Overview

In this lesson, students select a favorite family recipe, research it and then create a recipe flyer for a class cookbook.

History and culture through food

Lesson plan information

Teacher guide

Objectives

• Students will select and research a favorite family recipe.
• Students will create a recipe flyer for the class cookbook.

Prerequisite skills

• Basic experience with Microsoft Office Publisher
• Basic skills using Microsoft Internet Explorer

How to begin

1. Download Student directions (57 KB Microsoft Office Word document). Save this document to your classroom computer. Adjust the directions as needed for your lesson. When presenting your lesson to students, have them use the student directions to get started with the project.
2. Ask students to brainstorm a list of words that they associate with favorite family events. The list might include words such as aunts, uncles, games, food, hugs, cousins, grandparents, nice clothes, yummy desserts, and more.
3. Discuss with students how many cultural traditions and customs center on food. Tell the students that they will be studying their favorite family recipes and sharing them through a class cookbook.

Resources and web links

• Student directions (57 KB Microsoft Office Word document)
• Sample recipe flyer (64 KB Microsoft Office Publisher document)

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Student activity

Description

One exciting way to look at history and culture is to look at the different foods that people eat. In this activity, you and each of your classmates will select a favorite family recipe, research it using a food timeline, and create a flyer about it that you contribute to a class cookbook.

• Software: Microsoft Internet Explorer, Microsoft Office Publisher
• What to do
  Choose your favorite family recipe, research it, and create a flyer about it

1. Select a favorite family recipe. You can ask parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles for help finding the recipe for your favorite family food.
2. Copy the recipe and bring it to school.
3. Open Internet Explorer, and go to the Food Timeline Web page.
4. Using the food timeline, find out as much information as you can about your recipe and the ingredients. For example, if your recipe calls for mustard, look up "mustard" on the timeline.
5. Select three interesting historical notes about your recipe or its individual ingredients.
6. Open Publisher. Create a recipe flyer for the class cookbook. Your flyer should include:

• The recipe
• How the recipe is important to your family. For example: What traditions surround this recipe? Who in your family is famous for this recipe?
• Why you like the recipe. Try to explain how the combination of ingredients is pleasing to you.
• Three historical notes about your recipe or its ingredients.

Ways to extend the student activity

Have students find the current price of the ingredients and the price of the ingredients from 20 years ago. Students may include the information in their flyers or present it in a Microsoft Office Excel spreadsheet.

Assessment

Students can be assessed on their recipe flyer content, conventions, and design.

• Flyer content

1. Does the flyer include the family recipe?
2. Does the flyer include information about why the recipe is important to the student's family?
3. Did the student include three historical notes?

• Writing conventions

1. Did the student use correct grammar?
2. Did the student use correct spelling?
3. Did the student use correct punctuation?

• Design

1. Is the flyer pleasing to look at?
2. Did the student use appropriate graphics to enhance the flyer?

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