Food for Thought.

Food on the Move

Objectives

* To illustrate to students the rich history of foods in the United States.
* To enhance students' knowledge about their home state.

Presenting the Activity

Direct students' attention to the Food for Thought wall poster which shows how foods not native to this country arrived here by highlighting the journey of the olive from Europe to California hundreds of years ago. Today, the black ripe olive is associated with California. Ask students if they can name any other state-product connections (e.g., Idaho-potatoes; Maine-lobsters; Georgia-peaches).

Distribute the activity sheet and provide reference materials, library time and/or Internet time for students to research state information.

Answers

Answers will vary based on state and topic. A good source for verification of facts is the 2002 World Almanac for Kids.

Follow-up Activities

1. Invite students to interview a grandparent, older neighbor or other person who might know some unusual information about the history of your state. Make sure students take notes or tape record and have them share what they learn with the class. If a person interviewed has a personal experience with some state history, that person might be invited to speak to the class.

2. You may want to assign other states to individual students or small groups to research. They can then report their findings to the class.