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Promoting staple foods

Promoting staple foods

Introduction In this unit students will explore the culinary and nutritional properties of different staple foods. Students will enhance their skills in healthy menu planning, safe food preparation and appealing food presentation and further their knowledge of persuasive influences of food marketing and advertising. Students will learn vocabulary including: staple foods, pathos, logos, and ethos (persuasive advertising terminology). Key Messages

• We can read and interpret labels, find reliable nutrition information and budget our money to plan and select healthy, affordable food and drinks.

• We can plan and prepare safe, healthy food and drinks to reflect particular dietary requirements, cultural and societal influences.

This unit will enable students to:

• Investigate relationships between how food is processed, prepared and distributed and impacts on nutrient value

• Explore and critique persuasive influences on food choices, for example, advertising, marketing, promotions and health and nutrition claims.

• Research and apply budgeting skills to plan healthy meal and snack choices. • Plan and safely prepare snacks, meals and drinks that reflect particular dietary

requirements, cultural and societal influences.

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Links to the Australian Curriculum Main learning area: DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGIES*

Australian curriculum

strands Australian curriculum content descriptions

Design and Technologies knowledge and understanding

Analyse how characteristics and properties of food determine preparation techniques and presentation when designing solutions for healthy eating (ACTDEK033)

Critique needs or opportunities for designing and investigate, analyse and select from a range of materials, components, tools, equipment and processes to develop design ideas (ACTDEP035) Generate, develop, test and communicate design ideas, plans and processes for various audiences using appropriate technical terms and technologies including graphical representation techniques (ACTDEP036) Effectively and safely use a broad range of materials, components, tools, equipment and techniques to make designed solutions (ACTDEP037) Independently develop criteria for success to assess design ideas, processes and solutions and their sustainability (ACTDEP038) Use project management processes when working individually and collaboratively to coordinate production of designed solutions (ACTDEP039).

Design and Technologies processes and production skills

Year 7-8 Design and Technologies Achievement Standard

By the end of Year 8 students explain factors that influence the design of products, services and environments to meet present and future needs. They explain the contribution of design and technology innovations and enterprise to society. Students explain how the features of technologies impact on designed solutions and influence design decisions for each of the prescribed technologies contexts. Students create designed solutions for each of the prescribed technologies contexts based on an evaluation of needs or opportunities. They develop criteria for success, including sustainability considerations, and use these to judge the suitability of their ideas and designed solutions and processes. They create and adapt design ideas, make considered decisions and communicate to different audiences using appropriate technical terms and a range of technologies and graphical representation techniques. Students apply project management skills to document and use project plans to manage production processes. They independently and safely produce effective designed solutions for the intended purpose. *Based on Australian Curriculum Technologies, version 6, 18 Feb 2014.

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General capabilities The Australian Curriculum describes seven general capabilities which extend across each learning area. Their relevance to learning tasks in this unit is indicated below:

Learning Task Literacy Numeracy ICT capability

Critical and creative thinking

Ethical understanding

Personal and social capability

Intercultural understanding

Staple the menu

Mystery meal

Advertising guru

You won’t find a better deal anywhere else!

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Unit Overview Some learning tasks require food preparation and cooking. Before commencing:

• Check students do not have allergies or sensitivities to foods used. • Ensure included food and drinks are culturally acceptable. • Refer to food and drinks from other cultures in relevant class discussions. • Discuss food hygiene and safety practices, for example, always wash your hands

before touching food and do not use sharp knives without adult supervision.

Most learning tasks require prior preparation; therefore refer to Resources needed list below before commencing each learning task.

Learning Task Suggested time allocation

Resources needed

Introducing Key Messages

1. Staple the menu PART A: 60 mins THEORY PART B: 60 mins PRACTICAL

• Rice, soybeans, barley, wheat flour– small portion of each

• Corn, potato and sweet potato – 1 of each

• Staple the menu Activity sheet – 1 per group

• Internet access • Rice cooker or stove access • Cooking utensils

• Cooking utensils and equipment • Ingredients for rice recipe of teacher’s

choice or Rainbow rice or Cheesy rice fritters recipes (optional)

Developing Key Messages

2. Mystery meal PART A: 60 mins THEORY

• Non-see-through bag or box • Sweet potatoes, potatoes and corn

cobs • Making a recipe Activity sheet - 2 per

pair (optional) • Internet access • Zucchini and corn fritters, spicy sweet

potato soup with chili and coriander or mixed herb and roast potato salad recipes (optional)

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PART B: 60 mins PRACTICAL

• Cooking utensils and equipment • Ingredients for selected recipes • Taste buds evaluation Activity sheet- 1

per student

3. Advertising guru 60 minutes THEORY

• Advertising guru Activity sheet – 1 per class or 1 per student

• Paper, textas, pencils and any other required materials for designing a print advertisement

• Internet access Reflecting Key Messages

4. You won’t find a better deal anywhere else!

20 minutes THEORY

• Print advertisements from learning task three

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Teacher Information Learning Task Useful information and resources to deliver this Learning Task

1. Staple the menu • Staple foods vary across different countries but typically they are

inexpensive, readily produced and available locally. • Staples are a major source of energy in the diet and provide a significant

proportion of carbohydrates, protein and/ or fats. • Staple foods may be from plants (most common) animals or fish. • Early civilisations and many developing countries today strongly value

cereal or root vegetable staple foods because they not only provide essential nutrients but generally store well for long periods.

• Staple foods include wheat, barley, rye, maize, rice, root vegetables like potatoes and yams, rye, soybeans and oats

2. Mystery meal • This learning task introduces students to written presentation of recipes. • The BBC Good Food website provides some helpful hints regarding

writing recipes which you may wish to discuss with the class http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/how-write-recipe

• Refer to the Australian Dietary Guidelines and Australian Guide to Healthy Eating Teacher information sheets for healthy diet information.

• For more comprehensive information see Eat for Health: Educator Guide http://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/sites/default/files/files/the_guidelines/n55b_eat_for_health_educators_guide.pdf

• Refer to the Food hygiene and safety practices Teacher information sheet for further information.

3. Advertising guru • See persuasive advertising techniques at http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/video/persuasive-techniques-advertising-1166.html (5:54)

4. You won’t find a better deal anywhere else!

• No additional information required

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Introducing Key Messages Learning Task One: Staple the menu

PART A: THEORY

1. Display small bowls of rice, soybeans, barley and wheat flour along with a corn cob, potato and sweet potato.

2. Circulate foods around the class allowing students closer inspection. Ask:

o Can anyone tell me what these foods have in common? o Do any of you eat one or more of these foods regularly in your diet?

3. Explain these foods are called staple foods. See Teacher information for common

characteristics. Staple foods include wheat, barley, rye, maize, rice, root vegetables like potatoes and yams, rye, soybeans and oats.

4. Distribute Staple the menu Activity sheet to each student. 5. Each student is to select a staple food to investigate and complete the Staple the menu

Activity sheet individually. To simplify the task, narrow the investigation to potatoes, wheat or rice.

6. Explain in the next lesson students will prepare and cook a recipe using rice as the staple ingredient.

7. Demonstrate to class how to cook white and brown rice using boiling and steaming methods. Focus on the different nutritional value, amount of water required per cup of rice, cooking time and finished taste and texture.

PART B: PRACTICAL

1. Place students in pairs. 2. Students are to cook a rice recipe of your choice. For ideas see the rainbow rice or

cheesy rice fritter recipes included in this unit. 3. Distribute a copy of the selected recipe to each pair. 4. In pairs, students prepare the rice recipe. 5. Remind students to practice the Four Cs (clean, cook, chill, cover) of food safety whilst

preparing their recipe.

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6. Students taste test their recipe and answer the following questions in their workbook:

o How would you describe the appearance? taste? texture? aroma? o If you were to make this recipe again, what would you do differently? o Overall, are you satisfied with your dish? What would you rate it out of 10?

Variation of Learning Task One • Have half the class cook rice recipe with white rice and the other with brown. Have

students assess the two versions for appearance, taste, texture and aroma. Take a vote on the preferred version.

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Developing Key Messages Learning Task Two: Mystery meal PART A: THEORY

1. Place several sweet potatoes, potatoes and corn cobs into a mystery bag or box (use non-see-through material) at the front of the class. (Need to have equivalent to one food item per pair in the bag/box).

2. Place students in pairs. 3. One person from each pair blindly selects one food item from the bag/box. 4. Explain to students, in their pairs they are to research two light meals which could be

created using their selected staple food. 5. Students must write both recipes in a similar format to the Making a recipe Activity

sheet. They can record their finalised recipes directly onto this Activity sheet or in their workbook.

6. Explain as well as including their selected staple food, recipes found should not include any more than 6 ingredients and meet the following nutritional criteria:

Total fat Less than 10g per 100g Saturated fat Less than 3g per 100g Sugar Less than 15 g per 100g Sodium Less than 400mg per 100g

7. Students are to evaluate the nutritional content of their recipes against the above criteria using the Food Standards Australian and New Zealand website’s nutrition panel calculator: http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/industry/npc/Pages/Nutrition-Panel-Calculator-introduction.aspx

8. Explain this nutrition panel calculator is designed to help food manufacturers calculate the average nutrient content of their food products and to prepare a nutrition information panel. Note that quantities need to be expressed in grams or mls when using the calculator.

Ask:

o Based on this information, do you think your proposed recipes are healthy choices?

9. Each pair is to hand in their ‘favourite’ of their two selected recipes. 10. Review these as a class and select 1-2 recipes which can be prepared in the next

lesson. If two recipes are chosen, have half the class cook one and the other half cook the other.

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11. If the recipes found are not suitable, the zucchini and corn fritters, spicy sweet potato soup with chili coriander cream and mixed herb and roast potato salad recipe provided can be used. Note only the last recipe meets criteria for 6 ingredients

PART B: PRACTICAL

12. Place students in pairs. 13. Distribute a copy of the selected recipe from Learning task two Part A to each pair.

Modifications to ingredient quantities may be required depending on how many the recipe is to serve.

14. In their pairs, students prepare the selected recipe. 15. Remind students to practice the Four Cs (clean, cook, chill, cover) of food safety whilst

preparing their meal. 16. Students evaluate their finished product for appearance, aroma, texture and taste using

the evaluation cards from Taste buds evaluation Activity sheet. 17. Students evaluate their own and meals of three other pairs using these criteria.

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Learning Task Three: Advertising guru THEORY

1. Watch the following video which describes persuasive techniques used in advertising. http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/video/persuasive-techniques-advertising-1166.html (5:54)

2. As a class discuss some of the key messages mentioned in the video. 3. Record these on the board. 4. Display Advertising guru Activity sheet on the interactive white board or distribute a

copy to each student. 5. Explain colour plays a large part in advertisements. It is important to consider the

message you want to portray when selecting colours to use in your advertisement. 6. Discuss some of the meanings of colours in advertising highlighted on the

Advertising guru Activity sheet. 7. Explain students are to design a print advertisement for the meal they prepared in

learning task two Part B. This can be designed using paper and pencils or computer.

8. Remind students during ad development to keep in mind key messages from the video and the role colours play in advertising.

9. Students should also consider the following when developing their print advertisement:

o Target audience o Food packaging – how could this meal be conveniently packaged for the

consumer? o Cost – what is the cost of ingredients for one serve? What other costs may

determine the selling price?

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Reflecting on Key Messages Learning Task Four: You won’t find a better deal anywhere else!

THEORY

1. In groups of 4, students are to try to ‘sell’ their recipe from learning task two Part B to other members of their group.

2. Allocate each student 2 minutes to ‘sell’ their meal. Encourage students to focus on aspects such as price, freshness, convenience, taste and nutritional content.

3. Print advertisements developed in learning task three may be used to help ‘sell’ the meal.

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Additional activities Classroom

o Invite a marketing coordinator from a local food producer or business to discuss with the class how they market their products.

o Watch the You Tube clip Food Ad Tricks: Helping Kids Understand Food Ads on TV http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUjz_eiIX8k. Discuss the television food advertising tricks mentioned and any additional ones students think may be used.

o Whole school o Display print advertisements developed in learning task three around the school

for other students and staff to view. o Hold a school cultural day with an emphasis on staple foods.