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INTRODUCTION TO CARBOHYDRATES IN UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOL: 1. A LABORATORY PATH INSPIRED BY EVERYDAY LIFE (INTRODUZIONE AI CARBOIDRATI NELLA SCUOLA SECONDARIA DI II GRADO: 1. UN PERCORSO LABORATORIALE ISPIRATO ALLA VITA QUOTIDIANA)

Maria Maddalena Carnasciali, Laura Ricco, Alessandra Minguzzi

CnS La Chimica nella Scuola

2012

Italian

Report

Researchers, Teachers

Over 10 pages

The laboratory path, constituted by 6 activities, has been designed within the Scientific Degrees Plan – Chemistry Area – Liguria Region. Carbohydrates have been chosen as a subject of the path, proposed to the fourth year of upper secondary school, so as to reconcile the skills of teachers, mostly biological, with a chemistry topic curricular and suitable for interdisciplinary connections.
Moreover, the presence of carbohydrates in the daily life is likely to provide many opportunities for practical activities, appropriate to arouse curiosity and interest in the students and educational integration by teachers.
The paper proposes a sequence of 6 experiences linked with the process of breadmaking.
Activity 1) Filling in a table relative to the generality of certain carbohydrates ofcommon use, assisted by 'taste' and solubility tests;
Activity 2)Breadmaking with different types of flour and yeast and construction of the leavening curve;
Activity 3)Separation of gluten and starch from a mixture of water and wheat flour;
Activity 4) Colorimetric test for the evaluation of the presence of starch in foods;
Activity 5) Colorimetric test for the evaluation of the presence of proteins in foods;
Activity 6) Application of colorimetric tests to analyze the two components separated during the activity 3.
In order to make more effective the sequence of experiences, the scientific report has to be required, of course after an exaustive discussion of actions, observations and results carried out in the classroom, under the guidance of the teacher and as conclusion of the path.
Each experience is described in detail, as well as the related considerations made on the basis of students' behaviour and learning. Moreover, the paper provides all the laboratory sheets, complete with information about the topics, detailed instruction about how to work and questions to be answered.

The reviewer, Laura Ricco, is also one of the authors of the publication. The laboratory path had a huge success because it was carried out in many classes of scientific annd classic licei, for a total of about 800 students. The laboratory activities were carried out by university researchers while the task of teachers was to introduce biochemistry before the foreseen practical activities, discuss the results in conclusion and correct the scientific reports written by students.
This path had a great success, as because students worked with motivation, as because teachers have received support and valuable material to improve itself in a field where they feel weak.

University of Genoa