Food trucks are now the big craze for food lovers. This food truck project based learning math and stem unit helps your students design and open their own food truck. They also learn about the foods from different countries, entrepreneurship, and economics. This student-centered PBL unit incorporates collaboration and differentiation by providing student choice. This real-world challenge requires students to use inquiry, critical thinking, and their creative minds during the high-interest cross-curricular activities [math, social studies, ELA]. Students integrate digital learning into the Open a Food Truck project as they investigate cultures, diversity, and plan their final product.
This PBL unit incorporates 21st Century skills with challenging, engaging, and creative activities. There are lots of opportunities for differentiation, cooperative learning, and technology integration.
Students will have an opportunity to represent a country of their choice, design a truck and plan their own menu. This unit is open-ended. Advanced learners can explore more about health standards, local regulations, nutritional content, scale drawings and more… Students can work in collaborative groups or complete as an independent study.
Buyer Feedback
"Used after teaching the components of economics. Students applied what they knew and then held a business expo. We purchased all your "open a..." units! Love!"
"This is such an INCREDIBLE and meaningful activity! I'm so excited to use this with students. They are going to LOVE this PBL. Thank you for all of your hard work!"
"Our district's initiative this year is PBL and this one is awesome! It also has given me a great visual about what PBL looks like."
"I used this with my High School Culinary Arts class as a fun project. Even though it is designed for younger students, it is easy to use as a starting point, and supplement with other material to up the level. They were very into it, and got very creative designing their trucks. Thank you!"
In this unit:
- Slideshow of different food trucks (I took these photos of food trucks around Austin.)
- Questions you have about opening a food truck. These can be used throughout the project.
- Survey classmates about their knowledge of food trucks and types of food trucks they would purchase food from
- Country Research - Students will research facts about a country and popular foods from the country.
- Food truck template (I provided a sample food truck from the template.)
- Inside the food truck grid
- Business Plan – Company Overview
- Brainstorming names of business and slogan
- Design a Logo for your food truck
- Marketing
- New Foods and adjectives to describe them
- Drawing of food truck and description
- Interview questions - Interview owner of a food truck
- Song or Jingle for advertising
- Social Media
- Design a business card
- Coupons
- Sample menu
- Menu
- Taking orders (get totals with tax and tip)
- Reflections about the project
- Invitation – Students can create their own
- Additional Ideas - These include apps
