Subject: Geography, with links to ICT and literacy

Lesson: Let’s eat

Ages: 11-16

Supplied by David Grundy, Year 56 teacher at Tilney St Lawrence Community Primary School in Norfolk

1. What is it?

A geography lesson with a little bit of cookery thrown in, plus an internet research task.

2. Who is it aimed at?

It works particularly well for Years 5 and 6 (key stage 2), but is adaptable to other year groups.

3. What happens in the lesson?

This needs to work as a series of lessons. It’s based on a book called Let’s Eat! The teaching assistant takes out a group of children and cooks a meal typical for a chosen country. The rest of the class has an hour to research that country. The teacher hands out a sheet with facts about the country, together with pictures. Pupils then produce a tourist brochure or a multiple choice quiz about the place. A vital part of the lesson is research. We choose three researchers to go online and find out as much as they can about the country.

4. What do you want the lesson to achieve?

It should give the children a better sense of other cultures and lifestyles - in an enjoyable way.

5. How do you know it has been successful?

You know it has worked because children ask in the days leading up to the lesson which country will be the focus that week. You’ll see it working if children feed questions to the researchers, and if they choose to finish off their brochures at home that evening.

6. Why would you recommend this to other teachers?

Apart from the fact that it brings world geography to life, one reason for recommending it is that pupils really seem to enjoy carrying out research, particularly online. The fact that pupils can feed questions to the researchers means that they are all involved in the research process.

7. Give us three top tips

- If you have a pupil from a particular country, whose family can provide you with a traditional recipe, then this can bring that week’s session to life.

- Be selective in who you allow to do the research. I tend to stick with Year 6s and more able Year 5s.

- After school, take any leftover food to other staff members, including those that have just turned up to clean at the end of the school day - they appreciate it.

8. Useful resources

- Let’s Eat! Children and their Food around the World by Beatrice Hollyer. ISBN: 1845073290

WEB RESOURCE

Title: Mini study on cultural foods

Age group: 7-14

Subject: Geography, ICT

What is it?

An ICT activity that requires pupils to do research online to complete a set of tasks based on cultural food. It can be used as a one-off activity or as a project-based task that involves designing a poster to display the gathered information for a cultural class theme.

Web address www.tes.co.ukworldfood

DOWNLOADSVIEWS - 191

STAR RATING - 5.