West Fannin Elementary School fourth grade students got a lesson recently that included about every school subject.
In reading the book “Love, Amalia,” teacher Cayley Hamilton thought it would be neat to incorporate a new piece of equipment the school bought, and as a result, the subjects of reading, English language arts, math and science were combined.
Last year, the Fannin County Board of Commissioners allocated $10,000 of SPLOST funds for the school to use on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, which allowed the school to purchase The Charlie Cart Project Mobile Kitchen.
The mobile kitchen comes equipped with power, storage, a sink, a stove top and oven, and all the tools needed for students to cook.
The book the students were reading is told by young Amalia who deals with loss while learning about love and her Hispanic, cultural heritage. After the loss of her grandmother, or abuelita, Amalia finds comfort in memories with her that included cooking.
Within the book, a recipe for pineapple flan was recorded, which is the recipe students followed while using the mobile kitchen, said student Iain Little.
However, due to the amount of individuals they were cooking for, they had to modify the recipe, and that involved multiplication, student Hailey Stewart said.
Once it was all said and done, the students had combined subjects into one all the while learning about another culture.
To some disappointment, however, students Ella Norris and Cooper Mathis said they and many of their peers didn’t much care for the flan.
Students in Hamilton, Michele Grubb, Rebecca Erwin and Christy Brogden’s classes participated.
The cart is available for teachers to use for lessons at any time.