School Lunches: Cultural Relevancy in the Cafeteria

Framework
Students explore how cultural relevancy is necessary outside the classroom as well as in it. In particular, they consider school lunches. They see that the standard school lunch choices—hamburgers, fries, subs and pizza—may be unfamiliar for students.

Every household has its own culture. Some are based on cultural, ethnic or religious identity. But however they are shaped, every household is unique, and students bring their home culture with them to school. Cultural differences can show up in the school lunchroom. Some students may find school lunches have food that is very different from the food they eat at home. Others may find that food choices violate their religious teachings. Still others may bring food with them that is unfamiliar to their classmates. In all these cases, it's important for students respect the differences in what people eat.

Professional Development
Culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) builds on the premise that “how people are expected to go about learning may differ across cultures. In order to maximize learning opportunities, teachers must gain knowledge of the cultures represented in their classrooms, then translate this knowledge into instructional practice.” (Villegas, 1991, p. 13). While CRP aims to maximize student learning, it also helps students develop sociopolitical and critical consciousness.

Teaching Tolerance has devoted a great deal of attention to Culturally Relevant Pedagogy. You can read some general guidelines about CRP here:

The Teaching Diverse Students Initiative (TDSi) [1]

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy Primer [2]

Why is Culturally Relevant Pedagogy Important? [3]

EARLY GRADES [4] (K-5)

MIDDLE/UPPER GRADES [5] (6-8, 9-12)

Standards
Activities and the embedded assessments address the following standards (McREL 4th Edition [6]):

Behavioral Studies [part of social studies]
Standard 1. [7] Understands that group and cultural influences contribute to human development, identity, and behavior

Standard 2. [8] Understands various meanings of social group, general implications of group membership, and different ways that groups function

ELA
Writing
Standard 1. [9] Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process

Standard 4. [10] Gathers and uses information for research purposes

Reading
Standard 7. [11] Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of informational texts

Listening and Speaking
Standard 8. [12] Uses listening and speaking strategies for different purposes

Health [Part of Science]
Standard 6. [13] Understands essential concepts about nutrition and diet

Visual Arts
Standard 1. [14] Understands and applies media, techniques, and processes related to the visual arts