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Learning With Lincoln Institute

Comparative Mini-Cookbook

by David Burgett

Download a copy of this Learning Experience

The Comparative Cookbook lesson focuses on the utilization of historical and modern day primary sources along with various print and non-print resources. This lesson is an effort to expand students’ perception of the life and times of Abraham Lincoln during the latter part of the 19th century. The particular topic of inquiry to be emphasized by this lesson will be popular food recipes of that period. These Civil War era recipes will be compared with modern day version of the same dish incorporating the use of an analytic worksheet. Students will analyze and interpret the significance of primary source documents and make inferences about how a “set of directions” for the same end product can change over a period of time.

Overview

Subject:
U.S. History / Social Studies / Library Research / Family and Consumer Science
Time Required:
Three 50 minute class periods.
Grade Range:
9 - 12
Understanding Goal:
Primary sources provide a glimpse into everyday life in the past. Passage of time has a direct effect on the phrasing of a document.
Investigative or Essential Question:
How can primary sources tell us how people lived in the past and how the passage of time has changed the way we live?

Materials

Purpose of Library of Congress Items:
The primary sources enable students to obtain the required authentic Civil War/Lincoln Era recipes which are necessary for later comparison to modern day recipes of the same dish.
Library of Congress Items:
Bibliographical Information can be found in the PDF of this Learning Experience.
 
  • Goodfellow Cookery
  • 3000 Recipes
  • Beecher's Housekeepers
Additional Materials:
Required Vocabulary:
Recipe, dish, ingredients, measurements, cookery, simmer, draw, hard copy, analytic, comparative, primary source, Boolean, citation, skim, et el.
Note: Vocabulary words may vary according to which recipe(s) is chosen by the student.
Prior Content Knowledge:
Students should have some knowledge of the life and times during the Civil War/Lincoln Era (e.g. historical events). The DVD to be shown on the first day of the lesson should “set the tone” and accomplish this need. They should also know how to basically read, understand, and execute a typical recipe. Students should also be given basic knowledge of different ways to measure the ingredients of a given recipe and made aware of how food preparation methods have changed from the days of the open fire to the microwave oven.
Technology Skills:
Before actually starting this exercise, students will have to know how to access and search not only the Library of Congress American Memory database but also conduct Boolean searches of major internet search engines (Handout 1 and 2 should accomplish this need). They should also know how to critically analyze and compare two different documents (Handouts 3 and 4 should accomplish this need).

Standards

Illinois Learning Standards:
14b, 1C4c, 16A5a, 16E5a, 4AH
 
For information on specific Illinois Learning Standards go to www.isbe.state.il.us/ils/

Actions

Description of Teacher Actions:
Build Prior Knowledge (Anticipatory Set)

View the DVD entitled, “You Are There: Abraham Lincoln’s Great Moments”. Note: This will “set the tone” for the lesson. Be sure to have students recognize dates of Civil War Era.

 
Model Learning
  1. Students will be instructed how to access and search the American Memory section of the Library of Congress.
    • Emphasis will be placed on how to search for recipes in three particular cookbooks: Mrs. Goodfellow’s Cookery as it should be, Miss Beecher’s housekeeper and healthkeeper: containing five hundred recipes for economical and healthful cooking; also, many directions for securing health and happiness…, and Wright’s book of 3000 practical recipes, or complete book of reference, containing valuable and important recipes for medicine, cookery, pastry, preserving, pickling, confectionary, distilling, perfumery, varnishing, chemicals, dyeing, and agriculture, by A.S. Wright. (Handout #1)
  2. Students will be instructed how to access and search internet search engines (e.g. Google). Emphasis will be placed on the “Advanced Search” method. (Handout #2)
  3. Students will be given a sample Civil War Era recipe (from the LOC Website) along with a sample modern day recipe of the same dish.
    • They will also be given a sample “Analytic Worksheet” to compare the two versions of the same recipe.
    • This analysis activity will be done as a class activity.
    • The activity will conclude with a discussion of how primary sources can offer insight into our history and culture. (Handout #3 & 4)
 
Student Investigative Activity
  1. Students will access and search the American Memory section of the Library of Congress Website for three (3) different Civil War Era (“old”) recipes of their choice.
    • They will make a hard copy of each one.
    • Then, they will access and search the Internet for a modern day (“new”) version of each of the three respective recipes. Once again, they will make hard copy of each one.
  2. Next, they will complete the “Analytic Worksheet” in order to compare the “old” and “new” versions of the same recipe. (Handout #5)
  3. Finally, they will combine the “old” and “new” versions of all three recipes along wit their respective “Analytic Worksheets” and compile them into a “comparative mini-cookbook.

Extension: Prepare food items for a high school home economics class along with an explanation of the history of the respective food served.

Best Instructional Practices:

Differentiated Instruction

Having students choose their own recipes of interest allows students to make their own connection to the topic under study.

Technology Integration

Using a video enhances content knowledge and accesses prior knowledge. The video also offers differentiated instruction by engaging visual learners.

Information literacy skills are practiced through searching the Library of Congress Website and other search engines for needed information to complete their assignment.