Inquiry Project

Driving Question: How can we increase the percentage of healthy food and decrease the percentage of junk food in our cafeteria?

Math: look at how it fits into the school budget and the cost of getting healthy food into the school

Social Studies: look at the area in which the school is in and the different places to buy food for the school that are near? To see what food is healthy for kids

Language Arts: look at how students can write proposals to the school and different companies. Students could also write a paper at the end to explain what they think would be best.

Unit: Healthy School Lunches

Persistent Issue: Why are there not enough options for students to eat healthy in schools?

Central Question: How can we increase the percentage of healthy food and decrease the percentage of junk food in our cafeteria?

Lesson 1: Grabber and Introduction

One 90-minute class period

Introductory Grabber: Instructor begins by introducing a website article regarding fast food and school lunches. The overall consensus of the article is that fast food is better for you than school lunches which is extremely concerning. As the instructor I am going to introduce the article by using the headline which got my immediate attention: “Why Fast Food is “Healthier” Than School Lunches: The Shocking USDA Truth” because 1. It is proven by the USDA which oversees all of the food administration so we can assume that the article is reputable 2. The title is shocking and contrasts our beliefs that food in schools is good for students and provides proper nutrition for our youth.

The instructor introduces this scenario: This is a very effective way to introduce the topic because it starts with a shocking fact that no one would really believe. The students then will be honed in on fixing this issue because now they see the evidence presented in the article. I am going to have them highlight the most intriguing important parts and discuss with the people around them to get their ideas out and understand what other people think about the topic, too.

Link to the article: http://www.publicschoolreview.com/blog/why-fast-food-is-healthier-than-school-lunches-the-shocking-usda-truth

Introduce the Central Question: After we talk about the article we read in class and get perspective on the article as a whole, we are going to introduce our central question: ‘How can we increase the percentage of healthy food and decrease the percentage of junk food in our cafeteria?” because at this point in the classroom everyone is engaged in the topic and proposing a solution to this issue would be the most beneficial route to take in order to have everyone understand each aspect of the article. Because we know now the overwhelming negatives about cafeteria food, we have a motive to propose a new plan to incorporate healthy food into our cafeterias and give students the best food possible.

Lecture: We are going to move into the question pertaining to the article deeply now. We will understand the overwhelming negatives of food in schools and then overview possible solutions before we do the culminating activity. We are going to introduce the culminating activity after we talk about the negatives and what we can do to change this because that will successfully lead us right into our activity which examines and explores the possibilities.

Culminating Activity

Press Conference Activity

The structure for this activity is adapted from an activity developed by the Teachers' Curriculum Institute

Three 90-minute class periods

Introduction: When students enter the classroom, there will be four desks at the front of the classroom and the rest of the desks will be facing those four desks. As they enter the classroom the instructor will hand the students a paper with their role on it. The instructor will explain the role of the students, four of the students will represent businesses and the rest of the students will represent the student body and ask questions. It will be a panel in which students will have to choose which business they think will best fit our school's needs and costs. .

Lecture: Before the panel begins, the instructor gives a brief synopsis of each of the food companies that will be represented at the front. The students that are given the roles of Gordon Food Service, Taher School Food, and CKG Food Services will have a chance to read what their company is about so that they are able to answer questions asked by students. The instructor will give the students two points of focus, the budget and the demographic area of the businesses. The instructor will explain the importance of these points and how they can affect the school and the students. Students will ask questions to the companies and discuss among their peers which company they think will be best to increase the percentage of healthy food in the cafeteria. The percentage of healthy food in the cafeteria now will be given and students will need to figure out what they want the percentage to be, there are many answers that will fit with the budgets and food. Also the students will look at which business is healthier and will benefit the students well-being.

Activity Overview: Students participate in a panel that will look at two questions. Which company can be used within the school budget? Is this company available in our county and will it benefit the health concerns of students in our school? Three students will be on the panel at the front of the classroom representing the companies; Gordon Food Service, Taher School Food, and CKG Food Services. The rest of the students will be asking questions to the companies and looking at the main focuses of the panel. The students will split into groups of five and come up with specific questions that will discuss the budget and locations of the companies. They will need to continually ask questions and take notes on the answers that the companies give. Also students need to write a paper at the end that will be a proposal of what they suggest we do. Students will be asked to choose from the food groups or figure out various ways that the percentage of healthy food can be raised within the school budget and area in which the school is in. The food companies are there as examples and can show what food companies can offer. Students may present their own companies on the third day of the project, thus there is no right solution to the problem. There are many, different solutions to the problem.

Preparation for Conference: The instructor begins by reviewing procedures and expectations for the Panel activity. Students are given a list of the companies describing what they offer, where they are located, and how much they cost.. There are blank spaces for them to come up with their own ideas to solving the problems. The instructor tells them at the beginning that they are not by any means limited to the three companies. They are also given the school budget for food on a separate sheet of paper so they know how much they can spend and the percentage of healthy food in the cafeteria and what space for them to write what they want it to be. There are questions that will guide them to ask the companies and steps in how to question the companies and figure out what other ways the percentage of healthy food could be raised.

Students are reminded that they can look online for other companies and ways to incorporate healthy food into the cafeteria, that they will be able to share the class.

Summary of Press Conference

Listed below are the 3 companies we questioned about school lunches.

Taher: Taher claims that students’ health is what is important to them. All of their food is fresh and that they are committed to making only the “healthiest dishes.” They are worried about the rising obesity rates in America.

CKC Good Food: They offer fresh, healthy food that “makes students want to be nutritious.” They offer breakfast through lunch services that have certain meals each day. The cost is the most expensive.

Gordon Food Service: Gordon offers any food you can think of from healthy to unhealthy. Their main goal is to offer diversity, and not so much health. Although they are the cheapest, they have more unhealthy food choices than the others so that they can appeal to the students’ tastebuds.

Assessment : Students will be expected to participate in the discussion. They will need to be engaged the whole time and taking notes on the things that they think will work in solving the problem. Students will have been expected to research the companies beforehand and look at other ways that the healthy food could be increased in the cafeteria. They know that they are not limited to the three companies, but that these are examples of what food companies have to offer. They will be expected to look at the budget and how it they can work with it and how far away the companies are, if it would be reasonable to use this company at the school. The students will also have to write a paper/proposal that will represent what they took away from the discussion. They will be graded harshly on this and they will need to make sure that they use persuasive language such that the principal would think that their company would be the best. They will also need to make sure that they include the things they learned from the discussions and refer to things that were talked about during the discussion. It will be a two part grade of their participation/engagement in the panel and how well their ideas are represented in their well written paper.