Preview · the opening missionRead this to the class:
Last month a Grade 4 student had a terrible cold. At dinner her family made her favourite pizza, and she said it tasted "like cardboard." Her brother said that was silly, because her tongue wasn't sick, only her nose. Your team's job: find out whether your nose can change what you taste.
Teams of three, with three jobs that rotate: Taster (closes eyes and tastes their own food), Coach (reminds the Taster when to pinch and let go, and never touches the food), Recorder (writes down every guess).
Before you begin, say to the whole class: anyone can be Recorder or Coach the whole time instead of tasting, no reason needed. Some people have a stuffy nose today, smell things less than others, or don't eat certain foods. Their results and their jobs count just the same.
Look inside the PDF
Sample pages, stamped “preview”. The download is the clean, full lesson.
In the full lesson PDF
- Predict (5–10 min)
- Hunt (20 min)
- Reveal (10–15 min)
- Act (10 min)
- Background for the teacher
- Assessment
- Student sheet
On the student sheet
- My prediction
- Our results
- What we kept the same, and what we changed
- Claim, evidence, reasoning
- Advice for the girl with the cold
- Exit ticket
US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white. The student sheet is on its own page, ready to photocopy.
Free with an account (any 3 lessons), or US$19 / C$25 for all 4 lessons in this unit.
What students show by the end
- Records honestly
- Separates taste and smell
- Uses evidence
From the lesson’s rubric, which scores each one as not yet, getting there or got it.
Questions teachers ask
How long does “Can your nose change what you taste?” take?
45–60 min. Group size: teams of 3.
How much prep does it need?
Two to three days ahead: check every student's allergies and dietary needs with the school's records and send a note home naming the foods. On the day, 20 minutes: wash hands, then peel and cut apple and potato into 1 cm (1/2 in) cubes on a clean board and portion everything into labelled cups, one per student.
What materials do I need?
Jelly beans in at least four flavours, from a bag with no nut warning (check the label, including 'may contain'); apple; potato (firm, no green patches or sprouts); small paper cups; paper napkins; clean knife, peeler and cutting board (adult use only). Cost: about $15 for a class of 30.
Which curriculum standards does it cover?
NGSS (US): 4-LS1-2. It also matches BC Science 4, Big Ideas.
What’s in the lesson PDF?
A teacher guide that walks you through predict, hunt, reveal, act, background for the teacher and assessment, then a student sheet (“My prediction”; “Our results”; “What we kept the same, and what we changed”; “Claim, evidence, reasoning”; “Advice for the girl with the cold” and “Exit ticket”) on its own page, ready to photocopy. It’s US Letter and prints cleanly in black and white.
Can I try it for free?
Yes. A free account includes any 3 full lessons of your choice, and this can be one of them. After that, this unit is US$19 (C$25) for all 4 lessons, yours to keep, or every lesson is US$79 (C$109) a year.