Gobbledy Gooks Measuring Lab

If you really want to get the attention of your students when it comes to the importance of measuring and reading (and understanding) a recipe, assign the Gobbledy Gooks Measuring Lab! This non-sensical lab will give them a challenge, make them laugh and even frustrate them!  However, it will also reinforce the need for correct terms and tools (actual measuring skills) as well as understanding tasks when preparing a recipe. So, if you’ve never tried this recipe out with your students, I encourage you to give it a try.

Set

  • Bell Ringer: Ask students the following “Are exact measurements necessary when preparing a recipe?”
  • Discuss student responses.  Some will tell you “yes” because that way recipes will come out as they are suppose to.  Others will be “no” and share that their grandmas never measured ingredients exactly; it was always by taste or appearance. I can relate to this as this is the way my mother cooks/bakes many recipes! And some students will be on the fence and say it depends on the recipe and what you are making.  And you know what?  Each one can be correct!
  • First, recipes with exact amounts are a guide and when followed to the “T” yield wonderful results/products! Second, experienced cooks/chefs/bakers don’t always need to be exact especially if it is a recipe they’ve made a zillion times.  It’s probably committed to their memory and they do know just the right amount to add just by taste and appearance. And third, some recipes do need exact amounts, while others can be fudged a bit like salads and stir-fries.
  • Students are always chomping at the bit to get into the kitchens to prepare food.  Use this opportunity to do just that, but also get your point across afterwards that there are some skills they really do need to know to be effective and have positive results (most of the time)!

Materials

  • Gobbledy Gook Recipes for Each Kitchen
  • Lab Equipment & Ingredients (especially a peanut free butter substitution for any student(s) with a peanut allergy)
  • Observation Forms

Activities

  • Divide your students into kitchen groups based on the class size and number of kitchens you have.  In this particular lab, one person in the group will be the observer while everyone else participates in the preparation of the product.
  • Once the observer is selected, explain to them the role they will play.  They may only watch members of their group to see how they work together, how they make decisions and the interpretation/tools they choose to complete the recipe.  As observers, they may offer verbal help and suggestions only.  As the observer, they will be responsible for recording the information included in the observation form.
  • Do not tell your students ahead of time what they will be making. Instead, place the recipe face-down in the kitchen and have the ingredients available. When you say “begin”, have them flip the recipe and begin reading…this will also start the observer’s job.
  • After the lab is finished and students have cleaned up and sampled their product, they are to meet with their observer to answer a few questions.
  • Come back together as a class and discuss the lab, the challenges, the frustrations, the decisions made, the outcome of the product, the product’s taste and appearance, what they’ve learned, etc.
  • This is a great opportunity to emphasize the importance of reading/understanding a recipe, knowing terms, tools and measuring accurately!  Before students leave, have them complete a reflection grid about this lab and experience.
  • If you would like, you can assign the actual recipe the Gobbledy Gooks represents will real terms and measurements as another lab so students can compare and contrast the results especially after covering measuring skills.

Attachments

Additional Measuring Lessons

Additional Learning Grid Ideas

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