Chemistry and Thanksgiving: Making lessons relevant

Summary: Professor Diane Bunce, a physics professor at Catholic University, challenged her students to learn chemistry via Thanksgiving dinner. They explored the following questions: Why does a turkey pop-up timer work? Why do muffins rise? Why do you feel so bloated after Thanksgiving dinner? The demonstration can be viewed here.

The remainder of the article discussed finding ways to make science relevant to students. It gave a few examples of teachers using unconventional ways to engage students. For example, in the science course, Science: Super Heroes to Global Warming, students find answers to questions such as, "Could Superman really fly?"

Classroom connection: There are several lesson resources available online to help teachers make science connections to students' everyday lives. Ever wonder how a lava lamp works? This easy experiment can be done with students. Find it in the article, The Science of Everyday Life. Another interesting site to explore with students is HowStuffWorks.

Original article