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Exploring

Mar 27 to Apr 1 

We researched about the role/function of food considering aspects ; nutrition, celebration and communication. We created presentations on different cuisines to delve into function of food. 

We  discussed our understanding with our peers. 

Guest speaker session - Ms. Yaavi Khanna 

In the session. we gained insight about table etiquettes, we also observed how to lay a table and place cutlery, we observed different cultures have different seating arrangements while eating and how it reflects their cultures, in some cultures people like to sit on the floor with a mat to eat and some like to pray before eating. It was interesting to note the table layout also communicates feelings about the culture. 

Another interesting activity was the art of napkin folding where we learnt ways to fold napkins to add on to table aesthetics. 

We attended guests speaker session about different traditional cuisines -

Ms. Anita Mohan shared about South Indian food and Sadhya, which is a radiational thali from Kerala created during festivals and the main ingredient of all dishes was coconut. She shared most of the cooking in Kerala is done in coconut oil as coconut is available in abundance as it is a coastal area. 

Ms. Titiksha shared about Assamese food, one very interesting preparation was Khar which is mashed potatoes and banana.  She provided information about Assamese culture and traditions.

Ms. Anatara who is from Bengal, shared information about traditional Bengali foods which includes fish as an important part of their diet. We learnt an interesting fact that Bengalis use every part of bananas to cook and eat.

Ms. Sonia Trakroo, who belongs to Kashmir shared information about main dishes Kashmiris eat, the ingredients used for cooking,  the use of chili powder as it is cold place and it keeps the body warm. 

All the sessions helped us gained facts and insightful information about food from different cultures. We could also identify some similarities in eating habits of some cultures and fcators affecting their choice of food. 

Explaining

For the line of inquiry on how food preferences have changed overtime, we researched about how and why there is a change in food preferences over the years from 1970 to 2000. 

We explored various websites and gathered information on changing food habits over the years. 

We also conducted a survey involving students, teachers and parents to see how peoples food preferences have changed overtime to collate data on food preferences.

Guest speaker session - Ms. Preeti Garg 

We attended  an insightful  guest speaker session with Ms. Preeti, our school nutritionist. She shared information about food preferences related to climatic conditions, festivals and celebrations, meal timings, age, health conditions. She also explained factors considered to plan a meal. 

We gained insight on how important it is to eat locally grown food for both our health and environment. She shared some creative ways to use food items to make dishes healthy and interesting. 

Culinary art workshop by Chef Deepali and Chef Ravin 

We attended a ‘Food art workshop’ as part of our learning of the PYP exhibition. Eminent experts from the culinary field - Chef Deepali & Chef Ravin - conducted the workshop . It was a highly engaging session and we thoroughly enjoyed creating foodscapes. They shared their learning journey and tips to make simple food items look beautiful. 

We were thrilled to receive feedback from them on the foodscapes we created. Their inputs definely helped us prepare for our final presentation. 

Elaborating

April 3 - April 7

We researched and gathered information to create a timeline from 1970 to 2000 about how food preferences have changed overtime. We further inquired into the main reasons of how and why food preferences have changed overtime.

We were assessed on 2nd line of inquiry through an expository passage on change of food preferences over the years .

Inquiring into the third line of inquiry - How we express ourselves through food (perspective), we gained an insight about different ways people express themselves through food like cooking, baking, food art, food aesthetic, writing & nutrition  and created a mind map. We also discussed various professions related to food like chef, baker, food critic, food blogger, influencers on social media, authors, food connoisseur. 

We engaged ourselves in creating a poem on expression through food. 

We also understood the importance of superfoods and compiled an e-book on superfoods and innovative recipes using online tool book creator. 

We enjoyed engaging in various activities like coffee spill art, napkin folding and cutlery setting while preparing for our final presentations. 

We were assessed on the the 3rd line of inquiry, how people express themselves using the VTR color, symbol ,image.

Evaluating

Preparing for the final presentation

We worked on our final presentations for the exhibition and enthusiastically practiced for the same. 

Culmination to the exhibition journey

We showcased our learning creatively using various written formats, oral presentations, display on boards, posters and, compositions to share enduring understanding of importance of food as a medium of expression and reflects cultural identities. 

We confidently exhibited our learning journey and newfound knowledge to parents, students and teachers of grade 4, DPSI and Prometheus school, Noida.

Reflecting on our PYP exhibition journey

We completed our PYP exhibition journal and reflected on various stages of our journey. 

Goodbye from Culinary clan!