What happens when you mix a Gonzaga Bulldog and a North Carolina Tarheel during March Madness?
An educational experience that each student will remember for ever!
Synergy: the cooperation of two or more to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate efforts. This week marked a first in my career. I partnered up my French Two classes and Nicholas Whittington's culinary studies for a three day French Food Cross-Curriculum Unit. The two instructional goals were to build a connection and passion for World Language students with the culinary career and to connect the French vocabulary richly embedded in the culinary field for CTE students. Students from both classes met together in the larger culinary room and worked together on all three lesson plans.
Day One: I introduced French vocabulary for foods and ingredients, highlighted the influence of French cooking on an American icon Julia Child, and presented the Paris culinary school Le Cordon Bleu where chefs from around the world come to complete their career training.
Day Two: Project Based Learning. Students worked in groups to present a restaurant pitch to the "Shark Tank" to win $800,000 equity in the building the restaurant of their dreams. Students were first introduced to four classes of French Restaurants and introduced to 15 classical French recipes. Then the groups had 15 minutes to develop their idea, restaurant name, style, signature dish, location, and an example of the menu. This project combine a knowledge of French culture with the business aspect of culinary careers.
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| Working on their pitch. This group had two members from each class. |
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| Researching their restaurant idea. |
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| This class was a perfect location for allowing a group of 50 students to research, collaborate, and present. |
Day Three: Time to cook. Mr. Whittington demonstrated French techniques for potatoes, browning beef for Beef Bourguignon, making Bechamel Sauce for Croque Monsieurs, and Quiche Lorraine. Students were able to sample demonstrated recipes and had a little hands-on time in the kitchens as well.
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| Students in First Block organized the classroom for demonstrations, prepared the Bechamel, and prepared the vegetable for the Beef Bourguignon. Then they got to eat the Bourguignon the following day. |
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| In this large combined class of 50, Mr. Whittington discussed techniques and them demonstrated at the mirror topped table. |
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| Students were able to sample the French Dishes. |
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| Students who had had both classes were used as assistant chefs during the demonstrations. Arshad was given the awesome task of mashing potatoes. |
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| Student assistant and Mr. Whittington explaining French Potatoes |
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| In a smaller class, Fourth block got some kitchen time to make their own Quiche Lorraine. |
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| Once again, students who had already had Foods and were currently in French were positioned as the Kitchen Leads during this time. |
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| "This is what they are supposed to look like." |
The end result: A Food Unit that I could never pull off by myself and a French Cuisine unit that had vocabulary that "Foods" could never have pulled off. All students loved these three days and they will remember it (unfortunately) far beyond their memory of their vocabulary words, HA!
