You + Me = Us

Home Economics Unit

The aim of this unit is to help pupils to understand what culture is, how it is developed individually, within family networks and nationally from country to country. They will develop an understanding how food plays a significant role in different cultures and develop practical skills to produce selected dishes.

Key Questions:

Developing Thinking Skills and Personal Capabilities

Developing the Key Concepts of Healthy Eating and Independent Living

  • Valuing other people's ideas to stimulate own thinking
  • Using all the senses to stimulate and contribute to ideas
    (Being Creative)
  • Respecting the views and opinions of others
  • Listening actively and sharing opinions (Working with Others)
  • Selecting most appropriate information for task
  • Using own and others ideas to locate sources of information
    (Managing Information)
Develop practical skills in the safe, hygienic, healthy and creative use of food to plan, prepare, cook and serve a range of meals.

Investigate a range of factors that influence consumer choices and decisions.

 

What is culture?

Learning Intentions
Pupils are learning …

Possible Learning, Teaching and Assessment Activities

…to understand what culture is.

Being Creative

 

 

Pupils should be introduced to the idea that everyone has a culture. A person’s culture is formed by the way that they have lived their life since they were born. Traditions that are passed on from parents to children will also help to make up culture.

…to understand how an individual’s culture is developed.

Working with Others

 

Pupils could:

  • Think of some traditions that are kept in their family, for example, what happens at birthdays or Christmas?
  • Describe them to a partner.
  • Ask their partner to tell the class about their family’s traditions.
  • As a class brainstorm a list to discuss what makes up a person’s culture, for example, dress, family life, music, language, religion, dance, hairstyles and food.

Teacher led discussion to conclude and summarise the meaning of culture and how it developed.

Managing Information

Using a range of media such as newspapers, magazines, leaflets and the internet, pupils, in groups, should assemble a visual display of images portraying aspects of an individual’s culture. These should include ideas generated through the classroom discussion.

How is culture expressed through food?

Learning Intentions
Pupils are learning …

Possible Learning, Teaching and Assessment Activities

…to find out about the range of foods available from other countries eg, Mexico , China , Italy etc.
Managing Information

 

 

 

 

…to evaluate foods from different countries.

In groups, develop a template to record the range of functional foods that are available from other counties in the local supermarket.

Organise a visit to a local supermarket. In groups allow students to record the range of foods available.

Allow each group to select and buy one product from a country of their choice.

If a visit is not possible, teachers could use on-line shopping facilities, invite a retailer to speak to the class or use the activity as homework.

Back in the classroom allow students to taste the range of products selected by the class.

Pupils should evaluate each product in terms of taste, appearance, texture, smell, ease of preparation and value for money. Findings could be recorded in a chart.

Allow the class to give feedback about the dishes tasted.

…to participate in group research to find out about foods, eating habits and cooking methods of a country/culture different than their own.
Being Creative

In groups of four, pupils choose different countries/cultures to research.

Pupils should:

  • Use a variety of research methods to find out about the foods, cooking methods and eating habits of their chosen country/culture.
  • Present their findings to the rest of their class using PowerPoint, posters, or overhead projector.

…to develop practical skills in the safe, hygienic, healthy and creative use of foods to plan, prepare, cook and serve a dish from their chosen country/culture.
Self-Management
Being Creative

Pupils should:

  • Select two dishes to plan, prepare, cook and serve.
  • Use a digital camera to photograph the group’s final outcome.
  • Pupils should reflect on their own performance within the group, the performance of the group as a whole and the performance of other groups within their class.

 

Links with Key Elements:

Links with Learning for Life and Work  

Cultural Understanding

Citizenship

Mutual Understanding

Local and Global Citizenship
Key Concept - Diversity and Inclusion