I was thinking of teaching my unit on Asia with food for next year. Has anyone taught with food before? If so, how? Was it successful? How did students react? Do you think students were more engaged?
I have used food as a culminating activity after teaching about China and Japan. This offers an opportunity for the students to try new foods and also make connections with concepts you have taught regarding the culture and traditions. The students love it because many enjoy eating Chinese food, but you can also introduce them to food items they are not familiar with therefore exposing them to new meaningful experiences!
Make sure that you check your school's policies on this. I taught a health class and had to get permission to do lessons with food when discussing nutrition - you may have to bring them in at or after lunch depending on your site/district. I will say the lesson was a huge success, and the students started bringing in new recipe ideas they had tried or wanted to try. Also be aware of allergies - some unusual ones do crop up (kiwi, banana, onion...), adaptions can be made. Have fun
I have done a lesson where we drank Mayan Hot Chocolate after learning about the Mayan civilization. It was disgusting! Their version of hot chocolate is spicy and bitter. The students got a kick out of it. They bought into the lessons since they knew some food was coming at the end. I didn't tell them it was disgusting though!
I have used food as a culminating activity after teaching about China and Japan. This offers an opportunity for the students to try new foods and also make connections with concepts you have taught regarding the culture and traditions. The students love it because many enjoy eating Chinese food, but you can also introduce them to food items they are not familiar with therefore exposing them to new meaningful experiences!
Make sure that you check your school's policies on this. I taught a health class and had to get permission to do lessons with food when discussing nutrition - you may have to bring them in at or after lunch depending on your site/district. I will say the lesson was a huge success, and the students started bringing in new recipe ideas they had tried or wanted to try. Also be aware of allergies - some unusual ones do crop up (kiwi, banana, onion...), adaptions can be made. Have fun
I have done a lesson where we drank Mayan Hot Chocolate after learning about the Mayan civilization. It was disgusting! Their version of hot chocolate is spicy and bitter. The students got a kick out of it. They bought into the lessons since they knew some food was coming at the end. I didn't tell them it was disgusting though!