Food Truck Voyage: History Meets Hunger

Learning Goals & Products

Learning Goals

Students will be able to trace the origin and movement of key ingredients in a signature dish by identifying which are Old World and New World ingredients and explaining how global trade connected them.

Students will be able to analyze how climate and soil determine where a crop is grown by using evidence to explain why specific ingredients come from particular regions today.

Students will be able to evaluate sourcing choices for a food truck menu by comparing local and global supply options and explaining the sustainability, scarcity, and environmental trade-offs of each.

Students will be able to justify a food truck production plan by applying the three economic questions: what to produce, how to produce, and for whom to produce.

Students will be able to collaborate to create and revise an individual product that communicates a dish’s origin and sourcing story using feedback from peers and teacher critique.

Products

individual

Ingredient Exchange Map and Migration Map

Each student creates a map product that identifies Old World and New World ingredients in their signature dish and traces how those ingredients moved through global trade. The product should show the ingredient journey clearly and include brief evidence-based notes.

individual

Origin and Sourcing Story Product

Each student creates one individual product to explain their dish’s climate profile, sustainability stake, and 3-Question Defense. Students may choose Sutori timeline, photo essay, Cargo Manifest panel, pamphlet page, storyboard, or infographic-style layout.

Student choices

Sutori timeline — A sequenced digital timeline with images, captions, and short explanatory text.

Photo essay — A visual sequence with captions that tells the ingredient and sourcing story.

Cargo Manifest panel — A poster-style display that organizes the required project elements.

Pamphlet page — A folded or single-page handout formatted for an audience at Food Truck Day.

Storyboard — A sequence of frames that explains the dish’s origin and sourcing decisions.

Infographic-style layout — A visual information design with icons, labels, and concise evidence.

Rubric

Competency Progression Rubric Competency-first rubric

Category	Learning Goal	Stage 1	Stage 2	Stage 3	Stage 4
Deeper Learning Competencies	Critical Thinking & Problem Solving	I can identify key ingredients and make an initial best guess about where each ingredient might come from using evidence from visuals, class discussion, and what I already know.	I can compare multiple possible source locations and routes on my migration map, then explain why I chose one using simple evidence (climate, distance, or availability) from our research materials.	I can test and revise my dish story by evaluating competing ideas about sourcing and trade, using cause-and-effect reasoning (how climate and supply affect cost and sustainability) and documenting changes in my notes or drafts.	I can independently build and defend a well-reasoned solution to our driving question by integrating mapping, climate profile, and sustainability stake, then justify my 3 economic defense answers with clear, evidence-based tradeoffs.
Deeper Learning Competencies	Effective Communication	I can share my ideas about where one dish’s ingredients might come from using drawings and simple labels, and I can ask and answer questions during our class tasting or gallery walk.	I can explain my dish story in order using sentences and visuals (maps, ingredient cards, and climate notes), and I can listen to feedback and revise one part of my exhibit to be clearer for visitors.	I can communicate my research with accurate details by connecting ingredient origins, climate/growing needs, and trade routes in my product, and I can use evidence from sources or notes to respond to audience questions.	I can present my dish story and sourcing choices persuasively by clearly defending my “3 economic questions” and sustainability stake, and I can adapt my message to different audiences (families, partners, administrators) using specific feedback from practice exhibitions.
Deeper Learning Competencies	Content Expertise	I can describe where 1 ingredient in my dish comes from and what clues (like picture cards or simple maps) show how it could travel to our plate.	I can explain why selected ingredients may grow in certain places and use research notes to connect climate/soil needs to my dish’s possible migration routes.	I can compare sourcing options for my dish (e.g., cost, availability, or sustainability) and justify my choices using evidence from multiple sources and a labeled migration map.	I can independently refine a full sourcing explanation for my chosen dish by analyzing climate risks, sustainability stakes, and economic trade-offs, then clearly defend my final menu and sourcing decisions with citations to evidence.
Deeper Learning Competencies	Collaboration	I can work with my team by taking turns and following simple roles (like sorting ingredients, placing map pieces, or writing/drawing) to finish our part of the project.	I can contribute to my team’s Cargo Manifest or dish story by sharing ideas, using our group plan, and doing my assigned job while helping others keep the work going.	I can collaborate to make shared decisions by explaining my reasoning with evidence from our notes or maps, negotiating changes when we disagree, and revising our product together.	I can lead and strengthen team collaboration by coordinating roles, monitoring group progress, resolving conflicts respectfully, and integrating diverse perspectives to improve the final evidence-based exhibit.
Deeper Learning Competencies	Academic Mindset	I can share how my family’s dish and my community connect to where ingredients come from, and I can ask a “notice and wonder” question I want to investigate.	I can explain my own thinking about where ingredients grow and travel, and I can revise my ideas using evidence from maps, sources, or feedback from my team and visitors.	I can make choices about what to include in my project by connecting the dish to place, climate, and sustainability, and I can reflect on what I learned and what I still need to find out.	I can take responsibility for my learning by setting a clear goal, using feedback to improve my sourcing and climate claims, and defending how my dish story supports more sustainable food decisions for my audience.