Snack Election – 4157

Summary

This lesson had students creating a campaign for a healthy snack. First, students began their research by consulting experts. Two school nurse interns led a discussion with the class about healthy snacks. Then students learned some background about the election process and saw some real election artifacts, such as posters and bumper stickers. We also made a KWHL chart (what I know, want to know, how am I going to find out, what I learned) on elections. Next they worked in groups to research their healthy snack, using books and computers, and create their own campaign speech and artifact, using iPads to plan. They shared their campaign speeches and artifacts presentations with the class and voted on the best healthy snack. Presentations were linked to the classroom blog and the link was emailed to other teachers and administrators in the county so they too could vote on a healthy snack. Finally, the winning snack was consumed by all.

TIPC Ratings

This lesson rates as approaching in this category. Students were able to access a variety of print and digital resources with which to conduct their research. With teacher redirection as needed, they independently researched their topic and evaluated which information would be best utilized to create their final product and generate a speech to support their product.

This lesson rates as approaching in this category. Students worked collaboratively in groups and within assigned roles to assure that everyone had an equal part in developing and creating their campaign. Once they were in their groups, they created their campaigns with very little adult guidance. They had to communicate and collaborate in order to create a meaningful and persuasive campaign that would help them win the snack election. They also communicated via their campaign posters by choosing where they wanted to hang them throughout the building. And by linking their campaigns to our classroom blog and allowing other students to vote on a healthy snack, students were also able to communicate with other first grade classes in their own school and throughout the rest of the county. (According to our blog votes, apples were the winning healthy snack!) Several classes in our building were inspired to conduct their own snack elections and make their own healthy choices.

This lesson rates target in this category, which was the focus of the lesson. Students were given a problem to solve and had to use higher-order thinking skills in order to solve it. The problem was how to get other first graders to choose healthy snacks. Students then had to think critically to create their own campaigns in an effort to ensure their healthy snack won. Students selected from a variety of options for advertising their snack as the best healthy snack choice and justified why they chose that medium. Finally, they had to cast their own vote for a healthy snack and justify their choice, and I’m pleased to report that students did not make their choices based on the snack to which they were assigned. After different parts of the lesson, students used PhotoBooth to reflect on what they had learned. The KWHL Chart was another useful reflection tool.

This lesson rates between approaching and target in this category. Students were able to use their creativity when they created their campaigns, products, and speeches. Students used digital resources to plan final products as well as explain and justify the choices made during the lesson. Students were allowed to choose the materials for the creation of final products and decided collaboratively in their groups how the final product would look and where it would hang, and what the product, and their campaign speech, would say.