Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

20 minutes

Part A: Unpacking Food Security

40 minutes

Part B: Challenges to Food Security and Food Production

25 minutes

Part C: Is your food a stranger?

5 minutes

Reflection

Learning intentions:

Students will...

know the key features of food security in Australia
understand a range of challenges to improving food security with a focus on food production

Success criteria:

Students can...

explain the meaning of food security and apply it to Australia
describe some challenges to improving food security through increased food production
explain the role of pollinators in food production
explain connections between bees, food production and food security

Teacher preparation:

For the stand in line challenge in Part A, create a line on the wall or floor (using string or masking tape) that is long enough for all students to stand along. At one end of the line, attach a sign saying ‘AGREE’ and at the other end attach a sign saying ‘DISAGREE’. Halfway along the line attach a sign saying ‘NOT SURE’.
For the Around the Stations activity in Part B, identify six locations in the room to be recording stations. Each recording station will need a recording sheet (a piece of butchers paper) or a whiteboard, and one of the sets of questions from the Food Security Stations Worksheets.

Part A: Unpacking food security

Step 1

Explain to students that the focus of this lesson will be food production and issues related to food security. Invite students to share any knowledge they may already have about food security before writing the definition from the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) on the whiteboard:

"All people, at all times; have access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food; to meet dietary requirements and food preferences; for an active and healthy life."

Encourage students to analyse the meaning of this definition by thinking the opposite. Explain to the class that ‘food insecurity’ is the opposite of food security before challenging students to create their own definition for food insecurity in the Student Worksheet using the FAO definition as a starting point.

Once students have written their own definitions of food insecurity show the class The Australian Government’s definition of food insecurity:

"inadequate access to food, inadequate supply and the inappropriate use of food (e.g. inappropriate preparation of food)."

Invite students to edit their food security definitions to include anything from the above Australian Government definition. Finally, invite volunteers to read their definitions to the class. Encourage students to continue adapting their definitions based on what is shared by their peers.

Step 2

Now that students have an understanding of food security, it is time for them to consider food security in Australia. Ask students to stand up and look at the line you have created. Explain that you will be reading out some statements and students should choose a point to stand along the line somewhere between 'Agree' and 'Disagree'. Now read out the statement:

‘There is food insecurity in Australia’.

When students are standing in their chosen position, invite volunteers to share their reasons for choosing their place and, if possible, provide an example. It is important to explain to students that the aim of this activity is to share the class's experiences and opinions about food, not to get to the 'correct answer'. You should also invite further discussion of the complexity of food insecurity, where possible. For instance, students may comment that obesity (over-nutrition) is an issue in Australia but other students will note that Australia has a population of homeless people, many of whom are undernourished. When this kind of problematic knowledge is encountered it may be appropriate for students to look back at their definitions of food insecurity to uncover any insights that may help. As discussions occur students may choose to alter their position on the line.

Step 3

Explain to students that there are an estimated 5% of Australians who are food insecure: that is over 1.2 million people going to bed hungry. But it is not a lack of food that is the issue. Australia produces enough food to feed around 61 million people. Food insecurity in Australia only exists because of difficulties accessing food.

Invite students to discuss with the student next to them what the statement ‘food insecurity in Australia only exists because of difficulties accessing food’ might mean. Then invite volunteers to offer suggestions. Suggested answers: food is too expensive for some people; supermarkets are too far away for some people to get to.

Through your discussion bring students to the understanding that access to food can be physical (availability and proximity) and economic (affordability).

Step 4

Encourage students to suggest groups of people in Australia that would be most vulnerable to food insecurity. Hand out the Student Worksheet and then refer to the list of groups of people that statistically experience food insecurity at a higher rate than the general population, according to the Australian Government.

Invite students to work individually to write the letter P beside the groups most likely to experience food insecurity because of problems with physical access to food, and/or the letter E beside the groups most likely to experience food insecurity because of problems with economic access to food. Invite students to share their responses with a partner, taking turns as they work through the list. Ask students to talk through their answers with each other, particularly where their answers differ.

Step 5

Now lead a discussion using a show of hands approach for each group of people on the list, e.g. "Hands up if you put ‘P’ beside this group". Start by modeling a response to the students so they see how it will play out, e.g. "I put a ‘P’ beside people who are disabled, unwell or frail because these people have limited mobility and might rely on others to access food supplies for them".

Note: You may find that students and their families identify with a number of the categories in this activity. For this reason, it is important to be sensitive when discussing this statistical information.

Some suggested answers have been provided to help guide your discussion:

Indigenous Australians (This could be P and E, particularly in remote locations where healthy food can be limited and expensive. Many Indigenous people also fall into other categories such as unemployed, low income and without access to transport).
unemployed people (P and E for similar reasons as above).
single parent households.
low-income earners (E, however as some low-income earners also lack access to transport P is also an acceptable answer).
rental households.
young people.
cultural groups including refugees.
those without access to private and/or public transport (P – lack of transport would principally limit physical access to locations where nutritious and affordable food is available).
people who misuse alcohol and tobacco (E – these behaviors reduce money available to buy food).
people who are disabled, unwell or frail (P – these people have limited mobility and independence and often rely on others to access food supplies).

Part B: Challenges to food security and food production

Step 1

Begin by explaining to students that they will soon be moving their focus from Australia to global food security. Further explain, that they will be participating in an activity where they will work in groups to examine a clip related to food production and food security by answering questions at six recording stations around the room. Clarify that each group will watch a different clip (listed below in Step 2) and relate what they learned from their clip to the questions at the six recording stations (from the Food Security Stations Worksheets that you previously set up around the room). Because each group will be watching a different clip but answering the same questions, they will be able to bring a unique perspective to each of the six recording stations.

Explain that each station focuses on a different content area:

Station 1 – Food Security
Station 2 –Food Production and Biomes
Station 3 – Increasing Food Production
Station 4 – Population Growth and Food Security
Station 5 – Food Production's Impacts
Station 6 – Sustainable Food Production

Let students know that once their groups have done a lap of the six stations there will be a follow-up discussion at each station to summarise their collective findings and to learn from each other.

Step 2

Now, begin the activity by inviting students to form groups of 4 to 5 students (maximum 6 groups). Then work with the class to divide up the clips from the list below, one per group.

Explain to students that they will be watching their allocated clip and discussing the key ideas it contains. Invite students to record important ideas from their clip on the Student Worksheet before moving to a recording station. The clip may also stimulate some new questions that can be added to the Student Worksheet.

Explain that groups will:

have 2 minutes at each station to record their responses.
move clockwise around the room.
share the responsibility of adding information between members.
add details, facts or examples to other groups' responses.
possibly not be able to contribute to all of the questions at each station, depending on their clip.

Invite students to move to their first station, and begin the first 2-minute rotation.

Step 3

After students have contributed to all stations, explain that it is time to discuss the responses to each question. Leave the recording sheets on the wall and encourage the class to focus on one of the stations.

Invite individual students to lead a class discussion for each topic. Explain that the role of the discussion leader is to read each response to a question and tick or circle facts that the class generally agrees on. Devices can be used to clarify any points of contention that arise.

Step 4

Advise students that they will be creating mind maps on the Student Worksheets to summarise the key ideas from each station. Encourage students to use geographical language and concepts where possible. You may decide to model a mind map at the first station to demonstrate the level of detail expected in each mind map.

This step could be completed in two ways:

individually by students as they listen to the discussion at each station (make sure they have their Student Worksheets with them).
in pairs after students have returned to their desks where they can recall information from the discussions and refer to the recording sheets if they get stuck.

Part C: Is your food a stranger?

Step 1

As a thought starter, play the following clip:

Fair Food - The Trailer (https://vimeo.com/110541745)

Step 2

Invite students to review their summarised brainstorms and select one issue that stands out most to them, or they feel strongly about. This selection may be made because the issue worries, interests, or is new to students, or they feel they can be a part of the solution. You may choose to support students through this process by creating a class list of issues to choose from, like the following:

Loss of pollinators.
Food waste.
Land degradation issues such as soil erosion, soil depletion, salinity and deforestation.
Water pollution (surface and groundwater).
Water diversion and availability.
Loss of agrobiodiversity (a narrowing of the range of crops now readily available).
Climate change.

Once students have reviewed the issues and made a choice, invite them to share their selection with the class. Students should also feel free to explain why they made their decision.

Step 3

Explain to the class that they will now be considering their place as consumers in the food system. Encourage students to respond to the question: ‘How can consumers help fix the problem with our food system that you identified?’

Invite students to finish the following sentence on their Student Worksheets: ‘Consumers can help _(insert topic) by (insert action)___.'

Demonstrate how to complete this sentence, using the example of unsustainable farming leading to global warming. Write the following sentence on the whiteboard: 'Consumers can help reduce the effects of global warming by buying more local produce'. You may choose to encourage students to use their internet-enabled devices to help find solutions to their issue.

You can also extend this activity by asking students to find multiple solutions to their issue. For example, being sure to reduce food waste or composting/using worm farms are also food-related ways to reduce the effects of global warming.

Invite students to share their consumer action sentences. This will help show students the diversity of positive actions that can be taken every day, just by becoming more conscious consumers.

Step 4

Explain to your class that becoming conscious consumers can be a challenge for busy people. One of the problems is that there are many sources of information out there making something as simple as buying a piece of fruit a time-consuming research task. The students' task is to now champion their chosen issue and make a simple 'Eat Cheat Sheet' that can be taken home and used whenever someone in their house goes shopping.

This Eat Cheat Sheet will tap into the ideas that a small change can make a big difference, by reminding the person who does the shopping how they can shop with the selected issue in mind. This will become a simple shopping tool that offers 1–2 pieces of advice and persuasive reasons why such positive action should be taken.

Draw the class's attention to the Student Worksheet and explain that this is a space where they can plan their Eat Cheat Sheet before creating a final version. Invite the class creates to create their Eat Cheat Sheets using a preferred word processing program. Reiterate that their Eat Cheat Sheet needs to be something that can be stuck to the fridge or taken along to the shops to remind the person who does the shopping of the change being championed. Students' Eat Cheat Sheet should be short, engaging and persuasive.

Remind students of the skills they already have from their English classes about writing persuasive texts. Encourage students to tap into this skill during the activity.

Step 5

On the whiteboard, demonstrate an example of how to write an Eat Cheat Sheet by using the example of loss of pollinators. The following text can be adapted for this demonstration:

'Did you know that bees pollinate around one-third of the food you eat and they do it for free?! If it weren't for the hard work of these amazing animals, farmers would need to pollinate their crops by hand. That would mean way more work for farmers, meaning they will have to charge more for their produce. So if we want food to stay affordable, we need to protect bees.

Organic farmers don't use pesticides that can accidentally kill bees. You can become a bee-friendly shopper by buying organic produce.'

Step 6

Invite students to begin drafting their Eat Cheat Sheets, encouraging them to share their ideas with others in the class to get some casual feedback. When students are happy with their drafts, invite them to create their final versions.

When students' Eat Cheat Sheets are complete, hold a class sharing session.

Preparation for Lesson Two:

If you are planning on teaching the next lesson in this unit, Powerful Pollinators - Geography - Years 9 & 10, explain to students that their discussion about sustainable farming will continue. To help with this they should select at least two clips to watch at home before the next lesson.

Direct students to the list of clips available in the Student Worksheet. Explain that a difficulty number out of five has been allocated to each clip (1 = easy, 5 = challenging). Invite students to select their two clips based on how comfortable they feel with the topic:

Reflection

Ask students to reflect on what they have learned in this lesson.

Explain that they will demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the connections between bees, food production, and food security by answering two questions on the Student Worksheet:

Why do some Australians experience food insecurity?
What is the link between food production and food security?

Differentiated learning

Extension – Suggestions have been made for Part A and Part C.

Provisions for Learning Support – Provide students with completed mind maps for Part B. Invite students to circle each idea as it is covered during the class discussion at each station.

Create the flow diagram in Part C as a guided activity using questions such as: ‘Why do you think the bees in the King Island Scenario (story) all died?' Place an answer in the first box.

Introduction to Food Security

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Summary

Learning intentions:

Students will...

Success criteria:

Students can...

Lesson Guides and Printables

Lesson Details

Skills

Curriculum Mapping

Resources Required

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Additional Info

Related Professional Learning

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