Description:
In Chapter Five, Food Journeys in Pathways 1 by Mari Vargo & Laurie Blass there are several activities that relate to food in some way, shape, or form. One activity in particular calls for the student to brainstorm what some dishes are common in their own country or culture. This task calls for brainstorming and communicating, because after making a list the student shares it with a conversation partner. Making the list has a low level of difficulty but conversing about the list may be higher in difficulty.
Strengths:
The strengths of this activity are:
The student responds in list form, and there is already a template on the text. This kind of question makes student reflect on their own culture and may seem less intimidating or as hard of a task to tackle. In addition, most foods they list will be in their own native language and that should also make the task easier to complete.
Weaknesses:
The weaknesses of this activity are:
While the task calls for brainstorming, there isn’t much critical thinking involved. As said, most of the foods a student lists would be in their own native language and therefor they are not learning new materials or new vocabulary in the target language (English).
revised activity:
Objectives: Students will be able to list dishes and foods of their own culture and discuss with a partner, as well as analyze a menu from an American restaurant and list the most ‘popular’ dishes are.
Instructions:
A.List some dishes that are popular in your culture. When finished, share and discuss with a partner.
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B. Look at the menu of the American restaurant Mrs. Wilkes http://mrswilkes.com/menu/ and list some popular meats or veggies. Discuss with your partner whether any of the foods on the menu are also present in your own culture. For example, in Korea they also eat a lot of fried chicken, but they tend to double fry and add lot’s of sauce.
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Materials