Scope and sequence · Practical
Grade 8 Cooking & Food
A year of real kitchen science and real family meals, from John Snow’s pump and the Meat Inspection Act to Atwater’s calorimeter, Papin’s digester, Mège-Mouriès’s margarine and the bliss point, each story followed by the food science underneath and a full recipe the student cooks for the family.
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What to cover
32 of 32 lessons are MUST COVER. They are tested on the unit tests and exams, or are skills the SAT/ACT relies on. OPTIONAL lessons are enrichment. Do them if time allows. The course is complete when the MUST COVER lessons are done.
Unit 1: Kitchen & Food Safety
- MUST COVER 1.1 John Snow and the Broad Street Pump · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.2 Food Microbes: Good and Bad · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.3 Upton Sinclair and the Meat Inspection Act · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.4 HACCP and Astronaut Food · unit test
Unit 2: Food Groups & the Balanced Meal
- MUST COVER 2.1 Wilbur Atwater and the Calorie · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.2 Elmer McCollum and Vitamin A · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.3 Eating for Growth and Sport · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.4 Balanced Meals for a Family · unit test
Unit 3: Taste, Smell & Your Taste Buds
- MUST COVER 3.1 Brillat-Savarin and The Physiology of Taste · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.2 Umami and Glutamate: Ikeda’s Discovery · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.3 Taste Buds Over a Lifetime · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.4 Texture and Food Engineering · unit test
Unit 4: Heat & Cold
- MUST COVER 4.1 Count Rumford and the Nature of Heat · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.2 Denis Papin’s Digester and the Pressure Cooker · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.3 Nicolas Appert and the Science of Jam · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.4 Freezing Science: Ice Crystals and Ice Cream · unit test
Unit 5: Food Chemistry
- MUST COVER 5.1 Starch Retrogradation: Stale Bread and Fried Rice · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.2 Mège-Mouriès, Margarine and the Flaky Crust · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.3 Proteins: Gluten, Eggs and Fresh Pasta · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.4 Yeast Biology and Bread Science · unit test
Unit 6: Cravings, Reward & a Balanced Diet
- MUST COVER 6.1 Howard Moskowitz and the Bliss Point · unit test
- MUST COVER 6.2 The Reward System: Wanting, Learning and Habits · unit test
- MUST COVER 6.3 Satiety and the Balanced Diet · unit test
- MUST COVER 6.4 Habits That Last: Retraining Your Taste Buds · unit test
Unit 7: Fire, the Grill & Spice
- MUST COVER 7.1 Nutmeg and the Banda Islands · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.2 Barbecue Traditions and the Dry Rub · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.3 Smoke, Indirect Heat and Grilled Vegetables · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.4 The Science of Flavor Pairing · unit test
Unit 8: Meal Planning & the Family Table
- MUST COVER 8.1 Budgeting a Month of Groceries · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.2 Planning for Leftovers: Gather Up the Fragments · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.3 Cooking for a Crowd: The Harvey Houses · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.4 The Family Feast · unit test
36-week pacing calendar
From the course’s own 32-week pacing guide, with catch-up and review weeks added to fill a 36-week (180-day) year.
| Week | Plan | Done | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | Session 1: Lesson 1.1 John Snow and the Broad Street Pump: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.1 kitchen project (cook the recipe) and cook’s notebook | ||
| Wk 2 | Session 1: Lesson 1.2 Food Microbes: Good and Bad: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.2 kitchen project (cook the recipe) and cook’s notebook | ||
| Wk 3 | Session 1: Lesson 1.3 Upton Sinclair and the Meat Inspection Act: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.3 kitchen project (cook the recipe) and cook’s notebook | ||
| Wk 4 | Session 1: Lesson 1.4 HACCP and Astronaut Food: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.4 kitchen project (cook the recipe) and cook’s notebook Session 3: Unit 1 review and unit challenge | ||
| Wk 5 | Session 1: Lesson 2.1 Wilbur Atwater and the Calorie: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.1 kitchen project (cook the recipe) and cook’s notebook | ||
| Wk 6 | Session 1: Lesson 2.2 Elmer McCollum and Vitamin A: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.2 kitchen project (cook the recipe) and cook’s notebook | ||
| Wk 7 | Session 1: Lesson 2.3 Eating for Growth and Sport: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.3 kitchen project (cook the recipe) and cook’s notebook | ||
| Wk 8 | Session 1: Lesson 2.4 Balanced Meals for a Family: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.4 kitchen project (cook the recipe) and cook’s notebook Session 3: Unit 2 review and unit challenge | ||
| Wk 9 | Session 1: Lesson 3.1 Brillat-Savarin and The Physiology of Taste: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.1 kitchen project (cook the recipe) and cook’s notebook | ||
| Wk 10 | Session 1: Lesson 3.2 Umami and Glutamate: Ikeda’s Discovery: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.2 kitchen project (cook the recipe) and cook’s notebook | ||
| Wk 11 | Session 1: Lesson 3.3 Taste Buds Over a Lifetime: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.3 kitchen project (cook the recipe) and cook’s notebook | ||
| Wk 12 | Session 1: Lesson 3.4 Texture and Food Engineering: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.4 kitchen project (cook the recipe) and cook’s notebook Session 3: Unit 3 review and unit challenge | ||
| Wk 13 | Session 1: Lesson 4.1 Count Rumford and the Nature of Heat: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.1 kitchen project (cook the recipe) and cook’s notebook | ||
| Wk 14 | Session 1: Lesson 4.2 Denis Papin’s Digester and the Pressure Cooker: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.2 kitchen project (cook the recipe) and cook’s notebook | ||
| Wk 15 | Session 1: Lesson 4.3 Nicolas Appert and the Science of Jam: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.3 kitchen project (cook the recipe) and cook’s notebook | ||
| Wk 16 | Session 1: Lesson 4.4 Freezing Science: Ice Crystals and Ice Cream: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.4 kitchen project (cook the recipe) and cook’s notebook Session 3: Unit 4 review and unit challenge | ||
| Wk 17 | Catch-up and review week (no new lessons) | ||
| Wk 18 | Session 1: Lesson 5.1 Starch Retrogradation: Stale Bread and Fried Rice: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.1 kitchen project (cook the recipe) and cook’s notebook | ||
| Wk 19 | Session 1: Lesson 5.2 Mège-Mouriès, Margarine and the Flaky Crust: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.2 kitchen project (cook the recipe) and cook’s notebook | ||
| Wk 20 | Session 1: Lesson 5.3 Proteins: Gluten, Eggs and Fresh Pasta: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.3 kitchen project (cook the recipe) and cook’s notebook | ||
| Wk 21 | Session 1: Lesson 5.4 Yeast Biology and Bread Science: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.4 kitchen project (cook the recipe) and cook’s notebook Session 3: Unit 5 review and unit challenge | ||
| Wk 22 | Session 1: Lesson 6.1 Howard Moskowitz and the Bliss Point: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.1 kitchen project (cook the recipe) and cook’s notebook | ||
| Wk 23 | Session 1: Lesson 6.2 The Reward System: Wanting, Learning and Habits: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.2 kitchen project (cook the recipe) and cook’s notebook | ||
| Wk 24 | Session 1: Lesson 6.3 Satiety and the Balanced Diet: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.3 kitchen project (cook the recipe) and cook’s notebook | ||
| Wk 25 | Session 1: Lesson 6.4 Habits That Last: Retraining Your Taste Buds: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.4 kitchen project (cook the recipe) and cook’s notebook Session 3: Unit 6 review and unit challenge | ||
| Wk 26 | Session 1: Lesson 7.1 Nutmeg and the Banda Islands: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.1 kitchen project (cook the recipe) and cook’s notebook | ||
| Wk 27 | Session 1: Lesson 7.2 Barbecue Traditions and the Dry Rub: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.2 kitchen project (cook the recipe) and cook’s notebook | ||
| Wk 28 | Session 1: Lesson 7.3 Smoke, Indirect Heat and Grilled Vegetables: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.3 kitchen project (cook the recipe) and cook’s notebook | ||
| Wk 29 | Session 1: Lesson 7.4 The Science of Flavor Pairing: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.4 kitchen project (cook the recipe) and cook’s notebook Session 3: Unit 7 review and unit challenge | ||
| Wk 30 | Session 1: Lesson 8.1 Budgeting a Month of Groceries: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.1 kitchen project (cook the recipe) and cook’s notebook | ||
| Wk 31 | Session 1: Lesson 8.2 Planning for Leftovers: Gather Up the Fragments: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.2 kitchen project (cook the recipe) and cook’s notebook | ||
| Wk 32 | Session 1: Lesson 8.3 Cooking for a Crowd: The Harvey Houses: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.3 kitchen project (cook the recipe) and cook’s notebook | ||
| Wk 33 | Session 1: Lesson 8.4 The Family Feast: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.4 kitchen project (cook the recipe) and cook’s notebook Session 3: Unit 8 review and unit challenge | ||
| Wk 34 | Catch-up week: finish any MUST COVER lesson not yet done | ||
| Wk 35 | Catch-up week: finish any MUST COVER lesson not yet done | ||
| Wk 36 | Year-end review, portfolio and records |
Grading: Kitchen projects (effort, safety, cleanliness and the improve round) 40%, Cook’s notebook (recipes in your own words, observations, calculations, taste charts) 20%, Unit reviews 15%, Unit challenges 25%. Scale: A 90–100, B 80–89, C 70–79, D 60–69. Below 60: cook the recipe or redo the review again with help.