Most of the flavoring in gum is due to the sugar or other sweetener it contains. As gum is chewed, the sugar dissolves and is swallowed. After a piece of gum loses its flavor, it can be left to dry at room temperature and then the difference between its initial (unchewed) mass and its chewed mass can be used to calculate the percentage of sugar in the gum. This demonstration experiment is used to generate new questions about gums and their ingredients, and students can then design and execute new experiments based on their own questions.

A short introductory presentation for elements and compounds. Also includes a practice worksheet and opportunity for a lab (moving into chemical reactions).

Students are given information about signs of a chemical reaction on the first slide.
They then have to work in groups to decide which of the examples on the second slide are chemical reactions, and which are physical changes.

In this 8th grade science lesson, students prepare Kale Pesto and Homemade Ricotta Cheese. Students also visit the pH Lab where they use cabbage juice as an indicator to test the pH of common kitchen ingredients and products.

In this 8th grade science lesson, students prepare Soft Pretzels. While the pretzels bake in the oven, students activate yeast and observe the production of carbon dioxide, which causes the Soft Pretzels to rise.

In this 8th grade science lesson, students prepare Whole Wheat Soda Bread with fresh churned butter and Chai. While the bread bakes in the oven, students experiment with chemical leaveners and observe the chemical reaction that causes the Whole Wheat Soda Bread to rise.

The true story of how Momofuko Ando was inspired to create one of the world’s most popular foods after seeing long lines of hungry people waiting for a simple bowl of ramen following World War II. He dreamed about making a new kind of ramen noodle soup that was quick, convenient, and tasty for the hungry people because he believed that peace follows from a hungry stomach. With persistence, creativity, and a little inspiration, Ando succeeded. The resource includes a lesson plan/book card, a design challenge, and copy of a design thinking journal that provide guidance on using the book to inspire students' curiosity for design thinking. Maker Challenge: Develop a food product (a new food, tool, or invention, et al) to help increase access to food in your community.

You and a friend are hiking the Appalachian Trail when a storm comes through. You stop to eat, but find that all available firewood is too wet to start a fire. From your Chem 106 class, you remember that heat is given off by some chemical reactions; if you could mix two solutions together to produce an exothermic reaction, you might be able to cook the food you brought along for the hike. Luckily, being the dedicated chemist that you are, you never go anywhere without taking along a couple chemical solutions called X and Y just for times like this. The Virtual Lab contains solutions of compounds X and Y of various concentrations.

OpenSciEd middle school is NGSS-aligned science curriculum. Designed for all students and teachers, OpenSciEd includes student-facing materials as well as teacher guides. As with most instructional materials, excellent professional learning for teachers should be provided. For more information in Michigan contact the Michigan Mathematics and Science Leadership Network, starrm@mimathandscience.org

A complete introduction to scientific investigation and the scope of physical science. Includes: states of matter, atoms, periodic table, chemical bonding, chemical reactions, carbon chemistry, chemistry of solutions, nuclear chemistry, motion, forces, Newton's Laws of Motion, work and machines, energy, waves, sound, electromagnetic radiation, visible light, electricity, and magnetism.

Create your own sandwich and then see how many sandwiches you can make with different amounts of ingredients. Do the same with chemical reactions. See how many products you can make with different amounts of reactants. Play a game to test your understanding of reactants, products and leftovers. Can you get a perfect score on each level?

Explore what makes a reaction happen by colliding atoms and molecules. Design experiments with different reactions, concentrations, and temperatures. When are reactions reversible? What affects the rate of a reaction?

Students learn how to classify materials as mixtures, elements or compounds and identify the properties of each type. The concept of separation of mixtures is also introduced since nearly every element or compound is found naturally in an impure state such as a mixture of two or more substances, and it is common that chemical engineers use separation techniques to separate mixtures into their individual components. For example, the separation of crude oil into purified hydrocarbons such as natural gas, gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and/or lubricants.

Students discover that many contaminants cannot be seen,smelled, or tasted, so water chemistry analysis has tobe done to ensure the safety of drinking water. Studentsperform a serial dilution to observe that even an extremelysmall concentration of a contaminant can still pose a threatto human health.

This is to help students look for evidence that a chemical reaction has taken place. It's based on a witches potion class.

Test the pH of things like coffee, spit, and soap to determine whether each is acidic, basic, or neutral. Visualize the relative number of hydroxide ions and hydronium ions in solution. Switch between logarithmic and linear scales. Investigate whether changing the volume or diluting with water affects the pH. Or you can design your own liquid!