• “Create Your Café”

• Group students and have them create their own establishment. As part of the assignment they would have to:

• Show the SuperSize Me Video! Go to www.supersizeme.com and download the sample monthly menus and group-sized recipes for healthier lunch choices at the school cafeteria. Conduct a taste test of three “healthy” recipes outside the school cafeteria and have students complete a survey. Present findings to the Board of Ed, Principal, Cafeteria Manager for possible changes to the lunch food. (JH)

• Eliminate the natural tendency to cheat on tests. Allow students to take tests together if only for a short time period, like 5 minutes at the end of class. (KP)

• Make a Power Point presentation and create culinary teams in the classroom. Then the teams buzz in and answer questions like jeopardy. If the team gets the question correct, then they get the points. The highest team wins a token educational gift. (DK)

By Mary Petersen, Editor, “The Gold Medal Classroom”

Dr. Fred Mayo gave a series of educational workshops to teachers attending CAFÉ workshops last year.  His topic covered what teachers can do in order to present material for maximum impact and by way of example of what NOT to do, including some negative statements by teachers that have been heard in classrooms: 

Around the middle of the school year, my students tend to get a little lazy with their cleanup. This is the time I implement a sanitation scavenger hunt. I find all the problems and write them down. I divide the students into groups of four and the first group to find all the problems wins a dessert of their choice and extra credit. The "losing" groups get extra credit, depending on how many they find and they have to fix the problems. They look for things such as improper storage, improper cleanup etc... This really gets them back in line.

• Before students can leave for the day, they will need to fill out a comment card type of evaluation as an exit possibly 5 minutes early or to receive a homework free pass. (SL)

• Starting each semester, I ask students to find a dish or a recipe that they have always wanted to learn how to prepare. It gives students something to look forward to. (LP)

• My students, traditionally, have had little exposure to the wide variety of foods and cooking ingredients available. Many eat “fast food” on a daily basis and few have experienced fine dining. I like to introduce fresh produce groups (fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices and salad greens) by presenting a wide variety of items and having a tasting party. Students are given a tasting chart to complete as I introduce each new produce item. They then write comments under columns for description (can illustrate and color), aroma, taste, how used. I try to select the more common herbs and spices—sage, oregano, basil, chives, bay leaves, cilantro, ginger, cloves, cinnamon sticks, etc. As students examine these and complete tasting chart, they make a herb collection to take home for their family to used in cooking. (KB)

• When I give lecture notes, I make handouts with blanks in them. I have the same handout on the overhead transparency. The students fill in blanks throughout the notes as I lecture. This way they can listen and still have to write, but not concentrate on trying to write every word I say. (LS)