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lesson library

Our lessons explore foods by connecting them to traditional concepts taught in secondary STEM education. Most lessons use a "sense-making" approach: essentially experiencing a food or recipe and then making sense of the process and product through use of observations, science concepts and building off of each other's ideas.

 

All of our lessons include a hands-on lab or activity students can either do themselves or watch us do. To support and empower students in making connections and understanding the science concepts behind these foods, we design ready-to-go classroom slides, textbook readings/articles and produce videos. We also design student activities and worksheets that encourage further engagement and critical thinking.

Topics

Chemistry:
Biology & Ecology:
Food:
Grades:
60 Minutes
Available Active Time:

Ricotta: Solubility (HS)

Explore the science of precipitation and solubility through curd formation and homemade ricotta.

grades:

9

-

11

time:

1-2 class periods

science concepts:

solubility, acids and bases, measurements, chemical changes, intermolecular forces, cheese

Get a taste for the lesson!

Paneer & Calcium

Explore how calcium content impacts curd formation and structure through different trials of paneer cheese.

grades:

10

-

12

time:

1-3 class periods

science concepts:

solubility, acids and bases, elasticity, engineering design, measurements, stoichiometry, intermolecular forces

Get a taste for the lesson!

How is Cheese Made?

Understand how acids form curds in milk through a mini-lab and explanation of the phenomena using concepts of electrostatic charges and solubility.

grades:

6

-

9

time:

1-2 class periods

science concepts:

chemical changes, polarity, intermolecular forces, solubility, cheese

Get a taste for the lesson!

How do Bees Produce our Food?

Students explore how bees help produce many of the foods we eat by learning about the relationship between bees and plants and the basic parts of a flower involved in pollination and fruit production.

grades:

2

-

5

time:

2-4 class periods

science concepts:

adaptations, symbiosis, ecology

Get a taste for the lesson!

STEM Baking Academy (8-week afterschool program)

Students will learn key baking skills and explore the “why” behind ingredients and steps in baking recipes

grades:

5

-

8

time:

8 weeks

science concepts:

engineering design

Get a taste for the lesson!

PBL Unit: Chemistry of Cheesemaking

Explore the chemical processes behind coagulation and cheese texture. Then design your own experiment to explore cheesemaking.

grades:

9

-

12

time:

14 class periods

science concepts:

microbes, types of mixtures, chemical reactions, intermolecular forces, cheese

Get a taste for the lesson!

Kimchi: Ecosystems and Microbes

Students will learn about ecosystems, microbes, and fermentation by making a traditional Korean food, kimchi.

grades:

6

-

8

time:

2-3 class periods

science concepts:

microbes, fermentation, cycling of matter, ecosystems

Get a taste for the lesson!

Brownies: Volume and Measurement

Students will learn about volume, measurements, and converting units by scaling brownie recipes to different pans.

grades:

6

-

8

time:

1-2 class periods

science concepts:

measurements, dimensional analysis, volume

Get a taste for the lesson!

Pancakes & Baking Soda: Chemical Reactions

Students will explore the chemical reaction behind baking soda in pancakes and why measurements matter in chemical reactions.

grades:

6

-

8

time:

2 class periods

science concepts:

chemical changes, chemical reactions

Get a taste for the lesson!

Kombucha: Microbial Communities & Symbiosis

Students will explore microbial communities and the symbiotic relationship between yeast and bacteria in kombucha.

grades:

9

-

12

time:

2 class periods (~2 weeks fermentation time)

science concepts:

fermentation, symbiosis, microbes, cycling of matter, ecosystems

Get a taste for the lesson!

Mozzarella: Intermolecular Forces

Students will explore how intermolecular forces help explain the process and final product of stretching mozzarella.

grades:

9

-

11

time:

2 class periods

science concepts:

chemical reactions, intermolecular forces, cheese

Get a taste for the lesson!

Brownies: Volume and Ratios

Students will learn about volume, measurements, and converting units by scaling brownie recipes to different pans and considering servings in a pan

grades:

9

-

10

time:

1-2 class periods

science concepts:

measurements, dimensional analysis, volume

Get a taste for the lesson!

Ricotta: Reactions & Acids (MS)

Explore the chemical reaction and formation of curds in cheese making through homemade ricotta.

grades:

6

-

9

time:

2 class periods

science concepts:

chemical reactions, acids and bases, cheese

Get a taste for the lesson!

Brown Butter: Physical & Chemical Changes

Explore chemical and physical changes and the Maillard Reaction through brown butter rice krispie treats.

grades:

6

-

10

time:

1 class period

science concepts:

chemical changes, physical changes, phase changes, chemical reactions

Get a taste for the lesson!

Caramel Apples: Chemical Changes

Explore chemical changes by watching sugar transform into caramel and making caramel apples.

grades:

6

-

9

time:

1-2 class periods

science concepts:

chemical changes, chemical reactions, physical changes

Get a taste for the lesson!

Pancakes & Baking Soda: Chemical Reactions & Limiting Reactants

Students will explore the chemical reaction behind baking soda in pancakes and the importance of ratios in chemical reactions.

grades:

9

-

10

time:

2 class periods

science concepts:

chemical reactions, limiting reactants, theoretical & percent yield

Get a taste for the lesson!

Red Cabbage: pH and pH Indicators

Learn about acids and bases, pH indicators, the pH scale, and concentration through red cabbage.

grades:

6

-

10

time:

1 class period

science concepts:

acids and bases, solutions

Get a taste for the lesson!

Kimchi: Lactic Acid Bacteria and Cellular Respiration

Students will learn about microbes and cellular respiration (specifically anaerobic lactic acid fermentation) by making a traditional Korean food, kimchi.

grades:

9

-

10

time:

2-3 class periods

science concepts:

microbes, cycling of matter, cellular respiration, fermentation, ecosystems

Get a taste for the lesson!

Color Changing Lemonade: Particles in Liquids

Explore the behavior of particles in liquids and changes in color due to pH through this lemonade.

grades:

6

-

10

time:

1 class period

science concepts:

solutions, states of matter, acids and bases

Get a taste for the lesson!

Apple Varieties: Traits & Phenotype

Learn about different apple varieties and how apple traits are impacted by genotype and environmental factors.

grades:

6

-

8

time:

1-2 class periods

science concepts:

genetics

Get a taste for the lesson!

Apple Varieties: Genes, Predicting Traits, & More

Learn about different apple varieties, what features breeders and scientists consider most important, and how both genotype and environmental factors impact these features.

grades:

9

-

10

time:

1-2 class periods

science concepts:

genetics

Get a taste for the lesson!

Air in Ice Cream: Mass, Volume, Density, and Force

Students will learn about density and lab design by exploring a “secret” ingredient in ice cream: air.

grades:

6

-

9

time:

1-3 class periods

science concepts:

density, volume, mass, measurements, force, lab design

Get a taste for the lesson!

Creaming Butter and Sugar: Emulsions and Foams

Explore types of mixtures & the importance of air by experimenting with an essential step in many baking recipes: creaming butter and sugar.

grades:

6

-

9

time:

1-2 class periods

science concepts:

types of mixtures, foams

Get a taste for the lesson!

Peppers: Biology and Chemistry of Capsaicin

Learn about the chemistry and biology behind the molecule behind heat in chili peppers: capsaicin.

grades:

6

-

9

time:

2 class periods

science concepts:

solubility, polarity, adaptations

Get a taste for the lesson!

Mason Jar Ice Cream: Volume and Types of Mixtures

Explore physical changes & types of mixtures by making no-churn cookies and cream ice cream in a jar.

grades:

5

-

8

time:

1 class period

science concepts:

types of mixtures, foams, states of matter

Get a taste for the lesson!

Focaccia: Yeast and Fermentation

Explore yeast and the chemical reaction of fermentation and how it leads to fluffy, bubbly bread through homemade focaccia.

grades:

6

-

9

time:

2-3 class periods

science concepts:

microbes, chemical reactions, fermentation

Get a taste for the lesson!

Dry Ice Potions: Sublimation and Phase Changes

Explore sublimation, phase changes, and the behavior of a dry ice by making a dry ice potion that you can drink!

grades:

6

-

9

time:

1 class period

science concepts:

states of matter, phase changes

Get a taste for the lesson!

Popping Boba: Ionic Compounds and Diffusion

Explore popping boba through the lens of ions, chemical reactions and diffusion.

grades:

9

-

12

time:

3-6 class periods

science concepts:

ionic compounds, chemical reactions, solutions, diffusion

Get a taste for the lesson!

Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream: Fractional Distillation and Phase Changes

Explore fractional distillation and phase changes through liquid nitrogen ice cream.

grades:

7

-

10

time:

1 class period

science concepts:

states of matter, phase changes

Get a taste for the lesson!

Brown Butter Pumpkin Cookies: Comparingn Baking Soda and Baking Powder

Make pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies to explore the science behind baking soda, moisture, & the Maillard Reaction.

grades:

7

-

9

time:

1-2 class periods

science concepts:

chemical changes, chemical reactions, physical changes

Get a taste for the lesson!
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