Grade 8 Electives
School Year 2023/24
Food Science - Sugar Crystals - 2023/24
In a sugar crystal, the sucrose molecules are arranged in a repeating pattern that extends in all three dimensions, and all of these molecules are attracted to each other by intermolecular forces—a type of interaction that binds molecules together and is weaker than the bonds between atoms in a molecule.
​
In food science class, student went through the process of creating their own sugar crystals.
Food Science - Ice Cream - 2023/24
In this class, students manually made ice cream using ingredients in a layered bag.
-
It starts out as a liquid but changes to a solid in its frozen form, but it can go back to a liquid when it melts.
-
This is a good example of reversible change, as it’s not permanent.
The outer bag has a combination of ice and salt. The ingredients are then placed in the smaller bag which is placed inside and shaken until the liquid begins to freeze and form into ice cream.
​
Food Science - Popcorn - 2023/24
The first experiment in Chemistry of Food was popcorn. Students had to count out and record the number of corn kernels that were being added to each bag. They experimented with adding oil to see if the corn popped any faster than when it was dry.
Food Science - Bread - 2023/24
Before conducting this experiment, students learned about the different ingredients used in bread. Students were introduced to yeast being a single-cell fungus that lays dormant until we wake it. As well as learning the combinations of other ingredients to help with the fermentation process.
Students used plastic ziplock bags to mix the ingredients. This was an interesting experiment because there wasn't enough time for the bread to sit and rise in the conventional timeframes and we didn't have an oven. But science is about trying things, so we used a rice cooker instead. :)