How many of you have been to Seattle or Miami? Who loves popcorn? How many of you put up a Christmas tree? Who likes Halloween? How many of you are thankful we created these in the United States? Well, I hate to be the one to break the news to you, but NONE of these originated in the United States. Seattle and Miami are names derived from North American Indian Tribes and pop corn originated with them as well. The idea of Christmas trees began in Germany. Halloween originated in Ireland. Oh, and by the way, the name "America" came from Amerigo Vespucci, who was Italian. American was founded by the contributions made by immigrants.

I will have students read and engage with the stories of young immigrants. Students are asked about some of their own cultures and traditions. Students will rely on a variety of sources provided them and will create a one-pager of their own immigrant history or that of any other immigrant culture/ experience.

I could take this lesson probably one of three ways. One is to show an advertisement for Barbie, suggesting that it was "A ladies privilege to move furniture." (from this time period)(Yes! No joke) I could teach this as food history around how we enforce or reinforce gender roles. This commercial alone will generate laughs and/or stimulate dialogue. This of course can be tied directly into my Grade 8 Government curriculum and as well the economics part. This to ultimately segue into the conversation and lesson about how highly processed food helped "liberate" Housewives, or did it? As an example, there is a fun activity to "Hook" the students, along with the video, into the topic of: propaganda, food, history, etc. One uses these words like: Burping and Farting, Rescuing, Doctor, Nurse, Attorney, Car, Glitter, Mathematician, Engineer, Blue, Pink, Teaching, Sewing, Cleaning, Cooking, etc. - whereby students associate a gender to the word. Engaging questions after results: Why do you thinks many people agree/ disagree? Where do these "norm" come from?

Another way to "hook" students might be to surround a history lesson about food around Language Arts as cross curricular. Such as The Great Gatsby (food & socioeconomics)(unprecedented prosperity, opulent parties, WWI ending, etc., The Giver (having worked assigned to you - no choice), or Hunger Games (economics -supply & demand).

Lastly, I would like to simply add that there are so many books written by culinary historians, where perspectives centered around future, culture, and history are brought into the classroom. One that immediately comes to mind, Is "The Cooking Gene," by Michael Twitty, about Southern cuisine and food culture traced to ancestry, with the perspective of Arica to America, from the institution of slavery to Freedom. My apologies for digressing, however, I believe teaching history through food can be quite compelling.

The 18th century saw a rise and complexity in hairstyles especially for women and the men start fashioning themselves with whigs. It is certainly an age of opulence and this included hair and fashion. With the rise in hair, came the rise in hair dressers during this era, who were incredibly sought after. Some of the highest of society ladies actually had two hair dressers - one for every day and one for special occasions.

To garner interest with students about an angle to look at the 18th century, I would go with the theme of opulence, and hair will be a interesting and funny way to do this. I start by showing them pictures of 18th century women (BIG HAIR) and show them my hair and my friends hair in the 80's (ALSO BIG).

Students watch a really cool YouTube video about 18th Century Baroque Hair.

I would explain that at the end of the 18th Century we get the French Revolution and thus time to tone down the hair, because nobility and royalty just wasn't't fashionable anymore especially to those who were barely getting by with so much less and were revolting in opposition.

The lesson would extend into a kinesthetic, hands on art work, where students design ways to show off their own models with opulent hair styles using art mediums to do so.

I would make mechanization in farming in the 19th century relative to consider where our food comes from today in explanation of why this is even important. Agriculture, farming, and mechanization that is.

We would begin by looking at our food chain and understanding that one in six in the United States are employed in that food chain. We would consider the main question of Where does our food come from? Also, looking at Why food is transported long distances? And further, considering sustainability tying it back into farm and the importance of it at home and being able to control some aspects of your own environment.

This teaching could later be used as a spring board to teach my CE standard later in the year about the global economy.

There are some interesting and engaging sources provided by Johns Hopkins University to teaching about food, farm to fork. In past years, I've also shown parts of a very good documentary called "Food, Inc.," and I've tied it to reading primary sources related to Upton Sinclair's, The Jungle.

I would begin this lesson with a short 4 minute video on You Tube about Silicon Valley and how it came to be, which starts with early telegraph and radio industries and explains the roll out of technology from there. I would begin with conversations about Einsteins curiosity and experimentation, where that led, and explain all the technological significance from there. What one small seed can do. Especially since we are a math and science school, I want the students to understand how one mind, one spark, can start an entire chain of events. I would also take my students on a virtual field trip in the Silicon Valley.

Study any war and it can be dissected numerous ways in part by looking in depth at poignant leaders, my looking at large movements at the time (the psychological pulse of the era), and military strategies to include ammunition. I would build a project around this unit, having students pick one piece of ammunition, one strategy in one war. We will come together and make poignant comparisons of how these different strategies worked in different wars and time periods, and why they may have not worked in other times. Think how naval ships changed things - consider the Hellenic Navy. Consider bow and arrow versus guns. Think of trench warfare and the western front (WWI).

I would utilize advertisements for the Shirtwaist and begin conversations there about how a simple shirt can revolutionize so much. I would allow students to see the primary sources, letters from the Lowell Mill Factory girls, which provide a perfect window into the world of young labor and factory work. This sets the stage for the ways in which people are treated in occupations at this time. We read an excerpt from Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, discussing this. We would discuss workers rights and the advocation for them and look at modern day examples of such to connect to the civics we study. Lastly, we would watch the documentary Food Inc., that makes one consider more modern examples of our food and the employees associated with, their treatment still today, taking a look at the way in which immigrants are treated.