Cooking up descriptive language: Designing restaurant menus
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=842
A lesson plan for grades 6–8 English Language Arts
Students create their own menus in this lesson after exploring sample menus and analyzing the use of adjectives and descriptive writing techniques. After students brainstorm the characteristics that they associate with restaurant menus, they work in groups to review the sample menus and gather additional details of the characteristics of the restaurant. When groups have completed their research, students identify common characteristics that are included on the class lists. After engaging in a discussion about key elements for menus and how the elements differ depending upon the kind of restaurant, students work toward creating a rubric for class menus, using the characteristics gathered from the analysis of the menus.
Students begin compiling resources to assist with the creation of their own menu. When students have considered the type of customers that will be visiting their restaurants, they predict what types of items need to be included on the menu. When students have composed their menus, the teacher conducts a mini-lesson on adjectives, and students evaluate their menus for adjective usage. Finally, students revise and edit their menus and then publish them using an online interactive tool for creating a flip-book. Readwritethink provides links to chain restaurant websites, guiding questions for the activity and a flip-book template for students to use to create menus.
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
English Language Arts (2004)
Grade 6
- Goal 2: The learner will explore and analyze information from a variety of sources.
- Objective 2.01: Explore informational materials that are read, heard, and/or viewed by:
- monitoring comprehension for understand of what is read, heard, and/or viewed.
- studying the characteristics of informational works.
- restating and summarizing information.
- determining the importance and accuracy of information.
- making connections between works, self and related topics/information.
- comparing and/or contrasting information.
- drawing inferences and/or conclusions.
- generating questions.
- Objective 2.02: Use multiple sources of print and non-print information in developing informational materials such as brochures, newsletters, and infomercials by:
- exploring a variety of sources from which information may be attained (e.g., books, Internet, electronic databases, CD-ROM).
- distinguishing between primary and secondary sources.
- analyzing the effects of the presentation and/or accuracy of information.
- Objective 2.01: Explore informational materials that are read, heard, and/or viewed by:
- Goal 5: The learner will respond to various literary genres using interpretive and evaluative processes.
- Objective 5.01: Increase fluency, comprehension, and insight through a meaningful and comprehensive literacy program by:
- using effective reading strategies to match type of text.
- reading self-selected literature and other materials of individual interest.
- reading literature and other materials selected by the teacher.
- discussing literature in teacher-student conferences and small group discussions.
- taking an active role in whole class seminars.
- discussing and analyzing the effects on texts of such literary devices as figurative language, dialogue, flashback and sarcasm.
- interpreting text by explaining elements such as plot, theme, point of view, characterization, mood, and style.
- investigating examples of distortion and stereotypes.
- recognizing underlying messages in order to identify recurring theme(s) within and across works.
- extending understanding by creating products for different purposes, different audiences and within various contexts.
- exploring relationships between and among characters, ideas, concepts and/or experiences.
- Objective 5.02: Study the characteristics of literary genres (fiction, nonfiction, drama, and poetry) through:
- reading a variety of literature and other text (e.g., novels, autobiographies, myths, essays, magazines, plays, pattern poems, blank verse).
- interpreting what impact genre-specific characteristics have on the meaning of the work.
- exploring how the author's choice and use of a genre shapes the meaning of the literary work.
- exploring what impact literary elements have on the meaning of the text such as the influence of setting or the problem and its resolution.
- Objective 5.01: Increase fluency, comprehension, and insight through a meaningful and comprehensive literacy program by:
Grade 7
- Goal 2: The learner will synthesize and use information from a variety of sources.
- Objective 2.01: Respond to informational materials that are read, heard, and/or viewed by:
- monitoring comprehension for understanding of what is read, heard and/or viewed.
- analyzing the characteristics of informational works.
- summarizing information.
- determining the importance of information.
- making connections to related topics/information.
- drawing inferences and/or conclusions.
- generating questions.
- Objective 2.02: Use multiple sources of print and non-print information in designing and developing informational materials (such as brochures, newsletters and informercials) through:
- identifying and using appropriate primary and secondary sources.
- comparing, contrasting, and evaluating information from different sources about the same topic.
- evaluating information for extraneous details, inconsistencies, relevant facts, and organization.
- Objective 2.01: Respond to informational materials that are read, heard, and/or viewed by:
- Goal 5: The learner will respond to various literary genres using interpretive and evaluative processes.
- Objective 5.01: Increase fluency, comprehension, and insight through a meaningful and comprehensive reading program by:
- using effective reading strategies to match type of text.
- reading self-selected literature and other materials of individual interest.
- reading literature and other materials selected by the teacher.
- assuming an active role in teacher-student conferences.
- engaging in small group discussions.
- taking an active role in whole class seminars.
- analyzing the effects on texts of such literary devices as figuarative language, dialogue, flashback, allusion, and irony.
- analyzing the effects of such elements as plot, theme, point of view, characterization, mood, and style.
- analyzing themes and central ideas in literature and other texts in relation to personal issues/experiences.
- extending understanding by creating products for different purposes, different audiences and within various contexts.
- analyzing the connections of relationships between and among characters, ideas, concepts, and/or experiences.
- Objective 5.02: Study the characteristics of literary genres (fiction, nonfiction, drama, and poetry) through:
- reading a variety of literature and other text (e.g., mysteries, novels, science fiction, historical documents, newspapers, skits, lyric poems).
- analyzing what effect genre specific characteristics have on the meaning of the work.
- analyzing how the author's choice and use of a genre shapes the meaning of the literary work.
- analyzing what impact literary elements have on the meaning of the text such as the influence of setting on the problem and its resolution.
- Objective 5.01: Increase fluency, comprehension, and insight through a meaningful and comprehensive reading program by:
Grade 8
- Goal 2: The learner will use and evaluate information from a variety of sources.
- Objective 2.01: Analyze and evaluate informational materials that are read, heard, and/or viewed by:
- monitoring comprehension for understanding of what is read, heard and/or viewed.
- recognizing the characteristics of informational materials.
- summarizing information.
- determining the importance of information.
- making connections to related topics/information.
- drawing inferences.
- generating questions.
- extending ideas.
- Objective 2.02: Use multiple sources of print and non-print information to explore and create research products in both written and presentational forms by:
- determining purpose, audience, and context.
- understnaing the focus.
- recognizing and/or choosing a relevant topic.
- recognizing and/or selecting presentational format (e.g., video, essay, interactive technology) appropriate to audience.
- evaluating information for extraneous detail, inconsistencies, relevant facts, and organization.
- researching and organizing information to achieve purpose.
- using notes and/or memory aids to structure information.
- supporting ideas with examples, definitions, analogies, and direct references to primary and secondary sources.
- noting and/or citing sources used.
- recognizing the use of and/or employing graphics such as charts, diagrams,and graphs to enhance the communication of information.
- Objective 2.01: Analyze and evaluate informational materials that are read, heard, and/or viewed by:
- Goal 5: The learner will respond to various literary genres using interpretive and evaluative processes.
- Objective 5.01: Increase fluency, comprehension, and insight through a meaningful and comprehensive literacy program by:
- using effective reading strategies to match type of text.
- reading self-selected literature and other materials of interest to the individual.
- reading literature and other materials selected by the teacher.
- assuming a leadership role in student-teacher reading conferences.
- leading small group discussions.
- taking an active role in whole class seminars.
- analyzing the effects of elements such as plot, theme, charaterization, style, mood, and tone.
- discussing the effects of such literary devices as figurative language, dialogue, flashback, allusion, irony, and symbolism.
- analyzing and evaluating themes and central ideas in literature and other texts in relation to personal and societal issues.
- extending understanding by creating products for different purposes, different audiences, and within various contexts.
- analyzing and evaluating the relationships between and among characters, ideas, concepts, and/or experiences.
- Objective 5.02: Study the characteristics of literary genres (fiction, nonfiction, drama, and poetry) through:
- reading a variety of literature and other text (e.g., young adult novels, short stories, biographies, plays, free verse, narrative poems).
- evaluating what impact genre-specific characteristics have on the meaning of the text.
- evaluating how the author's choice and use of a genre shapes the meaning of the literary work.
- evaluating what impact literary elements have on the meaning of the text.
- Objective 5.01: Increase fluency, comprehension, and insight through a meaningful and comprehensive literacy program by:
