She will also tell them that in America, pizza is usually round, but in Italy, it is often rectangular in shape. Once again, if the students got it wrong, she will switch the pictures, and compliment their efforts either way. Lastly, the teacher will tell the children that pizza in America is often loaded with all kinds of crazy toppings, but in Italy, the toppings are much sparser and tend to be just vegetables. Sometimes they don't even have cheese. Again, if the students got it wrong, she will switch the pictures and compliment their efforts either way.

The last part of the lesson is to encourage an open discussion about what they have learned. The teacher should guide the conversation so that the children don't just reflect on what they learned about pizza, but also what they learned about the difference in cultures and how what they know about pizza in America does not necessarily apply to Italy.

Extension

If feasible, a pizza party featuring both types of pizza could follow the lesson. Students could also be asked to bring in pizza recipes and share them with the class.

Assessment

Assessment will be informal. Prior knowledge will be assessed by how well the students are able to correctly choose which picture belongs under which heading. Post-lesson knowledge will be assessed by the discussion that ensues after the lesson is complete. The teacher should not only look for what the children have learned about the...

In other words, they may think they know what a pizza is, but they may not know what a pizza is relative to the way it is perceived in other cultures. Lastly, teachers need to assess the social skills of the students in terms of how they react when they win or do not win the vote, how and if they try to influence each other's votes, if they always vote the way their best friend votes, and so on.