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Section 1: Overview

Food Systems

We will start by addressing the question, “What is a food system?” We will introduce the food system by analyzing its central components and investigating its challenges and issues on a global scale. To give us a better understanding of the unit’s key issues, we will use a variety of materials, including visual diagrams, images, and short informational texts, to build background knowledge on the elements of the food system and how those elements differ throughout the world. Lastly, we will build knowledge that will help us address the question, “What is the most pressing challenge facing the global food system?”

  • Lesson 1:

    We will begin the unit by addressing the following question: How is food made in the US and what does the process look like? We will hypothesize about what a food system looks like, using the US as a guiding framework. We will then look at a series of images that portray different points in the process of the system, including production, processing, distribution, and sale to consumers.

  • Lesson 2:

    We will be introduced to the term food system and deepen our understanding of its elements by learning about the social, environmental, and economic influences that interact within the system.

  • Lesson 3:

    We will watch the video “Introduction to Food Security,” followed by a discussion about the definition of food security and the role it plays in our food systems. We will practice forming claims using examples found in the video.

  • Lesson 4:

    We will read and annotate “10 Things You Need to Know about the Global Food System,” paying attention to any words we do not know or fully understand. Then, we will split into pairs or trios and unpack each of the 10 sections, defining key terms that will shape the rest of our unit.

  • Lesson 5:

    We will begin to integrate our newfound understanding of the food system and some of its major challenges and issues by selecting one compelling issue and developing an evidence-based claim statement about its importance. To prepare for this Section Diagnostic task, we will watch a video and identify supporting evidence for the claims made in the article. We will practice forming claims using the claims made in the article as a guide, then develop a claim to be explained in the Section Diagnostic.

  • Lesson 6:

    We will review the elements and definition of a food system by creating our own food system map as a class. We will review our claims formed at the end of Lesson 3 and incorporate different global challenges facing food into our understanding of the food system.

  • Lesson 7:

    We will explain our newfound understanding of the food system and the major challenges and issues within it by writing an evidence-based multipart claim and supporting paragraph.

  • Lesson 8:

    We will review feedback on the Section Diagnostic. We will use the feedback to make revisions to our work.

  • Lesson 9:

    We will commence an Independent Reading Program in which we choose texts to read independently as we progress through the unit. We will learn how to choose texts, what activities we may complete, about the final task, and about any materials we will use as we read our independent reading texts. We will begin by reading our texts, using tools to help us take notes and analyze important textual elements.