Just Right Stew - Classroom Cookbook

Grade: First Grade Suggested Activity Timing: Before or after a Grandparents Day event. CT State Standards: Language Arts: 1.1 Students use appropriate strategies before, during and after reading in order to construct meaning. 1.2 Students interpret, analyze and evaluate text in order to extend understanding and appreciation. Social Studies: 2.3 Create various forms of written work (e.g., journal, essay, blog, Web page, brochure) to demonstrate an understanding of history and social studies issues. 2.3 Create various forms of written work (e.g., journal, essay, blog, Web page, brochure) to demonstrate an understanding of history and social studies issues. What You Need: "Real" cookbooks; computer or typewriter; paper; markers and/or pencil crayons; three-hole punch; binder. Doing It: Food plays a major role in most families. People love the first illustration in Something to Remember Me By -- a big, sunny, bright, warm kitchen -- because it evokes food memories. Food is a way to communicate. It's a way to celebrate cultural heritage, build family traditions, bring a family together during a holiday, and forge a bond through the simple act of sharing it. Creating a Classroom Cookbook encourages children to share their own family food history, compare different traditions and cultures, and develop basic research skills. The end result of a cookbook is also a source of pride and accomplishment. Start by sharing some storybooks that deal with food and its various roles in relationships across generations: The Chicken Salad Club by Marsha Diane Arnold; The Borrowed Hanukkah Latkes by Linda Glaser; Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco; Dumpling Soup by Jama Kim Rattigan; Just Right Stew by Karen English Talk about children's favorite food -- something special that their parents or grandparents make. Do you know whether any recipes have been preserved in your family from past generations? What was their origin? How were they passed down -- by word of mouth, by observation, in writing? Are they still made today? When? By whom? Have you ever helped make them? How does your family prepare for and celebrate special holidays? Does grandma's apple pie taste as good when your mom makes it? Children may not know all the answers to these questions, but they will get them thinking about food traditions in their family. Next, look at some "real cookbooks." What do they contain? How are they written? What do you need to include in a recipe? What are the illustrations like? Look through the categories used in cookbooks to decide on the type of food you might want to focus on for your Classroom Cookbook. For example, it might be a good idea to focus on just desserts or soups to make it easier to compare across different cultures. Everyone in the class then collects their favorite family recipe. When children get the recipe from their parent or grandparent, they can also do a mini-interview, asking the following kinds of questions: - What's the recipe? Are there any special hints for preparing it? - Where did the recipe come from? - Can you remember a time when the dish didn't turn out the way you expected? - What recipe are you famous for? - What would you prepare for a small group? A large group? - What cookbook do you use the most? - What do you remember your mother or grandmother making? - What's the most delicious meal you've ever had? - Are you allergic to any foods? - What foods do you dislike? - Do you know any food proverbs or sayings? - The last question can be a fun addition to the cookbook. You can also post proverbs and sayings about food and cooking on a classroom bulletin board -- "Don't cry over spilt milk", "A watched pot never boils", "Too many cooks spoil the broth", etc. Once all the recipes have been collected, children can each type out a page with their recipe, perhaps some background or family history about it, and an illustration or even a photograph. Three-hole punch each page and put all the pages in a binder. Extension: You can "publish" the cookbook by making photocopies of it. Have a "launch party" with foods from the book (made by children, parents, and grandparents). You can even sell autographed copies. This could be part of a Grandparents Day event.

Modified from website: http://www.legacyproject.org/grandparentsdaykit/part2/gpday2.3.html