Posted 10:50 pm Monday, December 24, 2012
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Classroom cookbook helps students tap in to other cultures
Staff Reports
A cookbook project at Moore MST Magnet School provided lessons in writing, math and cultural understanding.
The project, funded through a grant from the Tyler ISD Foundation, called for eighth-grade English language arts students to submit a family recipe that is important in their lives.
The students had to type the recipe along with a brief personal narrative about their experience with the food or how it became a part of the family’s experience.
The recipes were then compiled and sent to a publishing company to be made into a cookbook.
As part of the project, each student was instructed to make their recipe and bring the food to campus, which they did last week to share in a multicultural feast with their classmates.
Each participating student received a copy of the published cookbook to take home and share with their family.
In the grant application, Moore language arts teacher Angela Singer said the project provided multiple learning opportunities.
First, students could apply the writing skills they were learning in class. But also, the goal was to help unify the student body through food.
The project, funded through a grant from the Tyler ISD Foundation, called for eighth-grade English language arts students to submit a family recipe that is important in their lives.
The students had to type the recipe along with a brief personal narrative about their experience with the food or how it became a part of the family’s experience.
The recipes were then compiled and sent to a publishing company to be made into a cookbook.
As part of the project, each student was instructed to make their recipe and bring the food to campus, which they did last week to share in a multicultural feast with their classmates.
Each participating student received a copy of the published cookbook to take home and share with their family.
In the grant application, Moore language arts teacher Angela Singer said the project provided multiple learning opportunities.
First, students could apply the writing skills they were learning in class. But also, the goal was to help unify the student body through food.
With Moore having a racially diverse student body, students often operate only within their racial groups, Ms. Singer wrote in the application.
Through this project, she and the other participating teachers — Kathy Watson and Teresa Easterling — wanted to provide a way for students to not only celebrate their differences through food, but also realize their similarities.
“Our goal is to foster an environment of inclusion by using the cookbook and its components as a diversity tool,” she wrote.
TISD Foundation executive director Larry Goddard wrote in an email that the project closely matched the foundation’s mission, which is to inspire learning, enrich teaching and enhance students’ opportunities by supporting exemplary programs.
“Notice this is a cross-discipline grant project with English, math, science, health — all subjects combined,” Goddard wrote in the email. “Also, this initial grant is expected to be funded in the future by recipe book sales. So, the students’ business acumen is being developed as well.”
Through this project, she and the other participating teachers — Kathy Watson and Teresa Easterling — wanted to provide a way for students to not only celebrate their differences through food, but also realize their similarities.
“Our goal is to foster an environment of inclusion by using the cookbook and its components as a diversity tool,” she wrote.
TISD Foundation executive director Larry Goddard wrote in an email that the project closely matched the foundation’s mission, which is to inspire learning, enrich teaching and enhance students’ opportunities by supporting exemplary programs.
“Notice this is a cross-discipline grant project with English, math, science, health — all subjects combined,” Goddard wrote in the email. “Also, this initial grant is expected to be funded in the future by recipe book sales. So, the students’ business acumen is being developed as well.”
