food systems STEM module plan

STEM module

FOOD SYSTEMS

The issues around our food system are something we can touch every day because all of us are a part of food systemsbut unfortunately most people ignore its economic,social, and environmental dimensions.

Essential question: How could you help your local community link their food choices to the economic, social and environmental dimensions of food systems?

STEM

module

Open a meaningful conversation about food and sustainability so students develop that food systems involve a complex set of interactions that work together and influence multiple outcomes including our health, the environment, and the economy.

Learning Objectives:

Aim:

• Assemble the interconnected parts of a food system.

• Define what's a food system.

• Recognize the connection between food systems and climate change.

• Identify the economic, social and environmental dimensions of food systems.

• Be aware of the adoption of healthy food choices for both their health and the health of the planet.

• Illustrate a map of a food system by using ICT applications.

• Adopt a positive attitude towards STEM as learning approach.

• Analyze the path of food from farm to fork.

• Measure the influences of food systems to health, environment, and economy.

• List the interconnected parts of a food system.

• Recall former knowledge in the topic.

• Relate the interconnected parts of a food system with their lives.

• Compare different food systems.

FOOD SYSTEMS

Present your map via a poster or infographic

Read carefully your task on the WebQuest

Cooperate in a creative wayand create your map

Pay attention to ALL the resources

Brainstorming: What is called "system"? What is a food system? trying to recall knowledge, underline keywords, composs answers so to definite what is a food system

1

2

1st and 2nd Week - 4hours

STEM

module

Research: Which are the interconnected parts of the food system?

Can you give examples of food systems?Students map out all the food system's interconnected parts.

3

Students pass through the "system" definition to food systems and analyze it to its interconnected parts by thinking all the activities that have to be done while food begins its trip from land to our fork. While maping out their food systems they encouraged to keep notes and draw some subquestions -related mostly to the processes, and the resources that support them- for analyzing in the following weeks in order to give an answer to the essential question.

The phase of orientation, the emergence of ideas and prior knowledge

The phase of reconstruction, implementation and review of ideas

The phase of consolidation of ideas, evaluation / self-evaluation.

At this stage our goal is to arouse the interest and curiosity of the students for the topic that we will have to investigate, while at the same time we detect their prior knowledge regarding basic concepts Apps to be used: mentimeter, lino.it This will be followed by a discussion based to the answers given so to cover possible cognitive gaps and finally a meaningful presentation on the definition of food system.

At this stage our goal is to ponder students regarding food categories and help them discover new knowledge. Material: WebQuest Students are called to work in mixed transnational teams under a mentor teacher "asynchronously". Through the various stages of WebQuest they will have the opportunity to: -delve deeper and analyze food system to its interconnected parts, -identify subcategories to each part, -appraise possible influences related to our question,etc. Mentor teachers encourage them to pay special attention to answer all the questions of WebQuest in order to finally produce a poster or infographic where as much information as possible will be displayed. It becomes clear that they have to follow timeline so to be ready to present their final product to the other teams during the planned sychronous meeting. They are also instructed to take notes on the progress of the investigation , to record their conclusions, to ask their own questions, to make a self-assessment and to experiment using the means at their disposal.

At this stage our goal is to consolidate the new ideas. With the data recorded in the first phase and the knowledge acquired in the second phase, they are asked to map a food system.

Research-based, constructive student-centered online tool that encourage students to find, analyze, classify, synthesize, and evaluate information from the Internet and incorporate new ideas into established knowledge structures, producing a final product. By using WebQuests, active learning will be enhanced and through teamwork and self-action students will be led to acquire new knowledge and skills.

FOOD SYSTEMS

Students follow the path of food and identify:-where and how people are involved,-how their daily food choices influence and are influenced by the food system, and -how this involvement influences to their lives and communities.They will also develop that there are different food systems behind each one of their food choices.

How does the food system affect me?In which way do you participate in the food system? Why does the food system matter to my community?

STEM

module

During these 4 hours students will explore data collected about food systems and develop the basic knowledge on:1. how & where food is grown and produced, 2. introduce local and global food systems,3. intentify people who represent various aspects of the food system,4. think critically of their food choices and food advertising,5. wonder of ingredients/substances their favorite food is made of, how it’s transferred, and if it’s safe & healthy, etc6. link their food choices with health, and economy of their communities.

Students develop how humans are part of food system and how this influence to them.

3rd and 4th Week - 4hours

Each team represents a step of food system

Students work on transnational teams

In this way students will identify major activities in the food system and people who may participate in these activities.They will also develop the ways that they participate in the food system.

Students work individually

Each one has to draw the path of his/her favorite food item

In this way students will identify the differences between each food journey and will give us the chance to introduce basic terms like local, regional, global food systems and also food milestones and footprint. They will also develop some more knowledge for answering our essential question.

FOOD SYSTEMS

What are local, regional, global, and community food systems?

STEM

module

5th and 6th Week - 4hours

Students develop that food systems can be local, regional, or global, depending on how far the food travelled to reach the consumer and are called to focus on each one's impacts to economy,health and environment.

What means sustainability of the global food system?

Brainstorm things that could be changed about the food system to encourage SUSTAINABILITY. Encourage students to keep their notes for module 8.

Back to the Essential question: Which are the economic, social and environmental dimensions of food systems?

Students present their ideas. There's an introduction to SDGs and then students are called to match their findings to SDGs. We discuss these, fill missed ones and then introduce the FOOD 2030 AGENDA.