Lesson: Sweet Science

Ask students to think about their favorite summer activities. Have them share treats they associate with these events (e.g., popcorn at a baseball game, ice cream at a fair). If cotton candy isn’t mentioned, ask students if they’ve ever tried it or seen it made. Ask: What do you think cotton candy is made of? How do you think it’s created? Prompt students to explain their thinking.

Watch the video “How to Make Cotton Candy.” Then distribute the “Spinning Sugar” graphic organizer. Show students how to create drawings and discuss what needs to be included in each section. Have students work in small groups to draw and discuss what happens at each stage of making cotton candy, replaying the video if necessary. Tell students that they will revisit their models later.

Read the article, captions, and sidebars aloud. Distribute the “Forms of Matter” skills sheet and have students complete it. Then reconvene as a class. Discuss the post-reading question: Explain one phase change sugar undergoes in the cotton candy-making process. Why is this step necessary to create the treat’s fluffy texture? Instruct students to update their models in the “Spinning Sugar” skills sheet based on the article and the demonstration. Have students compare their drawings with peers and revise as needed. Then reconvene as a class and discuss phase changes, like melting, that the sucrose went through.

Have students complete the “Check for Understanding” for this article. Let students choose one of the two “Continue Your Learning” activities (found at the end of the scrollable article online) to complete.

Read the first page of “Creating Rock Candy” for teacher demonstration instructions that show another way to transform granulated sugar. Prepare the materials and share the second page with students. Conduct the demonstration, with students recording their observations. After three to five days, remove the string from the jar. Discuss how the rock candy formed.

⇨ TAKE OUR POLL: Do you like cotton candy?

⇨ VIDEO EXTRA: Watch a video showing how cotton candy is made.