Grade 5: Food Truck Project

"Food trucks are familiar and relevant to our students. Many of them have seen and eaten from food trucks at the farmer's market, festivals, and elsewhere," Mrs. Lucas said. "For this reason, we designed a unit that involved learning about the history of food trucks, a visit from a speaker who was a former food truck owner, and time for kids to collaborate and come up with their own food truck models." 

For Grade 5 science teacher Andy Dodge, it was the visit with the former food truck owner that truly brought the project to life. "The opportunity to have a food truck owner (who is a former teacher) share her experience and journey with the students was an invaluable added layer that made the project more realistic," Mr. Dodge said. "It was fascinating to learn more about running a small business in the food truck industry, including the initial investment, recipe and menu creation, mechanical maintenance, and staffing." 

Following the presentation, the Grade 5 students rolled up their sleeves and began to imagine what their own food truck businesses would look like. The students brainstormed menu ideas and designs and even mapped out what the inside and outside of their food trucks would look like on paper. Following the initial planning stages, the students headed to the Gates Lab to bring their food truck creations to life. 

According to Mr. Dodge, "My favorite part of this project is that although there is an outline, students have tremendous choice in which creative direction they want to go. In addition, the culmination of the actual building of the truck also provides students the opportunity to experiment with marketing, design, and presentation techniques." 

At the end of the project, the Grade 5 students and their teachers are looking forward to placing the newly designed food trucks on display in the Corkins Center for the campus community to observe.