2. Create a timeline for the
processing of chickens. Indicate the number of chickens processed in
Australia each day and the process to create these chickens and their
products.
3. Go to your local supermarket:
Write down the different
types of food which has chicken meat in them eg. chicken sausages. How
many different products are there?
Write down the prices for
each product and the cost per kilogram.
Compare the cost per
kilogram for each of the chicken products [remember to include "hot BBQ
chickens" - you might need to ask the staff the size of the chickens
being sold]
Create a database using Excel to
show the different products and prices. Which is the best value for
money?
4. Go to your local butcher:
Write down the different types of food which has
chicken meat in them. How many different products are there. Are there
any different products to the supermarket? Add to your Excel spreadsheet
Write down the prices for each product and cost
per kilogram. Is there a difference in price?
6. "According to Australian
Chicken Meat Federation, we consumed 45.3kg of chicken meat per person in
2015, which means 870 grams of chicken meat per week." (Source The Conversation)
Survey your class to find out how many
meals of chicken are consumed each week. Work out the amount of chicken each
person consumes. Is it 870 grams of chicken meat per person per week? More?
Less?
Thomas
Foods International - their business explored!
Primary
Middle
Secondary
Australian
Curriculum General Capability:
Numeracy
Australian
Curriculum General Capability:Personal and social capability
Australian
Curriculum General Capability:Literacy
Australian
Curriculum General Capability:Critical and creative thinking
Australian
Curriculum General Capability: ICT Capability
1. The overall food manufacturing industry is an important
part of the Australian economy. According to the Australian
Bureau of Statistics (ABS), in 2013-14, employment in food and
beverage manufacturing in Australia was approximately 222,900
people, representing around 23.9 per cent of total manufacturing
employment!(Source:
Formation Training)
You are to investigate one of the
giants of this industry!
Thomas Foods International, a family-owned
operation now the third-biggest processor in the country behind corporate
giants JBS and Teys Australia.
You are to research Thomas Foods
International and particularly two people very much involved - a father and
son - Chris and Darren Thomas.
watch the Corporate Video [under About Us].
Make notes.
4. Using Lucid Chart create a
flow chart of the production of meat from the Paddock to the Plate. The
Corporate video is played backwards so you will have to rearrange the flow
chart to reflect the beginning to end of this meat processing plant. Check
with a partner.
5. Continue to look at the history of this
business by looking at the T&R Story Video on their website. Write up
your notes.
What have
you learnt about Thomas Foods International?
How would you now describe the
ethics of this company after seeing the video but also exploring their
commitment to Foodbank (see below in DYK section)?
6. Pretend that you have to introduce both
Chris and Darren Thomas to a corporate conference. This introduction or
presentation is to be 5 minutes in length showing their company and the men
themselves.
If you were starting a business in Food
Processing - what have you learnt?
7. You are a process worker at
Thomas Foods International and have just heard about your company's
contribution to Foodbank. You are interested in finding out more so you go
to Foodbank's website.
Write a letter to either Chris or Darren
about your feelings to Thomas Foods International contribution to Foodbank.
What will your own personal commitment be if any?
Did You Know?
Two of Australia’s largest family
owned meat processors, join Foodbank in fighting hunger in Australia
Foodbank is excited to announce the launch of its partnership with
Thomas Foods International and Fletcher International Exports who
are collaborating to help expand the Foodbank Meat Program.
Thomas Foods International and Fletcher International Exports will
donate 1 tonne of 65cl mutton trim to Foodbank each month. Primo
Smallgoods will then use this to produce beef and lamb mix sausages
for Foodbank which will be distributed around the country. This
donation will see Foodbank’s Meat Program increase from producing
1,400 kilos of fresh sausages each month to over 4,300 kilos,
equating to over 800,000 sausages annually.
Work out the worth of these sausages by
calculating the cost of these sausages.
This innovative program will allow
Foodbank to continue to
fight hunger in Australia by providing more meat to Australians in
need.
Australian
Curriculum General Capability:Critical and creative thinking
Australian
Curriculum General Capability:
Numeracy
Cooperative
Learning Activity
Teacher
Full lesson plan is at Try Engineering (PDF)
Local Copy: here (PDF)
"Lesson explores the engineering
behind the conveyor belt and considers the impact this invention has had on
transportation and the coordinated shipping and delivery of goods. Students
work in teams to design and build a conveyor system out of everyday
materials that can transport pieces of candy 120cm. The conveyor must make a
90 degree turn as it moves along. Student teams design their system, build
and test it, evaluate their designs and those of classmates, and share
observations with their class."
"Materials
³ Student Resource Sheets
³ Student Worksheets
³ Classroom Materials (candy or similar sized items)
³ Student Team Materials: tubes (can be paper towel rolls, toilet paper
rolls, or pvcpiping or other similar materials -
or even rows of soda bottles or pencils) rubber
bands, ball bearings, balls, fabric sheets, string, gears, handles, paper
cups, straws,paper towels, paper clips, tape,
soda bottle, glue, string, foil, plastic wrap, pens,pencils, paper, hose or tubes, crayons, other items available in the
classroom.
Time Needed
Two to three 45 minute sessions.
Procedure
1. Show students the student reference sheets [or watch
the following videos]. These may be read in class orprovided as reading material for the prior night's homework.
2. To introduce the lesson, consider asking the students if they have been
to anairport to consider how their luggage was
sorted or delivered. Ask them to think
about any "moving sidewalks" they have traveled on (airports, malls, other
largebuildings).
3. Teams of 3-4 students will consider their challenge, and conduct research
into howconveyor belt systems operate.
4. Teams then consider available materials and develop a detailed drawing
showingtheir conveyor system including a list of
materials they will need to build it.
5. Students build their conveyor system, and test it, and also observe the
systemsdeveloped and tested by other student
teams.
6. Teams reflect on the challenge, and present their experiences to the
class.
Engineering Teamwork and Planning
You are part of a team of engineers given the
challenge of developing your own conveyor beltout
of a range of materials. You will need toconvey
candy along your belt which has toinclude a 90
degree turn. You can use anymaterials you like
that are provided toyou….and can share or trade
materials withother student teams.
There are a few rules:
1. Candy cannot be glued or affixed to the belt
surface,
2. Candy cannot fall off.
Research Phase
Read the materials provided to you by your teacher or
watch the videos. If you have access to the internet,explore examples of conveyor systems and consider how groceries are
moved along to thecashier in a market or grocery
store.
Planning and Design Phase
Draw a diagram of your planned conveyor belt and make a listand quantity of all the materials you think you will need. You'll
need toconsider how you will make the conveyor
belt move -- you can use your hands to move
rollers, gears, or you could use a motor -- just don't touch the cup!
Presentation Phase
Present your plan and drawing to the class, and consider the plans of other
teams.
You may wish to fine tune your own design.
Build it! …and Redesign if you need to!
Next build your conveyor belt and test it. You may share unused building
materialswith other teams, and trade materials
too. Be sure to watch what other teams aredoing
and consider the aspects of different designs that might be an improvement
onyour team's plan.
Test it!
Next, the class will test their conveyor belt systems. Be sure to watch all
the tests soyou can see the advantages or
disadvantages of other systems.
Reflection
Complete the reflection questions below:
1. How similar was your original design to the actual conveyor your team
built?
2. If you found you needed to make changes during the construction phase,
describe whyyour team decided to make revisions.
3. Which conveyor system that another team engineered was the most
interesting to you?Why?
4. Do you think that this activity was more rewarding to do as a team, or
would you havepreferred to work alone on it? Why?
5. If you could have used one additional material (tape, glue, wood sticks,
foil -- asexamples) which would you choose and
why?