HOW TO MAKE AN APPLE PIE AND SEE THE WORLD

Michelle Dressler

People have gathered, traded, and transported foods from places all over the earth since the beginning of time. Recipes for foods we think of as ordinary, often involve trade between many countries and come from a variety of environments different from our own. This lesson introduces the importance of world trade and reinforces concepts of global interdependence.

Teaching Level: 1-12

Connection to National Standards:
#4 The physical and human characteristics of places
#11 The patterns and networks of economic interdependence on Earths surface
#14 How human actions modify the physical environment
#18 How to apply geography to interpret the present and plan for the future

Materials:
A copy of the book, How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World, by Marjorie Priceman
A variety of recipes
Reference materials
Construction paper, various colors
Felt tip markers, crayons
Hole punch
Colored yarn

Introducing the Lesson: Have a class discussion on how the variety of foods we use on a daily basis come from all over the world. Ask students to identify foods that they are familiar with that come from other places. Use examples of how certain foods have had tremendous effects on the history of people (Be sure to include spices).

Procedure:

1. Read the book, How to Make an Apple Pie and see the World, by Marjorie Priceman to students.
2. After reading the story, review, discussing with students the ingredients used for an apple pie and where on earth each of those ingredients comes from. What were the ingredients? Where did each one come from? Were there some that were processed? What were the places like where the ingredients came from?
3. Give each student a recipe. (Students can bring in their own recipes)
4. Tell students that they are going to create their own books based on their recipes.
5. Students should complete research to discover where each ingredient in their recipes comes from. They may need to conduct research on each place to learn the characteristics of it.
6. Students write a book on how to make a certain recipe and see the world.

Assessment:
Student's books should illustrate the place of origin of the ingredients for recipes.
Students can identify benefits of diffusion of foods throughout the world.

TOP