Objective:

Students will compare food production and consumption from long ago and today by engaging in a hands-on role-playing activity. They will take on the roles of farmers, processors, distributors, and consumers, simulating how food travels from the farm to the table in both historical and modern contexts. This lesson integrates computational thinking as students break down and model each step of the food production process.

Materials Needed:

• Role cards (farmer, processor, distributor, consumer)

• Large paper or whiteboard for drawing the steps of food production

• Markers or manipulatives (such as small objects to represent food items)

Steps:

• Introduction:

  • Begin by discussing how food production and consumption have evolved over time. 

  • Ask students to brainstorm the steps needed to get food from the farm to the table both in the past and in modern times. 

  • Create a list of roles in the process, such as farmer, processor, distributor, and consumer, and explain how each step contributes to the final product. 

  • Highlight differences in transportation methods, tools, and technology used by farmers and distributors long ago versus today.

• Group Activity - Role Playing:

  • Divide students into two groups: one group will represent food production long ago, and the other will represent modern food production. 

  • Assign each student a role (farmer, processor, distributor, or consumer). 

  • Using manipulatives or simple drawings, students will simulate how food is produced, processed, and delivered to consumers in both time periods. 

  • For example, in the past, farmers might plow fields by hand and transport goods in carts, while today’s farmers use machines and distributors transport food by trucks or planes.

• Modeling the Process:

  • Each group will create a visual model of their food production process on large paper or a whiteboard, drawing arrows and labeling the steps involved in getting food from farm to consumer. 

  • Encourage students to think about how each role connects to the next, using computational thinking to break down the sequence of events. 

  • After modeling their process, students will compare the two timelines and discuss how advances in technology and transportation have impacted food production and consumption.

• Discussion:

  • Facilitate a discussion comparing the steps of food production in the past versus today. Ask questions such as, “What challenges did farmers face long ago that they don’t face today? How has technology made the process faster or easier? How do consumers benefit from these changes?” 

  • Encourage students to think about how food travels from the farm to their own tables and how each person in the process plays an important role.

Equity and Access:

Provide visual aids and simplified role cards for students who need extra support, allowing all students to participate in the role-playing activity at their own level.

Real-World Application:

Connect this activity to students’ everyday lives by discussing how they consume food that has gone through these steps in production. Relate this to modern-day food supply chains, and emphasize how producers, distributors, and consumers are interconnected in today’s economy.

CS Practice(s):

• Developing and Using Abstractions: Students create models of the food production process, using drawings or objects to represent the steps involved.

Standard(s):

• CA HSS 2.4.1

• CA CS K-2.AP.13

• CA CS K-2.IC.18

Objective:

Students will use Ozobots, Spheros, Beebots, or other robots to navigate through scenes that represent food production in the past and present. By coding the robots to move through these different scenes, students will explore the evolution of food production methods and understand the roles of farmers, distributors, and environmental factors over time. This lesson connects computational thinking with an understanding of how technology and natural resources influence the economy.

Materials Needed:

• Ozobots (or similar robots like BeeBots or Spheros)

• Large paper to create food production scenes

• Markers, construction paper, and materials to build two sets of food production scenes (past and present)

Steps:

• Introduction:

  • Begin by discussing how food production has changed from long ago to today. 

  • Highlight the differences in technology, transportation, and how weather and natural resources play a role in both past and present-day farming. 

  • Introduce robots as the "vehicles" that will navigate through scenes of food production. 

  • Explain that each group will code their robot to move through different stages of food production, simulating the journey from farm to consumer.

• Group Activity - Scene Creation:

  • Divide students into groups. One group will focus on food production long ago, while the other group will focus on modern food production. 

  • They will use large paper, markers, and construction materials to create the scenes. 

  • For example, the past scene might depict farmers using hand tools and transporting goods via horse-drawn carriages, while the modern scene might show tractors harvesting crops and trucks delivering food to supermarkets.

• Coding:

  • After building their scenes, students will program their robots using color codes or simple coding platforms like Ozobot Blockly. 

  • The robots will "travel" through the food production process in each scene. 

  • For example, in the past, a robot might move slowly across a field, representing a horse-drawn carriage, while in the present, the robot could speed up to simulate modern transportation technology. 

  • Students will code the robots to stop at different points in the process, highlighting key moments like planting, harvesting, or delivery.

• Testing and Refining:

  • Students will test their code by running the program through the scenes to see if the robots follow the correct paths and stop at the right points. 

  • Encourage students to troubleshoot by refining their codes or adjusting their paths as needed, making the robots mimic the real-world processes of food production.

• Presentation and Discussion:

  • Each group will present their robot-driven food production scenes, explaining how their scenes illustrate the differences between food production long ago and today. 

  • They will discuss the impact of technology, transportation, and natural resources on food production and share their coding strategies for moving the robots through the process.

Equity and Access:

Provide pre-made templates for the scenes and pre-programmed robots for students who need extra support, allowing them to participate in refining and expanding the project.

Real-World Application:

Relate the activity to real-world agricultural advancements, such as how modern technology has increased food production efficiency. Discuss how computational thinking is essential in agriculture today, from automating machinery to tracking shipments through supply chains.

CS Practice(s):

• Creating Computational Artifacts: Students program robots to represent the food production process in different time periods.

• Testing and Refining Computational Artifacts: Students test and adjust the robot’s coding to accurately represent each stage of food production.

Standard(s):

• CA HSS 2.4.1

• CA CS K-2.AP.12

• CA CS K-2.AP.13

• CA CS K-2.AP.16

• CA CS K-2.IC.18