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Food Science Made Simple: Part 1 – Bread, Kimchi and Sauerkraut

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Teach kids yeast science with bread

Science is fun when it’s applicable, and you can watch it happen before your eyes. One way to instil the idea that science is practical, is to teach kids about yeast and fermentation with food projects. Usually science chemistry lessons are taught in the kitchen with baking projects. But biology also happens in the kitchen with healthy foods like bread, kefir, yogurt, sauerkraut, ginger ale and kombucha. And, you don’t need an oven for most of these science projects. So they can happen more easily in classrooms with a few materials (and maybe a kettle or portable heating element).

In this three-part series we’ll give you ideas to teach fermentation kids about living microbes, biological multiplication, fungi, single-celled organisms, osmosis, ph levels and other ‘sciencey’ things with the projects we’ll mention below.

This subject may also lead into a health lesson on how yeast affects our bodies – both negatively and positively.

Let’s get started!

Teach kids about yeast growth with bread leaven and anaerobic fermentation

The most obvious place to start teaching kids about yeast is with bread, of course. How does that delicious flaky dough become so poofy? Through the active, living fungus that makes it so! In fact, you can see, without a microscope, all those air balloons that appear in the dough as the yeast produce a carbon dioxide byproduct.

Here are some lessons to pursue on the web about teaching kids about yeast with recipes like sourdough:

http://www.kidsdiscover.com/teacherresources/science-of-yeast-for-kids/ (get a starter on the lesson of yeast producing rising bread)

http://www.brighthubeducation.com/lesson-plans-grades-3-5/13436-science-project-is-it-alive/ (make a hypothesis and conclusion based on yeast bread experiments).

http://redstaryeast.com/science-yeast/yeast-experiments/ (learn how temperature and other environmental factors affect fermentation).

https://zerowastechef.com/2015/10/08/kitchen-science-for-kids-sourdough-starter-lesson-plan/ (show kids the difference between flat breads and rising breads, and why they’re different. Also get a history lesson on sourdough bread).

Teach kids about ph levels and acidity using fermented sauerkraut and kimchi

In our search to find resources on this subject, we found that the pickling of cabbage recipes like sauerkraut and kimchi brings in a lot of science vocabulary to teach kids.

In the sauerkraut and kimchi processes, we’re still dealing with anaerobic (i.e. low-oxygen surviving) bacteria. However, this time, they’re first going through osmosis. They are also living in salted water (brine). This is called lacto-fermentation. Not only that, but pickling this way has the aim of ‘bad’ bacteria dying off, while ‘good’ bacteria survive. All this results in lactic acid production, which means an acidic environment.for the surviving lactobacillus. And that brings us to the lesson on pH levels, among other things you could teach here.

Here are lessons on the subject, along with recipes:

http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_ideas/FoodSci_p051.shtml#summary (a full-on science fair project with tons of info on “kimchi chemistry”)

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20151022-the-secret-behind-kimichis-sour-taste (an interesting breakdown of how the DNA and microbes change among kimchi)

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/lab-rat/the-science-of-sauerkraut-bacterial-fermentation-yum/ (gives some info on how sauerkraut can go bad, too)

http://bodyecology.com/articles/acidic-foods-and-acid-forming-foods-do-you-know-the-difference (a lot of science on how acidic foods can make your body alkaline)

http://olykraut.com/blog/the-stages-of-sauerkraut-fermentation/ (a description of the stages of fermentation when making sauerkraut, full of that science lingo, but not too much)

(more on the stages of fermentation when pickling sauerkraut)

Here is a video on making sauerkraut (pickled cabbage):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueAVPxQVCac

And, from the same creators, here is a video on making ‘vegan kimchi’:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HNTMFUiX-E

Here is a traditional kimchi recipe:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTucCw1w6Ak

Stay tuned for part 2 of this series on teaching kids about dairy fermentation

We’re breaking this topic up into a 3 part series. In part 2, we’ll talk about teaching kids about dairy fermentation. Kids can make kefir, yogurt and cheese at home or in the classroom. But more importantly, they’ll learn how the yeast they’re ‘playing’ around with in these science projects can transform foods in different ways.

Teaching Kids How to Start a Newspaper (6): Tips and Resources for Fact Checking

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Teaching kids tips on fact checking

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In our previous articles on teaching kids how to start a newspaper, we covered a lot about the need to source information, do proper research, and identify fake news.

But in this article, we thought it useful to teach tips and resources for fact checking. Fact checking is something all journalists need to do. While working on fact checking their own articles (as opposed to just critiquing others’), kids can learn what effort goes into producing quality news stories. By learning how to fact check, kids can learn to spot high-standard journalism when they see it.

Aside from learning how to start a newspaper, this lesson is useful in other ways. Fact checking will be a part of writing research papers in virtually any other subject at school or university. Knowing great tips and resources to find information can help students in other classes.

These resources also relate to our article on teaching kids how to debate. We recommend checking out that article too.

Teaching kids tips on fact checking their news articles

Where do we find facts? How do we know that what someone tells us is true? In our article on learning to research and identify sources as journalists, we learned there are multiple ways to gather evidence for a news story. There is primary, secondary and tertiary research.

But let’s say you are interviewing someone for a news story at school, and they give you a ‘fact.’ How do you know it’s true? In our last articles, we mentioned having a curious mind, and consistently asking questions to cover both sides of a story.

Well, the questions need to come up with an answer. Based partly on this article by PolitiFact, here are some tips for teaching kids about verifying sources:

Find more than one source for your news article

Don’t rely on one person to tell you the whole truth. It’s true that journalists can be strapped for time and editorial space in newspapers. Sometimes that means there’s only room for one interview. But in the ideal journalistic world, that’s not the case.

In addition to getting opposing views on a topic, find more than one view of the same side. You’d be surprised what you can learn.

Ask your experts where they got their facts

This is important: asking ‘how do you know?’ Sometimes experts speak out of expertise. But their expertise had to come from some other primary or secondary source. Verify what they’re saying by trying to find that original data.

Teach kids to do an independent fact check with these Canadian fact-checking resources

This is where investigative journalism gets a little bit fun: finding information on your own. Teach kids to use Google’s advanced search functions, per PolitiFact’s advice. There is also Google’s search function to find scholarly articles. While that may be heavy reading for elementary-school kids, it’s good for older students to know about it.

But aside from Google, kids should learn to use their school or local library to find deeper information. It may be interesting to look through old archives of news or records. Perhaps the Who’s Who will help you find a notable expert without an online presence!

A librarian can also give a lesson to your class on how to use library resources to do research. Sometimes, this involves reading books to fact check – imagine that!

And of course, there are sites like FactCheck.org and Snopes.com. However, for a Canadian classroom, those may be a bit limiting. For Canadian sources, teach kids to fact check using:

Statistics Canada – a plethora of data on all things Canada can be found on this site. In fact, it can be a source for more journalistic story ideas! See if your classroom can come up with their own news stories as a separate assignment to fact-checking using this site.

Poynter.org – you’ll need to do some digging, but this is a site for International facts. Here is a search on their site for “Canada.”

Encyclopedias – these come in many forms, such as The Canadian Encyclopedia, Dictionary of Canadian Biography (also available in French), Britannica Kids (may require a subscription), Historica Canada’s learning tools, and more. Sure Wikipedia is out there, and hotly contested as a reliable source, since anyone can update it. However, kids can learn to start with Wikipedia, and then dig further into cited sources to find more in their quest to fact check.

Research institutes – the sites of organizations that do research can often publish findings in press releases or posts on their sites. If they are listed on government resources, that can be a reliable way to know they are credible. For example, here is a list of research and projects on the website for Polar Knowledge Canada (POLAR). If you do a Google search for “think tank Canada” you’ll also come up with sources like The Fraser Institute and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

Teach kids that fact checking doesn’t stop when you’ve found nothing!

Fact checking only stops when the truth is out! That can be hard, especially if the above sources are not helping your student source the type of news articles they’re writing at school. So it’s ok to help them out with ‘easier’ sources, or to go lenient on them.

As an idea for teaching kids how to decipher quality sources from faulty ones, try ‘planting’ a real story and a fake story at your school. See if the kids can work in groups to find out which school news story is true and which one isn’t. Perhaps they’ll have to chase down teachers in other classrooms for interviews, look for unnamed eyewitnesses, or go on a scavenger hunt in the library to find the truth!

But after they’ve written about a story in their neighbourhood, like we suggested in our first article in this series, see if they can pick up a story that would show up in the National Post or Globe and Mail.

While we’ve given you some resources and tips to teach kids how to fact check, there is always more. Kids need to learn to find their own reliable sources, using the methods of determining fake news from real news. Sometimes, the start of research is in the news itself. But that’s not all – understanding what makes a quality website as a source of information is also important. How do you know the Fraser Institute is real and reliable? There should be clear signs that kids can learn about when you teach this lesson. And a librarian can help, as mentioned above.

How STEAM learning is changing STEM subjects, and why it matters

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STEM education and careers

In a past article we discussed ‘How the push for STEM education in Canada could change your child’s future.’ We talked about how modern curriculums are including science, technology, engineering and math as an interdisciplinary approach. We also discussed the way in which governments, businesses and organizations are investing in teaching and popularizing those subjects. STEM is becoming a framework for ensuring a viable workforce in Canada’s future.

However, a newer term has been popping up, called STEAM learning. The ‘A’ stands for “Art.” Art includes design, and it’s concepts. The newer acronym is changing the way we look at STEM subjects.

For one, it may get your kids more interested in pursuing STEM. And, it can change the approach to teaching these subjects by integrating the creative with the ‘modular.’

How STEAM learning affects STEM education and careers

In our last article on STEM education, we mentioned that STEM is invasive. It pervades our lives nowadays. It’s hard to meet someone who doesn’t own a piece of technology – be it a smartphone or a flip phone. Either way, even if your phone can’t tweet, it still needed people in STEM careers to make your life that much easier.

But STEM is not just about computers. It includes engineering and innovation in the things you don’t really notice or think about daily. Like the fuel efficiency of your car today compared to your parents’ time. Or the ability of your symmetrically-shaped glass windows to keep your heating bill down, compared to centuries ago. Or the systems that take your toilet waste and turn it into clean drinking water without you smelling or seeing it.

These all have the need for something that overlays STEM subjects: design thinking. Sometimes, this extends into a term called ‘whole-brain thinking,’ where business is added to science and creativity too. In short, the design component, while it may seem only creative, is not. The design is what decides how science is going to solve problems for humans in a way that they can adapt to it, or use it.

And so, the Rhode Island School of Design started a push to start changing the term STEM into STEAM. The idea is to combine art into the STEM subjects, because it’s still needed. The two fields are dependent on each other.

Their website, stemtosteam.org explains how art and science often converge. It gives the case study of a painter who discovered daguerreotypes – the precursor to photography. Photography, at the time, needed chemistry to develop film, an understanding of light to capture images, and more. Today, the way a camera is designed is reflective of how it needs science to work.

And we can see this in many areas, without a scholar needing to show us. The height of the Eiffel Tower is clearly related to its magnificent design, for instance. Buildings that grow plants on their walls or roofs are clearly a convergence of design and science working together. And so on.

Edutopia has a list of resources to help educators bridge STEM with art, and explain the need for both:

https://www.edutopia.org/article/STEAM-resources

How STEAM learning might encourage more students to pursue STEM

Since the need for STEM-educated students is rising, the ability to get kids interested in these fields is also proving to be a challenge. Around the web you’ll find articles and stats about diversity issues in STEM, and the reluctance of kids to want to pursue these subjects in post secondary schools. We covered some of that in our previous article on STEM, mentioned above.

However, when you add art and creativity into the mix, you suddenly have an avenue for getting kids interested in what STEM subjects can do. This is most prominently noted among the gender gap in STEM; girls are less likely than boys to pursue these hard skills.

This article on Lifehacker.com also explains how the application of STEM can get kids interested in studying it further. For example, music actually uses a lot of math. And cooking requires chemistry. And so on.

Google started an initiative called Made with Code to get girls interested in the field. You’ll notice that the way they attract girls to take on coding subjects is by things they may be interested in, that involve art: like fashion design.

Thanks to STEAM learning, students no longer have to pick distinct paths

With the realization that art and science can go together, and need each other, it makes the choice of picking a career much easier. In the past, students may have chosen a degree in the arts believing it could not be applied to traditional STEM projects. However, workplaces and educators are seeing that is not necessarily the case. In fact, the most freedom to be able to create can come from the STEM subjects, integrated as STEAM learning.

Teaching kids how to start a newspaper (5): learning to critique the media and spot ‘fake news’

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Teaching kids about fake news challenges

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In our last article in this series on teaching kids how to start a newspaper, we discussed the need to learn how to research and identify sources of information.

But there is a bigger societal issue at hand presently. And it’s becoming a buzzword people are using to denounce the state of journalism, as we know it on the internet. It’s called “fake news.” What does fake news mean? Well, it’s fake; it’s not true. But how do people get fooled by it? By not knowing how to identify reliable sources of information. We all need to learn how to research, not just kids.

Troublingly, reports are showing that kids nowadays can’t tell the difference between real news and fake news. And so, in our educational system, it seems wise to teach kids how to start a newspaper, so they can learn what goes into news storytelling. This will make them better-informed citizens of our future.

Learn to be critical of the media, recognize bias and spot ‘fake news’

We discussed the need to recognize bias in the media in our first article on this series. However, this comes into play when analyzing sources, especially secondary sources. As mentioned above, a good news story will simply report on its findings. Interpretation, opinion, conjecture and the like have no place in a ‘pure’ news article. But sadly, that’s not the state of all journalism these days.

So, kids should learn to be critical of the news, and to recognize bias. They should ask questions like, are there contradictory opinions on a subject? Or am I telling only one side of this story? Did the student, in their news article assignment, cover both those opinions by dutifully interviewing two opposing sources?

And, what happens when a primary source – say, someone you’re interviewing – makes statements about ‘facts.’ Do you check on those facts, to find out if they are true? How do you check? Kids need to learn how to find both primary and secondary sources, and to spot them in a news article.

One way to learn to research is by media critiquing exercises. Have students find a news article they believe to be true. Then ask them how they can know for sure it is absolutely true. Chances are, when learning to research, students will find a lot of nuance regarding the subject – and not all of it will be based on what they thought they knew (see this article, page 12). This can help kids get out of their own ‘bubble’ and see the subtlety in news bias.

See the article below for a story of teaching kids in school to spot fake news:

The Classroom Where Fake News Fails

This article explains the need for teachers to teach kids the elements of news stories that are assumed to be general knowledge. We forget as adults we carry lots of previously-acquired information that kids don’t always have, to be able to make these analyses.

And, while this John Oliver rant is not a video to show kids in a classroom, it can give a teacher a primer on the issue of native advertising, especially as it relates to being ‘fooled’ on news sites nowadays.

Plus, see our related article on this blog:

The impact brands have on children

Teaching kids about fake news challenges our own ‘truths’

One diagram being shared on the web makes an attempt to help people identify quality news. However, an opposing article makes the claim that in itself, the diagram is liberally biased.

This may spur an interesting discussion with your students. How do they themselves know what a reliable news story is, without someone having to tell them?

In short: we all have biases. And we all have a tendency to believe what we hear and read in the media, just because it’s our go-to source of information.

This lesson should challenge kids to question even the source that says “this is fake news.” It should direct kids to learn how to make well-informed critiques, instead of trusting what their favourite website or celebrity says. To do that, kids must learn how to research and fact-check, which we discussed in Part 4 of this series on how to start a newspaper.

Teaching kids how to start a newspaper (4): learning to research and identify sources of information

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Teach kids to back up their sources

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In our series on teaching kids how to start a newspaper, we can’t help but discuss the important need to teach kids how to research. When you teach kids to research, you are not only teaching them to be investigative journalists; you are enhancing their curiosity to want to know the truth behind everything.

Learning how to identify a reliable source, a primary source and a secondary source can also transfer to other areas of academics. Even if writing is not the focus, research always is in academia. Think of writing academic papers, scientific reports and so on.

Let’s begin.

Learn the difference between a primary source and a secondary source

When doing research, you have multiple ways of finding information. What types of information are there?

There are many ways you can categorize types of information. There is qualitative and quantitative data, for instance. In journalism, the two main information types to teach kids when learning to research are primary and secondary sources. There are also tertiary sources. The page below gives an overview of the types of information sources to use when doing research, and how they differ:

http://www.lib.vt.edu/help/research/primary-secondary-tertiary.html

A well-researched news article will use at least one primary source (i.e. an interview) or one secondary source (i.e. a scientific report). However, asking questions is what journalists are known for, so there will usually be a primary source in a current events type of article.

Scholastic has published a page on ‘How to Conduct a Journalistic Interview,’ which you can use in your classroom.

This article explains the steps to quality investigative journalism, which can be used to teach kids how to research and identify reliable sources of information.

This article also delves into how journalists can use data as a research method, and the need to do so these days.

Teach kids to back up their sources while writing

Quality journalism means not expecting your reader to take what you say at face value. Journalists always have to back up their sources. That means, they have to state where they found their information.

Journalism has specific standards for including sources in news articles, which we won’t get into fully here. However, as a form of habit, when teaching kids how to research, they should learn the difference between writing sentences as fact, and writing them as a report of what another source states. For example, note the difference between:

“The sky is blue.”

And

“Jane said the sky is blue.”

Or

“This scientific study, which you can find at _____, discovered that the sky is blue.”

The first example makes an assumption, and assumes the reader will believe the writer no matter what. The other two are backed by sources – either primary or secondary. They simply report on findings. They make no analysis, interpretation nor true or false statements. They also don’t give an opinion.

Teaching kids how to research makes them better learners

This is an opinion of ours: that if kids learn how to research, they can become better learners. (Notice that we haven’t sourced the statement, so it can only be an opinion!).

Learning how to start a newspaper is a great entry point into understanding where information comes from (hint: it’s not social media!). Students can learn the difference between fables and truth. They can understand what it means to verify that something is true before believing it. And so, when they learn new topics, they can think more critically about the information they are absorbing.

We plan to delve into this subject more in our next article on this series. Stay tuned!

Teaching kids how to start a newspaper (3): learning to write news copy (part 2)

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Men reading newspapers - teach kids to write tight article

This article is a follow up to our article on learning to write news copy, where we covered the inverted pyramid model of writing, writing leads, writing simple and the general concept of news copywriting. This is part of our series on teaching kids how to start a newspaper. See our other articles on this series below:

In this article, we’re going to get into a big topic when teaching kids how to write news copy: the way of writing ‘tight.’

Teach kids how to write ‘tight’

First, a review of the inverted pyramid style of writing

The purpose of the inverted pyramid style of writing is to ensure that if space is limited (which it often was in the old days of paper-only newspaper publishing), the editor can cut from the bottom, upwards. Thus, the lesser important information would be cut, since it’s at the bottom of the article. And this would not compromise the important information at the top, nor reduce the value of the story.

Time is short in the world of reporting, where media companies compete to be the ‘first’ to have released a story, thus attracting more readership. And so, newspaper editors have to find ways to rush the news out to the public as fast as possible. This is why cutting from the bottom upwards saves time, and helps get a newspaper out to the public faster.

Why learn to write tight for lessons on starting a newspaper?

To make more room for ads, and to increase readership, stripping down word count is also an exercise used by journalists, which can be learned when teaching kids how to start a newspaper.

In addition to putting the most important information at the top, journalists must ensure all information is written with as few words as possible. This is where learning to write ‘tight’ comes in.

There are multiple ways to write tight, and to reduce word count in an article. Here are some journalistic practices you can teach students when learning to write a news story:

Eliminating adjectives and words that embellish a sentence, without adding core information.

For example:

“The silly, furry cat walked down the stairs.”

Versus

“The cat went downstairs”

The first sentence took up eight words, whereas the second sentence only takes up four. That’s already a 50% reduction in word count.

This topic may involve a lesson on adjectives first, if your classroom’s age-group hasn’t covered that part of writing structure yet.

Using plural instead of singular

Sometimes, when we switch to the plural, we can use less words. For example:

“An apple can be eaten by a rat”

Can be written as:

“Rats can eat apples.”

In the example above, the meaning and ‘truth’ is not taken away, but the word count is reduced.

Ask your students to identify ways they can turn the singular into the plural to reduce word count in their news articles.

Reducing unnecessary phrases and words

Below is a great resource that explains how writing can often include unnecessary words to get the message across (aside from adjectives described above):

http://web.uvic.ca/~gkblank/wordiness.html

Lead-in phrases like, “And so,” or “Above all else,” create what the author calls “wordiness.” This also happens when we use extra words like “all of a sudden,” which can be turned into merely “suddenly” and “bald-headed” which can be turned into “bald.” See more examples from the author in the link above.

Also, it’s worth noting that often we use words like “that,” “are” or other ‘fillers.’ These can be taken away and still maintain meaning and readability in a sentence. For example, the first sentence in this paragraph could be turned into:

“It’s worth noting we often use words…”

See how we took out “also” and “that”? We reduced the sentence by two whole words.

However, an editor may revise again and claim that “also” is needed in this case, so as to lead-in from the paragraph above. These are the types of decisions editors need to make: should we keep the word, or can it be cut? Would it help or confuse?

This is what writing tight is all about – finding ways to say the same thing, but shorter. But the aim is always for better readability, whether that means taking away, or keeping and adding words.

And, writing tight is not easy. In fact, it can take more time than writing long. But it is ever so important when submitting an article to an editor, or you might not be doing your job properly as a journalist. See how we could have cut “ever so” out of that previous sentence?

There is more to learn when teaching kids how to write tight

Learning to write tight is a great lesson for students when self-editing one’s work, and when learning to accept edits from a peer. It also turns the craft of writing into a disciplined art, where student writers pay attention to every word, making them all count. This way, they have to really think about what they are saying and spewing out. They also have to learn to think clearly and sequentially to be able to write tight.

We encourage you to teach your students the many ways they can learn to write tight. We won’t cover them all here, but we will give you some resources for identifying ways to reduce word-count when learning how to write for the news:

http://www.writerstreasure.com/how-to-write-tight-sentences/

http://writetightsite.com/7-cs-of-tight-writing/

http://writetodone.com/15-ways-to-write-tight/

http://www.peoi.org/Courses/Coursesen/mass/mass5.html

http://journalism.about.com/od/writing/a/Want-To-Learn-To-Write-News-Stories-Just-Follow-The-Format.htm