teaching teachers food: cultures, subcultures, and modern ya issues
TRANSCRIPT
TEACHING TEACHERSFood: Cultures, Subcultures, and Modern YA Issues
WHAT WAS THE PROJECT?
Design a cultural studies unit encompassing four class sessions that helps future educators learn about teaching food in a literature classroom.
Total Class Time: 6 hours, 40 minutes
Total Students/Future Educators: 8
UNIT GOALS
Help future teachers… teach about food and culture, including the
importance of food in different ethnic traditions. address food issues in the lives of adolescents
including obesity and eating disorders. help secondary students eat healthier, including
understanding health issues surrounding fast food. find and examine examples of food in literature. teach the dangers of alcohol and its appropriate
cultural use.*
THE UNIT TEXTS: BOOKS
Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Skin and Bones by Sherry Shahan
THE UNIT TEXTS: ARTICLES
“Anorexia Nervosa: The More It Grows, the More It Starves” by Katherine O. Oldis
“Books That Cook: Teaching Food and Food Literature in the English Classroom” by Jennifer Cognard-Black and Melissa A. Goldthwaite
“Food Memoirs: What They Are, Why They Are Popular, and Why They Belong in the Literature Classroom” by Barbara Frey Waxman
“Whale as a Dish: Culinary Rhetoric and the Discourse of Power in Moby Dick” by Robert T. Tally Jr.
ADDITIONAL SOURCES:
Excerpts from Thin (the print version) directed by Lauren Greenfield
A student writing sample from Tom Romano’s book Blending Genre, Altering Style entitled, “December 10, 1996”.
Eating Disorder Statistics
WHAT DID WE DO? – THE EXPECTED
Opening Activity: Illustrate (through drawing or words) your relationship to food.
Other Activities:
Fill in a US and World Map with food associations
Search for examples of food in literature.
Examination of food in media
What do you eat? Habits?
WHAT DID WE DO? – THE EXPECTED
Class Discussion:
Personal Relationships with Food
Personal Eating Habits
Stereotypes and Associations
Articles and Novels
Using the Examples We Found
WHAT DID WE DO? – THE EXPECTEDClass Discussion:
Incorporation of Media
Chipotle Advertisements
Food, Inc clip
Jamie Oliver Clips
Healthy Eating and Body Image
School/Teacher Responsibilities
WHAT DID WE TALK ABOUT? THE EXPECTED AND UNEXPECTEDThe Influence of Family* Health, Exercise, and Weight*
Food Origins Organic vs. Inorganic Foods
Culture * Businesses
Memories/Adolescent Experiences Acquired Tastes/Preferences
Food Mistakes Food as Rebellion
Personal Rituals/Meal Times Influence of Spouses/Significant Others
Recipes Taboos*
Allergies/Medical Conditions* Food Accommodations
Religion* Socio-Economic Class*
MUCH TO OUR SURPRISE…!
Humans have extensive connections to food. (Culture, Religion, Class, Health, Etc.)
We internalize ideas of food due to personal, familial, and friendship experiences.
The concept of food includes the importance of medical considerations. (Allergies, Intolerances, etc.)
It is important for the teacher to demonstrate healthy habits, including eating and self-perception.
HOW DID WE HELP THEM PREPARE?
In-depth thought about themselves as individuals, family
members, and consumers.
Recognition of stereotypes and their effects.
Exploration of the effects of food on daily life for adults and
adolescents.
Garnered information about eating disorders, their detection, and
their treatment, and their prevalence.
Creation of annotated bibliography of useful resources (across
genres) that would help them teach about food in literature.