Taste of High Tech High Chula Vista Fall 2013

A Chemistry and Humanities Project

Natalie Zanzucchi and Johnathan Chittuluru

Project Summary: Food is perhaps the most universal human commodity. However,
despite its universality, there are many food injustices that exist around the world. In this
project, students will have the opportunity to investigate these injustices and the history
behind them, as well as work to achieve justice in their own community. At the same time,
students will have the opportunity to reflect on their personal eating habits, and where they
come from. They will explore the connection between culture, tradition and food, and they
will also experiment with cooking, eating, and some gardening. Students will investigate
our local sources of food production, and identify locally grown ingredients to highlight in
their cooking. Throughout this process, students will study the chemical principles
underlying taste, smell, nutrition, and food production. Finally, they will choose a dish to
prepare and seek to leverage their understanding of chemistry to improve its taste,
nutrition, simplicity, and/or affordability. Their knowledge and understanding of cooking,
chemistry and the food justice movement will help to create a cookbook. In the second
phase of the project, students will use their cookbook recipes to create two menus that
feature their refined dishes and learn to pop-up a restaurant. We will demonstrate our
knowledge at the Dia de los Muertos Community Exhibition on November 1 by cooking for
our community, selling cookbooks and hosting our community partners.

Essential Questions:
What is the most important food justice issue facing our world today?
How can we, as students, become more involved in the food justice movement?
How can we utilize the tools of science and chemistry to make better food choices
and prepare better food?

Learning Goals:
Students will know Students will be able to
- key events and inventions in history
and how they impact agriculture and
consumption
- what the Food Justice Movement is and
what issues it encompasses
- elements of descriptive writing
- Fundamental chemistry concepts
related to food and food production,
including the phases of matter, atomic
structure, bonding, molecular structure,
organic molecules, and metabolic energy
- Scientific investigation,
documentation, and communication
skills
- read about and discuss the history of
the world as it relates to food (focus on
the agricultural revolution and beyond)
- cook a basic meal
- budget for groceries
- address issues of food justice through
participation in community
service-learning
- write detailed descriptive essays
- analyze documentary films
- annotate text
- identify, locate and obtain non-fiction
books of interest
- demonstrate a firm conceptual
understanding of chemical principles
related to cooking and nutrition by
analyzing the calorie content and
chemical compositions of their chosen
meals
- explain how taste and nutritional value
can be attributed to specific chemicals
present in their prepared dishes
- Write an original scientific
composition detailing their experimental
efforts toward preparing a healthy, tasty,
affordable dish
- Produce a textbook-quality visual
depiction describing the molecular
composition of the key ingredients in
their dish, highlighting the different
ways in which individual molecules
provide metabolic energy, nutrition, and
flavor


Products:
Perfected dish featuring/highlighting at least four local ingredients
Recipe for perfected dish
Professional quality photo of perfected dish
Descriptive essay (Best Thing I Ever Ate)
COOKBOOK (whole class)
each family will be responsible for a two-page spread, which will include:
Chemistry component describing how the nutritional, flavor, and
textural components are composed at the molecular level
Nutritional guide for each recipe, including suggestions for
healthier/tastier alternatives to the ingredients listed, along with
warnings and explanations for what not to use or substitute (e.g.
substituting olive oil with lard introduces a lot of saturated fat)
Website or other online resource with links to experts, resources, etc. in the
community
Research notebook cataloging attempts to improve the dish
Original research composition detailing students use of chemistry and the scientific
method to improve their dish of interest

Exhibition venue:
Dia de los Muertos Exhibition - November 1, 2013 - Memorial Park, Chula Vista

Potential Outside Experts:
Who? What can they do?
Suzies Farm
Marily n Marx
Bany an Kitchen?
Trader Joes/Whole Foods
Brian Bordainik

New Roots Farm (IRC)
Introduce us to the basics of farming/organic farming
History of Food President
Cooking tutorial
Tour of store, explanation of pricing, etc.

Food as a job, but not cooking. Quality ingredients/chefs, local food
mov ement
San Diego Food Bank
Father Joes
MIHO Food Truck
Farmers Market (Chula
Vista?)
UCSD Center for Mindfulness
Palomar College Public Health
Dept.
The Scripps Research Institute
Local Molecular Gastronomers
Food Justice Youth Mov ement
Community serv ice opportunity
Community serv ice opportunity
Local chefs, partnership with Suzies Farm
Sy nthesizing ev ery thing we hav e learned

Mindful eating

Food as a public health issue talk?

Introduce students to chemistry research and methods used by chemists
Show students how principles of phy sical science are lev eraged to cook
restaurant-qualilty food

Calendar (Please note that this calendar is tentative and is subject to change
based on the nature of project and discussion-based learning)

August/September

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Deliverables/
Due Dates
26
First day of
School!

Guacamole
Cookoff

4th period:
10th grade field
day
27
Whole Team:
Affirmations


Eastlake
Farmers
Market (after
school)
28
Whole Team:
Multiple
Intelligences
and Learning
Temperaments

29
Whole Team:
Project Launch

Math: The four
Cs


30
Hum: I am a
Local

Math: Kick It!

Chem: Ice
Cream Lab

- Personal
Statement
(Due: Friday
8/30)
- Case Study
HW
- States of
Matter
Drawings
(meal) on wall
- Ice Cream
Lab Writeup
















2 NO SCHOOL 3
Hum: Begin
Food, Inc.

Math:
Introduction to
probability and
the Monty Hall
Problem

Chem: The
States of
Matter
simulation and
particle
depiction of a
meal
4
Hum: Complete
Food, Inc.

Family
Placement
**ingredient
selection/
groupings
decided

Math: Basic
probability
review,
roulette

Chem: Dish and
initial recipe
selection
5
Hum: Where
our food comes
from - Peer
Survey

Math: Category
of events

Chem:
Investigating
the chemical
composition
and nutritional
values of
chosen
ingredients
6
Hum: Socratic
Seminar (Food,
Inc. and
in-class
articles)

Math: Category
of events
practice

Chem:
Molecular
depiction of a
dish









- Socratic
Seminar
- Survey plans
- Particle
depiction of a
meal
- Molecular
depiction of a
dish
- Initial Recipe
9
Hum:
Tentative field
trip to Roots
Farm @ City
College

Math:
Compound
probabilities

Chem:
COOKING LAB
with notebook
protocol and
journaling
10
Hum: Begin
The
Omnivores
Dilemma
Begin Fast
Food Nation

Math: Staff
faculty activity

Chem:
Solutions with
phet
simulations,
wrap with
critique of
recipe/experim
ents,
11
Hum:
Tentative field
trip to Roots
Farm @ City
College

Math: Coins,
cards, and dice,
part 1

Chem:
COOKING LAB
with notebook
protocol and
journaling

12
Hum: Field trip
reflection
Complete Fast
Food Nation
Socratic
Seminar

Math: Coins,
cards, and dice,
part 2

Chem:
Solutions and
concentration
quantification
by percent
mass/volume,
wrap with
critique
13
10th grade
RETREAT
Mountain
Hawk Park
-Field trip
reflection
-Socratic
Seminar
Graphical
depiction of
solution/solvati
on due put on
wall




16 STAFF DAY 17 18 OPEN 19 20 1st draft of
Hum:
Professional vs.
artistic
cookbook
layout and
critique

Math: The
Titanic

Chem:
COOKING LAB
with notebook
protocol and
journaling
HOUSE
Hum: Work on
cookbook
(mock-ups
ready for Open
House
pre-sale)

Math: The
Titanic

Chem: Moles
(aluminum foil)
and molarity
phet
simulation,
wrapup
Hum: Work on
cookbook

Math: The
Titanic, wrapup

Chem:
COOKING LAB
with notebook
protocol and
journaling
1st draft of
cooking
research paper
due

Hum:
Critique/Work
on cookbook

Math: Quiz

Chem:
solutions and
moles quiz and
food critique
cooking
chemistry
research paper
-1st draft of
family 2-page
cookbook
spread
-Critique
protocol
23
Hum: Father
Joes

Math:
Probability
review

Chem: Buffer
Day
24
Hum: Father
Joes

Math:
Probability
review

Chem:
COOKING LAB
with notebook
protocol and
journaling
2nd draft of
ingredient
chemistry due
25 HALF DAY
Hum: Service
reflection

Chem: Heat,
conduction, and
convection

26
Hum: Work on
cookbook

Math:
Probability
TEST

Chem:
COOKING LAB
with notebook
protocol and
journaling
27
Hum:
Critique/Work
on cookbook

Chem: Heat
capacity and
final critique of
family recipe
(contribution to
restaurant)
-2nd draft
cookbook pages
-Service
reflection



October

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Deliverables
30
Hum: Work on
cookbook

Math:
Geometry
Intro

Chem: Heat
Quiz
-2nd draft of
chem research
due
1
Hum: Work on
cookbook

Math: Angles
Intro

Chem: Atomic
Structure:
Matter and
Rutherfords
experiment

2
Hum:
Critique/Work
on cookbook

Math: Angle
relationships

Chem: Atomic
Structure:
Subatomic
particles,
atomic mass,
and molar
mass;

3
Hum: Work on
cookbook

Math: Parallel
lines and
transversals

Chem: Atomic
Structure:
Molar mass
and molarity;
-final draft of
ingredient page
due
4
Hum: Work on
cookbook

Math: Parallel
lines and
transversals

Chem: atomic
structure quiz
and
introduction to
the periodic
table
2nd draft of
food chemistry
research paper
-FINAL
COOKBOOK
PAGES DUE
(Cookbook to
publishing)
7
Hum: Begin
Vegecated

Math:
Triangles
Introduction

Chem: Periodic
Table: metals,
nonmetals,
ionic, and
covalent bonds
3rd draft of
research paper
due





8
Hum: Complete
Vegecated

Math: Laser
and mirror

Chem: Periodic
Table: principle
energy levels,
and valence
electrons
9
Hum: Complete
The
Omnivores
Dilemma

Math: Isosceles
triangle
investigation

Chem: bonding
quiz and
introduction to
carbon
chemistry
10
Hum: Socratic
Seminar

Math:
Triangles

Chem: Lewis
structures

11 NO
SCHOOL

Socratic
Seminar
Readers
Journal
14 STAFF DAY 15
Hum: Running
a restaurant
and action
16
Hum: Running
a restaurant
and action
17 HALF DAY:
SLCs
Hum: Running
a restaurant
18 HALF DAY:
SLCs
Hum: Running
a restaurant
Chemistry
Research Paper
Final Draft
Action Team
teams

Math: More
triangles

Chem: Lewis
structures and
classes of
organic
molecules
teams

Math:
Paralellograms
and
quadrilaterals

Chem:
Carbohydrates,
fats, and oils
and action
teams

Math:
Paralellograms
and
quadrilaterals
and action
teams
Responsibility
Checklist
21
Team time
Launching the
restaurant and
action teams
22
Team time
Launching the
restaurant and
action teams
23
Team time
Launching the
restaurant and
action teams
24
Team time
Launching the
restaurant and
action teams
25
COMMUNITY
SERVICE DAY

28
Pop up practice

Chem: Food
Unit Review
29
Pop up practice

Chem: Food
Unit Review
30
POP UP
REHEARSAL
(for school
exhibition)
Dia de los
Muertos
On-Campus
Exhibition
31
Pop up practice

Chem: Food
Unit Test
1 Dia de los
Muertos
Off-Campus
Exhibition
-Test