Grades 3 Breaking Bread in Our Community Driving Question

Essential Question: How can we plan and prepare a meal to feed people in our
community? Commented [MOU1]: PBL Gold Standard: Challenging
Problem or Question
Project Description: In this project, students will partner with a local organization to plan a
large-scale “community supper” type meal for members of the community. This meal could
serve one of several possible purposes:
• Feeding hungry community members
• Honoring a specific group of people (elders, firefighters, volunteers)
• Celebrating or commemorating a special event
• Building neighborhood connections
• Fundraising for a cause Given a budget and an estimated number of attendees, students
research recipes and food prices and identify quantities and costs of ingredients to develop a
reasonable and actionable plan for the meal.

Students will need to research various organizations in the community to decide the organization
that would be the best fit to partner with to plan and serve a meal for. Next, students will be able Commented [MOU2]: PBL Gold Standard: Sustained
to discuss and decide themselves which organization they want to partner with. Final Product(s) Inquiry
PBL Gold Standard: Authenticity
Students develop a written plan for the event that includes a menu and detailed, itemized
shopping list with prices and totals. If possible, they help to shop and prepare/serve the food and Commented [MOU3]: PBL Gold Standard: Student Voice
and Choice
share their learning with attendees at the community meal. Through this process, students will
need to work within budget constraints and resource limitations to collaborate and problem-solve
with their peers. They will need to evaluate what type of impact they are making within the
community with their efforts and end product. After the meal, students will utilize their notes to
summarize and reflect upon their experience in developing a presentation in groups of 5. The Commented [MOU4]: PBL Gold Standard: Reflection
presentation will be given to classmates to where students will give and receive constructive
feedback on their project presentation. Using the feedback received from the classroom Commented [MOU5]: PBL Critique and Revision
presentation, students will further develop their presentation to present to their school on their
experience. Commented [MOU6]: PBL Gold Standard: Public Product

Key Standards*
Common Core State Standards—MATHEMATICS
• 3.OA.C.7: Fluently multiply and divide within 100, using strategies such as the relationship
between multiplication and division (e.g., knowing that 8 × 5 = 40, one knows 40 ÷ 5 = 8) or
properties of operations. By the end of grade 3, know from memory all products of two one-digit
numbers.
• 3.OA.D.8: Solve two-step word problems using the four operations. Represent these problems
using equations with a letter standing for the unknown quantity. Assess the reasonableness of
answers using mental computation and estimation strategies including rounding. Common Core
State Standards—ELA/LITERACY
• W.3.2: Write informative/ explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and
information clearly.
• W.3.7: Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic.
• W.3.8: Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital
sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories.
State Standards—SOCIAL STUDIES
• 3rd Grade Standard 1 Choices have consequences. Civics/Government: Demonstrate good
citizenship skills such as showing respect, being responsible, having a positive attitude,
exercising self-discipline, and engaging in conflict resolution.
• 3rd Grade Standard 5 Relationships between people, place, idea, and environments are dynamic.
Civics/Government: Identify common problems or needs within your school or community and
participate and persevere in problem solving.

Bringing This Project To Life:

Use these questions to consider how you might make this project authentic and meaningful for
all of your students. Consider Your Students
• What types of food do your students, their families, and other members of the community
prefer to eat? Are there any dietary restrictions or allergies that you might need to consider?
• What might your students know about food insecurity or community services? How can you be
mindful of varied student experiences while maintaining student privacy and social/emotional
safety?
• What do you think will most excite your students about this project? How can you leverage that
excitement to engage students more deeply in the mathematical content? Consider the Context
• What local organizations (e.g., religious organizations, soup kitchens, Food Not Bombs,
community centers) already host events such as these? How might you partner with these
organizations to host this event or to leverage authentic expertise?
• If the budget for food and materials is not provided by the local partner, how will you fund this
project? What benefits or challenges might be associated with engaging students in the
fundraising process or charging a fee and/ or accepting donations from meal attendees? Are there
other funding sources (e.g., Donors Choose, local education foundations) that you might be able
to use as resources?
• What technological tools are available for students to conduct research, publish their plans, and
publicize the event? Consider the Content and Skills
• Where in this project can you find authentic opportunities to scaffold and assess students’
number and operations skills? What additional lessons and practice opportunities might you need
to provide?
• How can you use manipulatives and drawings to help students model the authentic
mathematical challenges they encounter during this unit?
• What primary source materials might you provide to support students’ research on food prices,
quantities, and recipes?
• What specific collaboration or communication skills might you want to teach and assess
through this project? How will you scaffold these skills?