Educator’s Guide - Nov. 2018
Taste It, Don’t Trash It! (Food Waste)
Colorado Academic Standard Focus
4th & 5th Grade Reading, Writing, and Communicating:
• Determine the meaning of words and phrases as
they are used in a text, including figurative language
such as metaphors and similes. (CCSS: RL.5.4)
• Refer to details and examples in a text when
explaining what the text says explicitly and when
drawing inferences from the text. (CCSS: RL.4.1)
• By the end of year, read and comprehend informational
texts, including history/social studies, science, and
technical texts, in the grades 4–5 text complexity
band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at
the high end of the range. (CCSS: RI.4.10)
4th & 5th Grade Mathematics:
• Multiply a whole number of up to four digits by a
one-digit whole number, and multiply two two-digit
numbers, using strategies based on place value and
the properties of operations. (CCSS: 4.NBT.5)
4th & 5th Grade Life Science:
• Humans can have positive and negative
impacts on an ecosystem.
U.S. EPA Sustainable Management of Food: The EPA
has a lot of great resources and toolkits to help reduce
waste at school, in the community and at home. https://
www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food
www.GrowingYourFuture.com - The Colorado Foundation for
Agriculture is a 501(c)3 non-profit educational corporation and
works with industry partners to help meet our shared vision of
promoting Colorado agricultural literacy. We provide Agriculture
in the Classroom resources and programs to Colorado educators
and students, many of which are FREE or at minimal cost. Visit
our website for more information about our programs, browse
our online digital library, or search the Curriculum Matrix.
Answers
Page 1
What percent of food grown is never eaten? Answer is C) 30%
List three food items that you’ve seen thrown away at school
or home that were still edible. Answers can be anything
including food not eaten on trays or lunchboxes, partially eaten
snacks, extra unopened milk, extra unopened food, etc.
Page 5
• Nonliving components are cycled and recycled through
ecosystems and need to be protected and conserved. 2 lbs. of chicken x 518 gallons of water = 1,036 gallons
• Analyze and interpret data identifying ways Earth’s surface
is constantly changing through a variety of processes
and forces such as plate tectonics, erosion, deposition,
solar influences, climate, and human activity. 12 lbs. of peaches x 109 gallons of water = 1,308 gallons
Student Homework
Five days this week, track how much food your family throws
away. This can be food left over from meals, food from the
refrigerator that spoiled, or extra food that wasn’t eaten.
OPTIONS: 1) draw pictures of food that was thrown away 2) take
pictures of food thrown away 3) make a list of food thrown away.
Results:
1) Estimate how many pounds of food were thrown
away. A bag of flour weighs about 5 pounds.
2) List three ideas you have for what you and your family
could do differently to prevent food going into the trash.
3) Discuss ideas with your class.
Additional Resources
Feed People Not Landfills video: 3 minute video
from the U.S. EPA https://youtu.be/EwNpnUUSk4M
Taste the Waste movie: http://tastethewaste.com/info/film
Tips on how to start a vermicomposter: https://
gsiwaste.com/community/kids-corner/
U.S. EPA - A Student’s Guide to Global Climate Change:
https://www3.epa.gov/climatechange//kids/index.html
6 lbs. of butter x 665 gallons of water = 3,990 gallons
20 lbs. of potatoes x 34 gallons of water = 680 gallons
2 lbs. of chocolate x 2,061 gallons of water = 4,122 gallons
Tips on starting and using a Share Table
What is a Share Table? The Share Table is a place where
students can place unopened food and drinks that they
choose not to eat or drink. This provides an opportunity
for other students to take additional helpings of food or
beverages from the Share Table at no cost to them.
How does a Share Table work? Students must drop off
unwanted food and drink on the Share Table immediately
after leaving the serving line. If a student is still hungry
after finishing his or her meal, he or she may pick-up items
from the Share Table.
What can be placed on the Share Table? Pre-packaged
food, unopened wrapped food and beverages, or food
items with a peel.
Examples include: 1) Unopened milk, cheese sticks,
yogurt, and cut fruits and vegetables; 2) Unopened
crackers, cereal bars, and chips; 3) Wrapped fresh fruits
and vegetables; 4) Unwrapped whole fruits with an
inedible peel, such as oranges or bananas
No items from home can be placed on the Sharing Table.