High School Grade  Project 6 weeks

Food Tales: A Delicious Journey

Michael P
MA:Cr1.1.ii
D2.Eco.4.9-12
CCSS.Math.Content.HSN-RN.A.2
DA:Re.7.1.II.b
HS-LS2-8
+ 11 more
1-pager

Purpose

This project-based learning experience aims to deepen students' understanding of the integral role food plays in societal interactions by connecting them with their own cultural histories and diverse global traditions. Students will collaborate with local chefs, cultural leaders, and their families to design and create dishes that tell personal and communal stories. Throughout the six-week timeline, students will engage in hands-on recipe development, critical analysis of food-related economics and media arts, mathematical modeling in culinary measurements, and reflective storytelling, culminating in an International Food Buffet where they showcase their creations and narratives. This experience fosters a cohesive blend of academic skills, self-directed learning, cultural exploration, and community engagement.

Learning goals

Students will formulate and refine artistic goals by exploring and presenting the cultural significance of food, ensuring compliance with the National Core Arts Standards. They will evaluate and understand market dynamics and competition through collaborative creation of an International Food buffet, meeting National Council for the Social Studies standards. Simultaneously, students will apply mathematical concepts such as angles and coordinates in recipe creation and presentations, adhering to Common Core mathematics standards, and foster academic mindsets by engaging in critical reflections on personal, family, and cultural histories. Overall, students will build self-directed learning skills, critical thinking, content expertise, and effective communication through sustained collaboration, peer feedback, and public exhibitions.
Standards
  • [National Core Arts Standards] MA:Cr1.1.ii - HS Accomplished: Strategically utilize generative methods to formulate multiple ideas, refine artistic goals, and increase the originality of approaches in media arts creation processes.
  • [National Council for the Social Studies] D2.Eco.4.9-12 - Evaluate the extent to which competition among sellers and among buyers exists in specific markets.
  • [Common Core] CCSS.Math.Content.HSN-RN.A.2 - Rewrite expressions involving radicals and rational exponents using the properties of exponents.
  • [National Core Arts Standards] DA:Re.7.1.II.b - Analyze and compare the movement patterns and their relationships in a variety of genres, styles, or cultural movement practices and explain how their differences impact communication and intent within a cultural context. Use genre-specific dance terminology.
  • [Next Generation Science Standards] HS-LS2-8 - Evaluate the evidence for the role of group behavior on individual and species' chances to survive and reproduce.
  • [Next Generation Science Standards] HS-PS4-2 - Evaluate questions about the advantages of using a digital transmission and storage of information.
  • [Common Core] CCSS.Math.Content.HSG-CO.A.4 - Develop definitions of rotations, reflections, and translations in terms of angles, circles, perpendicular lines, parallel lines, and line segments.
  • [Common Core] CCSS.Math.Content.HSG-CO.D.13 - Construct an equilateral triangle, a square, and a regular hexagon inscribed in a circle.
  • [Common Core] CCSS.Math.Content.HSS-ID.C.8 - Compute (using technology) and interpret the correlation coefficient of a linear fit.
  • [Common Core] CCSS.Math.Content.HSF-TF.A.2 - Explain how the unit circle in the coordinate plane enables the extension of trigonometric functions to all real numbers, interpreted as radian measures of angles traversed counterclockwise around the unit circle.
Competencies
  • Self Directed Learning - Students use teacher and peer feedback and self-reflection to monitor and direct their own learning while building self knowledge both in and out of the classroom.
  • Academic Mindset - Students establish a sense of place, identity, and belonging to increase self-efficacy while engaging in critical reflection and action.
  • Critical Thinking & Problem Solving - Students consider a variety of innovative approaches to address and understand complex questions that are authentic and important to their communities.
  • Content Expertise - Students develop key competencies, skills, and dispositions with ample opportunities to apply knowledge and engage in work that matters to them.
  • Effective Communication - Students practice listening to understand, communicating with empathy, and share their learning through exhibiting, presenting and reflecting on their work.
  • Collaboration - Students co-design projects with peers, exercise shared-decision making, strengthen relational agency, resolve conflict, and assume leadership roles.

Products

Students will collaboratively create a culturally diverse International Food Buffet, where each group presents their dish along with its recipe and a narrative on its cultural significance. Throughout the project, students will engage in trial recipes, receiving and applying feedback from peers and teachers to refine their creations. This experiential process will conclude with an exhibition, allowing family members, students, faculty, and local chefs to taste the dishes and hear the stories behind them.

Launch

To kick off the "Tell Me Your Story Through Food" project, students will embark on a field trip to a local American Eats restaurant to experience firsthand how food and culture intersect. This immersive experience will set the stage for exploring food's role in societal interactions. Students will engage with chefs and staff to discuss the culinary journey of various dishes, sparking curiosity and inspiration for the project.

Exhibition

Students will present their creations at an International Food Buffet event, featuring samples and storytelling of their dishes' cultural significance. The exhibition will invite family members, fellow students, faculty, and local chefs to experience the diverse flavors and narratives. Each group will provide recipe cards and a written “food tale” that interlinks personal stories with historical and cultural contexts. Interactive stations will allow attendees to engage with the food and learn about its cultural impact, fostering meaningful dialogue and connection. This event not only highlights students’ culinary achievements but also emphasizes their collaborative and communication skills.