Teacher Experience: “Farm-to-table Restaurant Entrepreneur” Task for 4th Grade Math & Science Students

A Defined STEM Learning Experience From:
Pamela Hudson
4 th -Grade Math and Science Enrichment Teacher
Endeavor Elementary (OH)

Performance Task:
Farm-to- table Restaurant Entrepreneur

Here’s What We Did:
For this task, students created their own farm-to- table restaurant showcasing organic,locally grown ingredients on the menu. Students researched the health differences between organic and non-organic foods while correlating it to our local crop production.Students created their own restaurant name, logo, slogan, and menu using healthy foods and meat identified through their research. They also designed a garden for their restaurant using dirt made of restaurant compost. Students created a marketing campaign for their restaurant to make locals aware of their mission and the health benefits of certified organic food.

Why Defined STEM Was the Perfect Fit:
With 10 being the highest, I would say that 98% of my students are at a 10 level of motivation. Before giving students options, I take an inventory of student interests to better shape the lesson to what they desire to learn. Defined STEM offers such a wide variety of lessons aligning with state and district standards, I’m able to give students a choice between four or five projects to complete. Allowing them to take ownership in their learning creates a wonderful teacher/student dynamic, building trust, confidence, and motivation. Defined STEM works because I’m able to align student interests with
real-world problems students truly care about. The videos and articles are so helpful, and are exactly the support they need to make them think deeply about the subjects. The rubrics for the individual literacy prompts are very beneficial, as I have seen each student grow and improve over time.