Introduction:
This math lesson would be a part of a unit on Native American Culture (then and now). I have chosen a recipe I found on a blog called Native American Recipes, created by James Buel. It is a modern recipe for pecan cookies that is in an entry entitled “Food on the Reservation.” I wanted to use a recipe that Native American people use today to emphasize modern Native American culture because I think that aspect is often overlooked in classrooms.
Lesson Summary:
My activity would be to first have the students get into groups of three or four and plan a party (number of guests, who they would invite, when and where, etc.). I would then give them the pecan cookie recipe and have them change the yield so that they would also have to change the amounts of ingredients in the recipe (depending on how many they need for their party). They would then rewrite the recipe on a provided recipe card. This activity would require the students to use multiplication and division skills in a meaningful way that they can connect to a real-life situation (TEKS 111.17.b.3).
I chose this group work strategy for this text because I felt like having other students to work through this activity with would be a good way to provide scaffolding for students who may find the activity daunting at first. I think recipes may not be as familiar to some students as others, so I would also use heterogeneous grouping.
Text:
Wild Pecan Cookies
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups butter, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
3 cups flour
1 ½ cups ground pecansDirections:
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, beat the butter, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually beat in the flour and pecans. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls. Place the balls, 2 inches apart, on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 to12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool on the pans for 2 minutes. Remove from the pans and place on wire racks. Sift the confectioners’ sugar over the cookies while still warm. Cool completely.Yield: makes about 31
I think that this is a great way to integrate math into the classroom! It is also very authentic because I’m sure kids ask their parents to do it all the time for birthday parties and things like that, but they probably never really give much thought to how their parents do it. I also like that you touched upon the fact of educating students on how Native Americans live in the present world. I too think that sometimes this gets forgotten. My only question to you is what grade level did you have in mind when you made this lesson?