LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE
Name: Jessica Gensel
Title of Lesson: Food Production
Grade: 4th
STANDARDS
1. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to
task, purpose, and audience. (4.W.4)
a. Produce clear and coherent functional writing (e.g., friendly and formal letters, recipes,
experiments, notes/messages, labels, graphs/tables, procedures, invitations, envelopes) in
which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose. (AZ.4.W.4)
2. Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using
appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly
at an understandable pace. (4.SL.4)
LESSON SUMMARY/OVERVIEW
For this lesson, students are going to examine a specific food as it goes through its production systems.
Students will specifically focus on chocolate, something all students know. This lesson will help
students understand that each individual food goes through a system like this, just unique to it, and
will allow students to think about each food item that they eat. Understanding where our food comes
from is one of the steps we can take to be more sustainable and healthy. Because the overall goal of
the unit plan is to demonstrate the difference between healthy and unhealthy food and choose food
that is more sustainable, this is a great lesson for students to go through, while also having fun and
being engaged. I chose this lesson because it allows students to think about systems thinking but with a
food that is fun and well know like chocolate. I believe that all students eat, or at least know what
chocolate is, so this will be something that relates to their lives.
OBJECTIVES
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SWBAT create a poster in which the accurately describe, in details the process chocolate goes
through for production.
SWBAT summarize the production of chocolate and share it with their peers in an oral report.
SWBAT outline the reasons systems thinking is important and apply it to their work.
ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION
Students will be able to produce a poster describing the entire process that chocolate goes through in
order to become what we know and enjoy to eat. Students will provide lots of details for their posters
and share what they create with the class. This will be a group project. No formal evaluation is
necessary, unless desired.
PREREQUISITE KNOWLEDGE
In order to successfully complete this lesson, students should understand what systems thinking is and
what it means. Students should also understand that all food goes through its own system of production
and each individual system looks different that another system. Understanding this will allow students
to think about each individual item of food that they buy.
MATERIALS
Chocolate Making Video and Interactive Chocolate Making Website
Poster Paper or Butcher Paper
Markers, Colored Pencils, or Crayons
Computers and Internet Connect
VOCABULARY/KEY WORDS
Systems Thinking: thinking about how systems are connected (systems are items that are linked)
TEACHING PROCEDURES
1. Engagement: To begin this lesson, start off by asking students if they know what chocolate is. All
students will probably answer yes. Next ask students if they like chocolate. Most students will
answer yes. Finally, ask students if they know how chocolate is made. Students will most likely not
know how chocolate is made. Explain to students that for the lesson, they are going to watch a
video and go online to complete and interactive activity where they will learn more about the
production of chocolate.
2. Next, have students take out their science notebooks. Ask this question: what steps does chocolate
go through to get made? Have students write down what they believe. Students will come up with a
variety of answers. After students have finished writing their thoughts and ideas into their
notebooks, call on volunteers to share their answers. Write these ideas down on the white board or
butcher paper. This will act as a great model to show the change in thinking from the beginning of
the lesson to the end.
3. Now that students are thinking about the production of chocolate, show students this video. This
video was created by myself for a college course at ASU. As students watch the video, have
students write down notes in their notebooks. Students should focus on what ingredients are
necessary and where these items come from. Other notes are also important. If necessary, play the
video twice, this will ensure that students are able to get all of the necessary information. Once
students are done with this mini activity, call on volunteers to share what they came up with.
Write these ideas on a new piece of butcher paper or on a different section of the white board.
Have students write down any information that they didn’t already have written down.
4. Once students have watched the introductory video, they will work by themselves (or in a
partnership, depending on the number of computers available) and go through this interactive
website. This website walks students step by step through the production of chocolate. It explains
how it is made and where it comes from. This is a fun and engaging activity for students to
complete. Students should write down all of the important information that they find into their
notebooks. Like before, once students are done, have students share their notes with the class.
(Try to call on a variety of volunteers. This will ensure that you don’t get the same students
sharing.) Write down these ideas on a new sheet of butcher paper or on a new section of a white
board. Have students write down any information they didn’t already have written down.
5. Now that students have go through the video and the website, they should have a plethora of
information on the production of chocolate. Working in groups of 3 or 4 students, students are to
organize all of the important information into the correct order and create a poster detailing the
production of chocolate. Students should include each of the steps it goes through, the ingredients
necessary, the machinery necessary, and the location ingredients come from and where production
is completed.
6. Once each group is finished, they will share their posters with the whole class. Students should
describe all of the important information (described above).
7. To close this lesson, hold a discussion of systems thinking and how chocolate connects to this.
Students should understand that each food item goes through a system and that we need to choose
healthy items that are sustainable. Questions can include:
 How is chocolate made? Is this a system? How so?
 Now that we know more, how might have this lesson influenced how you might make
more sustainable choices? What are sustainable choices? What does this mean?
 Is the production of chocolate sustainable? Why or why not? If no, how might we make
it sustainable? If yes, how might we make it more sustainable?
RESOURCES
Not Applicable
WAYS OF THINKING CONNECTION
Each food item goes through a system of production. This lesson follows chocolate along its production
process, from start to finish. This means that students are asked to use systems thinking in order to
succeed throughout the lesson. This is important because students should look at how their food is
made so that they can choose the best food items for their lives. Systems thinking is important because
students need to understand that everything goes through a system and that these systems are
interconnect. This will help them learn other sustainability topics as well (beyond this topic and unit
plan).