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Curriculum

Foods 1 Course Overview

Like many Foods 1 classes, with this curriculum students are introduced to the concepts of safety and sanitation; kitchen tool selection, care, storage and proper usage; measurements, nutrition, baking basics, and simple food preparation. However, lessons in this class go deeper to make connections to food studies concepts such as seasonality, regenerative agriculture, food systems, food access and food justice.

Understanding how to prepare food is an essential life skill. In this lesson, students will learn that knowing how and where food is produced is an important part of their culinary skill set. Students will also set some culinary goals for themselves which they will check in on periodically throughout the semester.

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Lesson 1: Why Culinary Matters

Understanding how to prepare food is an essential life skill. In this lesson, students will learn that knowing how and where food is produced is an important part of their culinary skill set. Students will also set some culinary goals for themselves which they will check in on periodically throughout the semester.
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Lesson 2: Knife Skills 1

Knowing how to use and maintain knives properly and safely and how to prepare a workspace for food preparation are fundamental culinary skills. In this lesson, students will be introduced to basic knife skills and learn to set up a cooking station.
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Lesson 3: Knife Skills 2

Using what they know about basic knife skills and kitchen setup, students will chop apples for applesauce while considering how different apple traits developed over time.
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Lesson 4: Kitchen Hazards

In this lesson, students will review common hazards they might come across in a kitchen and think about how to safely remedy potentially hazardous situations.
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Lesson 5: Food Contamination and Safety

Students will consider the ways that food is safely handled from production to consumption.
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Lesson 6: Food Handling

Students will learn the basics of ServSafe Sanitation and hygiene in the kitchen.
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Lesson 7: Measures, Conversions, and Equivalents

Students will learn how to identify and use the correct tools for measuring wet and dry ingredients.
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Lesson 8: Food Waste

Soups can be made in all seasons, and present a unique way to reduce food waste. This lesson presents students with some of the major touchpoints for food waste that can occur in a kitchen, and the making of broth as a vehicle for using up scraps of food that would otherwise go unused.
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Lesson 9: Reading Recipes

Recipes often have a specific format, similar to a science lab. In this lesson students will review various recipes, paying attention to the culture, personality, history, and other elements that bring recipes to life. Students will understand the elements of an effective recipe beyond just the ingredients and procedures, diving deep into the process of selecting and understanding recipes.
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Lesson 10: Nutrition Basics

We get the nutrients our bodies need from the food we consume. Nutrients are constantly being cycled throughout an ecosystem, and we occupy a unique place along this flow. We interact with these nutrients in specific ways, consuming them by cooking and eating, as well as maintaining their presence in the soil as responsible land stewards.
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Agriculture is the practice of farming, including the cultivation of soil for growing crops. In this lesson, students will learn that regenerative farming has been practiced throughout history, across the world, and focuses on soil health, while industrial agriculture is a more recent invention for a globalized society. 

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Lesson 1: Intro to Agriculture

Agriculture is the practice of farming, including the cultivation of soil for growing crops. In this lesson, students will learn that regenerative farming has been practiced throughout history, across the world, and focuses on soil health, while industrial agriculture is a more recent invention for a globalized society.
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Lesson 2: Vinaigrettes and Emulsions

Students will understand how emulsions are made, the ratio of ingredients used to make a vinaigrette, and the options for adding and enhancing flavors.
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Lesson 3: Salads and Leafy Greens

This class focuses on the leafy greens commonly used in salads. These greens come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors, and are also produced in different ways. Students will consider these different characteristics, and construct salads using a variety of greens.
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Lesson 4: Braising and Steaming Plants and Fungi

Plants have evolved in all sorts of ways to survive over the course of their time on Earth. Adaptations that have allowed plants to survive also have applications in the culinary world. Students in this lesson will learn about different plant characteristics and how those make them suitable for the cooking techniques of steaming and braising.
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Lesson 5: Roasting Root Vegetables

Root vegetables perform many different functions for both the natural world and us in the kitchen. This lesson reviews characteristics of root vegetables,the function they serve in nature, and how we unlock their potential in the kitchen.
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Lesson 6: Herbs and Spices

Herbs and spices are fundamental ingredients in any kitchen. They come from plant parts and many originated in spots around the globe. In this lesson, students will consider the fundamental elements of both herbs and spices, as well as sample a variety of ingredients.
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Lesson 7: Tomato Sauce

Tomatoes are a seemingly universal ingredient nowadays, but have a complex history on how they came to be a part of our culinary lexicon. Analyzing a variety of resources, students will consider the diversity of tomatoes and the products we make from them, and how we have ended up with so much choice.
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Lesson 8: Jams

This lesson introduces students to the idea of preservation and canning. They will consider what makes something a fruit, and how we use some of the unique properties found in them to produce a bounty of canned jams.
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Lesson 9: Baking with Berries & Fruit

Baking with berries and fruit is a common practice in many kitchens across the world. In this lesson students will discuss which of these are available during different seasons, as well as the functions that berries and fruits play in plant reproduction while making a seasonal muffin.
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Lesson 10: Beans and Legumes

Beans and other legumes represent a large portion of healthy diets all across the globe, and play a pivotal role in soil health. In this lesson, students will learn about the nitrogen fixing capabilities of beans and how that benefits soil health, as well as the culinary applications for beans and other legumes.
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Lesson 11: Fungi

Mushrooms that we eat are part of the vast kingdom of fungi that play such an important role in our environment. Farmers rely on the networks formed by fungi to keep their healthy soil thriving. During this lesson, students will sample a variety of mushrooms after learning basic fungi functions, and describe their tastes.
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Lesson 12: Mushroom Soup

This lesson frames mushrooms in the context to the taste they are most associated with: umami. Students will consider how we can identify this flavor, and execute different cooking and preservation techniques using mushrooms.
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Lesson 13: Kelp

This lesson will introduce students to how kelp is farmed, the environmental and nutritional benefits of kelp, and how to cook with fresh kelp.
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Lesson 14: Plant Part Salad

After learning about plants throughout the unit, students will be tasked with creating a salad using all parts of the plant. Students will develop a set of criteria they will use to assess their salads, after reviewing different plant parts and examples of salads across the world.
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Grain, an important part of diets around the world, was traditionally grown locally. In the 20th century, grain production has primarily been industrialized. In this lesson, students will learn about different kinds of grains and where they are grown. 

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Lesson 1: Introduction to Agriculture: Grains

Grain, an important part of diets around the world, was traditionally grown locally. In the 20th century, grain production has primarily been industrialized. In this lesson, students will learn about different kinds of grains and where they are grown.
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Lesson 2: Quick Breads

Flour mills were once a main contributor towards a strong local food economy. As they’ve waned over time, we have lost some of the knowledge they possessed. Students in this lesson will explore how wheat flours are made, and use that knowledge to construct a quick bread.
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Lesson 3: Yeast Breads

Yeast is a building block for so many recipes in a kitchen, yet we don’t often consider its origin. A few different methods for capturing and using yeast will be explored by students in this lesson, resulting in the creation of custom made bread rolls.
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Lesson 4: Fried Dough

Fry bread is a dish often associated with Indigenous Peoples of North America. This lesson unpacks the complex and sometimes dark history of this food item, placing it among other fried doughs that students might have encountered. Students will learn the history of fry bread and other fried doughs from around the world.
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Lesson 5: Pancakes

Many things we buy in packages can easily be made with ingredients in our pantries, and pancakes are a great example of this. Boxed pancake mixes are widely available, but chefs can quickly make a mix from scratch. In this lesson students will compare different methods of pancake making, including both sweet and savory toppings.
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Lesson 6: Porridges

Grains are grown all over the world and are processed in a variety of ways before we eat them. One of the most widely used ways of consuming grains is through a porridge. Students will explore how different grains are produced and processed, making a variety of different porridges in this lesson.
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Lesson 7: Noodles

Noodles come in a seemingly infinite variety of shapes, sizes, and textures. They are also made from different grains (and some pseudograins), all containing different properties and tastes.
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Lesson 8: Baking with Chocolate and Cacao

Chocolate is a widely consumed part of many diets across the world, but the process behind how it is made can feel unfamiliar. In this lesson students will be introduced to how chocolate is produced, and bake a chocolate chip cookie using a whole wheat flour.
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Lesson 9: Wild Rice

Grains native to our continent include both corn and the lesser known “wild rice.” Not actually related to the more familiar domesticated brown/white rice varieties, this grain can either be hand harvested from the shores or grown commercially. Students will learn about how this grain is produced, as well as the absorption method for cooking grains.
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Lesson 10: Rice and Beans

Rice and beans are a fundamental food pairing, found in various forms all across the world. This lesson explores the reasons behind that pairing, as well as introducing to students the debate over GMOs and how they present themselves in rice.
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Lesson 11: Corn

Corn is a versatile plant with many food applications. It has a complex history and plays an important role in the United States diet and economy.
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Lesson 12: Culminating Activity: CT Grains

Students will create media campaigns promoting CT grain companies using digital design software that can be shared electronically or printed.
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In this lesson, students will look at the different animals that are raised for consumption. They will compare the needs and uses of each of these animals, and examine the environmental impacts that each has. Students will then have the option to taste different animal proteins as prepared by the teacher. 

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Lesson 1: Intro to Animal Agriculture

In this lesson, students will look at the different animals that are raised for consumption. They will compare the needs and uses of each of these animals, and examine the environmental impacts that each has. Students will then have the option to taste different animal proteins as prepared by the teacher.
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Lesson 2: Dairy and Food Waste

Students will be able to describe what the term dairy means and identify different products associated with dairy.
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Lesson 3: Compound Butter

Cows and other ruminants have the incredible ability to transform grass into nutrients. This lesson introduces students to this process. Students will also get a chance to examine the butter-making process and produce several different compound butters.
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Lesson 4: Yogurt Parfait

Yogurt is one of the many different products made from dairy. This lesson explores how yogurt is made, and allows students to get creative in making a yogurt parfait.
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Lesson 5: Chicken and Honey Marinades

Chickens are sold either whole or broken down into parts. Students will get a glimpse into the breaking down of chickens, and then marinade chicken thighs for cooking later. Their sweet marinade will be flavored with honey, and students will learn about how bees play a role in our food system.
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Lesson 6: Roasting Chicken

Pasture-raised livestock have played an integral role in agriculture since the first Agricultural Revolution, 13,000 years ago. This lesson introduces students to the methods and benefits of integrating livestock like chicken into a farm system.
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Lesson 7: Omletes

Eggs are a popular protein choice and offer a great opportunity to study food labels. In this lesson, students will not only learn how to make omelets but also investigate the information found on egg carton labels to better understand egg consumption.
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Lesson 9: Fish Cakes

Fish that we eat can come from both the wild or from aquaculture. Each of these is a complex system that needs to be unpacked to fully understand how seafood fits into our culinary world. Students will analyze each of these methods of how we acquire seafood, and make a fish cake in the process.
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Lesson 10: Culminating Activity: Animal Protiens & Agriculture

Throughout the week, students have delved into the nuances of cooking animal products, exploring various techniques, and understanding the significance of sustainable practices. In this culminating activity, students will reflect on their learning by designing a menu or cooking a recipe that incorporates the principles they've absorbed.
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Funding Partners

CT Grown for CT Kids Grant
USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture
USDA Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program

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