USFA + Pilot Light School Food Curriculum
This Common Core English Language Arts-aligned curriculum for Pre-K to 12th grade students provides a holistic way to connect the classroom to the cafeteria through a set of lessons tied to common menu items and the Food Education Standards.
What’s on the menu?
Whole Grain Pasta
Eating Pasta Together
Food Education Standard 1: Students will learn how food connects them to others/their family by learning how pasta is made and writing a story about a pasta dish that reminds them of their loved ones.
Rice
Growing and Eating Food Around the World: The Story of Rice
Food Education Standard 2: Students will learn about food sources and origins by investigating how rice is grown around the world and eaten in different ways in various locations and cultures. Students in PreK – 2nd grade will identify a rice dish that they have eaten before and where they ate it while students in 3rd – 12th grade will write a story about the journey of a grain of rice from field to plate from the point of view of the rice.
Fruits and Vegetables
Food Education Standard 3: In “Seed to Salad: Growing Vegetables,” students in PreK – 2nd grade will learn how food and the environment are interconnected by learning the steps of growing spinach. In “Map Your Meal,” students in 3rd – 2th grade will learn how food and the environment are interconnected by tracing the origins of ingredients in a recipe and investigating how to eat seasonally.
Seed to Salad: Growing Vegetables
Map Your Meal
Packaged Goods
Food Advertisements
Food Education Standard 4: Students will learn how food behaviors are influenced by external and internal factors by reviewing food advertisements and using persuasive writing to encourage others to make a more informed food choice.
Understanding Food Groups & Nutrients
Food Education Standard 5: In “The Six Healthy Food Groups,” students in PreK – 5th grades will learn how food impacts health by learning about the six healthy food groups, identifying food in each group, and creating a meal through drawing and writing that contains all six food groups. In “Nourishing with Nutrients,” students in 6th – 12th grade will learn how food impacts health by researching the importance of a specific nutrient group and presenting to the class.
The Six Healthy Food Groups
Nourishing with Nutrients
Making Positive Choices Throughout the Day
Food Journals
Food Education Standard 6: Student will learn how we can make positive and informed food choices by creating a food journal. Students in PreK – 5th grades will track what they eat and decide if the food they eat is good for their bodies, and students in 6th – 12th grade will write an expository summary of their findings including how they could adjust their eating to include more whole foods.
Food Advocacy
Food Education Standard 7: Students will learn how we can advocate for food choices and changes that impact ourselves, our communitites, and our world. In “Sharing Food With Our Community,” students in PreK – 2nd grade will explore how sharing resources, like food, can make communities stronger. In “Understanding Food Advocacy,” students in 3rd – 12th grade will learn about a food issue and design a poster, social media post, or other piece (i.e. videos, artwork) that creates awareness of the issue for their school, their peers, or policy makers.