Lesson # 7: Whole Grain Breads

During week seven of Food is Elementary, students were able to sample a variety of whole grain breads and crackers in order to learn that different whole grain breads can have very different tastes.

The whole grains breads lesson began with a review of the food pyramid (with an emphasis on the grains group), the vitamins that are present in whole grains (B and E), and the parts of our bodies that benefit most from the consumption of foods rich in vitamins B and E.

Next, George Levensen's Bread Comes to Life: a Garden of Wheat and a Loaf to Eat was read to the class. This beautifully illustrated book showed the students the sowing of wheat seeds in a garden patch, the growing process, the harvesting and milling of the wheat, and ultimately, the baking of a loaf of whole grain bread.

The Food Educators reminded students that during lesson # 7 they would be sampling different whole grain breads, and appropriately reviewed the "no-yuk"rule, knife safety, and the ways in which we eat with our senses (smelling our food before eating, chewing slowly with our eyes closes, etc.).

Students broke into groups to sample different whole grain breads and crackers. With the help of the Food Educators, students used plastic cutlery to slice breads into bite-sized pieces which were summarily sniffed and gobbled up. The breads sampled ranged from the familiar pre-sliced whole wheat sandwich breads, to the slightly more exotic loaves of multi-grain seeded breads and whole grain crackers. The students were delighted by the variety, and tried the breads and crackers with excitement. Their descriptive words and reactions to the breads and crackers indicated a strong understanding that not all whole grain breads taste the same.