Activity 1: Gallery Walk

1. Divide the class into groups of four students. Give each group one Burger Gallery Walk activity sheet. Inform students that the burger found on their activity sheet is the type of burger they will be researching.
   • Note: For a medium or large class, more than one group should be assigned the same burger to keep the groups in a functional size. 
2. Supply each group with a large chart or poster paper, markers, and access to the internet for research.
3. Instruct students to research their assigned meat/meat alternative. Remind students to use credible sources online for research. Ask students to consider and include the following information on their poster (also outlined on their activity sheets):
   • How long has this meat/meat alternative been available?
   • How is it produced? (e.g. beef cattle are typically raised in feedlots where their diet consists of corn and grain. When the animal reaches 1,200-1,400 pounds, it is harvested for meat.)
   • What are the benefits of producing and consuming this type of burger?
   • What are the challenges to producing this type of burger?
   • What are the ingredients used to make this burger?
4. Encourage students to make their posters visually appealing for the gallery walk. Ask students to include pictures, diagrams, timelines, and anything else that helps answer the questions.
5. As students finish their posters, have each group display their work on a wall somewhere in the classroom. When everyone is complete, the students will participate in a gallery walk. During the gallery walk, students will ask questions and provide feedback to other groups.
6. To set up the gallery walk, split each group in half. Two of the students from each group will walk through the gallery. The other two students will remain by their group poster. The rotating students will evaluate other posters in the classroom and discuss similarities and differences between their meat or meat alternative.
   • Note: If you have two groups assigned to each type of burger, conduct a separate gallery walk rotation for each set of four burgers. This will ensure that each group only sees each type of burger once.
7. Provide each group with sticky notes. Students rotating through the gallery should use sticky notes to ask questions or provide feedback about other posters. Instruct students not to repeat comments and questions already found on each poster. Each comment should be unique.
8. Determine a time limit for each group rotation (about 3-5 minutes) and allow students to rotate through all the posters in the gallery until they have visited all four types of burgers.
9. Ask the students who participated in the gallery walk to now switch with the other two members of their group. These students will now complete the gallery walk the same way.
10. After everyone has completed the gallery walk, bring the class back together for a class discussion. Using slides 3-6 on the PowerPoint, review each of the meats with the class.
11. Allow students to improve and update their posters, if needed.

Activity 2: Burgers From Different Points of View

1. Write the numbers 1-6 on a beach ball or soccer ball.
2. Now, stand in the middle of the room and hold the ball up for your students to see. Without rotating the ball, ask students in various points of the room which numbers(s) they can see. For example, ask a student in the front of the classroom what number he or she sees, followed by the same question to a student in the back of the room and so on. Each student will see all or part of different numbers.
3. Ask your students, “Why, if you are all looking at the same object (the ball), are you seeing different numbers?” Explain that it is because each has a different “point of view.” Each student sees different numbers from their point of view. They may see an entire number or part of a number. There will be some numbers that they do not see at all.
4. Use this object lesson to spring into a discussion about plant-based burgers and beef burgers.
5. Ask students, “What different points of view should be considered when discussing plant-based burgers and beef burgers? How could this be a controversial topic?”
6. Allow students to share and discuss different points of view related to plant-based protein and traditional beef.
7. While holding the ball in the middle of the room, divide students into six groups based on where they are sitting. Ask each group which number they see best from their position in the classroom. The number that they see will be their assigned point of view. For example, if a group sees the number two best from their position in the classroom, they will have card #2 and their point of view will be a beef producer.
8. Using the Plant-based Protein Point of View cards, assign each group a point of view to consider. 
9. Instruct groups to study the information on their card and discuss their point of view as a group. What other facts and information could be added to support their point of view? Groups should research their point of view and find various artifacts (e.g. video clips, news articles, opinion articles, etc.) that would help defend their point of view in a presentation or class discussion.
   • Note: If time is short, the information on the card should give them the baseline information that they need.
10. Allow students to present their material (point of view) to the class or set up your desks for a classroom discussion on each of the different points of view.
11. As each group presents or discusses their point of view, remind students of the following:
    • It’s okay to agree to disagree.
    • When looking at or discussing issues, people may use facts, opinions, or personal biases to defend and persuade others to see her or his point of view.
    • Resolving issues and evaluating situations requires that we look at the viewpoints of others to arrive at workable solutions, to form realistic conclusions, or to make our own evidence-based decisions.  

Activity 3: Will Eating Less Meat Save the Planet?

1. Project the Circles Illusion image on the board. 
2. Ask students, “Which orange circle is larger?” Most students should point to the orange circle on the right. 
3. Explain to students that each of the orange circles are actually the same size. 
4. Ask students, “Why does the orange circle on the right appear to be larger?”
5. Students should conclude that it has to do with perspective and how the orange circles are presented to us. The orange circle on the left is surrounded by larger circles spaced far apart, and the orange circle on the right is surrounded by small circles that are very close together. This makes our eyes think the orange circles are different sizes, even though they are not.  
6. Explain to students that perspective (and the way something is presented to us) can affect the way we view something—not just an image on paper, but an issue or problem in society as well.  
7. Direct your students back to the illusion image.  
8. Ask your students to now consider the cow and earth silhouettes on the circles. After discussing different points of view during activities 1 and 2, ask students the following questions to lead into a class discussion:
   • What do you see/hear about eating beef and its effect on the earth and environment? 
   • Just like the circles in the image, can our perspective on something be altered or skewed? 
   • One belief is that eating less meat will save the planet. If all of us adopt a vegetarian diet or vegan lifestyle, will that save the planet? 
9. Pass out one Will Eating Less Meat Save the Planet? graphic organizer to each student. 
10. Show Eating Less Meat Won’t Save the Planet. Here’s Why to students. This activity can be done 1 of 2 ways:
    • Option 1: Watch the entire clip as a class and ask students to fill out the graphic organizer (answer each question) individually. Pause the video to check for understanding and ask questions. Encourage students to look for bias and identify types of bias if they find it. 
    • Option 2: Divide the students into 12 groups/pairs and assign each group a question on the graphic organizer. Next to each question is the time frame from the video clip where that question will be answered. Have each group watch their assigned time frame and answer their question. When all groups are finished, have each group share their questions and answers with the rest of the class. 
11. Discuss the video clip with students and lead a class discussion. 
    • Referring back to the illusion image ask, "What are examples of how the presentation of statistics impacts the evaluation of the environmental impact of beef in our diet?" (Measuring green water as part of the water footprint of beef, systems used to measure carbon emissions, viewing the food livestock eat as food humans can eat, etc.)
    • How do we know if statistics online are being presented to us accurately? (Discuss strategies for identifying credible resources.)  
    • What facts or perspectives surprised you when presented in this context? 

      Teach With Clarity This lesson discusses socioscientific issues concerning diet, the environment, and climate change. It includes reasoning that is based on science, but perspectives are also impacted by a degree of moral reasoning and an evaluation of ethics. To take this lesson a step deeper, guide students in evaluating a video made in response to the video Eating Less Meat Won’t Save the Planet. Here’s Why. This second video presents arguments why eating less meat will save the planet. In response to this second video, the producer of the first video posted rebuttals (as PDFs) to these arguments. These videos and the rebuttals provide an opportunity for critical thinking using a debate format. Consider using the Tale of Two Burgers—Evaluating Perspectives debate flowchart, the links to the videos and rebuttal PDFs are available in this printable flowchart and fillable PDF flowchart, as a guide to further investigate these socioscientific issues. Instruct students to take notes on the same topics in each column to create a linear flow across the page. Students should take time to make their own reflections of each video blogger and consider using Google Scholar to find additional peer-reviewed articles. Have students highlight the most credible arguments and write a summary paragraph.

12. Wrap up the class discussion and remind students to check for credible sources on articles or videos posted online. Explain to students that some facts or statistics might be presented to us in ways that can alter our view or perception—just like the circles in the image.