C G
S H
S M

Background and Personal Inquiry

	We selected Plants, Food, and Cooking as our topic because we each shared an interest in plants and turning them into a cooking project.  As we started discussing our wide variety of avenues we thought the most beneficial way to approach our project was by selecting one fruit or vegetable to focus on.  We decided to brainstorm on our own to get some ideas to discuss at our next meeting.
	At our second meeting we gave our ideas and discussed our options.  We decided to go with corn as our choice of vegetable.  We thought this would be appropriate for the fall season and it would be adaptable for any age group and is a readily available product.  We also had a team member who had access to a 4th generation farmer and we would be able to utilize his knowledge and prior experience.
	When we meant for our third meeting we had recently completed our Science Night at J N Elementary.  During that experience we gained insight to children’s interest, thinking, and ideas regarding plants and cooking.  After this experience and observation we decided as a group that it would be beneficial to choose another plant for this assignment allowing us to broaden our knowledge base. We realized that there were so many different possibilities that would allow us to integrate plants, food and cooking into the classroom.
	At our next meeting we discussed using the apple as our resource for our presentation.  Through discussion we realized we all had prior knowledge and hands on  activities for integration into a regular classroom setting that were easily adaptable.  We had planned to use these activities in our presentation.  Unfortunately during our next class meeting (the week before our presentation) another group did their presentation on apple activities.  This put us back at step 1 forcing us to re-evaluate our choice and make another selection of a plant product that is easily adaptable and accessible.
	We needed a plant product that would allow us to use some of our activities already planned and be easily adaptable.  When we were brainstorming about things we could cook in the classroom we realized the many possibilities a potato has.  We also realized that some of our activities could be adapted to a potato.  We also considered the fact that most children eat some form of a potato.  
	During the planning process a vital step was to incorporate first hand inquiry activities.  Some examples of these activities are: Checking for Starch in Lettuce and Potatoes, Spineless Potatoes (osmosis), KWL checking for prior knowledge of the potato plant.
	These are some of the resources we used for our planning:  http://collections.ic.gc.ca/potato/scitech/growing.asp
http://www.ivycity.com/grandparenting/activities/potatoeprint.htm
http://collections.ic.gc.ca/potato/scitech/biology.asp
http://pie.allrecipes.com/recipes/print_4_6_scale.asp?nprid=12446&servings=8&metric=0
Harcourt Science, 5th ed., p. A100

Research into Children’s Ideas and Thinking
	We used the previous experience we gained from the children during our science night as insight into the activities that draw children’s interests.  We also used their ideas about plants and the products gained from these plants to guide our perception of children’s thoughts throughout our research.  An article that was of benefit for our research was Someone’s in the Kitchen with Science from “Science and Children.”  This article discussed how you could dye fabrics with berries, make food prints, discover textures, mixing colors, and structure.  With each activity the article gives examples of children learning through hands on activities that allow them to learn science and the affiliation of the activities to their every day lives.  Children learn best through hands on activities that tap into their schemata.  These activities are all tied together to build on their previous knowledge in theory that they will better retain the new information they gain and will also spark interest in the activity on hand.  

Standard Science
	All grades throughout elementary school are required to touch on some form of plants.  The activities we used are easily adaptable to any grade depending on intensity of the activity and how in-depth it is.  All the activities cover cross-curricular frameworks.  They take into consideration the aspects of measuring, temperature, nutrition and healthy bodies, plant growth, plant parts, processing and distribution, life cycles, the food chain, the food pyramid, and cooking safety.    
        
Possible Uses of Ideas
See Potatoes Galore PowerPoint attachment

List of Resources
  http://collections.ic.gc.ca/potato/scitech/growing.asp
http://www.ivycity.com/grandparenting/activities/potatoeprint.htm
http://collections.ic.gc.ca/potato/scitech/biology.asp
http://pie.allrecipes.com/recipes/print_4_6_scale.asp?nprid=12446&servings=8&metric=0
Harcourt Science 5th Ed., p. A100.
Lowry, P. Someone’s in the Kitchen with Science. Science and Children. P. 22-26.

Reflection
	In looking back on our experience we realized the importance of remaining flexible.  If we had it to do all over again we would have had a pot of soup already prepared for eating.  We could have still gone through the entire process of preparing another pot of soup allowing them to gain the experience themselves (pealing the potatoes, cutting up the potatoes, etc.).  The already prepared soup would have allowed everyone the chance to enjoy it and cut down on the time factor.  They did get the chance to use their measuring skills as they added each ingredient.  We would have also found out more about the other groups’ ideas to avoid the overlap of theme.  We presented a real, engaging, and adaptable array of activities that are suitable, expandable, manageable, safe , and appropriate.

S M
EdCI 4350
Dr. Richard Frazier
November 

Plan, Teach and Reflect

	We were given the opportunity to host a Science Night for 5th grade students at J N Elementary.  I worked with the Science teacher in setting up the plans for the Science evening.  Once the class chose a date and we set the time, we agreed it would be fun to work around a Halloween theme.  We had to keep in mind the guidelines on what was allowed in school for Halloween.   I made a flyer to inform the 5th graders and their parent’s of the Science night activities and Halloween theme, so all who attended would be aware.
Plan
	Once the date and theme for Halloween was chosen for our Science Night, my group wanted to use our chosen area for another project of “Plants, Food, and Cooking as our area of concentration.  
	We wanted to do an activity that would include these 3 areas of concentration and yet be condensed enough that we could accomplish it with in our time.  We decided that we wanted to go with one plant and its product to use for our activity that evening.
	We chose corn as our plant of choice because it was so readily available at that time of year, and corn came in many forms and in many products that were accessible to us.  We also thought that corn would tie into the Halloween theme.  We now began to brainstorm on what to do with our plant.  We wanted to teach them about corn, we wanted to make something that the children would have fun cooking and at the same time be a new experience to most of them.  We also wanted to make sure we incorporated science strategies and techniques into our lesson plan.  We also wanted to see what other core areas we could work into our activity.
	We decided that we would be able to show the students how corn germinates and discuss the different types of corn that could be grown.  We decided to display this by using information we were able to obtain from a farmer who grows various types of corn.  We also wanted to display the wide variety of items that we eat and use that are made with corn as an ingredient that we thought the students may not even realize were made with corn.  
	We wanted to have hands on activities for the students to do so that they would not only be entertained, but they would remain active and interested as they were experiencing and learning at the same time.  
	We chose a recipe for corn cakes using popcorn from a cookbook that dated back to 1917.    This was the door we needed to now put us on a path.  We began to discuss popcorn.  We were able to get our hands on corn that was from the field and still needed to be cleaned.  We thought that each child could have an ear of corn to clean as we told them about the different parts of the corn plant and its cycle till harvest.  We also decided to put directions for the recipe on index cards and hand them to the students as they came to our table.  They could do their part in preparing the corn cakes as we discussed popcorn and why it pops, and the different products that corn is in.  
	We planned to allow the children to weigh and measure the corn before it was popped and again after we popped it to compare and use Science strategies.  We also thought we would allow students to use Math skills by having them us different combinations of measurement when following the recipe.  We decided to call our activity ghoulish grub to keep with the Halloween theme.  We decided to call our recipe Frankenstein Fingers and to make the cakes green. In a trial run for the class we made one of the cakes long and it looked like a finger with knuckles so we decided that would fit the theme and be more fun then a basic round cake that would look like a pancake. We were now ready for our Science night.

Teach
	Science night had finally arrived and we were a little apprehensive.  We were not as popular as some of the other groups in the pre-registration done in class.  We picked up several children who had not signed up prior to that evening.  The children came in and started asking questions about the corn we had in a bag that we were starting to hand out to them.  They were excited to clean the corn and I think for most of them this was a new experience.  They were also fascinated at the products that they ate and some that they used that corn was a part of and they had no idea.  
	When we asked the children about popcorn: why it pops and does it take a certain kind of corn to pop?  They were not certain if took a certain kind or if all corn could pop, but they all made a guess on why it popped.  Some of the guesses were because of heat and some thought it had to do with moisture.  These were great answers and allowed us to discuss popcorn and where it comes from, how it is processed and why it pops.
	The children loved popping the corn and mixing all the ingredients together.  We ran into a problem in chopping up the popcorn as it began to take longer then planned.  We also had a hard time keeping the un-popped kernels out of the batter.  We were worried about someone biting into one.  We tried to turn this into a learning experience by asking them to brainstorm on ways to remove or keep the hard kernels out of the batter.  The students were excited about the fingers and were anxious to try the corn cakes or for the evening Frankenstein Fingers.
	The boys of course thought the cakes were going to be great and loved the color green while a couple of the girls were totally turned off by the color and the whole idea of the popcorn in the batter.  We started to cook the first batch after the students all did their steps of the recipe.  They stood and watched us cook them on the hot griddle.  We decided to do the cooking for safety issues.  
We even served them on tin camping plates to help with the mood of the night.
	Once the cakes were finished they could eat them fresh and hot either plan or with syrup or honey.  We heard how good they were and several had seconds.  We did hear one girl say she would stick to her grandma’s pancakes, and one thought they would be better without the popcorn.  I had several requests for the recipe.  I did run copies of the recipe and deliver to the science teacher the next day.  We had several parents who stayed with their children as they moved from group to group.  The parents seemed to enjoy our presentation and made comments to the information that we were presenting that made us aware that they were learning some new information as well.  The second group of course moved faster and we were able to improve on our teaching and techniques from our first presentation.  

Reflection
	I really enjoyed our presentation and I left that night feeling very relieved and satisfied.  The students really enjoyed the evening and talked about it for days after.  In looking back on our teaching I would have liked to have had more time to have expanded the discussion on corn and maybe been able to do another recipe or experiment.  I felt that it went well and that the students enjoyed the lesson and walked away with not only knowledge but also had new experiences with hands on activities and tickled taste buds at the same time.  I feel that the night was a success and was well planned and that students were well informed by all groups they attended.  I think this could have easily been turned into a longer evening or a second night of activities.  The children really enjoyed the night and the activities they participated in.  I think they really enjoyed our corn cakes as they were able to make the cakes themselves and they were able to do it together.  The students were relaxed and able to work comfortably with each other and with us as well which makes for a pleasant experience.  I really enjoyed this experience!

C G
EDCI 4350
Dr. Frazier
12-

Corn

A. Plan
	1.  I had a fairly wide knowledge base about corn as far as its history, uses and growing it.  I worked on a farm for three years after high school and was raised in a family of farmers.  I never claimed to know it all by any means but I did feel pretty comfortable with my personal experiences.
	2.  I went back to the farm and spoke with my old boss one evening about corn in general and what some simple things might be to do in class to get kids interested.  We talked about the many different types of corn and some of the many uses.  Some books were brought to my group’s attention about corn.  One was Corn is Maize by Aliki.  It was a children’s book about corn.  It had much about the history of corn and the different plant parts.  It also went into the cultural relevance of corn and how indigenous people used corn for many uses besides their staple crop.  My group used a couple of websites for corn in which I was not in charge of so I don’t have them in my records.  We did use another book that contained much of the history of popcorn and several old recipes.  This is where we got the idea for the griddle cakes.
	3.  I knew that the group that we were going to be working with were 5th graders and plants are part of the 5th grade science curriculum.  I knew that they would have previous knowledge of plants, lots of experience with food and hopefully they had been part of cooking projects before.  We ask several questions about corn to test their individual knowledge.
	By fifth grade, students’ thinking has become more abstract.  They are able to apply concepts from one situation to another.
	4.  The lesson will be to introduce corn, parts of the plant, and discuss how it grows from a kernel to a plant.  We will also cover the types of corn and then focus on popcorn.  This lesson has been tailored to the 5th graders, the time of year, and the short length of time we have with each group.  We stayed with a familiar plant or food, we changed our cooking project to “Frankenstein Fingers” by using green food coloring in the griddle cakes and forming the cakes into the shape of fingers.  Due to the time constraints, we had the kids work as one big group putting the ingredients together and we had to do all the cooking.
	5.  This lesson covered several important curricular rationale.  For science, the theme of plants was covered, for math measurements and relationships of numbers, for history Native American Indians could really be covered as well as Myan cultures and many others.  Cooking safety, food preservation and domestic chores could be touched on as well.
B. Teach
	1.  The kids were very well versed as to our topic.  We ask them what certain parts of the corn plant were and they all responded in a consensus.  We ask them what some products were that had corn in them and they named off Karo syrup, canned and frozen corn, cereal, cornmeal, and cow silage.  When asked if gum had corn in it, most didn’t think so.  Most of them did know however, that corn was in powders and other cosmetics.
	2.  Objectives: 1. TSWBAT identify the parts of the corn plant.
			2.  TSWBAT list the different types of corn
			3.  TSWBAT explain why popcorn pops.
			4.  TSWBAT measure ingredients and make “Frankenstein Fingers”
	   Set-Up: 1.  Before students arrive set up table with ingredients, cooking tools, and corn products.
		    2.  Begin popping popcorn about 5 minutes prior to student arrival so that they will smell the popcorn when they arrive.
Initiation Activity: 1.  As students enter the cafeteria give them each an index card with directions as to what they are going to be doing.
		         2.  Students will be given an ear of corn that they can take apart.
		         3.  Begin by discussing what type of corn popcorn is and how it eventually turns into the popcorn that we are used to eating.
	Procedure:  1.  Discuss the parts of the ear of corn.
		         2.  After wrapping up the discussion students will follow the steps on their index cards (each child is given a specific job).
		         3.  Teachers will cook the Frankenstein Fingers on the griddle.
Closure:       1.  Students will eat the Frankenstein Fingers and discuss what they have learned about corn. 
Materials:  sugar, flour, salt, baking powder, food coloring, popcorn, milk, water, eggs, mixing bowl, griddle, plates, forks, honey, syrup, napkins.

3.  We had to cut some discussion short for time because we hadn’t planned on letting them each clean an ear of corn, but they were so eager that we gave in and let them.  
C.  Reflect
	1.  I think that they really enjoyed themselves.  Most people don’t eat corn flour products anymore like people used to when this recipe was written.  Today we eat wheat flour more prevalently.  It took them back 100 years when food was more a means of survival and something like this was considered a treat, than a pleasurable, lavishing component of life.  Many kids ate more than one cake even though they were encouraged to at least taste the cakes.  They said they had fun and many were eager to take their corn home with them and several inquired about a recipe to take home for “Frankenstein Fingers.”
	2.  One girl was amazed that you could plant a kernel like what she had in her hand and it would grow into such a tall plant.  Several in the groups weren’t sure that there could be water inside a kernel that would cause it to pop when heated.  Many of the kids were from the city and therefore, had never really seen an ear of field corn up close.  I think that was a great experience for them all the way around to know that things that people plant all around us really do play a role in what we buy at the grocery store.  For many kids this is a concept that they never give too much thought about.
	3.  I learned that kids with other backgrounds than myself are unaware of much as far as the production of products.  I guess I have always taken it for granted in a way too even though I see it going on all around me.  In researching the history of corn as far as Native American Indians and other indigenous groups I realized how wasteful we are as a society with things we grow and produce.
	4.  Along the lines of #3, I think that I would point out the waste that we get rid of in production and ask for suggestions as to help with the problem of wasting so much.  Kids are great about coming up with ideas for things like this.
	5.  In EDCI 4350, Science Teaching Strategies for Elementary School, I put together a lesson of several activities centered around corn for 5th graders.  I was part of a group that taught our lesson at JN Elementary School in MO, in October of       .  This activity was a great way for us to integrate what we were doing into an actual elementary curriculum.