TEL 311 Signature Project Summary

Jennifer Hand, PharmD

My signature project consists of lessons in poverty and the minimum wage, creating balanced
meals for a family of 4 on $12.05 per day, and creating a cookbook of low cost, nutritious
meals for a school fundraiser.

This assignment was originally submitted as a video recording. However, it is also a required
element for my eportfolio. Unfortunately, my free weebly account does not allow video uploads
- that would require an upgrade to the paid service. This simple document will serve to ful ll
this requirement.

My project will begin with an exploration of the poverty level in America. Students will
calculate the annual income of an individual who earns $12.05 per hour, which is the minimum
wage in Arizona. They will compare this to the poverty level for 2020, which is ~26,500 per
year.

Students will also compare the cost and nutritional content of their favorite fast food menu
items to a homemade version, and decide which is healthier and less expensive.

Next, students will learn the USDA plate method to design balanced meals with controlled
portions of proteins, carbs, vegetables, fruits and dairy products.

The remainder of the project, 7 days, will involve students using the plate method to create 7
days of menus - breakfast, lunch & dinner, and calculating the costs using local grocery store
yers and google searches to price out the ingredients costs, then adding them up. They are
constrained to $12.05 per day, so they must select what’s on sale, and stick to whole foods.

The fun component will be that they may bring recipes for their favorite family foods. If they
price out too expensive, then adjustments can be considered, to lower the cost.

Students will work in groups of 4 or 5 to accomplish the daily tasks. They will be assigned
duties each day, on a rotating basis, so everyone gets a chance to learn every task.

After 10 days, each group will have a unique 7 day menu. This will generate enough recipes to
put together a cookbook, to be published and sold as a school fundraiser.

I want my students to learn the everyday math that’s involved in budgeting.

I also want them to develop empathy for families that are living near or below the poverty line,
and appreciate exactly how much planning and forethought goes into every family purchase.

I designed my project to primarily use the internet, and low cost infographics & planners to
perform most tasks. The cookbook project will also be primarily digital, but very expensive,
so the PTA will be tapped to pay for the publishing, and assist with the fundraising activities.

I intentionally allowed 7 days for the menu planning, because I expect it to require additional
instruction, support and adjustments to the process as the days go by.

I think this will be a challenging but fun experience for the students, because they get to bring
in their family favorite foods, and learn how to make them more a ordable and balanced.

I also think that the cookbook portion is a nice follow-up, and will give the students an
immense feeling of pride in thier contributions to it.

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