Learning Outcomes

• Pupils will come to appreciate the importance of food
• Pupils will come to see the importance of reducing food waste
• Pupils will consider the benefits of shopping and eating locally and seasonally

Introduction

Adapt to class level

Discussion

• Can you remember a really fantastic meal? Why was it so fantastic?
• Why is food such a brilliant part of life?
• Why do we have to eat food? (Energy)

Development

Adapt to class level

Discussion / Written activity

• Pupils research animals that don’t have to eat that often. Report back to class
• What would it be like if you only had to eat once a week or month or even year, like some larger crocodiles? 
• Would you like that? What would you miss? What would you do with all that extra time?

Think, Pair, Share

• Today is World Food Day, why do we have World Food Day?

Share – general discussion

• Do you think everyone has enough food here in Ireland / around the world? Why / why not?
• What causes people to be hungry?
  • Poverty – why?
  • Conflict – why?
  • Drought – why?
  • Climate Change – why?
• What do you think is the worse thing that can happen to food? (Try to elicit, being thrown out)
• Why is this the worse thing?
  • Too much food grown, too many resources used up for no reason
  • Food miles
    • Country may need that food
    • Environmental cost of shipping food

Think, pair, share

• What are some good things to keep in mind when shopping for food?
  • Local and seasonal food – What does local mean? What does seasonal mean?

For senior classes

Concern video on Hunger Heroes – (scroll down page)

Plenary

Adapt to class level

Activities: 

Next time you’re in the supermarket, find two kinds of food that come from abroad and two kinds that are local. Discussion in class

Hotseating: Pupil becomes pineapple / garlic / chilli imported from great distance and are interviewed by others in class who are apples or similar locally-produced fruit or veg (discussion should focus on food and not on migration / immigration etc.)

• How did you get here?
• How long did it take?
• How do you feel now that you’re here?

Pupil / Teacher bring in local, seasonal food.

• What could we make?
• Simple recipes shared
• Pupils develop own recipe book

Conscience Alley

• Pupil walks through alley
  • on one side, fruit / veg from abroad arguing they are the best buy
  • on one side, local, seasonal fruit /veg arguing they are the best buy

Visual Arts

• Collage of favourite foods from magazines etc.