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School Canteen

CEFR: B1 11 slides 45 min Whole class

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School canteen — Preview: the first 3 slides, as your students see them on the board.

Preview: the first 3 slides, as your students see them on the board.

Objective & content

Should school canteens serve less meat? This 45-minute discussion lesson follows one path: the pupils first, then a story, then the world, then what the class thinks. The story is Léo, 13, who lives in Nantes: he plays rugby three times a week and is always hungry, and at his collège Thursday is vegetarian day ("Lentils again"). His friend Jade does not eat meat: "Thursday is the only day I get a real lunch," she tells him. Then every pupil gets a form: should the canteen offer a vegetarian dish every day? Léo holds his pen over it and does not know what to tick (a short story written for this lesson). Then the class looks at the real rules: in France, every school canteen has had to serve a vegetarian meal at least once a week since 2019, made permanent by a law in 2021; in England, canteens must serve meat or chicken on three days a week or more, and new rules planned for September 2027 let beans and lentils count too; in Germany there is no national law, and the German Nutrition Society advises meat only once a week at school lunch. By the end, pupils can talk about health, the planet and choice, compare countries, defend an opinion and give advice in a short written reply.

Documents to download (2)

Pupil sheet In your teacher account
Discussion lesson (slides) In your teacher account

Pedagogical guide

Every slide asks the class to do something: say which canteen lunch they would choose and which they never would, learn eight words, pick feeling words for Léo on vegetarian day and when Jade tells him about her lunches, read the rules of three countries, say which of four invented voices they agree with, choose three fair rules for a school canteen, compare health, the planet and choice in three boxes, stand on a line from 1 to 5, and write a reply to Léo. The words come before the talking, and each question has a B1 version for everyone and a B2 one for stronger pupils. The pupil sheet follows the slides, so every pupil leaves with something written. The facts come from French law, the UK government's School Food Standards and the German Nutrition Society (DGE); they date from November 2026, and the English rules change in September 2027, so the teacher notes ask you to check them first. The four voices are invented opinions and are labelled as such. Never ask pupils what they eat at home, about their religion or about their families' money: the cards are about canteen food only, no dish is linked to a religion, and nobody should be laughed at for what they eat.

Suggested procedure45 min

2 min
Show the cover and read the big question: "Should school canteens serve less meat?" No answers yet.
8 min
What's for lunch?: pairs say which lunch they would choose and which they never would. Then read the eight words and their examples together.
8 min
Thursday is vegetarian day: read the story and check the four facts (why is Thursday different for Léo and for Jade?), then choose feeling words for Léo.
10 min
School lunches in three countries and Four opinions: read the three countries (which is most like your school?), then the bubbles aloud; pairs choose the voice they agree with most.
11 min
Fair rules for the canteen, then the three boxes and "Where do you stand?": pupils choose three rules, compare health, the planet and choice, then stand on the line from 1 to 5. Come back to the big question.
6 min
Dear Léo: pupils write a short reply with one piece of advice and a reason ("If I were you, I'd ...").

Adaptations

SupportKeep the word slide on screen during the story and the voices, and accept one-sentence answers built on the useful language. Pupils can number their three rules instead of writing them.
ExtensionAsk stronger pairs the B2 question on the voices slide ("Should a canteen give pupils what they like, or what is good for them?"), and have them argue for a place on the line from 1 to 5 that is not their own.

Materials & prerequisitesA projector or screen for the slides (one PDF page per slide, turned with the arrow keys) and one pupil sheet (two A4 pages) per pupil. The last slide is the teacher's notes, with the timed plan and a note of care, to read before the lesson rather than project. Nothing to install.

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