Chemistry of Cooking

CONTENTS OF CURRICULUM UNIT 17.04.08

  1. Unit Guide
  1. Introduction
  2. Content Objectives
  3. Teaching Strategies
  4. Classroom Activities
  5. Resources
  6. Appendix
  7. Endnotes

Science of Sugar

Chris Moy

Published September 2017

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Introduction

Scientists are often stereotyped as industrious intellectuals that toil away in secluded laboratories.  This view is certainly held by children as many will illustrate a scientist to be a bespectacled man in a white coat that is surrounded by an array of scientific equipment.1  Many children in the elementary grades may begin to perceive science as an abstract field of study that doesn’t pertain to them.  In truth, however, scientific phenomena are very much a part of a student’s daily life.  Cooking is an experience universally shared by children that can be used to tangibly engage them in scientific exploration.  Within the context of cooking, sugar presents an interesting topic of study.  Found in a variety of food items ranging from drinks to prepared foods, sugar is a substance familiar to children.  This unit will lead fourth grade students in an investigation of sugar that shows them the significance of the substance’s chemical properties.  Through an interdisciplinary approach that emphasizes experiential learning, this unit will also engage students in the scientific process, familiarize them with the history of sugar, and allow them to develop an understanding of the health implications of sugar consumption.

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