Food Waste Curriculum
This page contains Food Waste Educational Units developed for The Nature of Teaching program. Each unit contains one or more lesson plans that meet Common Core English/Language Arts, Math, and Next Generation Science Standards. Many lessons are currently in Indiana Academic Standards. Most lessons are K-5, but some include middle school and high school standards, and many can be scaled up.
Lessons
Food Waste & Natural Resources
This unit contains two lessons which cover how land and water resources are used to produce food.
Sneak Peek Video
Food Waste & Natural Resources Lesson Plans (free pdf download)
Who Made Your Breakfast? Video
Assessments:
Lesson 1: Producers, Consumers, & Natural Resources (pdf)Lesson 2: Food Waste from Farm to Fork (pdf)
Food Waste & The Environment
This unit contains three lesson plans that will teach students how food waste affects water, climate change, and wildlife.
Sneak Peek Video
Food Waste & Environment Lesson (free pdf download)
Mini Landfill Video
Assessments:
Lesson 1 Food Waste & Water (pdf)Lesson 2 Food Waste & Climate Change (pdf)
Lesson 3 Food Waste & Wildlife (pdf)
What a Waste of Food!
This unit contains three lesson plans that will teach students how to reduce food waste by learning more about proper food storage, best-by dates, and ugly foods.
Sneak Peek Video
What a Waste of Food! (free pdf download with PowerPoint)
Assessments:
Lesson 1 The Apple Falls Far From the Tree (pdf)Lesson 2 Pick on ME (pdf)
Lesson 3: Waste Not, Want Not (pdf)
Food Waste Solutions
This lesson teaches students how reduce food waste at home and school through fun hands-on activities and discussion.
Sneak Peek Video
Food Waste Solutions (free pdf download)
Oh the Things You Can Eat Video
Classroom Compost Bin Video
Assessments:
Food Waste Solutions for Home (pdf)Food Waste Solutions for School (pdf)
Transporting Food Waste
This lesson teaches students how food transportation and food miles affect the environment. Students will learn where different foods typically come from and calculate food miles for different modes of transportation.
Transporting Food Waste (free pdf download)
Assessment (pdf)
Related Links
- Allrecipes.com: Everyday Leftovers Recipes
- Why Waste Food When it can be Rescued?
- Cafeteria Culture
- Center for Food Conservation & Waste Reduction
- Clean Your Plate! Lesson Plan for Grades 6-12
- Epa Food Recovery Challenge
- EPA Food: Too Good to Waste Implementation Guide and Tool Kit
- Foodbus.org
- Food Wise Australia
- Infographic: Food Waste Reduction Strategies for Home
- Infographic: Food Waste Reduction Strategies for School
- International Literary Association: "Finding Solutions to Food Waste: Persuasion in a Digital World" Lesson Plan
- Institute for Humane Education: 17 Resources for Teaching About Food Waste
- K-12 Schools Reducing, Recovering, and Recycling Food Waste Webinar
- Lovefoodhatewaste.com
- National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics | USDA
- National Wildlife Federation: Sustainable Food Pathway
- Think. Eat. Save. International Think Tank for Food Waste
- Tufts: “Reducing Food Waste: Recommendations to the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee"
- WasteFreeLunches.org
- What's cooking? USDA Mixing Bowl
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