Retrospective

Looking at my recent post about where chicken comes from, I was reminded of a great class discussion from a couple of years ago.

BTW, our focus was on generating discussion. Spelling and punctuation were overlooked in the interest of communicating. I love the two comments that wrap up the thread - you see? There is hope!

We have an online forum where I provoke the kids with a current events new item and they respond. Here's a recent one from my sixth graders...I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry... mostly, I'm laughing.

The article was about Cultured Meat - growing meat in a lab.

JP to Class Discussion (Primeau)

I dont think that growing meat from the ground is gross because its probaly clean enough under ground to grow it

KL - it doesn't matter, they would clean the meat anyways.....

MR - but j... its from the ground were worms are and other bugs like really.

JP - i know but like k..... said they could just clean it like they clean potatos and carrots

JF- j... right i gottta agree

AA- how in the world do you grow meat from the ground?? do you plant some meat seeds 

MR - but j... potatos and carrots are sopposed to grow from the ground NNNOOOTTT MEAT 

KL - after school im going to try t o grow meat under the ground, ahha 

JP - but still they could make a made underground ground just for the meat

KL- do they make ground beef 

AA - im gonna put some GROUND BEEF in my garden

What I've learned about demos

At first, I followed the example of my mentors - do a full demonstration of the food lab the day before the lesson. The following days do the prep and the cooking, usually over 2 days. Then I started to streamline the process. Now I only highlight the challenging parts of the lab with a quick intro. What have I learned? They don't do any worse with mini demos!

The success rate is the same (quite high), the injury rate is (mercifully) very low, and the kitchen catastrophes seems to happen regardless of how meticulously I preview the labs.

I don't have the students copy out the recipe. I don't have them fill in the blanks as we go. I give each group a recipe sheathed in a plastic sleeve, I read out the important parts and away we go!

The biggest challenge is that by the end of 3 repetitions of the that lab, my delivery changes. As a positive, I can highlight the challenges (and the absolutely bizarre mistakes), but I sometimes miss out important details, like reminding them to put their peeled, cored, sliced apples into a baking pan (even though the recipe clearly states it).

Hooray for students who are attentive enough to ask questions about the part I missed!

Why my head hurts

Quick lesson on local foods...

Student Suggestion: Chicken.

Other Student's Response: You can't grow chicken!

Teacher: Okay, where does chicken come from? (Trying hard not to look straight at the chicken egg incubator sitting next to the student)

Sixth grade student (with complete confidence): From cows.

Part Two

Lesson - English Muffin/Egg sandwiches

Student approaches me in the middle of the cooking lab. Puts down her plastic cafeteria tray in front of me, and demands to know - is this a "frying pan"?

Looking with disbelief at one of my brightest students, I have to ask - what makes you think that putting that plastic tray on the stove and cooking on it would be a good idea?

We regard each other. Me, still stunned at the unexpected question. Her, a little annoyed that this is not a frying pan. I look meaningfully at the closest group, wrestling with their frying pan. She follows my glance, exclaims, and hurries back to her group to find something that can withstand a hot burner better than a plastic tray.

More about chickens:

From the grade 8s:

Is there a such thing as chicken-milk? (Answered with a review of animal classification and the characteristics of mammals vs. birds)

Why don't you feed chicken to the chickens? (Answered with a scary summary of mad-cow disease and other cannibalism stories)

In general:

I have been asked at least 1000 times (no fooling!) one of these three variants on the same question: are we going to kill them/cook them/eat them? Are you going to kill them/cook them/eat them? Is someone going to kill them/cook them/eat them? NO, NO and NO!

They are PETS. We don't eat PETS. I hope your cat is giving you the stink-eye right now, and plotting a strategic location for that next hairball.

C'mon people... you really think I'm going to hand a fuzzy little bundle of fluff over to a bunch of children and say - now kill it???

WTF, people, WTF.

Really, you hold this in your hand and all you can think of is blood-shed?