Classroom Activities
The week before the Food Science study begins students will be asked to keep a daily log of food that they eat. During the fifth week of our study students will be assigned once again to keep a daily log of food they consume. Students will compare and discuss their two food logs to see how their daily eating habits have changed due to our study. Students should understand that they have control over what they choose to eat and that the food they eat greatly affects them. They will this knowledge and the information gained through our study so far to develop their Service Learning project.
Students will first decide if their project will be individual or a group project (groups of two or three will be highly suggested), what topic they will address, who they will ask to be their advisor, what form their project will take, who their audience is, how they will inform others and what materials or technology help they may need.They will also form their mission statement for the service learning project they are creating. The teams will decide if they will present their projects to their class in the Science Lab or in their class and sign up for a time for their presentation. They will contact (if applicable) their intended audience and set a time to present. They will place all of this information on the Service Learning Project Contract. When the contract is completed (due at the beginning of the second class) they will turn the form into me and I will make copies and distribute them to their homeroom teacher, advisor and guardian in order to keep all interested parties informed.
The rubric (see figure 3) for the service learning projects will also be introduced. We will go over each of the eight categories, discussing the meaning of each item. I will explain to my students that the rubric will be used both as a self- evaluation instrument and as an assessment tool. A time of questions and answers will follow then the students will have time to plan and start to work on their projects.
During the second meeting with the students my role changes to a facilitator, technical advisor, encourager, and solution creator. Students will be working on their individual projects and needed supplies will be available. I will be working on skill development with those students who need to obtain new skills. If students require further information they will have access to both the media center and the computer lab. Weekly meetings with their advisor will be encouraged. I will rotate into each of the small groups to check on their progress, answer any questions, give the group time to verbalize what they are doing and support them in what ever way they need.
The third meeting will be a working meeting with groups having time to work on their projects. I will serve in the same role as the second meeting, checking on progress and helping students to overcome any barriers they may have encountered during the week. Groups who have completed their projects will have a time at the end of the session to present to their peers. Due to the time factor not all students will be able to present to their class in the science lab, so I have made arrangements with the classroom teachers to have some groups present to the class during regular school time. The teachers will use the rubric to score the presentations. Peers will give feedback in the form of "Two things I liked about your project and a wish." This practice presentation will help the students prepare to deliver their Service Learning project to their intended audience.
The first part of our last meeting will be spent learning from the students who have not had an opportunity to share their presentations to their peers. Hopefully this will only be one or two groups. By this time the majority of the students will have presented their projects to the intended audience. They will have time to reflect on what they have learned by writing in their journals important knowledge, feelings, and/or actions, and share their journals reflections with at least one other person.
The last half of the meeting will be a celebration with a taste testing party! I will arrange for parents to send in healthy snack for students to eat. I will bring in a whole pineapple and a coconut to cut open and share with the students. Students can make Ants on a Log snacks (celery, peanut butter and raisins) and squeeze fresh lemons to make lemonade.
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