U.S. Department of Agriculture • Food and Nutrition Service • July 2012 • FNS-439-C • USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

VOYAGE:

NUTRITION

THE QUEST TO BE OUR BEST

Supplies: 

Notebooks, pens, pencils, laptops or computers 

(optional), Student Printable: Favorite Food 

Scavenger Hunt, atlas or digital mapping tool.

Standards:*

Students will...

English Language Arts

•	 Conduct short research projects to answer

a question, drawing on several sources and

generating additional related, focused questions.

(8.W.7)

•	Write arguments to support claims with clear

reasons and relevant evidence. (8.W.1)

•	Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient

points in a focused, coherent manner. (8.SL.4)

•	 Integrate multimedia and visual displays into

presentations to clarify information, strengthen

claims and evidence, and add interest. (8.SL.5)

Science

•	Understand that populations of organisms can be

categorized by the function they serve in an

ecosystem. (National Academy of Sciences,

Content Standard C)

•	Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient

points in a focused, coherent manner with pertinent 

descriptions, facts, details, and examples. (8.SL.4)

*Sources: Science education standards: National Academy of 

Sciences, Math and ELA education standards: Common Core.

Questions for This Trek

1.	 What foods do I like to eat? Where

do these foods come from?

2.	 What foods grow in our area? How

does this vary through the seasons?

Subject Focus: English Language Arts

Lesson Overview:

Where does our food come from? Your average middle

schooler might tell you it comes from the supermarket,

corner store, or restaurant. In this lesson, students will learn 

about local agriculture, determine if any of the fruits and

vegetables they consume regularly are locally grown, and

write a report.

Learning Objectives:

Students will be able to:

•	 Identify local agricultural operations (school/community

garden, farmers market/co-op, farm, greenhouse) in their

community.

•	Discuss when fruits and vegetables grown in their area are

available (i.e., seasonality).

•	 Explain the benefits and challenges of local, regional, and

imported sourcing.

Time Required: 

Three 40-minute sessions

Sample timing:

First Session – Investigate

Second Session – Challenge: Get Fresh! 

Third Session – Evaluate and Reflect

Field Trip – Full or partial day

TREK 3 Grade 8 

From Farm to You

1 of 3

Nutrition Voyage — The Quest To Be Our Best: Grade 8 http://teamnutrition.usda.gov
U.S. Department of Agriculture • Food and Nutrition Service • July 2012 • FNS-439-C • USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Nutrition Voyage — The Quest To Be Our Best: Grade 8 http://teamnutrition.usda.gov

2. What foods grow in our area? How does this 

vary through the seasons? Have students

explore local gardens, farmers markets,

greenhouses, or farms. You and your students

can find local agricultural sources by doing a

search online. For a list of farmers markets, visit

http://search.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets. 

Students might use an online digital mapping tool to 

plot these nearby resources. Then, plan a visit to one

of the agricultural sources students researched. Ask 

students to prepare questions for farmers and others

they meet. Visit the local agricultural source and

encourage students to note what crops are grown, 

how this varies through the seasons, the steps taken

to bring the crops to consumers, and the costs 

involved. Chart which locally produced foods are

available at different times of the year. What are some

ways schools might be able to use foods grown

locally during the summer, during the school year (for

example, purchasing locally grown broccoli that has

been frozen)? Can any of the nonlocal foods students

discovered in the Scavenger Hunt also be grown

closer to home? If so, why do students think they

didn’t encounter a local option for that fruit or

vegetable during the Scavenger Hunt? Compare the

distance and paths some of the fruits and vegetables

take compared to those from a local producer. 

Lesson Alternative: If it’s not possible to visit a

local agricultural source due to time or location, try

your local greengrocer or supermarket. Interview a

grocery or market manager. Or, invite a local farmer

or supermarket manager to visit the school. For an

additional resource to help you and your students

learn about local agricultural sources, visit

http://www.usda.gov/knowyourfarmer.

Investigate

Challenge: Get Fresh! 

Instructional Steps

1

2

1. What foods do I like to eat? Where do these 

foods come from? Talk with students about some 

of their favorite fruits and vegetables. Do students

know where these foods come from? Not just where

they are purchased, but also where they are grown?

Explain that food can travel a long way to reach us. A

food may need specific growing conditions that are not

available where you live all year long. It may be grown

somewhere else within the United States or imported

from other countries. But many foods can be grown

locally, meaning closer to where you live. Local foods

do not have to travel as far to get to you. Sometimes

people can buy directly from local farmers, such as at

a farmers market or pick-your-own farm. Ask students

to share their ideas about steps a food may take to

get from a farm to their plate. After students have

offered their suggestions, write down the following 

on the board: Farm —> processing plant (such as 

to turn apples into applesauce) —> packaging plant 

—> distribution plant —> supermarket/grocery store

—> consumer —> plate. Can students think of any

additional steps or factors? (For example: restaurants

and schools may provide food to the consumer; not all

foods are packaged and processed.)

	 Give students their challenge: Find out where 10

of their favorite fruits and vegetables come from.

Distribute the Student Printable: Favorite Food 

Scavenger Hunt for students to complete. Ask 

students to think about how they can find out where

food is originally grown or raised. After hearing

their ideas, explain that one can find out where a

food comes from by looking at its sticker, the food

package, or a sign at the store. Students can also use 

the following resource to get more information about 

where their food comes from:

http://www.nass.usda.gov/Charts_and_Maps/

index.asp.

	 Students may want to use a digital mapping tool

or atlas to help them calculate distances. Discuss

students’ findings. What was the most surprising

thing they discovered?

Continue

TREK3Grade 8 From Farm to You / 2 of 3

3. Examine the benefits—and challenges—of 

consuming locally grown produce. Invite small

groups to share reflections from the 

Favorite Food Scavenger Hunt

and agricultural source visit. What
U.S. Department of Agriculture • Food and Nutrition Service • July 2012 • FNS-439-C • USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Nutrition Voyage — The Quest To Be Our Best: Grade 8 http://teamnutrition.usda.gov

	 are some of the benefits and challenges of eating locally? How

does it impact the ecosystem, the job market, and students’

own lives? For example, eating local food creates and supports

jobs in the community. However, there may be fewer local

choices, depending on the climate and time of year. Cost can

also be a factor. Local food is sometimes cheaper because the

transportation cost is less. However, sometimes local food is

more expensive than nonlocal because it is coming from a small

grower with a limited supply.

4. Consider a taste test! If desired, invite students to conduct

a taste test comparing nonlocal fresh fruits and vegetables to

those recently picked by a nearby grower. Try tomatoes, lettuce

greens, carrots, apples, and berries. Have students record their

findings in their journals.

5. Raise awareness about consumption of local produce. 

Challenge students to use the results of the Favorite Food 

Scavenger Hunt and exploration of local agriculture to

convince people in the community of the benefits of eating

locally grown produce. Have them create a multimedia

presentation (for example: a blog, video, or slideshow) to share

	 with their community, summarizing what

they’ve learned about local produce

and the journey food takes to arrive at

their tables. Encourage them to focus

on easy action steps that organizations

and individuals can take to increase

their consumption of local fruits and 

vegetables. They should include links

and resources the community can use to

learn more about eating local produce. 

Evaluate 6. Journal. Have students reflect in their

journals about eating local produce and

their efforts to spread the word. Did they

inspire change? How will what they’ve

learned about local produce influence 

their own eating and that of others?

Extension Ideas

•	 Visit a supermarket and meet with the produce manager to discuss available produce

and where it comes from (unless you have already completed the Lesson Alternative in

Part 1: Investigate). What foods are locally grown? Are there cost factors related to local

versus nonlocal produce? Challenges with buying local? As a reflection, students will

write a news report and share on the class blog or e-newsletter.

•	 Invite students to chat with your school’s food service director about incorporating locally

grown produce on the cafeteria menu or having a “locally grown day” where all of the

fruits and vegetables at lunch come from nearby growers.

•	Start your own school garden. Even a small container garden can offer students the

chance to put what they’ve learned into action.

•	 Create a Public Service Announcement video to share with school, local community,

and/or media to promote the consumption of fruits and vegetables.

3

4 Ref lect

End of Trek

TREK3Grade 8 From Farm to You / 3 of 3
Less than 10 miles: 10 to 50 miles: 51 to 100 miles: 101 to 500 miles: More than 500 miles:

Favorite Food Scavenger Hunt

Hint: Use the food label to find out where it originated. For fresh

produce, check the sticker or information posted in the display case,

or ask the merchant about the food’s origins. You can also research

online http://www.nass.usda.gov/Charts_and_Maps/index.asp or 

ask food service staff!

Your final challenge is to choose your 10 favorite fruits and vegetables

from the cafeteria, your refrigerator, or pantry at home.

Food item Descriptive word Where does my food come from?

(Origin / miles to my house)

Sample: Clementine Sweet, juicy Spain (produce sticker) / 

3,600 miles

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

How far does your food have to travel from where it was grown until it reaches your plate? List each food item, and the number of “food” miles it traveled

from where it was grown to where you are, under the appropriate distance column below. Use an atlas, an online mapping tool, or a search engine to

help you measure the distance your food travels. Was it what you expected? What would you define as being “regionally” or “locally grown” within the

State, grown within 400 miles, or something else? Does your school food service have a definition for “locally grown”? Is its definition different than

yours? How does the availability of “local” fruits and vegetables change based on various definitions of “local”?

List your favorite fruits and vegetables in the chart to the right. Add a

descriptive word about the flavor, or texture too. (For example: sweet,

crunchy, tangy, crisp.) Where do these foods originally come from?

Where were they packaged — and before that, grown? Write down as

much information as you can find about where they came from.

1.

2.

Sample: Clementine (3,600 miles)

TREK3Grade 8

NUTRITION

THE QUEST TO BE OUR BEST

VOYAGE