Spiciness (Peppers): Polarity & Mixing

This lesson was recently updated on

December 2025

This is a required assessment for the Science & Cooking for Educators Program.

Summary of Updates

December 2025 (v4)
● Modified Mixing Simulation (Lesson 1.2)
● Lesson 1.2: Added more detail/scaffolds and template for initial model
● Lesson 1.5: Removed model--> Made CER instead

July 2025 (V3):
New Activities:
● Study design evaluation activity for reading (Lesson 1.5)

Modifications:
● Reordered spice reading + lab to Lesson 1.1
● Reduced activities/days (builds on prior polarity knowledge)
● Added modeling templates for lab scaffolding

December 2025 (v4)
● Modified Mixing Simulation to show interactions between molecules and also provide opportunity to discuss London Dispersion Forces
● Modified Lesson 1.2 to have more scaffolded and detailed directions on facilitating initial model and sensemaking
● Lesson 1.5: Removed model--> Made CER instead

July 2025 (V3):
Larger Scale Changes:
● Reduced activities and days because students build on prior knowledge from previous lessons (specifically on polarity and polar bonds)
● New modeling templates and scaffolding to make sense of results from "Extracting Spice" Lab and "Beat the Heat" Lab

Smaller Scale Changes
● Reorder activities: "What happens when we experience spice?" reading + the lab are now completed in Lesson 1.1
● Added more information on study by Farah et al. (2022) to provide more in depth opportunity to evaluate study design (build on previous lessons in Sports Drinks and Umami) (Lesson 1.5)

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How is Tea Made?

Comparing Gases & Liquids

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