Tag: High School

How to Create Groups

How do you put students into groups? How do you grade group projects? What do you do with class clowns and students who are “free riders”? Explore the pro’s and con’s of different grouping and grading methods.

Rennovating or Creating a Culinary Room

At the end of two summers ago the board of education came knocking on my door to let me know that they want to renovate the culinary room over the summer. Of course that is great news because the kitchens haven’t been redone since the late sixties early seventies–yes, we still have the olive green stove hoods and refrigerators!

Food Inc. Lesson Plan

Food Inc. (DVD): If you haven’t watched this documentary I would highly recommend it!
In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation’s food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government’s regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation’s food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, herbicide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won’t go bad, but we also have new strains of E. coli—the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults

Fast Food Comparison

My students were aghast that the new Five Guy’s Burgers and Fries that opened up in town were selling 800 calorie hamburgers! Apparently one of them had done their research. I wanted to confirm this information for myself hoping it was only an exaggeration so I went to their website. Quite frankly I was surprised at what I found and thought surely not all restaurants were the same. My hunch was correct, not all restaurants and fast food places are the same some were much worse than an 800 calorie burger! Thus a new lesson was born.

Seam Samples Lesson Plan

Seam sample books have been around for years now but this is one lesson that is timeless and is still applicable to your clothing/sewing students. Have your students learn both hand and machine stitches- the foundation of sewing.

Baking- Measuring Cups Vs. Scaling

Measuring flour and other ingredients can make all the difference in a baked good’s success. Baking is a science and the slightest amount over or under what the recipe calls for can mean an inferior product or inconsistent results. Teach your students with confidence after learning the difference between these two methods.

Yeast Bread Conundrums

The most common problem in public school culinary classes is finding unique ways to proof & bake yeast doughs given a series of different challenges such as: 50 minute classes, alternating block scheduling, not having the right equipment like a proofing cabinet or steam injection oven, etc.

School Yard Gardens & The Slow Food In Schools Project

Save money and boost nutrition through a school yard garden, part of national trend to focus on eating local, whole foods. “Slow Food is an idea, a way of living and a way of eating. It is a global, grassroots movement with thousands of members around the world that links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment.”