Preparing kai - Teacher Resources

This Internal Assessment Activity meets all of the requirements of the Achievement Standard. It may be used unchanged, or can be adapted by the teacher. If adaptations are made, teachers need to ensure that all achievement levels can be met in the activity and are reflected in the Assessment Schedule. Assessor judgements need to align with the Achievement Standard.

This Assessment Activity focuses on microorganisms used in food production processes. Microorganisms are involved in many production processes, as well as storage and spoilage of food products. Understanding the relationship these microorganisms have with their environment will enable ākonga to see and use their understanding in the wider world. Recipes can be found online or sourced from the community. This could include exploring local tikanga in fermented food production.

The focus of enquiry is the relationship between the environment within which the food is cultured or fermented and the microorganism and any change it is making to the food media.

This activity uses poi, which is fermented taro, but the Assessment Activity could also be used in the context of yoghurt, kānga, which is fermented corn, and rēwena, which is bread made from a fermented potato mixture, or any other fermented food.

Practical work

It is expected that ākonga have already carried out practical investigations and modelled experiments during the teaching and learning. However, this is not a requirement. Creating a table for ākonga may help them to organise information collected from lab investigations and research. The table could provide space for each observation, and space to analyse what these show about the relationship between microorganisms and their environment.

To check for safe practice protocols when ākonga are engaging in microorganism practical activities in the laboratory, refer to the Safety and Science/Pūtaiao: Guidance for Aotearoa New Zealand Schools and Kura (tki.org.nz) and the Biolab Sourcebook 2nd Edition (A manual for science teachers and technicians).

Resources

Review food safety policies and procedures (Ministry of Education)

Food safety resources for teachers (Ministry for Primary Industries)

Kaiako need to provide ākonga with resources for the following tasks. Examples include:

a guided period of food production in a safe environment — food prepared in a laboratory is not safe for consumption
guidance on collection of observations both in and out of the laboratory
links to appropriate information to support observations.

Ākonga should be provided with information that is sufficient for them to meet all levels of the Achievement Standard. 

Cultural safety

This Assessment Activity may involve foods and production processes that hold significant cultural value. Inclusive language, appropriate graphics, and other aspects of cultural safety will need to be taught and monitored. This will ensure all ākonga and whānau are kept culturally safe.

Assessment

This Assessment Activity will be the culmination of approximately eight weeks of teaching and learning. Learning and assessment can be woven together. Ākonga can gather evidence during the teaching and learning, which can be used for the Assessment Activity. The Assessment Activity is expected to take four to five hours.

Ākonga will complete the Assessment Activity using the portfolio of observations from research and practical work. This could include carrying out food production processes or modelling these in the lab.

Recorded observations could be drawn from:

research on the life process of a microorganism that is used in food production or causes food to spoil
practical investigations when ākonga culture microbes with teacher guidance — comparing the effect of factors such as varied growth media, antiseptics, temperature, pH, or salinity
wānanga with experts about tikanga, kōrero tuku iho, or the nature and history of fermented food production
findings when searching databases for information about different fermented foods and food production practices
links between societal and personal practice and outcomes, for example, the shared histories of different cultures and yeast.

The carrying out or write-up of any practical methodologies is not assessed in this Achievement Standard and not required for submission.

Pathways

Opportunities to connect with industry experts should not be overlooked. Not only will they be able to help with suggested ways of working and provide access to information, but they may also be able to engage in discussion with rangatahi and provide insight into the world of employment beyond school, broadening the horizons for ākonga who may not have considered biotechnology, food science, or food production as a potential STEM pathway.