Math lessons continue to be an integral part of the middle school curriculum, including – with a generous dash of creativity – in the current remote learning environment. Recently, Mount Madonna School (MMS) sixth and seventh grade students donned aprons and swapped calculators for measuring cups and entered their kitchens for a little practice with fractions via the Great Recipe Scaling Challenge.
“Middle school students often need a bit of practice manipulating fractions in math, and I thought that using fractions to scale recipes up or down would be a fun real-world way of getting them more comfortable with multiplying and reducing fractions,” shared teacher Hilary Alvarado.
Each student chose a recipe and multiplied each ingredient by a fraction to either scale the recipe up or down. They then prepared their recipe and shared a picture of the finished product. Recipes students picked included an array of cookies, cakes, smoothies, Extreme Veggie Scrambled Eggs, waffles, pudding and even a Benihana Ginger Sauce.
Several students reflected on this “tasty” way to work with fractions and learn about scaling:
“I learned that scaling, especially scaling fractions, doesn’t always work perfectly,” commented sixth grader Lucy Yen. “When I made the dog treats, I took the recipe and multiplied it by two and a half. Even though I multiplied all the ingredients by the same number, it ended up being too dry.”
“This project was really fun, I did it remotely with my Grandma and we baked orange oatmeal cookies,” shared sixth grader Eden Fisher. “I learned that scaling is pretty difficult, because it’s hard to be exact. For example, if the recipe calls for one-quarter cup of flour and you scale it down, sometimes you have to find the amount of one-sixteenth, which is really hard.”
“I learned that if you carefully read through all the directions, and scale properly, your dish will taste the same as the original version,” observed seventh grader Lucy Harris. “There will just be more, or less of it.”
“During the math scaling project I learned the use of math in my everyday life,” acknowledged seventh grader Amelie Zands. “I learned how to make cookies while I was doing math and really how many more cookies you get when you scale up by one and a half. You can never have too many cookies!”
“Through the recipe scaling challenge, I learned that it is very difficult to find one fraction where you can multiply by most whole numbers and get a whole, non-fraction amount,” shared seventh grader Cavan Smith.
“Students are always wanting to convert fractions into decimals so they can punch them into their calculators, and I’m always trying to get them away from this practice,” Alvarado said. “I thought of using recipes because they often include fractions, and sometimes we need to make more or less of something based on the ingredients we have on hand, or how many people we are cooking for.”
In this new moment of remote learning, with so much of the curriculum delivered online, it was an added bonus that this project took students away from their computer screens to practice hands-on cooking and math skills.
“One student told me that she had never cooked before,” said Alvarado. “She was so proud of herself after successfully making a recipe!”
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Contact: Leigh Ann Clifton, director of marketing & communications,
Nestled among the redwoods on 375 acres, Mount Madonna School (MMS) is a community of learners dedicated to creative, intellectual, and ethical growth. MMS supports its students in becoming caring, self-aware, discerning and articulate individuals; and believe a fulfilling life includes personal accomplishments, meaningful relationships and service to society. The CAIS and WASC accredited program emphasizes academic excellence, creative self-expression and positive character development. Located on Summit Road between Gilroy and Watsonville. Founded in 1979.