Lesson Plan

Vegetable Soup: A Reverse Recipe

About this book

Grade Level Equivalent: 1.7
Lexile Measure: 140L
Guided Reading Level: B
Age: Age 3, Age 6, Age 4, Age 5
Genre: Classics, Realistic Fiction
Subject: Cooking, Plant Growth and Development

Overview

As part of a unit designed as an introduction to healthy foods, students create a recipe for vegetable soup by naming its ingredients.

Objective

After completing the thematic lesson on vegetables, students will:
  1. Gain the knowledge and skills to select a diet that supports health and reduces the risk of illness and future chronic diseases. ~ Massachusetts Health Curriculum Framework
  2. Identify a variety of fruits and vegetables and how they are grown and harvested.
  3. Identify the connection between food served in the home with regional food production. ~ Massachusetts Health Curriculum Framework

 

Materials

  • vegetables from the Archimboldo art project
  • cutting board
  • bowl
  • cooking pot
  • knife
  • mixing Spoon
  • bowls and spoons (one each per student)
  • easel board with paper
  • marker
  • Lois Ehlert's Growing Vegetable Soup

Set Up and Prepare

  • Check with kitchen staff about watching your pot of soup.
  • Wash vegetables before the lesson.
  • Wash a table to serve as a work area to cut the vegetables.
  • Be certain to have access to a sink so students can wash before handling food.

Directions

Read a copy of Lois Ehlert's Growing Vegetable Soup. Gather students together near the easel board and share with them that they will be making vegetable soup and creating the recipe. Show students the vegetables one at a time and have them sound out the names as you record them on the paper. List the quantities as well.

Working in small groups, have students cut the vegetables and add them to the cooking pot. (Be certain the knife is of an appropriate type to use with young children.) Add some water and salt and pepper to taste. Let the soup simmer on the stove. Serve in small bowls and enjoy.

Supporting All Learners

Have ingredients written on sentence strips with pictures of the vegetables as visual cues. Pre-teach soup cooking in your dramatic play center using plastic vegetables.

Lesson Extensions

  1. Have students bring in a recipe from home and share it with their classmates.
  2. Share small cups of soup with a neighboring classroom, allowing students to practice good table manners.

Home Connection

This lesson can establish a home connection in a variety of ways. Make a copy of the vegetable soup recipe and send it home with students. Include the recipe, along with photos of students cooking, in the class and school newsletters. Invite parents to class for a "soup tasting."

Assignments

  1. Draw a picture and label your favorite soup.
  2. Create miniature vegetables using Play-Doh.

Evaluation

  1. Was I clear in my directions?
  2. Was I prepared and setup with the proper materials?
  3. Would I do anything differently next time?

Assess Students

  1. Are students engaged and on task?
  2. Do all students have a role in making the soup?

  • Subjects:
    Cooking, Following Directions
  • Duration:
    70 Mins
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