Make your own ice-cream

Type of resource: Website and video

Web address https://www.mobileedproductions.com/blog/homemade-ice-cream

Language: English

Description

Investigating how ice-cream is made.

Scientific concept introduced

Changes of state

Creative and critical thinking

Critical Thinking:
– Prediction
– Drawing connections
– Explanation

Creative Thinking:
– Curiosity

Mathematical reasoning

– Measuring non-standard units
– Counting
– Weight and Capacity – filling and emptying bags of different sizes

Scientific thinking

– Questioning
– Observing
– Predicting
– Measuring
– Making
– Analysing
– Drawing connections
– Drawing conclusions
– Recording

Learning how to learn

– Active listening
– Self-efficacy in learning
– Engagement in learning
– Turn taking in groups
– Reflection on learning

Additional

– Oral language – listening and following instructions
– Literacy – vocabulary development
– Cooking skills of pouring, mixing and measuring
– Pre-reading skills – sequencing
– Collaborative skills of sharing and turn taking

Make your own ice-cream

Overall aims

● to enable pupils to explore how ice cream is made
● to enable pupils to explore how objects can change state from liquid to solid
● to develop pupils’ skills in listening and following instructions
● to develop pupils’ cooking skills of pouring, mixing and stirring
● to develop pupils’ skills in observing and predicting
● to develop pupils’ skills in turn-taking
● to develop pupils’ cooking skill of measuring liquids using a tablespoon
● to develop pupils’ skills in measuring (weight and capacity)
● to develop pupils’ skills in recording their learning experience

Vocabulary – keywords should be understood

Ice-cream, frozen, melt, sugar, ice cubes, ingredients, mixing, cream, milk, dairy
teaspoon, tablespoon, small, large, liquid, solid

Expected learning outcomes (operational aims)

The child will be enabled to:
– follow instructions for the experiment
– identify properties and characteristics of ice-cream
– identify objects as being in liquid or state form
– identify differences in an object when it is in solid and liquid form
– identify objects with respect to their size – large, small, larger, smaller
– skills of pouring, mixing and stirring
– practice the skill of measuring using a tablespoon
– make observations and predictions during the experiment
– work together in small groups
– assess their learning experience by drawing (or writing) in response

STEM skills – to which the learning unit is related to

CORE STEM SKILLS

● Asking questions
● Observing
● Explaining
● Predicting
● Curiosity
● Measuring (weight and capacity)
● Counting

● Making
● Analysing
● Drawing connections
● Drawing conclusions
● Recording

ADDITIONAL SKILLS

● Active listening
● Self-efficacy in learning
● Engagement in learning
● Turn taking
● Reflection on learning
● Following guidelines
● Oral language
● Literacy – vocabulary development and pre-reading skills of sequencing
● Cooking skill of measuring liquids using a tablespoon
● Cooking skills of pouring, mixing and stirring
● Collaborative skills of sharing and turn taking
● Following rules of safety

Teaching methodologies/activity outline

Introduction:
1. Write the word ‘ice cream’ on the board, eliciting properties and characteristics – ice cream is frozen cream; ice cream is a solid; cream is a type of dairy food; cream is a liquid; dairy is milk or food made from milk; ice cream is kept in a freezer; ice cream melts; there are lots of different flavours of ice cream; vanilla is a common type of ice cream.
2. Ask pupils in pairs to talk about their favourite flavour of ice cream and then discuss as a class.
3. Inform pupils that today they’re going to be exploring how ice cream is made.

Activity:
(Ask pupils to work in groups of 5 or 6, reminding them to take turns).

Materials: (per group)
– Ice cubes (at least two ice cube trays worth of ice)
– Measuring cup
– ½ cup of Rock Salt or Ice Cream Salt
– Vanilla Extract
– 1 cup of Heavy Whipping Cream or Half-and-Half
– Sugar

– A teaspoon
– A tablespoon
– A large size zipper storage bag
– A smaller sandwich size zipper storage bag
– A tea towel

Instructions:
1. Ask pupils to carefully add the ice into the large bag, filling half the bag. Ask pupils to identify in which state the ice is (it’s in solid form).
2. Ask pupils to pour in the ½ cup of the salt.

3. Ask pupils to measure out a half teaspoon of vanilla extract and to add it to the measuring cup of cream.
4. Ask pupils to measure out 2 tablespoons of sugar and pour it into the cream.
5. Then ask pupils to stir all the ingredients together with a teaspoon, mixing it really well.

6. Ask pupils to pour their mixture into the smaller bag, making sure to seal it properly. Ask pupils to describe the cream mixture and to identify the state (liquid form).

7. Then ask pupils to place the smaller bag into the larger bag of ice and to seal the large bag tightly. Ask pupils to predict what they think will happen to the liquid mixture now with it being placed in the ice and salt.
8. Ask pupils to shake the bag for about 5 to 6 minutes, until the ice goes all around the smaller bag. Ask pupils to talk what happens as the bag is continued to be shaken – the bag gets cooler. (At this point pupils will need to use the tea towel to hold the cold bag.)
9. Ask pupils to think about why the ice might have gotten colder.
Explain that when water is freezing, it gives off heat but when it melts it cools down. As the salt slightly melts the ice, the ice gets colder and this makes it cold enough for the cream mixture to change (solidify), turning from a liquid into a solid – ice cream.
10. Now you have ice cream – ask pupils to carefully open the bag and take out a teaspoon of ice cream, identifying differences to the former liquid cream mixture.
Sample question: What does the cream mixture look like now? Is it still in liquid form? (It’s in solid form). What form does ice cream take when it melts (liquid form).

Conclusion:
1. Ask pupils as a class, to recall the sequence of the experiment. Draw the sequence on the board.
Sequence:
– Ice in the large bag
– Salt in the large bag
– Adding vanilla extract to the cream
– Add sugar to the mixture and mix
– Pour the cream mixture into the small bag
– Place the small bag into the larger bag
– Shake the bags
– Then you have ice cream

2. Ask pupils to complete a Learning Log for this experiment, asking them to draw (or write) and then discuss with the class the following:
– 1 thing they learned
– Their favourite part of the experiment
– What they’d like to learn more about?

Assessment of learning

Pupil observation sheet, pupil learning log

Equipment and materials to be used in learning unit (tools, ingredients etc)

– Ice cubes (at least two ice cube trays worth of ice)
– Measuring cup
– ½ cup of Rock Salt or Ice Cream Salt
– Vanilla Extract
– 1 cup of Heavy Whipping Cream or Half-and-Half
– Sugar
– A teaspoon
– A tablespoon
– A large size zipper storage bag
– A smaller sandwich size zipper storage bag
– A tea towel