Lesson overview |
At least one in six members of the U.S. workforce are employed in the food chain, from farm fields to food service. You will identify different jobs, examine their working conditions, and consider how to improve workers’ health and quality of life. Identify the roles of workers at every step in the food supply chain. Analyze the wages and working conditions of food chain workers.Describe workplace changes food chain workers are advocating for.
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Level 6 Guided Question: What can be done to improve wages and working conditions for food chain workers?
Study the FoodSpan infographic
Have students write each job on a sticky note or index card, then post their jobs on the board in order from field to plate. Identify which parts are food chain workers. Discuss: ◼ Which jobs are missing? ◼ Which jobs require the most people to accomplish? ◼ Which jobs involve the most physical labor? ◼ Which involve the most skill? ◼ Which jobs involve the greatest risk of injury and disease? Post the answers to the questions in the Public Comment section in Google Classroom. |
Level 6 Investigation: An Ag Job Interview
You will gain a greater awareness of the role agriculture plays in the American economy, practice oral and written communication skills, and learn about numerous agricultural careers. In order to accomplish this you will be required to interview a person that is currently working in Agriculture please following the instructions below to help you plan your interview. 1. Schedule an appointment for an interview with a local farmer, farm manager, or an owner or manager of a farm-related business. (You may not interview an immediate family member.) 2. Before your interview, familiarize yourselves with the operation as best you can. Request flyers or Web site addresses that will give you information about the operation. Learn about the commodities that this person/company produces. This will make your interview more meaningful. 3. The interview must take place at the business site. Obtain accurate directions, and secure a responsible method of transportation. Be sure to complete the Pre-Interview Information prior to your arrival at the interview site. 4. One or two days prior to the interview, call and confirm your appointment. 5. This completed form is due on (instructor will provide the deadline). Recopy and/or write a summary about your findings, as instructed by your teacher. Proof your work for proper spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Be prepared to discuss your interview with your classmates. |
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Level 6 Videos: Jobs in Agriculture's Food Chain
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Watch two of these as you are preparing questions for your interview.
Level 6 Elaborate: Gallery walk
Our very lives are dependent, for sustenance, on the sweat and sacrifice of the campesinos. Children of farm workers should be as proud of their parents’ professions as other children are of theirs.” |
Four Gallery Walk Signs have been posted around the room. You will use the Gallery Walk Handout and move from one post to the next, writing your responses to the following question concerning each job: What risks and challenges does someone with this job face? Write your responses on the Gallery Walk Handout and take a picture with your phone and upload it to your Google Classroom page or if you have an account complete the Gallery Walk Handout and then submit.
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Level 6 Review: Case Studies
Each table group will be assigned a worker profile from the Food Justice in Action Handout. Each profile highlights some of the challenges faced by food chain workers and some of the campaigns and organizations working to promote fair wages and safer working conditions. Each group will read its case study and prepare a brief presentation that will: ◼ Describe the risks and challenges faced by these workers ◼ Describe the intervention to promote fair wages and/ or safer working conditions ◼ Assess whether they think the intervention is an effective approach ◼ Propose an additional intervention You and your team will be graded how well you articulate the challenges faced by the group you present your instructor will give your team a rubric. |