Stage 1: Identify Desired Results

Title: Our popular memory of breakfast

Grade: 6th grade geography
Author: Hanna Johnson
Number of Class Periods: 1 class period (could carry over if time permits)

Essential Questions:
- How is consumption influenced by the geographic conditions and connections of
a place?
- How is the consumption of food influenced by culture?
- How are the foods eaten in America similar or different to foods eaten around the
world?

State of Michigan Content Standards:

- G1.1.1 Use a variety of geographic tools (maps, globes, and web-based geography
technology) to analyze the world at global, regional, and local scales.
- G1.2.4 Use images as the basis for answering geographic questions about the
human and physical characteristics of places and major world regions.
- G4.1.4 Explain how culture influences the daily lives of people.

Related Skills:
- P1.1 Use appropriate strategies to read and interpret basic social science tables,
graphs, graphics, maps, and texts.
- P2.2. Evaluate data presented in social science tables, graphs, graphics, maps and
texts.

Learning Objectives:
- Investigate how geographical conditions, connections and culture influence what
is consumed in various places around the world
- Compare and contrast how breakfast is consumed around the world
- Interpret various texts to understand the influence of various factors on what is
consumed in a place
- Appreciate diversity

Content Rationale:
The content underlying this lesson is significant for multiple reasons. The lesson uses the
popular memory of breakfast and what constitutes as breakfast foods to add complexity
to this basic idea. Focusing upon what is consumed for breakfast worldwide provides a
lens for which students can engage with the relationship between food consumption and a
place’s geographical conditions and connections. The lesson provides students the
opportunity to continue developing strategies to read maps and to analyze various texts in
order to provide rationale for their claims. The content aims for students to understand a
place’s geographical conditions and connections influences how people live. The lesson
also asks students to both develop a better appreciation for cultural diversity and to
further grapple with the connectedness of our world.
Instructional Strategy Rationale:

This lesson is primarily inquiry-based as students are investigating how geography

influences what is consumed around the world. To begin the lesson, students are asked to
work with partners to begin thinking about the essential questions within the context they
are most similar with. Students work in partners here as the next portion of the lesson is
fairly teacher-led. It is important that before students are asked to engage with the
material on their own that they have received significant modeling in regards to text
interpretation and the analysis necessary to make a claim and provide evidence. This
portion of the lesson is also teacher-led to ensure that the lens for which students are
engaging is one of curiosity and respectfulness rather than one of disgust as they are
being exposed to ideas that are culturally quite different than they are used to. This
portion of the lesson is quite intentional as it allows for the teacher to set-up the dialogue
and expectations meaningfully. The lesson also asks students to make a claim and
provide evidence using various text resources; thus, building upon students’ ability to
communicate with peers, make formal arguments and critically analyze. Ideally, this
portion of the lesson could also utilize the instructional strategy of a jigsaw. However, in
order to save time student groups will be asked to share out their findings to the entire
class instead. Sharing out as a whole group might also provide an environment where
students are able to better understand the relationship between food consumption and
geography rather than being primarily concerned with teaching others their one piece of
evidence. Thus, the strategy might add complexity and increase student understanding
towards the essential questions of the lesson.

Background and Context:

This lesson allows students to think more critically about how a place’s geographical
conditions and connections influence how people live. Prior to this lesson, students have
been exposed to several ideas and concepts which are important for understanding the
context of this lesson. First off, students have been working to increase their map reading
skills, specifically identifying spatial patterns on maps and the purpose/perspective of
various maps. This lesson allows students another opportunity to work on their map
reading skills and also provides some scaffolding to help model this process. The lessons
directly before this one, focused upon two different concepts which can help students
better understand the relationship between geographic conditions and food production:
climate zones and physical features of a place. This lesson will connect to the upcoming
lessons as they focus upon how the physical conditions of a place represent both
challenges and benefits to those who live there. Thus, this lesson provides a transition for
which students can begin to see how a place’s geographic conditions influence those who
live there in a neutral sense. The later lessons, build upon this lesson and have students
think more critically about how this relationship can be beneficial and/or problematic.
 Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence (Assessment)

Diagnostic/Formative Assessments:
This assignment will be informally assessed through observation. Observing how much
the students participate in the discussion, communicate their reasoning and analyze the
various texts within the lesson will be insightful into their understanding and ability to
grapple with the essential questions of the lesson. Students will also have to complete an
exit ticket at the end which will be used to specifically assess the students’ understanding
on geographic conditions and connections.

Summative Unit Assessments:

This lesson will be included on the unit test. This assessment will likely prompt students
to illuminate upon the geographical conditions and connections of a place and how it
contributes to the lifestyle of those who live there. How this lesson will be incorporated
into the unit test will need to be further discussed with the mentor teacher and is flexible
depending upon how students grapple with the essential questions of this lesson.

Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences (Procedure)

Instructional Strategy (please include estimated time for each step):

 Opening/Activator/Bell Ringer:
o To begin this lesson, students will work with their elbow partner (the
student who sits directly beside them) to discuss and then write down their
answers on a piece of lined paper to the following questions:
 What are some common breakfasts foods?
 Do people around the world eat these foods for breakfast too?
 Why do you think these foods are eaten for breakfast in America or
even in Michigan?
 TOTAL TIME: 3-4 minutes

 Activities:
o PowerPoint: Next, the teacher will debrief the bell-ringer and also provide
some expectations regarding the lens students will need to utilize for the
lesson of the day. The teacher will lead an investigation into what people
eat for breakfast in various parts of the world. The teacher will utilize a
PowerPoint to spark curiosity among the students. It is important for the
teacher to provide a specific framework and expectations for this
investigation.
 First students will look at common foods Americans might eat for
breakfast. (SLIDE 2)
 Next, the teacher will provide a lens for which students are to use
during the lesson. The lesson will look at what children in various
parts of the world eat for breakfast. For each place, we are only
 looking at a single example; thus, it does not mean that everyone in
that region eats exactly this way just as is the case here in the
United States. There are many factors contributing to what a
person eats for breakfast such as income and cultural heritage.
Today, we are specifically looking at the geographical conditions
and connections that impact consumption. (SLIDE 3)
 A portion of an article written by the New York Times will
be read to the students in which it focuses upon the lens for
which students are to engage with this material. With a
curiosity and desire to learn rather than being disgusted
about foods that are very different than those they consume
themselves.
 The teacher will go through the various images of breakfast from
around the world with the students. (SLIDES 4-11)
 Afterwards, the PowerPoint returns the class discussion back to
what is consumed in America. At this point, the teacher will utilize
a few maps and their own reasoning to model their thinking on
why Americans might eat these things for breakfast. At this point,
the teacher is specifically demonstrating strategies to reading maps
and discussing how to find patterns on maps as well. (SLIDES 12-
13)
o TOTAL TIME: 20 minutes
o Group investigation and text analysis
 Next, students will be grouped up (ideally in pairs of three or so)
and be given a specific place and meal from the PowerPoint.
Students will have to use the resources provided to them (an image
of the meal, a description of the meal and several maps of their
place and certain characteristics) to answer several questions to
prompt them to begin thinking about the relationship between
geographical conditions and food consumption.
 Students will receive a worksheet to help guide their
thinking during this activity.
o TOTAL TIME 15-20 minutes
o Group share-out
 The teacher will return to each place and ask the designated group
to share out (if time permitted, could jigsaw this activity).
o TOTAL TIME: 10 minutes

 Anticipated Students Interactions/Questions:

o Students might have questions or be confused with the areas around the
world being discussed as they may have never heard of them and likely
have no idea where they are located such as Malawi.
 To combat this, the teacher should utilize world maps as often as
they can to familiarize students what parts of the world they are
discussing.
 o Students might have difficult reading the meal descriptions as the
language or names of certain foods are foreign to them.
 As the teacher, I have edited these meal descriptions significantly
but it has the potential to still be troubling for some students to
comprehend. Will need to observe how students are handling this
task and may need to intervene if I suspect confusion.
o Some students might challenge the ideas being presented in this lesson,
specifically that peoples’ decisions on what to consume are not entirely
determined by what is grown or produced in that region of the world.
 This is great higher-order thinking, if this happens can demonstrate
that it is true and discuss in-depth the various ways a place’s
geographic conditions and connections influence this decision
(they are capable of trading, culture, etc.). Also if time permits can
begin to discuss these ideas deeper. However, there is a balance
between prompting deeper thinking and confusing the class which
will need to be determined per class hour.
o Students may say something culturally insensitive.
 As a teacher, the set-up in the beginning is very important to try to
prevent this; however, it still certainly could happen and handling
these instances intentionally is very important.

Students will be given the opportunity to ask questions both before the activity begins
and near the end of the activity. Of course, the teacher will also be present to facilitate
and redirect if students are having difficulty or confusion.

 Closing/Summarizer/Exit Ticket:
o Before students are dismissed they will need to complete an exit ticket.
For the exit ticket, students will need to reflect on the lesson and their own
thinking. The exit ticket will be collected and assessed for student
understanding. On the same piece of notebook paper from the beginning
of class, students will need to write their responses to the following
questions:
 Did this lesson change your thinking about why people consume
the foods?
 Why do people consume different foods around the world?
o TOTAL TIME: 3-4 minutes

Anticipated Total Time Required: 60-70 minutes (could adjust to shorten or

lengthen the activity, was completed in one class period)

Other Important Information

Materials:
- Materials are located in the appendix, at the end of this document.
Modifications and Accommodations:
- I have modified the article excerpts that are used within this lesson to be
appropriate for sixth-grade readers. These excerpts were taken from an article
published by the New York Times:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/10/08/magazine/eaters-all-
over.html
- When grouping students for their investigation, the teacher is able to group their
students in the best possible way to meet the needs of their students.

Extension Idea:
- This lesson could be done in components to teach students about geographic
conditions such as climate zones and physical features and have them practice that
knowledge through this lesson. Currently, this lesson extends upon students
learned knowledge rather than having them learn and practice with it as they are
being exposed to it for the first time. Either method has its own drawbacks and
strengths.
 Appendix:
Worksheet:

The Popular Memory of Breakfast: Investigation Worksheet

1. What place is your group investigating: ______________________________

2. How does the geographic conditions (climate, physical features, etc.) of your
place influence what foods are consumed? Try to look at individual foods and
how/why they might be consumed here. Look at every given resource when
considering your answer.

a. They consume ____________________________ for breakfast because…..

b. They consume ___________________________ for breakfast because….

c. They consume ___________________________ for breakfast because…

3. How is the food that is consumed (eaten) in this place similar to what we eat
in Michigan?

4. How is the food that is consumed (eaten) in this place different to what we
eat in Michigan?
PowerPoint:

Link to access: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/18D58FypOzH-

v_Ubxh3iB0NfdYVuqGsrkAtArRHz6QI0/edit?usp=sharing

Research resources for students (hand-outs):

Link to access:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RdHEkQiG_kiLkYzzOPEQnR0oPGpIWZgO2Q40AhGox
9U/edit?usp=sharing

Photos for students, one photo per group (hand-outs):

Link to access:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1qBJG_ESOddtCFPs8X1JH5VCTkVNvr7to3rM4xLzuQ
aw/edit?usp=sharing