World Zone Cafe

Rebecca Sloat I'd love to hear how this activity went for you! I'm doing Origins currently so I won't be there for a while. For now, your rubric (I think!) is set to private. I'd also want to share this thread here where we've been talking for a bit about the ins and outs of this activity with some best practices. You might have something to add now  

Thank you for letting me know.  I tried to set it up that anyone could make a copy of it.  Does that work?  I have done this before and most of the time turns out great.  SOme students do get confused and don't understand that they only need six dishes.  So I try to make sure I explain it as clearly as possible.  I have even had a student make one of his items and bring it in for me to taste, it was amazing.  Most students do enjoy this activity.  I use it as an assessment on the Columbian Exchange.  

Ok now you're just bragging Carrie Emmerson ! Remind me where you're located again? That sounds unbelievable. 

Why, thank you for noticing, Adam!    We live in midcoast Maine, where in addition to abundant wildlife in our forests, we have fish and shellfish as well (yes, there were some lobster dishes on the menus, with butter from Afro-Eurasia!).  One of the cool things about the Wabanaki, the confederacy of native peoples in this area, is that they were able to sustain themselves for generations without farming thanks to the abundance of the land, rivers, and sea.  How's that for complexity?!?

Excellent for complexity - and I"m sure this all makes it very real for your students in a way that may feel a bit more abstract to my New York City students. :)

Yesss.  Rooftop gardens, perhaps?  Or going back to the Island of Manhattan?  Probably not a lot of your students hunt and fish for fun, eh?  

Having said that, it might be interesting to ask the students where they think their food comes from.  Who provides all the fresh food for people in the City - fisher folk from Long Island?  Farmers in CT?  Frito-Lay?  Then we could have that whole conversation about food insecurity and food deserts, but perhaps that strays too far off the original purpose...

Oh 100%. We have a greenhouse on our roof at my school but I have yet to really fully take advantage when it comes to connecting the dots. 

Honestly, this year I was a little disappointed.  Not as creative in previous years.  Makes me sad.  

I'm sorry to hear ! Do you think it was a design issue or more just not your day? Sometimes I think teaching is more like sports than we think, Sometimes it's just not your day. Other times a lesson can flop and it won't have to do with our design as much as it could be lots of events that are out of our control (school events, trips, weather, etc). 

I think it is just the kids. I am at a new school this year, and I do not think I hyped it up enough.  There were a couple good ones, but not what I am used to.  

I totally hear that. Remember to be nice to yourself. :) 

I totally hear that. Remember to be nice to yourself. :)