Ever notice how many different types of peppers are available in the grocery store? Not only are they 
vibrant to look at but they also contain different levels of spiciness or pungency depending on the variety. I wanted to expose my students to the characteristics of these unique vegetables giving them an opportunity to learn more about the various species of peppers or chiles, ways to cook with them and challenge themselves to see how the heat level changed the taste of a product as well as how much heat they could take.
Set
- Give students an interactive, walking pretest (see attachments) to see what they know about the topic prior to the lesson. Cut out hot pepper shapes from construction paper and write the statements directly to the pepper/chili. Students circulate to complete the pretest. Laminate to preserve. Go over responses for correct answers.
Materials
- Projector & Screen
- Laptops or iPads
- Lab Ingredients & Supplies including Gloves
Activities
- Assign the Hot Chili Pepper Scavenger Hunt for students to learn more about this vegetable, using this website.
- View The Science of Spiciness by Ted Ed to illustrate how this works in our bodies.
- Hot Pepper Jelly Lab: For this lab, select 3 different heat levels of peppers; one type for each kitchen. This will allow your students to experience a difference in taste and heat levels for the same recipe. They can decide which is their favorite and adapt the recipe to their liking in the future. Note: Make sure students are wearing gloves when working with the hot peppers and not touching their eyes or skin at any time during the lab!
Attachments
Resources
Additional Resources
Image courtesy of kdshutterman at Free Digital Photos
