This week, Clemente juniors stepped into the role of scientists by conducting a M&M blind taste test lab. Students completed background research about how color impacts the way food tastes; the juniors were surprised to discover the sickly effect of an experiment that fed blindfolded subjects blue steak! After researching the ways that color can change your perception of food, the IB juniors predicted what they thought would happen when their partner tried to guess the color of M&Ms while wearing special “blackout” goggles. Predictions ranged from students determining that food color has no taste to being convinced that their delicate palates could decipher the color of each M&M.
Armed with strong convictions about the taste of M&Ms, students conducted their lab in partners. They applied their understanding of both lab safety and the scientific method to follow a method and record complex data about their partner’s performa
nce. The pictures show juniors Alfredo Figueroa, Staffone Dodson, Kevin Cardenas and Tyus Richmond in the middle of a test. The partners, totally blinded by the “blackout” goggles,” attempted to figure out the flavor of the M&Ms.
Much to the surprise of a few ardent scientists, most students discovered that they were unable to figure out the flavor of the M&Ms, no matter how many times they tried. In drawing their conclusions, the wildcat scientists were asked to create a bar graph to present and communicate their information. Additionally, they created high quality conclusions that drew on their data to support their ultimate decision if there is a difference in taste between colors of M&Ms. Through a tasty lab, students put on their lab coats and embodied the IB Learner Profile trait of inquirer.