$1 Million Orange

Vocabulary: Nutrition, Food Systems, Local, Processed

Grade Levels: K- 2nd

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Science Framework

Spanish Lesson Plan

Lesson Video

Lesson Bridge:

Connect this lesson (2) to ‘Ancient Agriculture/Drought Hardy Gardens’’ (1) by asking students if they remember how ancient agriculturists used to grow and harvest crops. Compare and contrast modern-day methods to ancient methods.

Lesson Overview:  

In this lesson, students will make fresh orange juice to explore how food changes from its original form to a processed product. Through this hands-on activity, students will build curiosity about where their food comes from and how it affects their health. They will also examine the pros and cons of food processing, looking at how it impacts cost, jobs, energy use, health, and the environment. This lesson helps students see how food and agriculture are deeply connected to their everyday lives and overall quality of life.

Suggested Activities & Learning Objectives by Grade:

• K:

• K-ESS3-3 How does the food we eat affect the environment?
• K-ESS3-3 How can we change our food choices to improve the environment?

• 2:

• 2-LS2-2 How does the food production system distribute seeds across the world unintentionally?

Essential Question(s) that Connect CCCs and SEPs:

• Where does an orange tree get its energy?(Energy & Matter; Asking Questions & Defining Problems)
• Where does the energy come from when we turn oranges into orange juice? (Energy & Matter; Asking Questions & Defining Problems)
• If it takes two oranges to make a cup of orange juice, how many oranges would we need for every student in the class to have a cup of orange juice? (Scale, Proportion & Quantity; Using Math and Computational Thinking).

Vocabulary:

Nutrition- The study of food and how it affects the body

Food Systems- All of the steps food takes to end up on our plates and in our bellies

Local- Within the same area

Processed- To change something by special treatment

Materials:

• A collection of processed foods to show and tell(optional)
• Oranges (about ¼ orange per student)
• Large bowl
• Cutting boards
• Child safe knives
• Pitcher
• 1 small paper cup per student
• Soap
• Hand sanitizer and sanitizer spray
• 1 Million Dollar Orange Stations(for your reference)
• Flow of Water Series Garden Journal (optional)

Prep:

• Check out the book An Orange in January by Dianna Hutts Aston (available through OCE Library, Local Library system, and many school libraries).
• Sanitize tables and cooking implements.

• Decide whether you will make orange juice, or just taste test orange slices

• Different examples of processed foods, with labels legible (to read during the lesson, not eat)
• Optional: Pre-cut oranges so that you are ready for students to begin squeezing!

Engage:

Begin with a classroom discussion in the seating area in your garden or in the classroom.  Ask the following questions: What’s the difference between an orange and orange juice (Think, Pair, Share)? What steps are involved in making orange juice (Think, Pair, Share)?

Explore:

Begin a discussion about how some of the foods we eat have gone through changes before they reach our plates.

Think, Pair, Share: “What steps might it take to turn an orange into orange juice?”

Show (or describe) a few examples of common foods like applesauce, bread, or canned beans. Ask students to imagine what ingredients might be in them and how those ingredients originally came from the earth.

Thumbs up/down: “Do you think it takes a lot of steps to make these foods?”

Sentence Frame: “Orange juice is an example of __________ __________.” (processed food)

Explanation:

If you have an Orange in January you can start by reading this and proceed to the following discussion.

Thumbs up/down: Have you ever heard about processed foods before?

Processed food is food that has been changed a little, or a lot, before we eat it. Sometimes people cut it, cook it, mix it, or add other things to make it taste better or last longer. For example, bread doesn’t grow on trees! First, farmers grow wheat plants. Then, the wheat is turned into flour using big machines. After that, the flour gets mixed with other things like water and baked to make bread. It takes more work and energy to make processed food. That’s why it can cost more at the store. Like a jar of jam—it might cost more than just buying fruit and sugar to make it yourself!

Action:

Option #1: Make Orange Juice

1. Review your Garden Agreements
2. Have every student wash their hands.  20 seconds, or the length of time it takes to sing happy birthday, is the right amount of time it takes to clean germs off of our hands.
3. Divide the class into about 7 groups (harvesters, slicers, juicers, mixers, packagers, and transporters)
4. Talk about the first job that happens in orange juice production: The oranges have to be harvested!
5. Then the oranges are transported to a place where they can be juiced - sometimes on the other side of the country! Walk to a different location in the garden, to where the orange slices are waiting.
6. Now the oranges are juiced, usually by machines. Let’s pretend we are a machine and take turns juicing the oranges into this bowl. Have students take turns squeezing the orange juice into the bowl. *You may want to add some water to increase the volume of juice.
7. Mixers can add some water to the orange juice
8. Now that the oranges are juiced and mixed,  we have to package our juice so that it can be sold. Pour the orange juice into separate cups for all of the students.
9. Once all of the orange juice is packaged, it now has to be taken to grocery stores all over the country! You can have students scatter around the garden and individually bring them their cup of orange juice.
10. Have students throw away their cups

Option #2: Make Orange Slices and play charades

1. Review your Garden Agreements
2. Have every student wash their hands.  20 seconds, or the length of time it takes to sing happy birthday, is the right amount of time it takes to clean germs off of our hands.
3. Divide the class into about 9 groups: One per charade 1 Million $ Orange Charades
4. Have each group theatrically act out their step in the process from Orange to Orange Juice
5. After each station has acted out their station, you can have students group by group slice up some oranges.
6. Once you have enough slices for the class, have students sit in the garden or teaching area for a taste test.
7. Toss the orange rinds into your compost/green waste bin

Reflect:

What did you learn about making orange juice (Think, Pair, Share)? Is it processed food (thumbs up-yes, down-no)? What are some advantages of making orange juice at home? What are some disadvantages? How many steps does an orange take in food production? It’s expensive, right!?

Lesson Photos

Extension Activities:

• Have students research food preparation in other cultures such as that of Native Americans in precolonial times.  Compare it with food preparation today.
• Have students investigate prices of foods in their original form and the same products in processed forms.  How many processed products can they find for one original food?