Project Description
Before reading There’s No Ham in Hamburgers, it’s important that students know the difference between fact and folklore because both are widely discussed in this book.
KWL: (Know-Want to know-Learned) KWL is a good way to find out what students know about the topic and tease out their questions. Have students draw three columns on a sheet of paper labeled: Know, Want to Know, Learned. Complete the first two columns before reading and follow up with the third column after or during reading.
Organizing Maps: Use the thinking maps to help students organize their ideas. Bubble Maps use adjectives to add descriptions to their writing. Double Bubble Maps and Venn Diagrams allow students to compare and contrast topics. Flow maps allow students to organize a timeline of topics. Circle Maps allow students to write and organize facts about a subject. Tree Maps allow students to create more descriptive sentences and facts.
LINK: (List-Inquire-Note-Know more about) Similar to KWL but works well for one topic or idea. The term “folklore” would be excellent for this activity. For the LINK activity, you give students three minutes to list what they know about a topic. Students pair or group up and ask others what they know about a topic. They then complete the Note category as they read, and complete Know More About when they complete the book.
Anticipation Guide: The history of our favorite foods takes us all over the world through some of the most outlandish stories. Not only can you assess students’ knowledge, but you can pique their interest with a series of statements that they mark True or False. Here are a few suggestions:
• Hot dogs evolved from sausages.
• Chickens are related to the Tyrannosaurus rex.
• Dolley Madison was the first to serve ice cream at the White House.
• Dr. John Harvey Kellogg helped develop both cereals and cookies.
• Potato chips were able to be stored for long times when they were first invented.
• The creators of the Oreo copied it from another cookie.
• President Roosevelt served hot dogs to the royalty of England at a state dinner.
• Peanut butter was first presented to the public at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair.
Chapter One: There’s No Ham in Hamburgers
• In your opinion, what is the best hamburger?
• Take a poll – What is the best fast food restaurant for burgers?
• Research the immigration of Germans to the United States.
• What other culinary influences did Germans bring to the U.S.?
• The hamburger is known as fair food. How has fair food evolved?
• Write an instructional piece about Hamburg, Germany.
• How can we make hamburgers healthier?
• E. coli can make you very sick. Research E. coli and find other foods that have E. coli in them. How can you prevent getting sick from E. coli? How is E. coli treated?
Chapter Two: One Potato, Two Potato
• Research the different ways that you can prepare potatoes and write a story about them.
• Spanish explorers discovered potatoes on their expeditions to the American continent. What other foods did Spanish explorers discover and take back to Europe? What foods did the Spanish introduce to the Native Americans? Discuss the Columbian Exchange. Research how foods have found their way to different countries and how the U.S. has influenced other countries’ cuisines.
• There are many plants that are poisonous. Nightshade plants are known for their poison. Re-search the poisonous nightshade plants. Create a commercial or advertisement for one of the poisonous plants. Present it to your class.
• What was the Irish Potato Famine?
• Americans call them French fries, but they are not called that in other countries. What are they called in other countries? Research the most popular way to prepare potatoes in other countries.
Chapter Three: Eatsa Some Pizza
• Research the Italian immigration to the United States. What culinary influences did the Italians bring with them?
• We have seen many different weird toppings added to a pizza. What is the weirdest pizza you have eaten? What do you think are the best toppings for a pizza? What do you think does not belong on a pizza?
• Why was pizza the perfect food for people that did not have a lot of money?
• As with toppings, we see many different crusts for pizza. How do you like your crust? What is the best crust? Write a persuasive piece about the perfect crust and toppings for a pizza.
Chapter Four: We All Scream For Ice Cream
• Research “yakhchals” and write an information piece about it.
• George Washington spent $200 on ice cream in 1790 which would be $5,000 today. Research the price of other foods in 1790 and compare that to what they cost today.
• Endothermic reactions are what happens in making ice cream. What is an endothermic reaction? What other endothermic reactions do we see?
• Japan has some unusual flavors of ice cream. Research the different types of ice cream they have. In your opinion, what is the weirdest? Would you try it?
Chapter Five: A Hot Dog By Any Other Name
• Sausages were created by the leftover cuts after butchering. Write an informational piece about how sausages are made.
• There are many different styles of hotdogs. Read about the different styles (Chicago style, Coney Island, etc.…) Which style would you like to try?
• The great debate: Which is better on a hot dog? Ketchup or mustard?
• Hot dogs are named after the dachshund. Learn about the dachshund breed and write an information piece about them.
• Bring in labels from different kinds of hot dogs and compare the ingredients. Which ones are healthier?
Chapter Six: Chickens Don’t Have Fingers
• Eggs are one of the most versatile foods and are used in many culinary creations. What is your favorite way to eat an egg? What are some of the ways to cook an egg?
• Chicken soup is said to have medicinal qualities. Research why chicken soup is good to eat when you have a cold.
• Fried chicken is one of the most popular dishes. Write an opinion piece on your favorite fried chicken.
• The great debate: Which fried chicken fast food restaurants are the best?
• Scientists learned that chickens were not getting the vitamins that they needed. When given vitamins, the chickens grew and were much healthier. Why are vitamins so important for animals and people?
Chapter Seven: Peanut Butter Better
• Write an informational piece about how to grow peanuts.
• Why did Dr. John Harvey Kellogg want to develop peanut butter?
• Two inventors solved the problem of the oil separating from the peanut butter and rising to the top. Who are they and how did they solve the problem?
• George Washington Carver created so many things using peanuts. Write about the different creations that George made with peanuts and why they were so influential.
• The great debate: Chunky or smooth peanut butter? Grape or strawberry? Skippy or Jif?
Chapter Eight: Cuckoo For Cookies
• Read page 92 “The Massachusetts State Cookie”. Lobby to our governor to make your favorite cookie the state cookie. Create signs, write an influential opinion paper, and write a recipe to make your cookie.
• The great debate: Which is the best? Chocolate chip, sugar, snickerdoodle, peanut butter, Oreos, oatmeal raisin.
• Macaroons are challenging to make. Research how to make macaroons and explain why they are so difficult to make correctly.
• Sugar used to be very expensive. Why was sugar so expensive?
Chapter Six: Chickens Don’t Have Fingers
• Eggs are one of the most versatile foods and are used in many culinary creations. What is your favorite way to eat an egg? What are some of the ways to cook an egg?
• Chicken soup is said to have medicinal qualities. Research why chicken soup is good to eat when you have a cold.
• Fried chicken is one of the most popular dishes. Write an opinion piece on your favorite fried chicken.
• The great debate: Which fried chicken fast food restaurants are the best?
• Scientists learned that chickens were not getting the vitamins that they needed. When given vitamins, the chickens grew and were much healthier. Why are vitamins so important for animals and people?
Chapter Seven: Peanut Butter Better
• Write an informational piece about how to grow peanuts.
• Why did Dr. John Harvey Kellogg want to develop peanut butter?
• Two inventors solved the problem of the oil separating from the peanut butter and rising to the top. Who are they and how did they solve the problem?
• George Washington Carver created so many things using peanuts. Write about the different creations that George made with peanuts and why they were so influential.
• The great debate: Chunky or smooth peanut butter? Grape or strawberry? Skippy or Jif?
Chapter Eight: Cuckoo For Cookies
• Read page 92 “The Massachusetts State Cookie”. Lobby to our governor to make your favorite cookie the state cookie. Create signs, write an influential opinion paper, and write a recipe to make your cookie.
• The great debate: Which is the best? Chocolate chip, sugar, snickerdoodle, peanut butter, Oreos, oatmeal raisin.
• Macaroons are challenging to make. Research how to make macaroons and explain why they are so difficult to make correctly.
• Sugar used to be very expensive. Why was sugar so expensive?
After Reading Activities
• St. Louis Fair Connections: The 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair had a major impact on food in America. Go back to There is No Ham in Hamburgers and identify all of the foods that gained national attention from the fair. What other inventions debuted at the St. Louis World’s Fair?
• It wasn’t just new foods that were introduced at World Fairs. Inventions such as the telephone, typewriter, and elevator were introduced at a world fair. Learn about the world fairs and how they influenced the advancement of technology, architecture, industry, and foods.
• Immigration plays a huge role in how foods spread around the world. Look at other
countries and note their influences on the foods we have here. What area of the world influenced your favorite meal?
• Tongue-twisters use alliteration and there are several in the book. See if you can spot them. The one on page 23 says “With the continuous cooker, chippers could keep chips cooking constantly.” Write your own tongue-twister about your favorite food.
