B1-Level: Unit 5 Food and Cuisine
Objective:
By the end of this unit, students will be able to:
- Discuss their food preferences and cultural eating habits.
- Use vocabulary related to food items, meals, and eating habits confidently.
- Comprehend menus, recipes, and articles about global cuisines.
- Engage in conversations about food and order food in a restaurant.
- Describe their favorite meals using descriptive language and explain their significance.
Materials Needed:
- Pictures or visuals of various food items and meals
- Sample menus, recipes, and short articles about different cuisines
- Audio recordings of conversations in restaurants and food discussions
- Flashcards for vocabulary practice
- Writing materials (paper, pens/pencils)
Duration: 90 minutes per week (2 sessions of 45 minutes)
Exploring Food Preferences
Session 1: Vocabulary and Speaking Practice (45 minutes)
- Warm-Up (5 minutes)
- Ask students: “What is your favorite food? Why do you like it?”
- Have a few volunteers share with the class.
- Show visuals of popular dishes from different cuisines and have students guess their names and origins.
- Vocabulary Introduction (15 minutes)
- Present key vocabulary related to food and eating habits: starter, main course, dessert, spicy, sweet, sour, salty, bitter, fresh, grilled, fried, baked, recipe, ingredient.
- Use flashcards or visuals to illustrate each word.
- Quick Practice: Students match vocabulary words to corresponding pictures.
- Speaking Practice: Food Discussions (15 minutes)
- Pair students and give each pair a question card:
- What’s your favorite dish?
- Describe the last meal you ate.
- Do you prefer cooking at home or eating out? Why?
- Encourage students to describe flavors, ingredients, and why they enjoy certain foods.
- Rotate pairs every 3–4 minutes.
- Pair students and give each pair a question card:
- Writing Task (10 minutes)
- Prompt: “Write a short paragraph about your favorite food. Include its ingredients, how it’s prepared, and why you like it.”
- Provide sentence starters:
- My favorite food is…
- It’s made with…
- I like it because…
Wrap-Up (2 minutes)
- Ask a few students to share their written paragraphs with the class.
Session 2: Reading and Listening (45 minutes)
- Vocabulary Review (5 minutes)
- Quick matching activity: students match food-related words to their definitions or pictures.
- Reading Activity: Exploring World Cuisines (15 minutes)
- Provide a short article or dialogue about food traditions in different countries.
- Example text: “In Japan, sushi is a popular dish made with rice, seaweed, and fresh fish. It is often served with soy sauce and wasabi.”
- Students answer comprehension questions:
- What ingredients are mentioned?
- Which country is mentioned?
- What makes this dish special?
- Listening Exercise: Ordering Food in a Restaurant (15 minutes)
- Play an audio recording of a restaurant conversation.
- Students listen and note key details:
- What does the customer order?
- How does the waiter respond?
- Role-play: In pairs, students act out ordering food in a restaurant.
- Discussion (10 minutes)
- Ask: “What’s one new food you’d like to try? Why?”
- Encourage students to share and discuss as a class.
Homework:
- Research a traditional dish from another country and write 4–5 sentences about its ingredients, preparation, and cultural significance.
Exploring Cultural Differences in Food
Session 3: Speaking Practice and Vocabulary Review (45 minutes)
- Warm-Up (5 minutes)
- Ask students: “What is a traditional dish from your country? What ingredients does it have?”
- Share brief answers as a class.
- Group Discussion: Food Culture (20 minutes)
- Divide students into small groups.
- Give each group a topic:
- Street food vs. restaurant food.
- Breakfast habits in different countries.
- Festive foods in your culture.
- Groups discuss and present their ideas to the class.
- Vocabulary Review Game (10 minutes)
- Play a quick vocabulary game (Pictionary or Food Bingo) to reinforce food-related words.
- Writing Task (10 minutes)
- Prompt: “Describe a traditional dish from your country. Include its ingredients, preparation, and when people usually eat it.”
Wrap-Up (2 minutes)
- Ask a few students to share their paragraphs.
Session 2: Writing Task and Review (45 minutes)
- Writing Task: Reflective Paragraph (20 minutes)
- Prompt: “Write about your favorite meal. Describe its taste, smell, and why it’s special to you. Include any memories or stories related to this meal.”
- Encourage the use of sensory language (sweet, spicy, fragrant, creamy).
- Peer Review (15 minutes)
- Pair students to exchange their paragraphs.
- Students give each other constructive feedback on clarity, detail, and descriptive language.
- Unit Review and Reflection (10 minutes)
- Recap key vocabulary and phrases.
- Ask: “What’s one new thing you learned about food this week?”
- Celebrate effort and participation.
Homework:
- Write a short recipe for a dish you know how to make. Include ingredients and simple instructions.
Assessment Criteria:
- Speaking: Ability to discuss food preferences and participate in conversations.
- Listening: Ability to understand audio recordings and extract key details.
- Reading: Comprehension of short texts and ability to answer questions.
- Writing: Clarity, descriptive language, and proper use of vocabulary in written tasks.
Teacher Notes:
- Use visuals and real-life examples to make the topic engaging.
- Encourage peer interaction and role-play activities.
- Provide sentence starters and model answers for students who need extra support.