At Unidad Educativa Riobamba, Ecuador TEFL PCV Erin Fischer is bringing English to the classroom through cooking and recipes. The project goal is to have students interact with the language in a practical, hands-on way that mimics real life situations.
Objective: SWBAT use reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills and food and cooking vocabulary to make recipes in class.
Time: Two hours a week for two weeks for each recipe
Materials: Ingredients and Recipes (view the recipes at the end of the lesson): Zucchini Bread, Apple Crisp, and Black Bean Brownies (docx) Download this resource
Presentation and Production
Erin and her teachers work with each recipe for two hours a week for two weeks. The first week the students make the recipe, learning the vocabulary for the materials and ingredients and practicing grammar points for the processes followed. During the second week, the focus is on reading, writing, and listening skills. Students review and revise the written recipe, create recipe cards, and learn the ingredients needed for the next recipe.
Erin has students measure, mix, blend, and do other preparation in class, which makes the activity hands-on and memorable! After the mixture for each recipe is ready for the oven, she cooks it in the oven in the teachers’ lounge. At the next class meeting, the students taste their yummy work. Students contribute a small amount of money to pay for the ingredients.
Suggested Week 1 activities for eliciting language:
- Review the materials and ingredients (very effective because students have them in their hands).
- Students take notes of each step as the class makes the recipe.
- Separate ingredients into count and non-count nouns.
- Practice grammar using the vocabulary and new verbs. Repeat these questions often throughout the process:
- Who has____? I have _____. S/he has______.
- How much ______ do you have/do we need?
- What is s/he doing? S/he is _______.
- Review the recipe, using a handout of the recipe with blanks for new vocabulary and verbs.
Suggested Week 2 recipe review activities that use additional skills:
These activities are most effective when students work in groups of 4 to 5. This creates competition, and students work together through difficult parts.
- Sparkle with new vocabulary
- Think Fast: in 5 minutes, teams brainstorm the vocabulary used. Teams get a point for each word that no other team has.
- Cut up the recipe; then students put the recipe in order.
- Fill in the blanks with more spaces.
- Write the recipe on a recipe card.
- Fill in a crossword puzzle with the recipe vocabulary. We do this as a race: the first team to finish wins.
- Using notes from the previous week, students work in teams to write the recipe directions.
- As a listening activity for the last 10-15 minutes of class, read off the ingredients and amounts for the next recipe. Students listen and write them down so that they know what ingredients to bring for the next cooking class.
Lesson Recipes
Zucchini Bread
Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup oil
2 1/4 cups white sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
Directions:
First, grease and flour two bread pans. Next, mix the flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl. Then beat the eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and beat well. Stir in the zucchini until well combined. Pour the batter into pans. Finally, bake for 40 to 60 minutes at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
Apple Crisp
Ingredients:
12 apples, peeled and sliced
1 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. softened butter
additional 1/4 c. sugar mixed with cinnamon
Directions:
First, grease the pan. Second, place the apples in the bottom of the pan and sprinkle with the 1/4 c. sugar mixed with cinnamon. Next, combine the rest of the ingredients and mix into small balls. Sprinkle over apples. Finally, bake at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes.
Black Bean Brownies
Ingredients:
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 eggs 1 Tbsp. milk
½ cup cocoa powder ½ tsp baking powder
¾ cup white sugar ½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp olive oil 1 tsp vinegar
½ tsp instant coffee ¾ cup chocolate chips, divided
Directions:
Grease an 8×8 inch pan. Put the beans in a blender and pulse 10-15 times. Scrape down the sides of the blender, add the eggs, and pulse an additional 10-15 times or until well combined. Add the cocoa powder, sugar, olive oil, milk, vinegar, baking powder, baking soda, and coffee. Pulse until fully combined. Stir in ½ cup of the chocolate chips and pour the batter into the pan. Sprinkle the rest of the chocolate chips on top. Bake for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees F.
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