Using film in a learning environment allows students to go on a journey and experience the world beyond their classroom. Below you will find four strategies to engage students as they watch the documentary, Before the Plate. Choose the strategy that fits your learning objectives the best.

Strategy 1: Reflective Writing Assignment

1. Print the attached Reflective Writing Prompts and distribute them to students. You may choose to assign students to specific prompts or allow them to choose their own.
2. Instruct students to read their prompt and the associated questions. Inform them that these questions are just a beginning. They should add their own questions and make notes about their observations on the topic as they watch the film.
3. Show Before the Plate.
4. After viewing the documentary, assign students to complete their reflective writing assignment.
5. Discuss student reflections and summarize with students what they have learned.

Strategy 2: Spotting Science and Engineering in Food Production

1. Ask students how the following three words are related: science, engineering, and farming. Allow students to brainstorm and offer their answers. 
2. Inform students that they will be watching the film with a particular focus on identifying the science and engineering involved in producing our food supply.
3. Give each student one copy of the attached Spotting Science and Engineering in Food Production handout. Instruct students to list and describe every application of science or engineering that they see in the film. Give examples and definitions as needed to prepare the students.
4. Show Before the Plate.
   • Pause the movie at 6:38 where it shows the potato planting machine. If students did not catch it on their own, point out that this is an example of engineering. This machine was engineered and built to make planting potatoes easier. Planting by machine can be done faster and with more efficiency than planting by hand.
   • Pause the movie to discuss further examples as needed for students to successfully complete the assignment.
     • Be sure students recognize the scientific process used by research agencies who test the use of pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, GMOs, etc. This is explained when the researchers are interviewed in several segments of the film.
     • Point out the engineering design process in each machine or technological advancement.
     • Help students see that productive agriculture requires the application of science. Science and engineering are used to find the best farming practices, improve genetics through selective breeding, manage plant and animal life cycles, etc.
5. After the film, summarize with students the impact and value of science and engineering to our food production and supply.

Strategy 3: Educating Farm-to-Fork Through Social Media

1. As a class, determine five to ten of the most common sources your students use for news and information on a daily or weekly basis. Most likely multiple social media sources will be listed. Continue a discussion about social media and its pros and cons.
2. Show Before the Plate. As students watch the documentary, have them begin recording ideas for effective ways to communicate the farm-to-plate process of foods.
3. After the film, divide class into small groups of 2-3. Assign each group a specific food to research. You may choose to allow students to select their own food or use food cards to assign them a food.
4. Instruct students to create a social media marketing campaign to tell the story of their food. They should determine the social media platform and prepare an outline for a campaign of 5-7 educational posts. If opportunity exists, have students actually post their content and create a class hashtag to track and view the posts.

Strategy 4: Q & A

1. Print and distribute the attached Viewing Guide to each student in the class. 
2. Instruct students to answer the questions as they watch the film.
3. Show Before the Plate.
4. After viewing the documentary, have a summary discussion as a class allowing students to ask questions and share their reflections about the most impactful thing they learned from the film (question #30 on the guide). See the Teacher Key.