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Food Solutions: Climate Change Action for K-2

Elementary

Description

Greenhouse gas emissions from the production, processing and distribution of global food supplies are a leading cause of the current climate change crisis.  Warming temperatures and associated severe weather events also threaten the stability of our food systems and food insecurity has become one of the most urgent social issues facing our planet.  Consumers must drive the change that will make our food systems more sustainable and it is important that youth become part of the solution.  This resource teaches young students about this complex environmental topic with practical activities where pupils are able to explore the links between food and climate as they:
Define the difference between weather and climate
Investigate how food is grown from seed
Describe the availability of food supplies within their community
Classify a range of foods as natural, processed or ultra-processed
Examine why local and seasonal foods are important in building food supply resiliency and sustainability
Develop an action plan to improve food sustainability at their school

Greenhouse gas emissions from the production, processing and distribution of global food supplies are a leading cause of the current climate crisis.  Warming temperatures and associated severe weather events also threaten the stability of our food systems, and food insecurity has become one of the most urgent social issues facing our planet.  Consumers must drive the change that will make our food systems more sustainable and it is important that youth become part of the solution.  This resource teaches young students about this complex environmental topic with practical, hands-on activities through which pupils are able to explore the links between food and climate as they:

  • Define the difference between weather and climate
  • Investigate how food is grown from seed
  • Describe the availability of food supplies within their community
  • Classify foods as natural, processed or ultra-processed
  • Examine why local and seasonal foods are important to building food sustainability and resiliency
  • Develop an action plan to improve food sustainability at their school

General Assessment

What skills does this resource explicitly teach?

  • Problem solving
  • Analyzing information
  • Active listening
  • Interviewing
  • Project planning
  • Advocacy

Strengths

  • Detailed lesson plans including time requirements, materials, vocabulary, outcomes and teacher background
  • Emphasis on engaging hands-on activities and video resources
  • Uses a positive, solution-based approach
  • Community focused
  • Results in attainable environmental action
  • Includes extension ideas and appendices to support student mental health, nature exploration, STEM learning and social justice discussions

Weaknesses

  • Some of the content is complicated for the Kindergarten age group
  • Does not include a summative assessment tool
  • Requires an extensive time commitment of at least 6-8 class periods and, although it is suggested teachers could complete partial lessons no outline for a shorter format is included

Recommendation of how and where to use it

This resource supports Grade K-3 Science outcomes related to human uses of plants and animals, plant growth, weather and climate and human impacts on the environment.  Social Studies learning regarding citizenship, social justice and global concerns is strengthened by the content that examines food choices, food sources and issues such as food waste.  The local focus of the activities reinforces regional and cultural connections while encouraging pupils to become active in promoting environmental awareness in their community.

 

A key strength of this resource is that students develop and implement a food sustainability initiative within their school.  Ideas include reducing food waste, reducing plastic packaging or using more local foods in the cafeteria.  This project could be extended beyond the school walls to include local indigenous community members, farmers and food related businesses.  For example, an action item on using local foods could result in a student-created public, digital recipe collection that features traditional wild foraged foods.

Relevant Curriculum Units

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        • Science: Daily and seasonal changes affect all living things.
        • Science: Plants and animals have observable features
      • Social Studies
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Rights, roles, and responsibilities shape our identity and help us build healthy relationships with other
        • Identity and Families
    • Grade 1
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      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Science 1: Living things have features and behaviours that help them survive in their environment
        • Science 1:Observable patterns and cycles occur in the local sky and landscape
      • Social Studies
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        • Local Communities: Our rights, roles, and responsibilities are important for building strong communities.
    • Grade 2
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      • Social Studies
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        • Regional and Global Communities: Local actions have global consequences, and global actions have local consequences.

Themes Addressed

Air, Atmosphere & Climate (1)

  • Climate Change

Citizenship (1)

  • Sustainable Consumption

Food & Agriculture (2)

  • Food Security
  • Local Food

Sustainability Education Principles

Principle Rating Explanation
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives Good

Students are able to relate new learning to lived experience and think critically about the relationships between food supply, transportation and air pollution at a local level.

Consideration of Alternative Perspectives:
  • Satisfactory: absence of bias towards any one point of view
  • Good: students consider different points of view regarding issues, problems discussed
  • Very good: based on the consideration of different views, students form opinions and  take an informed position
Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions Very Good

Pupils describe the links between seasonal, local foods and a healthy environment, healthy humans and a healthy community as they explore how food is grown, compare natural and processed foods and identify regional farms and businesses that provide food.  As their learning develops into a food-based action initiative, students will also develop an awareness of how their actions affect the world around them.

Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions:

Effectively addresses the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the issue(s) being explored.

  • Satisfactory: resource supports the examination of  these dimensions
  • Good:  resource explicitly examines the interplay of these dimensions
  • Very Good:  a systems-thinking approach is encouraged to examine these three dimensions
Respects Complexity Good

Unsustainable food production not only has a high carbon footprint, but also directly impacts ecosystems with issues such as groundwater depletion, pesticide use and land clearing.  This resource provides many ideas for connecting new student knowledge about sustainable food to previous learning about habitats.  This approach reinforces consideration of interconnections between all life systems.

Respects Complexity:

The complexity of the problems/issues being discussed is respected.

Acting on Learning Very Good

The concluding lesson in this unit actively involves learners in developing and implementing an achievable climate action plan for a food sustainability issue at their school.  As they brainstorm and research a school-based solution, students are involved in an authentic assignment through which the collective impact of their project creates a significant change, while fostering an individual stewardship ethic.

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

  • Satisfactory: action opportunities are included as extensions 
  • Good: action opportunities are core components of the resource
  • Very Good: action opportunities for students are well supported and intended to result in observable, positive change
Values Education Good

Pupils participate in solution-based activities that provide many opportunities for personal reflection and thoughtful discussions about how their actions affect the environment.

Values Education:

Students are explicitly provided with opportunities to identify, clarify and express their own beliefs/values.

Empathy & Respect for Humans Good

In the "Where Does Our Food Come From?" activity, pupils are encouraged to respect cultural, medical and economic differences regarding food choices and diet.  Suggestions are also included for extending the learning experience with social justice discussions surrounding food insecurity.

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 Satisfactory

The lessons are primarily classroom-based but ideas are included for expanding the learning with outdoor activities such as investigating seeds, describing weather and foraging for wild edible plants with indigenous community members.  Incorporating these ideas will deepen student relationships with nature and support environmental awareness.

Personal Affinity with Earth:

Encourages a personal affinity with -the natural world.  

  • Satisfactory: connection is made to the natural world
  • Good: fosters appreciation/concern for the natural world
  • Very Good: fosters stewardship though practical and respectful experiences out-of-doors 
Locally-Focused Learning Good

Students explore seasonal foods and food related businesses within their community while considering school based climate action.  This ensures the lesson content is personally relevant and meaningful.

Locally-Focused Learning:

Includes learning experiences that take advantage of issues/elements within the local community. 

  • Satisfactory: learning is made relevant to the lives of the learners
  • Good: learning is made relevant and has a local focus
  • Very Good: learning is made relevant, local and takes place ‘outside’ , in the community 
Past, Present & Future Satisfactory

Students will develop a sense of how food systems have evolved from being primarily community-based to the globalized systems that provide us with more variety in food options but have also contributed to climate change.  Developing a school action plan empowers young learners to believe they can become future caretakers of our planet.

Past, Present & Future: Promotes an understanding of the past, a sense of the present, and a positive vision for the future.

Pedagogical Approaches

Principle Rating Explanation
Open-Ended Instruction Very Good

All of the activities use an "Engage, Explore, Explain" approach that facilitates discovery, reasoning and creativity.  Students are also provided with opportunities to self-direct their learning experience with personal choices such as describing and researching "My Favourite Meal".

 

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 resource blends Science and Social Studies concepts to provide an introduction to the cause and effect relationship between climate change and food systems, while exploring specific outcomes such as plant growth, weather and human interactions with their environment.  The lessons also incorporate aspects of traditional ecological knowledge as learners investigate local and seasonal foods.

Integrated Learning:

Learning brings together content and skills  from more than one  subject area

  • Satisfactory: content from a number of different  subject areas is readily identifiable
  • Good:  resource is appropriate for use in more than one subject area
  • Very Good:  the lines between subjects are blurred 
Inquiry Learning Good

The three consecutive lessons use a scaffolding process in which students build on previous learning to query, investigate and develop answers that support decision-based thinking about reducing greenhouse gas emissions by improving food sustainability.

Inquiry Learning:

Learning is directed by questions, problems, or challenges that students work to address.   

  • Satisfactory: Students are provided with questions/problems to solve and some direction on how to arrive at solutions.
  • Good: students, assisted by the teacher clarify the question(s) to ask and the process to follow to arrive at solutions.  Sometimes referred to as Guided Inquiry
  • Very Good:  students generate the questions and assume much of the responsibility for how to solve them.  . Sometimes referred to as self-directed learning.

 

Differentiated Instruction Satisfactory

This resource contains an appendix of mindfulness and coping exercises that can be used by teachers when discussions surrounding climate change that may cause anxiety in students.  These strategies also support a calm learning environment in which all students are more able to remain focused and engaged.

Differentiated Instruction:

Activities address a range of student learning styles, abilities and readiness.

  • Satisfactory:  includes a variety of instructional approaches
  • Good: addresses  the needs of visual, auditory &  kinesthetic learners
  • Very Good: also includes strategies for learners with difficulties
Experiential Learning Good

Learners are able to apply new knowledge to a realistic task that involves cafeteria workers, peers, school staff and themselves in solving a food sustainability issue at their school.  Developing, implementing and reflecting on their "Action Plan" provides an educational experience that supports future citizenship choices.

Experiential Learning:

Authentic learning experiences are provided

  • Satisfactory: learning takes place through ‘hands-on’ experience or simulation
  • Good: learning involves direct experience in a ‘real world context’
  • Very good: learning involves ‘real world experiences’ taking place’ beyond the school walls.
Cooperative Learning Satisfactory

This resource targets a young age group which necessitates a certain amount of teacher direction by working together as a class or in small groups.  Students do learn about consensus building with interactive group discussions and voting on a class action project.

Cooperative Learning:

Group and cooperative learning strategies are a priority.

  • Satisfactory:  students work in groups
  • Good: cooperative learning skills are explicitly taught and practiced
  • Very Good: cooperative learning skills are explicitly taught, practiced and assessed
Assessment & Evaluation Satisfactory

There are no summative assessment tools but guided questioning and worksheets such as "My Wheel of Seasonal Food" provide many opportunities for formative assessment.

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

Students work together as a class or in small groups.

Peer Teaching:

Provides opportunities for students to actively present their knowledge and skills to peers and/or act as teachers and mentors.

  • Satisfactory: incidental teaching that arises from cooperative learning, presentations, etc.
  • Good or Very Good: an opportunity is intentionally created to empower students to teach other students/community members. The audience is somehow reliant on the students' teaching (students are not simply ‘presenting')
Case Studies Good

Learners examine examples of how seasonally available foods support the local economy and reduce carbon emissions but are not always practical or affordable for area residents who often need to purchase processed or imported foods to supplement their diet.  By using this realistic approach this resource engages students in purposeful problem solving, which supports an understanding of how positive change at a community level can expand into cumulative global action towards sustainability.

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 Good

Students are encouraged to express ideas, reflect and develop opinions about how they can improve food sustainability through personal and school action goals.

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.

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