17. Queen Mary Elementary School

Project Description

Note: This project will take place in person

Context/Background

"Food, as an expression of cultural identity, is an important part of culture. At the same time, the role of well-being and healing perception/practices in a culture can reveal the norms of a community. Plants have been used both as a medicine and food, but the relationship between the two areas has generally been neglected and people tended to look at the two as though they are separate areas of study. Conversely, in traditional cultures food and medicine have been strongly interwoven. Consuming healthy foods is closely linked to the culture and belief systems in a society (Chen, 2009). It can be suggested that, treating food and medicine as one and as complementary to each other rather than seeing them as two separate entities would change our perception about 'eating and healing.' Moreover, trying to understand historical connections between foods and medicines can provide a comprehensive perspective with the ways in which we can deeply appreciate our foods and rethink our healing practices (Etkin, 2006; Pieroni and Price, 2006)."

- Gülnur Ekşi, Ayşe Mine Gençler Özkan & Mehmet Koyuncu (2020), "Garlic and Onions: An Eastern Tale"

Queen Mary Elementary has on-site raised European-style garden beds and Native plant areas. Staff have been working with students and a variety of community groups for the past several years to make the best use of these resources as teaching spaces. Classroom teachers and students plant and harvest throughout the year.

LFS 350 students will work with the Grade 5 class and will research and present diverse cultural uses of garlic, how garlic is used around the world, and how garlic is planted and harvested in our local climate. The Grade 5 students will learn about different cultural contexts for garlic use, the historical origins of garlic, and how it came to be part of so many different cultural cuisines.

Note: We do not expect UBC LFS students to be teachers. Any and all interactions with elementary students will be led and facilitated by classroom teachers with input from UBC students and through collaborative planning.

Food Systems Issue(s) Addressed in this Project

"Without diminishing the empirical and analytic traditions of western science, we de-center its primacy in order to make space for other perspectives and ways of knowing. This includes (but is not limited to) advancing pedagogical practices that explore the history and traditions of Indigenous peoples, creating courses and curricula that integrate de-colonizing food systems theory and practice, and developing conferences that intentionally bring together scientists/academics, farmers, farm- and food workers, and Indigenous peoples from the host location."

- Sustainable Agriculture Education Association (SAEA)'s Equity Statement

• LFS students will research the uses and cultural significance of garlic in diverse contexts. In designing a workshop and hands-on activities for the Grade 5 class, LFS students should consider guiding questions such as:
  • How has garlic been used historically?
  • How is garlic used around the world?
  • Are there differences in planting and harvesting garlic in our local climate compared to other climates?
  • What can garlic teach us about the movement of people and plants throughout history?
  • How can we use anti-oppressive and decolonial principles when designing lesson plans and learning activities (for any grade level)?
  • How can we make space for multiple perspectives and ways of knowing when we are designing educational activities?
  • How do we make learning fun?
    

Main Project Activities

• Research uses and cultural significance of garlic in diverse contexts
• Create an engaging and educational presentation/workshop for the QME Grade 5 students, ideally including foods with garlic for sampling (we are flexible on the workshop format and specifics -- let's be creative!)
• Facilitate the workshop with the Grade 5 students
• Create accompanying materials (e.g. handouts, posters) if applicable
• Plant garlic with the Grade 5 students

Main Project Deliverable(s)

• 2 slide deck workshops on cultural use of garlic, how garlic is used around the world, how garlic is grown, farmed, etc.
• Accompanying materials (e.g. handouts)
• 1 garlic planting session in the school garden
• 2 surveys: pre/post teaching

Student Assets and Skills (preferred or required)

• Organizational skills in planning workshops
• Desire to work together as a team for the presentations
• Gardening experience
• Experience working with children

• Interest in K-12 teaching and curriculum development

Are there any mandatory attendance dates (e.g. special event)?

• Date of the workshop(s) which will be decided with the student group

Is a criminal record search (CRS) required?

• Yes
• CRS should be initiated before the first meeting
• Detailed instructions will be posted on Canvas
• Contact your TA or the Course Coordinator if you need additional support

How much self-direction is expected from the students?

• Deciding on the project deliverable(s): Mostly led by students, with some community partner input
• Developing the activity plan and timeline: Mostly led by students, with some community partner input
• Scheduling and initiating the communication plan (e.g. weekly Zoom check-in, biweekly email update, etc.): Led by students
• Implementing the activity plan (e.g. surveying stakeholder groups): Led by students
• Finalizing the deliverable(s): Led by students

Related Volunteering/Community Service Opportunities for Students

• If students are interested in continuing to help care for the school garden after school hours, after 3 p.m. throughout the fall, on a weekly basis, this is an community service opportunity. Please discuss with Maria if you are interested

Required Reading

Project/Partner Orientation Materials

Students should review these materials prior to the first partner meeting:

• The community partner will provide a site visit to the school garden and classroom
• Lyiscott, Jamila (2019). Black Appetite. White Food. Issues of Race, Voice, and Justice Within and Beyond the Classroom. Available from UBC Library. Students should read the Introduction before the first community partner meeting.
• Fredrick, B.E. (1991). Food and culture: Using ethnic recipes to demonstrate the Post-Columbian exchange of plants and animals. Journal of Geography, (90)1. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221349108979223
• All About Garlic (2021). West Coast Seeds
• Guidelines for Adults Interacting with Students (Vancouver Board of Education )

Additional Materials

Garlic

• Special issue: Recent advances on the nutritional effects associated with the use of garlic as a supplement (2001). The Journal of Nutrition, 131(3S).
• Ekşi, G., Özkan, A.M.G. & Koyuncu, M. (2020). Garlic and onions: An eastern tale. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 253. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2020.112675
• White, D. (2021). Healthy uses for garlic. Nursing Clinics of North America, 56(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cnur.2020.12.001
• Hancock, J.F. (2023). Fifty years later— the legacy of Alfred Crosby’s “The Columbian Exchange: Biological and Cultural Consequences of 1492.” Economic Botany, 77.
• The origins and distribution of garlic: How many garlics are there? (USDA Agricultural Research Service)

Pedagogy

• The Sustainable Agriculture Education Association (SAEA)'s Equity Statement
• Learning, food, and sustainability: Sites for resistance and change. New York: Palgrave MacMillan. Available from UBC Library.
• Educator Resources (Toronto FoodShare(
• Curriculum Guide to Anti-Racism (BC Ministry of Education)
• Indigenous education resources (BC Ministry of Education)
• Williams-Forson, P.A. (2023). Eating While Black Food Shaming and Race in America. Available from UBC Library