Sandwiches are awesome enough to deserve their own day, and November 3 is that day, the birthday of the Earl of Sandwich. According to the story, said Earl didn’t like to leave the card table to get a meal, so he devised the sandwich as a quick pick me up that he could eat while he played. Like the earl, you can enjoy sandwiches any time without having to leave your lessons.
We have three lesson plans for you on the subject: Sandwich Math, Sandwich Writing, and Sandwich Flowcharts.
Sandwich Math
Combinatorics is the perfect math topic for sandwiches — or should we say that sandwiches are the perfect illustration of combinatorics?
Watch the video and try it for yourself with manipulatives like the Toy Sandwich Set or with real food. Provide different numbers of choices. Once everyone has grasped the concept, practice writing the equations. More about combinatorics and Combinatorics for Thanksgiving.
Sandwich Writing
Sandwiches make a great metaphor for writing. We’re not the only ones that think so. You can find plenty of pre-made tools for this lesson:
- Book Report Sandwich is a template for writing a book report with a nice rubric.
- CTP has a great chart on how to Write a Satisfying Paragraph that uses a burger, while Trend uses a deli sandwich for Write a Super Paragraph. The other difference is that CTP’s chart has a cute little bear, so Trend might be a better bet for older students.
- Hamburger Paragraphs from Reading Rockets uses the same idea with free downloads.
Want to do it yourself? Just explain to students that their essays need an introduction and conclusion like the bread on a sandwich — things that hold the ideas together and make it a tidy package for the reader.
Then they need a meaty thesis: a strong, arguable claim that will make their readers feel satisfied. Vivid supporting details are like the lettuce and tomato that garnish the sandwich and make it tasty. Splash that sandwich with condiments in the form of lively language to make it more exciting to the reader.
Obviously, this metaphor has a lot of flexibility, from a paragraph to an essay.
I like to use this with a lesson on heroes. Follow that link for ideas. Finish up with an essay on people the students consider heroes. Have students cut two bread shapes — big enough for a hero sandwich — from beige construction paper. They should copy their introduction and conclusion on the insides of these shapes and decorate the outsides to look like bread.
Now they can cut the ingredients for their sandwiches from suitably colored papers. If they want a dark red tomato, let them write on white paper and glue it onto the tomato. Each paragraph of the essay can be added to the sandwich ingredients. Staple the ingredients into a sandwich and write the title on the outside — the top slice of bread. Add these Hero Sandwiches to your bulletin board with the slogan “Our Heroes!” Make sure the sandwiches can be leafed through and read while they’re on the board.
Great for open house or your hall board!
Sandwich Flowcharts
Making a sandwich is a step by step process with which most students will be familiar, so it makes a good choice to practice creating flowcharts.
- Provide bread, peanut butter, and jelly (we suggest this since it’s nonperishable, but you can use any variant you like).
- Have students get into small groups.
- First, one student should create a sandwich while the rest observe and note all the steps.
- Have students create a flow chart showing the process. They can use Gliffy, a Flow Chart Template, or plain old pencil and paper.
- Groups should now swap flow charts.
- A student from each group now attempts to create a sandwich using the flowchart. Remind them that they shouldn’t do any mental correcting, but should follow the steps exactly as written.
- Groups should now provide feedback for one another. Was the tester able to reproduce the sandwich in the original design? What parts were clear or unclear?
- Students can now redo their flowcharts to correct any issues and fine tune them.
We should have made you a flowchart for this lesson.
