Most people think language learning can only come from books or media but have you tried looking at the supermarket? The next time you go to buy food, try out your English, too. ESN-NYC went on a scavenger hunt this quarter at Whole Foods Market.

Prior to the trip, the students learned about quantifiers (many, much, a few) and also container words (box, carton, tube). The students then had to find a recipe for their favorite dish and underlined all of the uncountable ingredients such as sugar or cheese. When they arrived at the market, they had to find all of the ingredients for the recipe and take photos. Later, the students matched the containers with the ingredients such as a ‘carton of milk’ or a shaker of salt’. One student, Ada (an artist), explained that “it was nice to have a visual reference” for the grammar. Now, the students will remember the English terms every time they go shopping. The next time you’re hungry–think of quantifiers!

Vocabulary

ingredients (n): the food supplies for a recipe or meal

recipe (n): instructions on how to make a food dish

scavenger hunt (n): a game or activity that requires you to find all of the items on a list