Education 3503-ABC, Natalie Ct

Grade: 7
SPECIFIC OUTCOMES FROM ALBERTA
PROGRAM OF STUDIES

English: 3.2 Use a variety of sources,

Evaluate sources.

Learning Plan
Subject: English, Science

Teacher: Natalie Ct

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students will:
Examine how food is modified through The World In Your
Lunch Box and then seek out other credible sources to
further their research.
Record their findings about a specific food in print or
media texts, including relevant and important information.

English: 3.3 Organize information,

Record information, Evaluate
information.
Science: Unit B. SLO 3 Students
Identify how our food is modified and recognize how
will analyze plant environments, and specific factors and controls have changed the food we
identify impacts of specific factors
eat today.
and controls.
LEARNING RESOURCES CONSULTED
Resource #1: The World In Your Lunch Box by Claire Eamer. This book gives historical and scientific
context to the foods we eat every day. It has a strong focus on the facts with a fun element of storytelling that
notably engages young audiences.

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MATERIALS/ EQUIPMENT/ SET UP

Copies of The World In Your Lunch Box (at least one copy for every two students)
Graphic organizers (at least one copy for every two students)
Computers or ipads to be shared in the class (for students to access online resources)
Pictures of how food looked different years ago
PROCEDURE
Introduction:

Attention Grabber: Ask questions like Have you ever wondered who invented bread? How seedless grapes are
grown? How food was kept from spoiling before fridges and freezers? Show pictures of food from years ago
that know looks very different.
Transition to Body: Did you know that tomatoes started as a berry? Today we are going to gather in the reading
area and learn how a lot of the food we eat today has changed quite a bit from what it looked like when our
ancestors first began eating it.
Body:

Learning Activity #1: In the reading area, the teacher will read page 16 aloud, addressing how tomatoes
started as small berries and have been altered through controlling the size and taste of tomatoes used for
planting the next bush/plant.

Check for student understanding by discussing what we read.

Share how many of the foods we eat today have been modified in similar ways.
Give an overview of The World In Your Lunch Box, highlighting that each page is labeled for
history or science (we will be focusing on the science pages).

Transition to Activity #2: Now we are going to have the chance to learn about other foods that have
changed a lot from their original form. Ask students to form pairs, collect a copy of the book from the
teacher, and sit together at a desk.

Education 3503-ABC, Natalie Ct

Learning Activity #2: Students will collect and record information about one food item and how it has been
altered.
Students will:
Form pairs
Read through The World In Your Lunch Box and pick one food item from the book they would
like to know more about
Collect more information by finding other sources in the library, from a collection available through
the teacher right in the class, or online (limited access). *Each pair should find a minimum of one
and maximum of three other resources.*
Organize their information using a graphic organizer
Chose a method of presentation (aural or visual) and create a 3-5 minute presentation on their
findings.
Note: The teacher will be supervising students as they gather sources. They will also check in with each pair
to do formative assessment and provide guidance and clarification.
Specific Learner Considerations: The teacher might choose to form the groups ahead of time to more
appropriately pair up students for maximum learning. Students who are struggling to make a decision on
what food item to look further into can be encouraged to choose something they brought for lunch that day
or have eaten recently.
Sponge Activity: Encourage students to look at the history page(s) relating to the food they chose in The
World In Your Lunch Box
Transition to Activity 3: Give time limit and warnings as that limit draws near, make sure you as the teacher
have gone around to all of the groups to formatively assess their understanding and ability to find the
information they need.
Learning Activity #3: Students will present their work to the class by aural demonstration of knowledge
gained or through demonstrating graphs, charts, or other visual representations created.

The teacher will facilitate the presentations and ask the class for a show of hands of who has eaten
the food being presented about before, and who eats it at least once a week. This will help students
connect their learning to personal experiences.

Transition to Closure: The teacher will read page 15 (the historical background on tomatoes we read about
earlier) and encourage them to look further into this book and discover more about what they eat.
Closure:

Consolidation/Assessment of Learning: Encourage students to share what they learned with their families at
dinner tonight, what did they learn about the food they eat in their homes?
Reflection:

Strengths of my book:
This book is engaging for students through the concise information, esthetically pleasing presentation
of content, and storytelling approach.
Strengths of my activity:
This activity allows for student freedom in the food item being examined, the pairing of students, and
the presentation style. By opening this lesson through learning about a specific food item that all
students will have likely eaten, their prior, real-world experiences are being brought to mind; this
encourages students to build on what they already know and consider prior assumptions they have
about what they eat and how it was made.
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Education 3503-ABC, Natalie Ct

Concerns of my lesson:
Sources for students to consult might be limited. Giving them freedom to look in the library or even
online can turn into an activity that wastes too much time on a task that is only indirectly connected to
the intended learning outcomes.