Massachusetts

The Tasting History Project

The Tasting History Project, created by Lowell High School educator Jessica Lander, is a powerful classroom project that works to connect the stories and experiences of immigrants of the early 20th century with the stories and experiences of her immigrant students in the 21st century. At the culmination of a unit on late 1800 and early 1900 US immigration history, students begin the project by exploring global food traditions. The students choose a favorite family recipe and ask their family how to prepare it. They talk to family members at home and abroad and collect both the recipe and the family stories and traditions that go along with it. Students then write and edit their recipe and stories for the cookbook, sometimes editing upwards of ten rounds, to make their writing stronger and more precise. For students still mastering English, this is a powerful opportunity to iterate, practice, and strengthen their writing. Students then write narratives about their journeys as immigrants. They trace the history of dishes, share stories about the connections between cultures and foods, and reflect on their own migration to the United States. Having already studied many of the journeys and experiences of the 19th and 20th century immigrants during the unit, students make connections between their own stories and those they have explored from a hundred years ago.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Read the transcriptions of the audio files above: Jessica Lander interview transcription | Student interview transcription

 
 

Images above, clockwise from top left: the Tasting History book cover; students hold up the finished book in the classroom; a student presents their culinary creation in the classroom; soups, desserts, and rice dishes featured in Tasting History.