Skip to main content
California Department of Education Logo

Nourish: Food and Community

This instructional resource contains a curriculum guide about food and sustainability.

Description

This instructional resource contains a curriculum guide that offers a rich set of resources to open a meaningful conversation about food and sustainability. The activities are interactive, well organized, and easy to follow. Overall objectives are listed in the curriculum. Students engage in the “story of food,” use critical thinking skills to reflect on current food practices and explore more sustainable ones, and link their learning to relevant action. The activities can be used in any sequence. The Nourish film traces the relationship to food from a global perspective to personal action steps. The curriculum can be used in social studies, science, health, or English classes.

What’s Inside

The curriculum includes a viewing guide, six learning activities, and suggestions for action projects, student handouts, bibliography, and glossary. Activity themes include The Story of Food; Seasonal, Local Food; Food Traditions; Food and Ecosystems; Analyzing Food Ads; and School Lunch Survey.

Activity Highlight

In Activity 2, Seasonal, Local Food, students define what a food “in season” means and discuss two foods brought into the classroom—one that is in season and one that is not. The class may engage in a tasting, and students can generate descriptive adjectives of the food. Students can also draw a circle with a 150-mile radius around their community and discuss what “local food” means. They make a “seasonal circle” and resource booklet to help them and their families find local, seasonal food in their community. The curriculum includes Nourish Action Projects with directions for choosing, planning, implementing, and reflecting on projects that could be the foundation for project-based learning activities.

  • Key Content Areas: After School, Cafeteria Connections, Food Literacy and Cooking Activities, Garden-based, Healthy School Environment, Integrated Subjects, and Media Literacy

  • Originator of Resources: WorldLink, developed in partnership with the Center for Ecoliteracy

  • User of Resource: Teachers

  • Audience: Grades 5–6, 7–8, and 9–12

  • Languages: English, some Spanish

  • Number of lessons: 6 lessons

  • Amount of time per lesson: 50–100 minutes per lesson

  • Format: Downloadable PDF; short films online

Resource

To access the curriculum, visit the Nourish Food and Community web page External link opens in new window or tab., select FREE! Nourish Curriculum on the home web page.

Contact

If you have any questions, visit the Nourish Contact Us web page External link opens in new window or tab..

Questions:   Nutrition Services Division | 800-952-5609
Last Reviewed: Tuesday, December 10, 2024
Related Content
Recently Posted in Nutrition
  • Direct Certification Requirements in the SNPs (added 13-Mar-2025)
    This MB includes the recent updates to EC Section 49501.5 explaining the requirements for all public school districts, charter schools, and county offices of education to conduct direct certification monthly through the CALPADS. Tab for Listserv to p
  • Direct Certification Requirements in the SNPs (added 07-Mar-2025)
    This management bulletin supersedes management bulletins 00-102 and NSD-SNP-08-2012 regarding direct certification (DC) requirements for local educational agencies (LEA) participating in the federal School Nutrition Programs (SNP).
  • Universal Benefits Application Now Available (added 07-Mar-2025)
    Universal Benefits Application Now Available - Use for SUN Bucks Eligibility.
  • National Nutrition Month 2025 (added 25-Feb-2025)
    The Nutrition Services Division encourages program operators to celebrate National Nutrition Month and National School Breakfast Week.
  • Nutrition Services Division New Learning Site (added 21-Feb-2025)
    This new learning management system will be used as the primary venue for delivering training content to satisfy your annual mandatory training hours for Professional Standards and beyond.

  • U.S. Department of Agriculture Requests Feedback (added 21-Feb-2025)
    The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service is seeking voluntary feedback through an online survey pertaining to the USDA Foods in Schools Product Information Sheets and the USDA Foods Database.
  • Governor Newsom Proclaims State of Emergency (added 21-Feb-2025)
    Governor Newsom Proclaims State of Emergency in Santa Cruz County due to Winter Storms.
  • Summer Food Service Program Annual Updates (added 21-Feb-2025)
    Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) annual updates for program year 2025.
  • Farm to School Needs Assessment 2025 (added 18-Feb-2025)
    The Nutrition Services Division (NSD) seeks to understand the resources and support you need to start, sustain, or expand your Farm to School efforts.
  • 2025–26 FFVP Request for Applications Available (added 14-Feb-2025)
    The CDE NSD announces a grant opportunity for elementary schools to participate in the FFVP. The FFVP grant period is July 1, 2025–June 30, 2026. All eligible agencies, both current FFVP grantees and new applicants, must respond online to this RFA.