about
We support and inspire teachers through instructional resources, professional learning, and community to teach science through food-based phenomena.
Our mission is to provide more opportunities for all students to connect science to their everyday lives and interests and engage in authentic science practices. Our vision is for students to appreciate and be curious about how food and science profoundly shape their personal lives, their communities, and the world around them and to inspire them to create meaningful impact through food and science.
mission & vision
our story
Our founder, Kate Strangfeld, taught middle school science & high school chemistry for eight years in Washington, D.C. Before transitioning to a career in the classroom, Kate pursued her passion for food in a variety of ways, including receiving her culinary degree and working at the Yale Center for Food Policy and Research and Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative.
In 2019, she began to infuse her love for food into her science classroom and immediately saw its impact. While earning her master's degree in Learning Design, Innovation, and Technology from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, she explored ways to use food to teach science.
In 2023, she founded Bite Scized Education through funds awarded from an Educational Entrepreneurship Fellowship through the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She then worked with Harvard's Science and Cooking Program to develop Harvard's Science and Cooking for Secondary Educators Program. Through this program, we have been able to train and reach teachers across the country.
why use food to teach science?
Food is accessible, approachable, and universal.
Make Learning & Labs Approachable & Relevant
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Engage students to first explore scientific concepts using their everyday language, which can deepen understanding and proper use of scientific vocabulary
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Engage with families through labs that look more like a recipe, and thus may be more approachable and interesting
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Use safer, more accessible, and often lower-cost materials and ingredients
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Weave in interdisciplinary learning with math, history, and cultural connections
Encourage Meaningful Ways to "Do Science"
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Promote understanding of concepts while also building science practices and shaping student disposition about science
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Open opportunities for student agency, expression, and voice
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Transform phenomena from a passive to active experience- one where we use all of senses and have autonomy.
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Tap into student motivation & agency by using a more familiar and interesting medium for student-designed experiments
Position Students as Resources of Knowledge
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Tap into a topic that everyone has experiences with and has ideas to bring to the table
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Promote a funds of knowledge approach, which positions students (and their families) as resources of knowledge that can be built on and celebrated
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Facilitate community-oriented learning because food plays a crucial role in almost all communities and cultures
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Provide opportunities for students to share their culture and identities
our guiding metrics
Practical Teacher Needs
Do lesson plans, resources, and labs meet teacher practical needs and support teacher instruction?
Storyline Approach & Sensemaking
Do lessons encourage students to "figure out" a food through a series of activities? Are they empowered to be curious?
NGSS Framework
Do lessons align to NGSS Standards and encourage students to build NGSS science practices?
Everyday Experiences
Does this connect to students' everyday lives and encourage them to connect science with their community, interests, and the world around them?