This ESD resource has students analyze the global food system from a ‘systems’ perspective to develop a better understanding of the important issues related to where their food comes from.
Part. A. Students watch a video that explores the concept of local food. They create a food log to determine their own eating habits and where their preferred foods come from. They also visit a local grocery and create a list of the different foods they find. Students map the points of origin of the items on their list and discuss the environmental, social and economic consequences of the distances food travels. Students will also plant seeds suited to the local climate to give them the experience of growing their own food.
Part B. The activities focus on planting seeds, identifying the parts of a plant, the role of each part, and which parts are edible. As a culminating activity, students become acquainted with the concept of food miles by participating in a pizza making simulation. (Actual pizza making is encouraged)
Part C. The resource suggests several follow-up activities to solidify the students’ learning. A reflection journal describing events as their plant grows to full maturity is proposed as a maintenance strategy. Students are also encouraged to develop a mind map based on their lunch of the day. The mind map can serve as a summative assessment of what the students have learned throughout the project.
Part D suggests enrichment activities. One such activity is an intergenerational interview to determine common foods in the past and where they came from. A second suggestion is to conduct an audit of the local superstore to see how much of the food sold there is local. This activity encourages students not only to conduct the audit, but then to communicate the findings with the store and if necessary, request that management increase the amount of local foods being sold.
The resource also provides an activity allowing students to connect their learning to the SDGs and apply the knowledge they gained throughout this action toolkit to think critically about them. Through interactive activities and hands-on projects, teachers can help students understand the importance of the SDGs and how they can make a difference. By introducing students to the SDGs, they can better understand how their actions can help create a more sustainable world.
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The resource explicitely teaches students how to:
The activities are highly structured - there is room to have students take more initiative in identifying and taking ownership of problems they have concerns with in their own community - and design ways to creatively problem solve and try to address these.
The following tool will allow you to explore the relevant curriculum matches for this resource. To start, select a province listed below.
Principle | Rating | Explanation |
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Consideration of Alternative Perspectives | Good | The resource explores the implications of food consumption, hidden costs relative to the local economy and the health aspects and the environment - particularly with regard to transportation of food. |
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives:
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Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions | Very Good | The resource introduces the concept of "Triple Bottom Approach", a systems perspective that in this case considers the impacts that food choices have on the environment, economy and the health of a society. This approach is taken throughout the activities. |
Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions: Effectively addresses the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the issue(s) being explored.
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Respects Complexity | Very Good | The entire resource is based on systems thinking and takes a multi-dimensional approach to strategies applied to food - where does it come from, what are the impacts, what choices can be made, how do these choices affect the local economy, impacts on local growers, aspects of health, quality of food, etc |
Respects Complexity: The complexity of the problems/issues being discussed is respected. | ||
Acting on Learning | Good |
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Acting on Learning: Learning moves from understanding issues to working towards positive change — in personal lifestyle, in school, in the community, or for the planet
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Values Education | Good | Students are given several opportunities to voice their values through discussion and journaling. |
Values Education: Students are explicitly provided with opportunities to identify, clarify and express their own beliefs/values. | ||
Empathy & Respect for Humans | Poor/Not considered | This is not addressed in this resource |
Empathy & Respect for Humans: Empathy and respect are fostered for diverse groups of humans (including different genders, ethnic groups, sexual preferences, etc.). | ||
Personal Affinity with Earth | Good | While the resource does not focus directly on outdoor experiences, students are encouraged to look at the advantages and disadvantages of food production and its impact on plant and animal life, particularly from the perspective of climate change, habitat loss and emissions from excessive transportation. By planting and caring for their own seeds, students will gain an appeciation for plants. |
Personal Affinity with Earth: Encourages a personal affinity with -the natural world.
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Locally-Focused Learning | Good |
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Locally-Focused Learning: Includes learning experiences that take advantage of issues/elements within the local community.
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Past, Present & Future | Good | One of the action activities requires students to conduct an interview with an elder to compare where the food they ate growing up came from. Students become aware of the interconnectedness between economy, environment and society/health - and how changes now can have a huge effect later - especially with regard to transportation issues of food and climate change. |
Past, Present & Future: Promotes an understanding of the past, a sense of the present, and a positive vision for the future. |
Principle | Rating | Explanation |
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Open-Ended Instruction | Good | While the overall message is to support local food sources and buy food as close to home as possible there are many perspectives introduced which encourage a range of considerations and responses. |
Open-Ended Instruction
: Lessons are structured so that multiple/complex answers are possible; students are not steered toward one 'right' answer. | ||
Integrated Learning | Good | This is truly a multidisciplinary resource, covering aspects of health, social studies, math, science, food studies, language arts, art and geography. |
Integrated Learning: Learning brings together content and skills from more than one subject area
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Inquiry Learning | Good | Through questions, peer discussions, exploring the seasonal availability of local foods by a variety of methods, experimenting with plant growth and making pizza with local only ingredients, students can extend their learning into an "ah-ha" moment. |
Inquiry Learning: Learning is directed by questions, problems, or challenges that students work to address.
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Differentiated Instruction | Very Good |
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Differentiated Instruction: Activities address a range of student learning styles, abilities and readiness.
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Experiential Learning | Good | Students will be growing plants, making a "local" pizza, conducting an interview, conducting an audit and communicating with store managers. |
Experiential Learning: Authentic learning experiences are provided
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Cooperative Learning | Very Good | Co-operative group work and learning skills are part of most activities and as such are explicitly taught, practiced and assessed. Students are required to reflect on group activities and decide how effectively their group works together, what could be improved, what is working well, etc. |
Cooperative Learning: Group and cooperative learning strategies are a priority.
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Assessment & Evaluation | Good | Several suggestions are made throughout the resource on how to evaluate the students' learning. Assessment strategies are also provided to do so. |
Assessment & Evaluation: Tools are provided that help students and teachers to capture formative and summative information about students' learning and performance. These tools may include reflection questions, checklists, rubrics, etc. | ||
Peer Teaching | Satisfactory |
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Peer Teaching: Provides opportunities for students to actively present their knowledge and skills to peers and/or act as teachers and mentors.
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Case Studies | Good |
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Case Studies: Relevant case studies are included. Case studies are thorough descriptions of real events from real situations that students use to explore concepts in an authentic context. | ||
Locus of Control | Satisfactory | The resource is well planned with a progression of activities to lead students on an exploration of food. However, there is not a lot of choice within each activity so far as students taking ownership. |
Locus of Control: Meaningful opportunities are provided for students to choose elements of program content, the medium in which they wish to work, and/or to go deeper into a chosen issue. |