Scientific Recipes

This writing across the curriculum lesson was created by Northern Nevada Writing Project Consultant Corbett Harrison, who believes it would work with students in grades 3-12.

Lesson Overview:

Lesson Objective: Students practice voice in writing by imitating the sound of a real recipe, but students recipes will "cook up" scientific concepts instead of kitchen delectables. Student writers creatively explain their knowledge of scientific concepts by first listing their concepts' "ingredients," followed by "instructions for making" that should creatively use kitchen nouns and verbs.

Writing skills (traits) to stress while teaching this lesson:

• Voice (imitating the sound of a real recipe by using kitchen-inspired nouns and verbs)
• Idea Development (putting learned information and research into one's own words)
• Conventions (using correct spelling, especially of scientific vocabulary words)

Materials List:

• Several copies of real recipes, from a cookbook or from an Internet recipe site, like allrecipes.com.
• WritingFix's list of cooking verbs.
• Student samples of scientific recipes.

Teacher Instructions:

• Start by asking students to brainstorm verbs that might be found in a recipe. Once student groups have generated a list, show WritingFix's list on the overhead, and have students add to their lists, or add theirs to the WritingFix list.
• Look over a real recipe and discuss its two parts: 1) list of ingredients and 2) instructions on what to do with the ingredients.
• Show a student sample of a scientific recipe, and have students compare the student sample to a real recipe. Ask, "What did this writer do to make his/her writing sound like an actual recipe?" Hopefully the students will noticed the verbs and nouns as well as other things. Make a list of strategies they spot on the board for students to use when they write.
• Have students choose (or assign to them) scientific concepts to create recipe imitations around.
• After students have first drafts, put them in student groups to respond to each other's initial writing attempts. Have students make suggestions to each other on 1) additional ingredients their recipes might use and 2) additional ways to make the writing sound more like an actual recipe.
• If you get enough recipes, you can publish a classroom "cookbook."