Eats & Empathy: Multicultural Feast for Change

7th Grade Project 4 weeks

Eats & Empathy: Multicultural Feast for Change

Chad C

Critical Thinking & Problem Solving

Effective Communication

Collaboration

Content Expertise

Academic Mindset

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Purpose

This interdisciplinary unit is designed to align clear learning targets with content standards while ensuring high-quality assessments, both formative and summative, are integrated throughout. The purpose is to deepen students' understanding of food insecurity through real-world experiences that incorporate research, cultural exploration, and community interaction. By collaborating with local experts and peers and presenting findings in a public forum, the project emphasizes critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving, enabling students to contribute meaningfully to addressing food insecurity in Elkhart and strengthening their connection to the community.

Learning goals

Students will develop clear learning targets aligned with content standards in areas such as social studies and cultural understanding, aiming to critically analyze food insecurity through an interdisciplinary lens. High-quality formative assessments will be embedded, letting students continuously reflect on their research findings and collaborative contributions, ensuring their understanding and application of culturally-informed solutions. By engaging in practical activities and community presentations, students will meet interdisciplinary learning goals that align with civic engagement, cultural competency, and effective communication standards, promoting a comprehensive understanding of both global and local food challenges.

Competencies

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.
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.
Content Expertise - Students develop key competencies, skills, and dispositions with ample opportunities to apply knowledge and engage in work that matters to them.
Academic Mindset - Students establish a sense of place, identity, and belonging to increase self-efficacy while engaging in critical reflection and action.

Products

Students will create a digital cookbook titled 'Cultures and Communities United', showcasing the recipes from culinary workshops alongside student narratives of cultural significance and connections to food insecurity. They will also prepare presentations summarizing their research findings for the community forum. Furthermore, students will design visual displays and interactive stations for the Global Flavors Community Night to facilitate dialogue on addressing food insecurity. Learning targets aligned with content standards will be integrated, ensuring high-quality formative assessments throughout these interdisciplinary projects.

Launch

Start the project with 'The Empathy Experience,' featuring local speakers sharing firsthand accounts of food insecurity. This engagement deepens students' emotional connections and insights into the issue. Following the session, guide students in articulating their initial thoughts and responses through structured reflection activities, identifying key learning targets related to empathy, cultural awareness, and civic engagement.

Exhibition

Students will host a "Global Flavors Community Night," transforming the school space into a multicultural fair. They will guide visitors through themed stations, offering tasting portions of dishes they prepared in culinary workshops, while presenting cultural dining customs and discussing innovative solutions to food insecurity. This interactive and engaging event will celebrate diversity, foster community dialogues, and allow students to exhibit their research findings and personal reflections, effectively demonstrating their growth in civic engagement and responsibility.

Learning Journey

Empathize

Students will engage in 'The Empathy Experience' by listening to local speakers share personal stories of food insecurity, which will help deepen their understanding and emotional connection to the topic as the groundwork for collaborative research and solutions in subsequent phases.

Days 1 - 4

Milestone Activities

No activities have been added to this phase yet.

Define

Students will synthesize insights from 'The Empathy Experience' and their research on local and global food insecurity, collaboratively defining and articulating the specific problems they aim to address through the multicultural dinner event and thematic cuisine experiences.

Days 5 - 8

Milestone Activities

Empathy Reflection and Problem Discussion

Launch 45m

Students will revisit insights and stories from 'The Empathy Experience', discussing in small groups the emotional and factual elements learned. They will identify key themes and articulate initial ideas for defining food insecurity problems in their community.

Problem Definition Presentation

Assessment

Students will collaborate to create and deliver a presentation that clearly articulates the specific food insecurity problems they aim to address, integrating insights from 'The Empathy Experience' and their research. Presentations will be assessed on clarity, depth of understanding, and effectiveness of communication.

Ideate

Students will collaboratively brainstorm innovative and diverse strategies at the community forum to address food insecurity, using insights gained from previous phases and guided by Essential Question research, and begin drafting potential solutions to be refined in the next phase.

Days 9 - 12

Milestone Activities

No activities have been added to this phase yet.

Prototype

Students will develop low-fidelity prototypes of their multicultural dinner concepts, including menu designs and event layouts, drawing inspiration from insights gained in previous phases to collaboratively explore creative and practical solutions for addressing food insecurity through cultural celebration.

Days 13 - 16

Milestone Activities

No activities have been added to this phase yet.

Test

Students will engage with community members to gather feedback on their multicultural dinner plans and digital cookbook, iterating on suggestions to refine their final presentations and solutions to address food insecurity.

Days 17 - 20

Milestone Activities

No activities have been added to this phase yet.

Plan

Week 1	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5
Phase	Empathize Define
Activities	Empathy Mapping Exercise Activity 45m Experiencing Food Insecurity: Empathy Session Knowledge/Skill Building 45m	Guided Empathy Journal Prompts Activity 45m Global Perspectives on Local Hunger Knowledge/Skill Building 45m	Drafting Cultural Menu Concepts for Dinner Project Work 45m Journal Planning Workshop Checkpoint 45m	Organizing Multicultural Dinner Logistics and Outreach Project Work 45m	Empathy Reflection and Problem Discussion Launch 45m
Preparation

Week 2	Day 6	Day 7	Day 8	Day 9	Day 10
Phase	Define Ideate
Activities	Synthesize Empathy Insights for Framing Knowledge/Skill Building 60m	Collaborative Problem Definition Draft Project Work 60m	Problem Definition Presentation Assessment	Mapping Local Food Insecurity Landscape Knowledge/Skill Building 60m	Solution Vision Board Creation Activity 45m Drafting Cultural Framework for Cookbook Project Work 60m
Preparation

Week 3	Day 11	Day 12	Day 13	Day 14	Day 15
Phase	Ideate Prototype
Activities	Food Safety and Sourcing Essentials Knowledge/Skill Building 60m	Event Planning for Multicultural Dinner Project Work 60m	Prototype Design Workshop Activity 90m Public Presentation and Cookbook Finalization Project Work 60m	Explore Food Insecurity Through Voices Knowledge/Skill Building 45m	Map Local Resources and Gaps Knowledge/Skill Building 50m
Preparation

Week 4	Day 16	Day 17	Day 18	Day 19	Day 20
Phase	Prototype Test
Activities	Cultural Culinary Research Workshop Knowledge/Skill Building 60m	Draft Cultural Dinner Menu Proposals Project Work 60m	Reflection and Adjustment Session Activity 45m Public Presentation and Reflection Sharing Project Work 60m	Design City Council Presentation on Hunger Project Work 60m	Finalize Multicultural Dinner Plan and Cookbook Project Work 60m
Preparation