Third Graders Visit Tom Thumb for Food Scarcity Project
November 7, 2024
The third grade visited Tom Thumb as part of their economics unit on food scarcity, collecting a little over 2,900 items in four days. Later this week, students will conclude their food scarcity unit with a food drive for North Dallas Shared Ministries.
Tasked with feeding a family of four for $13.78, students spent about an hour navigating the aisles, searching for three nonperishable meals and one snack while staying under budget. They discussed whether something was a necessity, a nutritional option, or if there was a cheaper replacement. Leading up to the trip, students demonstrated their impressive math reasoning skills, reading comprehension skills, and social studies background knowledge to problem-solve while shopping.
In Social Studies, the food drive project is part of their economics unit, under the Innovation and Exploration Project theme—Dallas Past, Present, and Future. This unit focuses on the needs of Dallas and charitable giving, household budgets, and ways to save money. Students prepared for the trip by making meal shopping lists, examining a day's food for a family of four, and researching prices on the Tom Thumb website.
In math, students practiced rounding to different place values and estimating those numbers to ensure they were on track with their budget. Students also showcased their advanced reading comprehension skills in a real-world context by reading nutrition labels and shopping lists, discerning and interpreting the implications of the information on the outcomes of their project goals.
The third-grade food drive will be conducted from November 6 through November 10. Students will create posters, prepare bags to fill with food, track their daily collections with a tally chart and pictograph, sort the items by type, and deliver food to North Dallas Shared Ministries. After completing their study of the economics of need and food security, students will draft and publish a personal narrative about their favorite part of their study.
Check out other drives happening between now and the end of the year:
- U.S. Prism Health Food Drive the week before Thanksgiving
- Twelfth-grade toy drive for Interfaith the week before Thanksgiving
- Middle School holiday dinner box drive from December 2-13
- U.S. Angel Tree Drive from December 2-13
