In this 2-part unit, students explore how cheese is made through a series of activities and labs where they make ricotta, chèvre, queso fresco, paneer and mozzarella (all specifically adapted for the classroom). Students will explore factors that impact curd formation, as well as various substances that can be used to promote curd formation in milk. Students then design their own experiment to explore a specific process or question related to cheesemaking.
 
This unit has two parts. The first part (20 class periods long) includes making a variety of cheeses and is divided into five sections. The second part (~5-7 class periods) is more open-ended and provides structures for students to design their own experiments based on one of the labs they previously did.
 
This unit plan includes modified versions of our lessons on Ricotta, Queso Fresco, Paneer, and Mozzarella. These lessons are quite similar to their stand-alone versions, but we also include more information about the cohesive flow of these lessons throughout the unit plan and also include other activities around different cheeses like chevre and aged cheeses.
 
It also includes separate lab preparation documents and a spreadsheet to help with material preparation and ordering.
This Lesson Includes:
A 46-page Teacher Lesson Plan with Essential Questions, Objectives, and NGSS standards
A 20-page Lab Preparation document (Materials, Ingredients, Amazon Lists when appropriate, and Tips & Tricks) and day-by-day lesson plans
181-Slide Google Classroom Slide Deck with directions for lesson flow, turn and talk prompts, illustrations and graphics, embedded videos, and whole group reflection questions
Student Handouts with step-by-step lab directions and other activities
Student Assessments and Rubrics
Videos: an instructional lab video and a fun and informative "Science Behind" video
Lab Preparation Documents and Ordering Google Spreadsheet
 
All materials are included in a Google Drive folder.