Lesson Plan
Teaclier's Ai^n:
1. To teach the child the best method of cooking starch.
2. To give the child a knowledge of the nutritive value of
the potato and its best method of cooking it.
3. To correlate the work with other subject of the school
curriculum with the end in view of placing home industries
in the child's mind on the same educational basis as the other
subjects in the curriculum.
Pupil's Aim:
To learn how to cook the potato.
Suggested Questions
What is the potato ? How grown ? How dug ? What do you
see upon examining it? Cut and look inside; feel it. Look at
it through a hand lens. Do you see any fibers? Do you see a
heavy rim near the outside skin? What is it? What influ-
ence would this have on the way you peel the potato (the min-
eral salts of the potato are located near the outer skin) ? Grate
a potato into a cheese cloth, gather up the cloth, make a bag
and squeeze it. Wash with the finger carefully in a pan of cold
water, being very careful not to break an opening in the bag.
Allow the water to stand some minutes; pour it of¥ carefully.
What is in the bottom? Examine it carefully. INIix a part of
80 Bulletin of tlie University of Texas
it with a little cold water and boil. What happens? This
starch is the substance which makes the potato a good food.
Remove the fibres from the cloth and dry in a little pasteboard
box on the back of the stove or in the sunshine. Examine.
Do we eat potatoes raw ? Why not 1 How shall we cook
them? What substance have we here to cook? (Starch and
fiber, but starch is the important one). Try the effect of cold
water on a little starch. Try hot water; boiling water. What
happens in each case? Eeview these experiments carefully, and
see if they suggest to your mind the best method of cooking a
potato. (Cook the potato, if po.ssible, in the schoolroom, and
utilize for school luncheon.)
Related Sur.jects
1. Geograpliy:
A map showing the potato producing centers of the world.
A discussion of soil and climate adapted to the growth of the
potato.
The importance of the potato as a domestic agricultural pro-
duct.
2. Nature Study and Gardening:
Study the methods and germination of the potato.
Study the methods of cultivation and harvesting of the
potato.
Study the insects affecting the growth and development of
the potato, and how they may be destroyed.
3. Construction Worli:
Suitable wooden crates or bins for storing the potato for win-
ter use.
Woven holders for handling hot pots and kettles during the
cooking.
Hemming of dish towels for use in dish washing.
4. EnglisJi:
The keeping of notebooks by the pupils in which all subject-
matter can be recorded and corrected.
Simple Courses in Home Economics 81
Stories connected with the discovery of the potato, early use
of the potato, etc.
Give new words connected with the development of the les-
son.
Definition of new words and the use of same.
Tell the story of the potato.
The Story of the Irish Potato
Page 30
Presented as published in 1916. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Lesson Plan
Teaclier's Ai^n:
1. To teach the child the best method of cooking starch.
2. To give the child a knowledge of the nutritive value of the potato and its best method of cooking it.
3. To correlate the work with other subject of the school curriculum with the end in view of placing home industries in the child's mind on the same educational basis as the other subjects in the curriculum.
Pupil's Aim:
To learn how to cook the potato.
Suggested Questions
What is the potato ? How grown ? How dug ? What do you see upon examining it? Cut and look inside; feel it. Look at it through a hand lens. Do you see any fibers? Do you see a heavy rim near the outside skin? What is it? What influence would this have on the way you peel the potato (the mineral salts of the potato are located near the outer skin) ? Grate a potato into a cheese cloth, gather up the cloth, make a bag and squeeze it. Wash with the finger carefully in a pan of cold water, being very careful not to break an opening in the bag. Allow the water to stand some minutes; pour it off carefully. What is in the bottom? Examine it carefully. INIix a part of
80 Bulletin of tlie University of Texasof it with a little cold water and boil. What happens? This starch is the substance which makes the potato a good food. Remove the fibres from the cloth and dry in a little pasteboard box on the back of the stove or in the sunshine. Examine.
Do we eat potatoes raw? Why not? How shall we cook them? What substance have we here to cook? (Starch and fiber, but starch is the important one). Try the effect of cold water on a little starch. Try hot water; boiling water. What happens in each case? Eeview these experiments carefully, and see if they suggest to your mind the best method of cooking a potato. (Cook the potato, if po.ssible, in the schoolroom, and utilize for school luncheon.)
Related Sur.jects
1. Geograpliy:
A map showing the potato producing centers of the world.
A discussion of soil and climate adapted to the growth of the potato.
The importance of the potato as a domestic agricultural product.
2. Nature Study and Gardening:
Study the methods and germination of the potato.
Study the methods of cultivation and harvesting of the potato.
Study the insects affecting the growth and development of the potato, and how they may be destroyed.
3. Construction Worli:
Suitable wooden crates or bins for storing the potato for winter use.
Woven holders for handling hot pots and kettles during the cooking.
Hemming of dish towels for use in dish washing.
4. EnglisJi:
The keeping of notebooks by the pupils in which all subjectmatter can be recorded and corrected.
Simple Courses in Home Economics 81
Stories connected with the discovery of the potato, early use of the potato, etc.
Give new words connected with the development of the lesson.
Definition of new words and the use of same.
Tell the story of the potato.
The Story of the Irish Potato