Not The Same Old Potato

By Madeline        

 

 

Introduction

 

Did you know that the Irish potato originated not in Ireland but on the Titicaca Plateau around 400 AD? Potatoes have been mankind’s most important staple for the past millennium.  Countries have had famines, because the lonely potato was their staple crop.  The potato arrived in the U.S. in the late 1800’s.  Idaho, due to its climate and soil, was the first state to cultivate the potato.  Eight different varieties can be grown in home gardens.  So if you are tired of the same old potato, look around and explore the taste and use of the different varieties.

 

 

 

Task

 

Your project assignment will be to find information on different potato varieties. At the end of this WebQuest, you will have written a report on a selected potato other than the Irish potato, and you will have prepared a new dish. You will have one week to complete this task.

 

 

 

Process

 

When your information has been selected, choose one variety of potato and write a report on your particular variety of potato.  The report should be one page.  Include the name, scientific name (if available), where it is grown, diseases that plague that variety, find a recipe that uses that variety, and calculate how many carbohydrates are in your recipe.  Finally, you will use the recipe in the lab.  Make sure you have all ingredients for your recipe.  DON’T FORGET THE GROCERY LIST.  When you have finished your potato lab, your dish will be judged.  Your dish will be judged on the following criteria: flavor, appearance, and presentation.

 

 

 

 

Resources

 

q              Twenty-two Things To Do With French Fries Besides Eat Them

http://www.tx7.com/fries/docs/what2do.html

 

q              Potato Trivia, Poetry and Art

http://www.sunspiced.com/ptrivia.html

 

q              History and Origin of the Potato

http://www.sunspiced.com/phistory.html

 

q              Potato Varieties for the Home Garden

http://www.thegardenhelper.com/spuds.html

 

q              The Potato Plant

http://www.sunspiced.com/pplant.html

 

q              Storage and Processing

http://www.sunspiced.com/pstorage.html

 

q              Potato Diseases, Pests, and Disorders

http://www.sunspiced.com/pdisease.html

 

 

 

 

Evaluation

 

q              Students report will be evaluated by the following rubric:

http://teachers.teach-nology.com/cgi-bin/research.cgi

 

q              Lab Rubric http://www.teach-nology.com/cgi-bin/project_rub.cgi

 

 

Name: _____________________

Date: ___________________

Project Title: _____________________

Teacher(s):

Process

Below Avg.

Satisfactory

Excellent

1. Has clear vision of final product

1, 2, 3

4, 5, 6

7, 8, 9

2. Properly organized to complete project

1, 2, 3

4, 5, 6

7, 8, 9

3. Managed time wisely

1, 2, 3

4, 5, 6

7, 8, 9

4. Acquired needed knowledge base

1, 2, 3

4, 5, 6

7, 8, 9

Product (Project)

Below Avg.

Satisfactory

Excellent

1. Organization and structure

1, 2, 3

4, 5, 6

7, 8, 9

2. Creativity

1, 2, 3

4, 5, 6

7, 8, 9

3. Demonstrates knowledge

1, 2, 3

4, 5, 6

7, 8, 9, 10

4. Other:

1, 2, 3

4, 5, 6

7, 8, 9

 

Total Score:____________________________

 

Teacher(s) Comments:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conclusion

 

By the end of your research, you should be able to know the importance of the potato to all cultures and the different varieties.  Remember, the next time you eat a potato that it is no small fry!

 

 

 

 

 

Credits

 

Special Thanks To:

Flavors of the World WebQuest

http://users.starpower.net/fanningd/index.htm for inspiring this WebQuest.