The Perfect Meal Prep: A Financial and Nutritional Challenge

Created byDavid Staal

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The Perfect Meal Prep: A Financial and Nutritional Challenge

Grade 8Math5 days

In this project, 8th-grade students apply mathematical concepts to plan, budget, and prepare a week of healthy and cost-effective meals. Students compute and compare unit prices, discounts, and coupons to optimize their meal prep budget while adhering to nutritional guidelines. The project incorporates real-world financial literacy skills, encouraging students to make informed purchasing decisions and evaluate the costs and benefits of meal prepping. Students will reflect on how their understanding of unit prices, discounts, and coupons evolved throughout this project, and how this impacted their ability to make informed purchasing decisions.

Meal PrepBudgetingUnit PriceDiscountsCouponsNutritionFinancial Literacy

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Inquiry Framework

Question Framework

Driving Question

The overarching question that guides the entire project.How can we strategically use mathematical concepts to design, budget, and prepare a meal of healthy and cost-effective food, while considering the impact of discounts, coupons, and unit prices on our nutritional goals?

Essential Questions

Supporting questions that break down major concepts.

How can we use math to plan and budget for healthy meals?
What are the costs and benefits of meal prepping?
How do discounts, coupons, and unit prices affect our meal prep budget?
How can we ensure our meal preps meet nutritional guidelines while staying within budget?

Standards & Learning Goals

Learning Goals

By the end of this project, students will be able to:

Plan a healthy meal within a strict nutritional limit.
Budget for a healthy meal within a strict financial limit.
Compute and compare unit prices of food items.
Utilize discounts and coupons to reduce the cost of the meal.
Evaluate the costs and benefits of meal prepping.

personal finance

Buying Goods and Services

Primary

Students compute and compare unit prices, discounts, coupons, and evaluate rent vs mortgage/car purchase decisions.Reason: Students will compute and compare unit prices, discounts, and coupons to plan and budget for a week of healthy meal preps.

Entry Events

Events that will be used to introduce the project to students

Meal Prep Time Warp

Present students with historical food prices and nutritional guidelines from a different era (e.g., the 1950s) and challenge them to adapt a modern meal prep plan to those constraints. This prompts reflection on how food access and costs have changed, connecting history with present-day financial literacy.

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Portfolio Activities

These activities progressively build towards your learning goals, with each submission contributing to the student's final portfolio.

Activity 1

Discount and Coupon Clipping Challenge

Students will find and apply discounts and coupons to reduce the overall cost of their meal prep plan.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.

1. Explain the different types of discounts and coupons available (e.g., percentage discounts, fixed amount discounts, manufacturer coupons, store coupons).

2. Students will search for available discounts and coupons for the ingredients in their meal prep plan (online, in flyers, in-store).

3. Students will calculate the discounted price of each item after applying the relevant discounts and coupons.

4. Students will keep track of all discounts and coupons found, as well as the savings achieved for each item.

5. Students will present a summary of their findings, including the total savings achieved through discounts and coupons.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA comprehensive list of discounts and coupons used, with calculations showing the savings achieved on each item and the total savings.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsAligns with the 'Buying Goods and Services' standard by having students compute and compare discounts and coupons to reduce the cost of their meal prep.

Activity 2

Budgeting Bonanza

Students will create a detailed budget for their meal prep plan, taking into account unit prices, discounts, coupons, and nutritional requirements.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.

1. Students will review their unit price comparisons and discount/coupon findings from the previous activities.

2. Students will plan a week of healthy meals, ensuring they meet specific nutritional guidelines (e.g., calorie count, protein intake, macro ratios).

3. Students will determine the quantity of each ingredient needed for their meal prep plan.

4. Students will calculate the total cost of each ingredient, taking into account unit prices, discounts, and coupons.

5. Students will create a detailed budget outlining the cost of each ingredient and the total cost of their meal prep plan.

6. Students will analyze their budget and identify areas where they can further reduce costs without compromising nutritional value.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA complete meal prep plan with a detailed budget, including ingredient quantities, unit prices, discounts, coupons, and total cost. The plan should also include a nutritional analysis.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsIntegrates all aspects of the 'Buying Goods and Services' standard by requiring students to compute unit prices, discounts, and coupons while planning and budgeting for a healthy meal prep.

Activity 3

Unit Price Scavenger Hunt

Students will identify and compare unit prices of various food items to determine the most cost-effective options for their meal prep.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.

1. Introduce the concept of unit price and its importance in making informed purchasing decisions.

2. Provide students with a list of common meal prep ingredients (e.g., chicken, rice, vegetables) and ask them to research the prices of different brands and sizes of these items at local grocery stores (online or in-person).

3. Students will calculate the unit price for each item (price per ounce, pound, etc.).

4. Students will compare the unit prices and identify the most cost-effective option for each ingredient.

5. Students will create a table or spreadsheet summarizing their findings, including the item, brand, size, price, and unit price.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA detailed table comparing the unit prices of different food items, highlighting the most cost-effective choices.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsAligns with the 'Buying Goods and Services' standard by having students compute and compare unit prices of food items.

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Rubric & Reflection

Portfolio Rubric

Grading criteria for assessing the overall project portfolio

Meal Prep Mastery Rubric

Category 1

Mathematical Application

Demonstrates the accurate and effective application of mathematical concepts to meal planning and budgeting.

Criterion 1

Unit Price Calculation & Comparison

Accurately calculates and compares unit prices to identify the most cost-effective options.

Exemplary

4 Points

Consistently and accurately calculates and compares unit prices across a wide range of products, demonstrating a sophisticated understanding of cost-effectiveness and providing clear justifications for choices.

Proficient

3 Points

Accurately calculates and compares unit prices for 75% of products, demonstrating a good understanding of cost-effectiveness.

Developing

2 Points

Calculates unit prices with some errors or inconsistencies, demonstrating a basic understanding of cost-effectiveness for 50% of the products.

Beginning

1 Points

Struggles to calculate unit prices accurately and compare them effectively, showing limited understanding of cost-effectiveness for less than 50% of the products.

Criterion 2

Discount & Coupon Application

Effectively applies discounts and coupons to reduce the overall cost of the meal prep plan.

Exemplary

4 Points

Creatively and accurately applies a variety of discounts and coupons, maximizing savings and clearly documenting all calculations and sources.

Proficient

3 Points

Accurately applies discounts and coupons to 75% of applicable items, demonstrating a good understanding of savings strategies.

Developing

2 Points

Applies some discounts and coupons with occasional errors or omissions to 50% of applicable items.

Beginning

1 Points

Struggles to find and apply discounts and coupons effectively for less than 50% of applicable items.

Criterion 3

Budgeting & Cost Analysis

Creates a detailed and accurate budget, analyzing costs and identifying areas for potential savings.

Exemplary

4 Points

Develops a highly detailed and accurate budget with insightful cost analysis, proposing innovative strategies to further reduce costs while maintaining nutritional value.

Proficient

3 Points

Creates a detailed and accurate budget, effectively analyzing costs and identifying areas for savings, with 90% accuracy.

Developing

2 Points

Creates a budget with some inaccuracies or omissions, demonstrating a basic understanding of cost analysis, with 70% accuracy.

Beginning

1 Points

Struggles to create a complete and accurate budget, showing limited understanding of cost analysis, with less than 70% accuracy.

Category 2

Meal Planning & Nutritional Awareness

Demonstrates thoughtful meal planning that meets nutritional guidelines within budget constraints.

Criterion 1

Nutritional Compliance

Ensures the meal prep plan meets specific nutritional guidelines (e.g., calorie count, protein intake, macro ratios).

Exemplary

4 Points

Exceeds nutritional guidelines, demonstrating a sophisticated understanding of balanced nutrition and making creative substitutions to optimize health benefits within budget.

Proficient

3 Points

Meets all specified nutritional guidelines, demonstrating a good understanding of balanced nutrition.

Developing

2 Points

Meets some nutritional guidelines but falls short in others, meeting approximately 75% of the requirements.

Beginning

1 Points

Struggles to meet basic nutritional guidelines, meeting less than 75% of the requirements.

Criterion 2

Meal Prep Feasibility

Develops a meal prep plan that is practical, considering factors like preparation time, storage, and ingredient availability.

Exemplary

4 Points

Creates a highly practical and innovative meal prep plan, demonstrating exceptional foresight in addressing potential challenges related to preparation, storage, and ingredient availability, and offering creative solutions.

Proficient

3 Points

Develops a practical meal prep plan, considering preparation time, storage, and ingredient availability.

Developing

2 Points

Develops a meal prep plan with some practical considerations, but overlooks potential challenges in either preparation, storage, OR ingredient availability.

Beginning

1 Points

Develops a meal prep plan that is impractical or unrealistic, overlooking challenges in preparation, storage, AND ingredient availability.

Criterion 3

Consideration of Dietary Needs

Demonstrates awareness and accommodation of various dietary needs, such as allergies, intolerances, or preferences.

Exemplary

4 Points

Thoughtfully incorporates diverse dietary needs, including allergies, intolerances, and cultural preferences, showcasing an inclusive and adaptive approach to meal planning.

Proficient

3 Points

Acknowledges and reasonably accommodates common dietary needs such as allergies or preferences within the meal prep plan.

Developing

2 Points

Shows some awareness of dietary needs but may not fully address potential restrictions or preferences, addressing only 50% of potential needs.

Beginning

1 Points

Lacks consideration for dietary needs, allergies, or preferences in the meal prep plan, addressing less than 50% of potential needs.

Category 3

Presentation & Communication

Clearly and effectively presents the meal prep plan, budget, and findings.

Criterion 1

Organization & Clarity

Presents information in a clear, organized, and logical manner.

Exemplary

4 Points

Presents information in a highly organized, visually appealing, and logical manner, using tables, graphs, and other aids to enhance clarity and comprehension.

Proficient

3 Points

Presents information in a clear, organized, and logical manner.

Developing

2 Points

Presents information with some organization, but lacks clarity in certain areas.

Beginning

1 Points

Presents information in a disorganized and confusing manner.

Criterion 2

Justification & Reasoning

Provides clear and logical justifications for choices and decisions.

Exemplary

4 Points

Provides insightful and well-reasoned justifications for all choices and decisions, demonstrating a deep understanding of the underlying principles and trade-offs.

Proficient

3 Points

Provides clear and logical justifications for 90% of choices and decisions.

Developing

2 Points

Provides some justification for choices, but reasoning may be weak or incomplete, justifying only 70% of the choices.

Beginning

1 Points

Fails to provide adequate justification for choices and decisions, justifying less than 70% of the choices.

Reflection Prompts

End-of-project reflection questions to get students to think about their learning

Question 1

How did your understanding of unit prices, discounts, and coupons evolve throughout this project, and how did this impact your ability to make informed purchasing decisions?

Text

Required

Question 2

To what extent did you feel confident in your ability to balance nutritional needs with budgetary constraints when planning your meal prep?

Scale

Required

Question 3

What was the most challenging aspect of planning and budgeting for a healthy meal prep, and how did you overcome it?

Text

Required

Question 4

Which of the following strategies was most helpful in reducing the cost of your meal prep while maintaining its nutritional value?

Multiple choice

Required

Options

Careful comparison of unit prices

Strategic use of discounts and coupons

Adjusting meal plans based on available ingredients and prices

Reducing portion sizes

Other

Question 5

If you were to repeat this project, what adjustments would you make to your meal prep plan or budgeting strategy to further optimize cost and nutrition?

Text

Required