TO: Charles Amoako
STC: Lesson Plan for Session #3
Objectives: Students will be able to:
- Get to know each other and teacher playing a game
- Working with partner, hypothesize about how food gets from the farm to their table by creating a “Food System” chart
- Working with a partner, hypothesize about how food gets from the farm to their table by creating a "Food System" chart
- In group discussion, arrive at the conclusion that subsistence farming and a simplefood system (farm to store to home)exists in 3rd world countries
- Working with a partner, collect agricultural and economic data on 3rd world countries in Africa
Materials:Agenda, Name tags (or masking tape) and permanent marker, 1/2 sheets of paper, Cornflakes, Student Atlases, Blank data collection sheets, Pencils, Chart paper, Markers
Procedure:
Teacher gathers group in a circle and passes out a 1/2 sheet of paper to each child. Teacher says: I've got an activity that will help us get to know each other a bit more. On your paper, write one thing that no one or very few people know about you...something you do or would like to do.When you finish, fold your paper in half and pass to me. I'll shuffleand hand themback for us all to guesswho wrote it.I'll giveyou a few moments to write.Allow a minute of quiet time and then ask kids to pass in papers. Shuffle and redistributed them randomly. Teacher asks for a volunteer to readfirst. Teacher says: Your ideas are important. So that everyone can hear you and me speak, only one person talks at a time. The group tries to guess who submitted the idea. Once the owner is discovered, teacher encourageschild to elaborate on his or her idea. Teacher might ask: Howdid you becomeinterested in that? How oftendo you get the chance to do it?
Teacher reviews posted agenda with the group.
Teacher asks: Think back to your data collection sheets…what do you remember is grown in Ghanaor the U.S.? Have you eaten anything like that lately? What did you have for breakfast this morning? I had Cornflakes.
Teacher states: I have a question for you to think about with your partner. How did this box of Cornflakes get from the farm to my table? I’ll give you a piece of chartpaper and markers. Label the chart “Food Systems.” I want you and your partner to draw a diagram showing how you think the Cornflakes get from the farm to the table. Allow 5-10 minutes for the students to work. Teacher circulates. Teacher might ask: It doesn’t look like corn any more, what happened after the farm? How or where is food processed? What does ‘processed’ mean? How did it get to your house?
Teacher says: This is a food system for the United States, which is a 1st world country. Can you guess what a food system looks like in my country, which is a 3rd world country…a really poor country?Raise your hand when you have an idea. Teacher encourages 5-6 children to share their ideas. Teacher uses kid's ideas to arrive at the terms Simple Food System(farm to store to home) and subsistence farming.
Teacher says: Do you remember where my country is? Let's look at the Atlas to find Ghana. Pass out atlases.Whatother countries can you namein Africa that are3rd world countries? Teacher says: Those are right! I'll point out the 3rd world countries that we'll use. Can you findMalawi…Ethiopia…Somalia…Kenya…Tanzania…Uganda…Mali… and Angola. These countries are all part of what is called Black Africa. Teacher says: With your partner, go back to your computer, and see what you can find out about one of these countries that I give you to check out. Here’s your new data collection sheet. You’ll need to got to. Teacher passes out data collection sheets. Pairs work to collect data.
To summarize the teachers states: Tell me one cool thing you got today.
*If at any point during the lesson, the students are particularly interested in a topic of
discussion or activity, attend to their interests and run with it.
(Narishkin 2005)