Global Scholars 2017-18 Curriculum Overview

The 2017–18 Global Scholars curriculum explores the global food system and its impact on cities around the world. Students learn about nutrition and food access and their infl uence on public health.
They discover the complex systems needed to grow and distribute food to the world. At the end of the year, students create community action projects to address global food issues in their cities.
Unit 1: Introduction to Global Scholars
Students are oriented to Global Scholars and the e-classroom. They write their fi rst discussion posts to introduce themselves and share traditional foods that represent their cities. Students learn how to communicate with peers across cultures and share video projects about what it means to be a Global Scholar.
Unit 2: Nourishing Ourselves and Our Cities
Students explore basic principles of nutrition and investigate the health impact of processed foods and sugar.
They learn how issues such as obesity and access to healthy food affect public health, and what cities can do.
Students build media literacy skills by analyzing how advertisements and social media infl uence what we eat.
Unit 3: Growing the Food We Need
Students learn about the global system that produces our fruit, vegetables, grains, meat and seafood; and they consider how climate change impacts our food supply. Students develop critical thinking skills as they analyze whether innovations such as underwater farming and biotechnology make our food system more sustainable.
Unit 4: Delivering Food to the World
Students learn how food gets from the farm to their plates through a network of global food-supply chains.
They consider how geography, transportation, and current events affect food availability. Students brainstorm creative solutions to food waste and learn about organizations working to ensure food for all.
Unit 5: Community in Action
Students refl ect on what they have learned about nutrition and food security and design a project that addresses one of these topics. Together with their classmates, they look to cities around the world for inspiration as they implement solutions within their own city.