes joked that some pregnant women crave “pickles and ice cream.”
Why? Discuss food combinations like sweet and salty, sweet and spicy. Have you
ever wanted food combinations like these? Why?
7
Farmers’ Markets and Community Supported Agriculture Lesson Plan
Use the Common Core Standards as an assessment tool for the unit. Instead of giving a
test, have the class work through the Scientific Method (question, hypothesis,
experiment, presenting results) to compose a skit based on research and the video and
perform it for the school or community groups. For this topic, math skills will come into
play in terms of creating designs for agricultural environments.
Objectives:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Watch the video.
Compare and contrast Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and farmers’ markets with
“standard” supermarkets in terms of layout and content.
Determine the values of CSA/Farmers’ Markets and standard markets in terms of physical access,
variety of offerings, and social commerce.
Discover how people can have differing views regarding where they shop, and their reasons for
doing so.
Supporting Activities
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Create a shopping list. What items can you find at a Farmers’ Market? What items can you get at a
standard supermarket? For example, can you get cat litter at a farmers’ market? Plan your
shopping trips by dividing a piece of paper into two columns. One column is for supermarket. The
second column is for the Farmers’ Market.
Based on Activity #1, select your purchases and enter their prices into a calculator. Calculate your
findings, and speculate on why some things cost more than others.
What distinguishes a Farmers’ Market shopper from a supermarket shopper? For example, a
supermarket shopper might prefer to shop at his or her store because items are available in one
place. Work in groups to create a questionnaire to use at each venue, and give the instrument at
each place.
Design a Farmers’ Market. For this activity, you will need a large piece of foamcor, ultra-fine
markers, and multiple-colored push pins. Follow these instructions.
a. Visit a Farmers’ Market
b. Explore how the market is laid out
i. When you walk in, what do you see before you?
1. Produce
2. Herbs
3. Flowers
4. Baked goods
5. Coffee
ii. Look around you to see what is in front and to your sides. Make note
c. Back at class, select colors of push pins to represent what you want the class market to
look like. For example, red push pins would represent flowers. Use marker to prescribe
the area.
d. Write an essay on your market and display in the school library.
Planting by the signs
a. Get a Farmers’ Almanac and determine what planting zone you live in.
b. Select items you would like to plant, determine the best time for planting, using the
Almanac, and create a chart to hypothesize your plants’ and vegetables’ growth. For
example, in your zone, when is the best time to plant tomatoes? According to the phases
of the moon, how will those tomatoes fare?
8