In this 26-37 day unit, students complete 5 lessons around the idea of flavor. This lesson bundle is intended to be used for introductory high school chemistry classes. Students are introduced to atomic structure, formation of ions, ionic bonds, covalent bonds, polar bonds and polarity through phenomena that include sports drinks, salt, sugar solutions and candies, spice and peppers, and lemonade.
 
Science practices are heavily emphasized and include developing models, asking questions, analyzing and interpreting data, engaging in arguments from evidence, and obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information.
 
Lesson 1: Sports Drinks & Electrolytes: Atomic Structure & Ions (8-10 days)
Explore atomic structure and ions by unpacking what electrolytes are, why we need them, and why they are in sports drinks.
 
Lesson 2: Salt: Ionic Compounds & Separation Methods (5-8 days)
Explore how salt is extracted and made, how and why different types of salt vary, and salt’s purpose in food and cooking.
 
Lesson 3: Sugar (Rock Candy & Tanghulu): Solutions & Covalent Bonding (4 days)
Explore sugar solutions, the basis of many candies, by making rock candy and unpacking sucrose molecular structure, the process of dissolving, the importance of concentration and temperature, and another sugar-based candy: tanghulu.
 
Lesson 4: Spiciness (Peppers): Polarity & Mixing Substances (6-10 days)
Explore capsaicin, the primary molecule behind spice, and see how its molecular structure explains its behavior with other substances.
 
Lesson 5: Sourness & Butterfly Pea Lemonade: pH and Acids  (3-5 days)
Explore acidity and what makes substances sour by learning about pH and hydrogen ions and making a butterfly pea flower lemonade.
 
Each Lesson Includes:
Teacher Lesson Plan with Essential Questions, Objectives, and NGSS standards, Lab Preparation (Materials, Ingredients, Amazon Lists when appropriate, and Tips & Tricks) and day-by-day lesson plans
Classroom Slides 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
Instructional Lab Videos & "Science Behind" Videos
 
Resources are shared as view-only folders in Google Drive. Classroom slides and student handouts can be downloaded, copied, and adapted for personal teacher use. Teacher lesson plan and lab preparation documents are provided as view-only documents that cannot be copied to ensure they remain secure while still being fully accessible for classroom use. 
 
—-
 
Terms of use: Permission is granted to physically or digitally copy classroom slides and student handouts specifically and exclusively for use in the original purchaser or licensee’s own classroom and with their own students. We ask that you leave the Bite Scized logo on documents as a form of attribution. The lesson plan provided may not be modified, altered, or used to create derivative works. It is intended solely for your personal use or use in your own classroom with your students.
 
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Redistribution of this material, in whole or in part, is not permitted without the explicit written consent of the author. You may not use the material for commercial purposes. You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.