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<OL> <LI> To develop educational modules on food safety for the Internet, focusing on low literacy level students, in both English and Spanish;<LI> To provide an audio component for the educational modules; <LI> To develop multiple games for each module in order to reach children with various learning styles; <LI> To increase the knowledge base of high-risk children on food safety; <LI> To advance food safety education from rote memorization to application of safe food handling principles; <LI> To pilot test the project in each state, evaluate its success, and modify as necessary; <LI> To test the project in two schools in Connecticut, two schools in the Appalachian section of Kentucky, and two schools in New Mexico, one Hispanic and one Native American; <LI> To announce program availability nationally at program meetings in addition to being linked to websites, such as, CSREES websites of CYFERnet (www.cyfernet.org), CSREES Healthy People Healthy Communities peer reviewed website (www.nnh.org), Tufts Nutrition Navigator, etc. for sustainability; <LI> To encourage teachers to use the curriculum/game in the classroom.
An effective method for Internet delivery of this food safety project will be based on: <P> 1. providing the students with basic knowledge of food safety in several separate modules, including topics such as, temperature control, personal hygiene, cross-contamination, and food-borne diseases.(a) reading level will be geared to low literacy and will be available in both English and Spanish (b) the modules will be culturally appropriate for all of the populations (c) an auditory piece will be available that may be turned on or off depending on the student's preference and level of literacy. By having this tool accessible the information should be more understandable for the students, specifically those with low literacy. <P>2. developing several games for each module. A variety of games will be used, such as, word jumbles, crossword puzzles with answers, and fast moving games using state of the art graphic and animation technology. (a) all activities will be geared to low literacy level and will be translated to Spanish (b) activities will be sensitive to cultural differences and will be reviewed by Hispanic educators (c) the games for each module will advance in levels, with children choosing to complete one or all of the games per module. The games will span the educational model from rote memorization to application of principle. (d) a final simulation will exist after all modules are completed. In this module, the student will be given a situation and will be asked to apply their food safety knowledge to that situation. (e) scores for the games may be saved. The high score will be posted on the web site so that students are able to compete with other children throughout the nation.