Spiciness (Peppers): Polarity & Mixing
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This is a required assessment for the Science & Cooking for Educators Program.
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Overview
time:
5
-
8
class periods
standards:
MS-PS1-1, MS-LS1-8, HS-PS1-3
science concepts:
solubility, polarity, sensory neurons
Summary
Explore capsaicin, the primary molecule behind spice, and see how its molecular structure explains its behavior with other substances.
This lesson was recently updated.
Update Date:
December 2025
Summary of Updates
December 2025 (v4)
● Modified Mixing Simulation
● Modified Lesson 1.2 (more detail/scaffolds and template)
● 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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Simulations for this Lesson
Tea and Temperature
Modeling Smell
How is Tea Made?
Comparing Gases & Liquids
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