Bite-Sized History - WWII Food Rationing
Test your skills at food rationing in this one-time class on WWII ration books. Can you make a balanced menu with the limited number of ration points you are allotted? Or will you have to plant a Victory Garden to supplement your meals?
Nicole Trusky
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(484)
Rising Star
What's included
1 live meeting
1 in-class hoursHomework
No outside homework. The activity will be completed inside the class.Class Experience
US Grade 8 - 11
This class is part of my Bite-Sized History lecture series but is a bit different than the others. Instead of a lecture-only class, this class contains a lecture at the beginning and then a hands-on activity for the students to do in the last part of the class. Students will be given the resource to be printed out prior to class starting. This class focuses on the food, clothing, and gasoline rationing that happened during World War II. Rationing is often a hard concept for children and teens to understand since it is so far from the way their families shop today. We will talk about what rationing was and why it was necessary. We will discuss the impact rationing made on both consumers and the shop owners impacted by the loss in income. We will also discuss ways that people supplemented their ration books, such as with Victory Gardens. After learning about rations, students will get a chance to try their hand at planning a menu with a ration book. I will provide the resource they will need to print out ahead of time and will explain to students how ration books worked and how they will use their ration points to plan a menu. They will then spend some time planning out a week's menu for a family of four, before sharing with the class what decisions they made about which foods to choose and why. It is imperative that students participate in this part of the class, so for this class I am requiring the use of a mic. There will be too much discussion to post in the chat. Students do not need any prior knowledge of WWII to take this class. I will provide them with all of the information they need to understand the necessity of the ration book and we will briefly go over the dates of and reasons for the war. Don't hesitate to take this class if you've not yet studied WWII! I will give students all the information they need to take part in the activity!
Other Details
Supply List
A resource will be provided upon signing up for the class. Please print this resource before class starts so that student can participate in the activity.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined August, 2019
4.9
484reviews
Rising Star
Teacher expertise and credentials
2 Degrees
Master's Degree in History from Wilson College
Bachelor's Degree in History from Wilson College
Hi everyone! I'm Nicole Trusky, a homeschooling mom of three and lover of all things history and pop culture! I have a Master in Humanities with a concentration in American Studies and have been studying history for as long as I can remember (my Bachelors is in History and Political Science!). I have been homeschooling my own children since 2011 and have been teaching other homeschoolers since 2016.
I had a few wonderful professors who taught History through material culture and a focus on the lived experiences of marginalized groups in American History. This is something I'll be emphasizing in my Outschool courses because learning about the past is not just memorizing names and dates, but learning how people really lived! My history courses focus heavily on the lived experiences of the people of the past. We read lots of primary sources written by the people who lived it and we analyze those sources for bias, credibility, and more. My goal is to teach students to love history and to get into the habit of questioning what they read for reliability.
**Please note:
- All of my classes, especially my US History classes, are inclusive and anti-racist.
-Occasionally, I take time off for holidays or other reasons. These off days will always reflect in the set class dates and are not spur of the moment. However, I don't list off weeks in my class listings since I may have sections that the off days do not apply to. Please check all class section dates to make sure you are ok with the class run time and possible days off
-All listed class times are approximate. Often, I have very eager and quick students who whiz through material. I do not believe in busy work and feel that if students have learned the material, they do not need to be given additional work just to fill time. For this reason, classes may end 3-5 minutes early. I strive to NOT stay late in a class since I know many students are going from one class to the other and I don't want to make them late for their next class.Reviews
Live One-Time Class
$12
per classMeets once
60 min
Completed by 140 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 13-18
3-12 learners per class
