Avenues' Masterchef

Activity Overview

In this activity, students and their grown-ups will have the opportunity to record their own cooking show and share it with someone special. With support of grown-ups, students will practice clearly organizing their ideas and specific vocabulary will need to be selected to describe the cooking process, as well as the final product. Additionally, students will practice leading others along a series of followed steps in a recipe in order to complete their dish. These tasks support fundamental language and executive-functioning abilities. Plus, students have a chance to practice public speaking when they record their videos, speaking fluently and expressively to engage their viewers. Watch out, Food Network, Avenues’ Masterchef is officially IN THE KITCHEN!

What You Need

• Rah! Rah! Mujadara! on Epic

• A family favorite recipe

• Ingredients for the recipe

• A device for video recording

Steps

1. Read Rah! Rah! Mujadara! on Epic. Pay particular attention to the ways that each food is being described. Use the guiding questions to discuss.

2. Think about a food that is special, traditional, or significant in your family. Consider what makes that food special to your family. Do some brainstorming about all of the ways you would describe the food. Again, use the guiding questions to begin this conversation.

3. Find the recipe for the family favorite food. Gather all the ingredients together.

4. Together with your student, record a cooking show and share the spotlight: you and your student will both be hosts for the episode. Record all of the steps you take to make the food together, this can be done over multiple days if anything is necessary to be made ahead of time. Alternatively, you can make a video as a food critic. Create your own review describing the food (or a picture of it). Be as detailed as possible.

5. Share the video with someone special that you associate with that food.

Guiding Questions

• How is the food being described? Can you picture it in your mind?

• Do you eat this food? Do you like it? Does this food remind you of any other food that you have tried?

• If you do know and like the food, is there anything else you would add about the description of it? (think texture – crunchy, soft, chewy; taste – sweet, salty, bitter; smell – pungent, mouthwatering, delightful)