This is the Way We Eat Our Lunch

A Book About Children Around the WorldBy: Edith Baer

Illustrated By: Steve Bjorkman

Cyberlesson by: Kimberly L. Fry

www.amazon.comhttp://niconiko.kweto.com/library_books/images/This%20is%20the%20way%20we%20eat%20our%20lunch.jpg (book

image)

• Have you ever wondered about foods that other people eat?

• Have you ever wondered if someone in Japan eats different food than you do?

• Do you eat the same foods as your friends?

• In this story, you will learn about different kinds of foods that are eaten in other parts of the world.

Materials• This is the Way We Eat Our Lunch by: Edith Baer

• Computer

• Pencil

• Crayons

• Worksheet and Parent Letter

Before ReadingYou will be learning all about foods from around the

world.

As you listen to the name of each food, decide if it is a real food or made up.

If you think it is real, draw a in the box.If you think it is fake, draw a in the box.

Click on the apple tree to get your paper.

During ReadingListen while I read you This is the Way We Eat Our

Lunch: A Book About Children Around the World. Keep your prediction paper in front of you. Check

your predictions as we go. Have any of your thoughts changed? Track what you learned in the

“I found out…” column.

Remember: Put a if it IS a real food, and a if you find out that it is NOT a real food.

After Reading

Food is tasty and important! It helps us to be healthy and feel good. But many children don’t have enough to eat! Could you and your

friend think of a way to help?

Buddy Up!

With your partner, think of a way that our class could help children who don’t have enough food. Draw a picture and write a sentence to explain your

thoughts.

When you are finished, click on the banana to help feed children around the world.

Beyond ReadingWe have learned all about different kinds of foods that are enjoyed around

the world. Now lets think more locally!

What is your favorite food? Do you think your favorite is the same as the person who is sitting next to you?

We will make a class cookbook! What is your favorite food that you and your family eat at home? For your homework, you must bring home the parent letter explaining our project. You will bring in the recipe for your favorite

food. We will gather all our recipes together and create a class cookbook.

Click on the letter to get your homework assignment.

RubricCategory 4 3 2 1

Cooperation

Worked cooperatively with partner all the time with no need for adult

intervention.

Worked cooperatively with partner most of time but had a few problems that the team resolved themselves.

Worked cooperatively with partner most of the time, but had one problem that required adult intervention.

Worked cooperatively with partners some of the time, but had several problems that required adult intervention.

Use of Time

Used time well during each class period (as shown by observation by teacher, and completion of prediction sheet) with no adult reminders.

Used time well during most class periods (as shown by observation by teacher, and completion of prediction sheet) with no adult reminders

Used time well (as shown by observation by teacher and completion of prediction sheet), but required adult reminders on one or more occasions to do so.

Used time poorly (as shown by observation by teacher and/or lack of completion of prediction sheet) in spite of several adult reminders to do so.

ContentAll content is in the students' own words and is accurate.

Almost all content is in the students' own words and is accurate.

At least half of the content is in the students' own words and is accurate.

Less than half of the content is in the students' own words and/or is

accurate. Teacher note: Click on the gold star for a copy of the rubric.

Credit PageBaer, Edith. (1995). This is the Way We Eat Our Lunch: A Book About Children Around the World. NY: Scholastic.

www.amazon.com (ordering possibilities)

http://niconiko.kweto.com/library_books/images/This%20is%20the%20way%20we%20eat%20our%20lunch.jpg (book image)

http://www.thehungersite.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/CTDSites (world hunger site)

“It feels fun!” 

 “It rocks!  I liked predicting and then finding out!” 

 “Awesome!” 

 “I liked working with a partner on the project.”

It feels fun!” 

 “It rocks!  I liked predicting and then finding out!” 

 “Awesome!” 

 “I loved getting the recipe and seeing everyone else’s!”

 “I liked working with a partner on the project.”

2.How did your students respond to the project? My students truly loved this project!  They were actively engaged and participating.  The use of the Smart Board also acted as a “hook” to pull them in.  When children want a chance to come work at the Smart Board, they behave better so as not to lose their turn.  They enjoyed having technology combined with literature.  They also responded well when having to buddy up and devise a way to help others who may be hungry.  My students also indicated that they enjoyed making predictions and then having to listen closely to the story to find out if their predictions were indeed correct.  One of my students said, “I feel like a mystery person, you know, a detective…on the second column (the “I Found Out” column on the activity sheet) because I had to listen closely to find out the truth!”  Other comments were,

 “It feels fun!” 

 •“It rocks!  I liked predicting and then finding out!” 

 •“Awesome!” 

 •“I loved getting the recipe and seeing everyone else’s!”

 •“I liked working with a partner on the project.”

Strengths?

The strengths of this lesson are that it motivated my children to listen, participate, learn and be actively involved in thinking more globally.  It also gave them an opportunity to learn more about one another’s likes, dislikes, commonalities and differences.  In addition, this lesson actively involved the children in using technology in the classroom.  The use of technology can easily seem like one more thing to “fit in” in an already jam packed curriculum.  I appreciated the fact that this project helped integrate technology into what we already do.

Weaknesses?

There were no real ‘weaknesses’ in the lesson, but a difficulty in preparing a lesson like this for first graders is finding websites that are appropriate for such young children, especially ones relating to a topic such as world hunger.  The hunger website did work out well, though.  Once the children understood how the money was raised (by the advertisements) they could see how clicking on a website could help actually provide people with food.  My children ask everyday to click on the website.  This makes them feel like they are doing something to help others.  Besides finding appropriate websites, this lesson was extremely successful.