Teach Productive Resources with Fannie Farmer – Kitchen Scientist and America’s Cook

Throughout history, resourceful women have imagined, developed, and perfected amazing products. This lesson gets your students involved in a “Word Workout”, brought to you by the letter “F”, while they review the economics concepts of productive resources and human capital found in the book, The Fabulous Fannie Farmer.

Featured Book:  “The Fabulous Fannie Farmer: Kitchen Scientist and America’s Cook” by Emma Bland Smith [2024]

Book Synopsis: Fannie Farmer (1857-1915) grew up helping in the kitchen, and she loved cooking.  A bout with polio prevented her from attending college.  However, this did not stop her from attending the Boston Cooking School where she excelled, eventually becoming the school’s director. She considered cooking a serious business that involved consistency, budgeting, and nutrition. Her passion for precise measurements and step-by-step recipes resulted in her rewriting the Boston Cooking School’s cookbook which became a best seller. Fannie Farmer, America’s most famous cooking teacher, discovers that precise measurements are a recipe for cooking success in this STEAM picture book that includes two of her classic recipes.

Students will be able to:

1. Participate in a teacher-directed oral dramatic activity.
2. Apply the concepts of human capital and productive resources as they relate to the book The Fabulous Fannie Farmer.

Fannie Farmer Lesson Plan

Student Word Workout with Assessment and Answer Key

Fannie Farmer Lesson Slides

• The Fabulous Fannie Farmer: Kitchen Scientist and America’s Cook by Emma Bland Smith.   Click here for the read aloud video version of the book.
• For more lessons using this book visit the Virginia Council on Economic Education’s Reading Makes Cents website.  Additional lessons feature the concepts of goods, services, and choices.  https://vcee.org/2024-2025-featured-books/