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Cooking for Meaning Language Arts, Math, Science, Life Skills, Social Science) PUTTING STUDENTS IN CHARGE OF THEIR OWN LEARNING
Her students integrate their studies of math, social studies, science,language arts, health and nutrition, and basic economics as they explore foods and the cultures in which they evolved, research and prepare recipes, hold bake sales, create and publish cookbook, and videotape cooking demonstrations. Yvette's goal is to allow students to be in charge of their own learning, feeling that all students need to be engaged in academic study where learning is "intentional, purposeful, and challenging." The students communicate by e-mail with food professionals as they collect traditional family holiday recipes. They also go on the Internet, beginning at Epicurious (http://www.epicurious.com), a site well known for a wealth of good recipes, and continuing on to other sites in their search for ethnic recipes. Yvette says that they speak Chinese and Spanish , the students have also been able to collect recipes in those languages. The students compare the information retrieved from the web with recipes from traditional cookbooks, and they have noticed that the Internet doesn't have good pictures, as most traditional cookbooks do. CONNECTING THE STRANDS Yvette has written about this project, "As a teacher, I connect the strands of the various subject areas into related units such as how American regional cooking was shaped by immigration. My purpose is to have students reading and applying concepts across curriculum, areas in a way that is both meaningful and concrete. After the students have gathered their recipes and menus, they vote on which meals to prepare. During the year, they purchase the ingredients and prepare the selected meals and items they sell at the bake sales. All of these activities support Yvette's goal to "have students who are motivated, self-directed, and empowered to take control of gathering disparate information." Reading recipes, both for planning and cooking, requires close attention and thorough comprehension. Successful searching on the Internet also requires that the students be able to read and process words effectively. The students gain further language arts expertise as they write and publish a cookbook of the recipes chosen and meals prepared. Additional technology was used as the students videoconference with food professionals such as chefs, gardeners, farmers, grocers, or food manufacturers. TECHNOLOGY COMPONENTS
ASSESSMENT Students assess their learning by the results of the herb garden, the bake sales, and the formal meals. Both classroom and individual logs will be kept for recording data such as recipes and menus, financial accounts and personal food journals for nutrition and individual reflection. CONTACT Yvette Fagan, |
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  Copyright © 1997 Bryant Elementary School, San Francisco Unified School District. All rights reserved. |
Yvette Fagan teaches a multi-age,
Reverse Full-Inclusion class (general education students are
100% mainstreamed into a special education class) at Bryant
Year-Round Elementary. Her Cooking for Meaning project is
designed to provide her students 'pragmatic purpose and
meaning by gearing the year's curriculum around the skills
that are utilized in preparing food for celebration."