The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project

Edible Stained Glass Window

Edible Stained Glass Windows

A 4-8 Grade STEM Lesson

Susin Hall

July 2023

Notes for Teachers

*Be sure to follow directions for reducing microwave power to 50% (trust me the bowl will melt! lol)

*If you can get any extra hands to help supervise and melt the candy that would be useful

*My lesson took place in a small after-school class with a mix of 7th and 8th graders that was about 90 minutes long.

List of Materials

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• Jolly Ranchers (instructions for melting jolly ranchers will be on a different slide)
• Egg whites from 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• Pretzel sticks and rods as desired
• Microwave-safe bowls
• Microwave-safe spoons
• Mixer
• Mixing Bowl
• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Microwaves
• Aluminum foil
• Heat-safe surface
• Piping bag

Standards

Physical Science:

2.P4U1.3 Obtain, evaluate and communicate information about ways heat energy can cause change in objects or materials.

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Mathematics:

7.G.A.1 Solve problems involving scale drawings of geometric figures, such as computing actual lengths and areas from a scale drawing and reproducing a scale drawing at a different scale.

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Science and Engineering Practices:

(a dimension of the Arizona Science Standards)

• ask questions and define problems
• develop and use models
• plan and carry out investigations
• analyze and interpret data
• use mathematical and computational thinking
• construct explanations and design solutions

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Standards for Mathematical Practices: (MP)

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*Model with mathematics.

*Use appropriate tools strategically.

*Attend to precision.

*Look for and make use of structure.

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Objective(s):

Today I will be able to sketch out a scale model of a design and then create a model from my sketch.

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Today I will design a geometric figure and explain my plan.

Agenda (about 90 minutes)

5-10 minutes Bell Work

Discuss where we see geometric shapes in the real world.

Discuss specifically various stain glass windows (show specific examples).

5-10 minutes have students sketch a design that want to create for his/her stain glass window.

15-45 minutes to create stain glass structure with pretzel rods and royal icing. Plus time to fill in each area with melted candy.

4-10 minutes for clean-up and closure.

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Note: I think this project could be done individually or with a partner.

What do you notice? What do you wonder?

Preparing Your Stained Glass

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*Give each student a surface covered in aluminum foil. I used a thin piece of cardboard and wrapped it with aluminum foil sheets to cover them.

*Students will then shape an image out of the pretzel rods. This is where you can bring in the engineering aspect. for design

*Depending on the standard you are trying to cover, this is where you could have students sketch out his/her design. If done on graph paper, students can sketch a figure out. Then figure out the scale of sketch line to pretzel rod length.

*For younger kids, you could print out a coloring page or some other pre-printed design to be followed

Note – it is best if all lines in your picture connect to an edge (the frame) in some way.

Making the Royal Icing (this was enough for 8 kids)

1. Combine egg whites, vanilla, and cream of tartar in a bowl. Mix until frothy.
2. Add powdered sugar in small doses, repeating until you have added all of it. Mix until glossy and peaks begin to form. (This will take about 5 minutes.)
3. Place icing in a piping bag

Ingredients Needed

• Egg whites from 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Melting the Jolly Ranchers

(for those of you focusing on the science standard of heating, here is your part!)

1. Take all like-colored jolly ranchers and place them in a microwave-safe bowl. I filled bowls to about half or three-fourths full of the candy, then students shared the liquid.
2. Place in microwave and cook at 50% power for no more than 2 minutes at a time.
3. Mix and melt until you have reached ‘molten glass’ consistency.
4. Spoon into appropriate spaces on your designs.
5. Candy may be remelted, but keep in mind if candy is too thin (less volume) you will need to microwave in 30-second intervals instead to avoid burning.
6. Repeat until all colors have been done and each design is complete.

If you can have extra volunteers and more microwaves available, that would be helpful.

This is definitely the most time-consuming part.

Hands-on Activity Instructions

Time to put all the parts together!

1) Students create his/her design on the aluminum foil base using pretzel rods.

*Remember it is best if all lines in picture connect to an edge (the frame) in some way.

2) Use royal icing to glue each pretzel stick down.

*Do your best to close all gaps so melted candy doesn’t leak through.

3) Place still-hard jolly ranchers in each gap in your picture until space is filled. This is how you calculate how many candies of each color your will need.

4) Melt candy (see slide 10). Spoon each color separately into your design. Candy hardens pretty quickly, so keep this in mind.

5) Once all areas are completed and the candy is hardened, you will be able to pick up your design and let the light shine through!! :)

Assessment

Depending on which standard is your main focus, you could do one of the following:

Science: In a notebook, create a visual explaining how heat energy changed for our jolly rancher.

Math: Show the sketch of design and explain the geometric shapes.

In addition, explain your scale factor and how you used this to create your final design.

Differentiation

Depending on age/level of students maybe create a template for students to lay out the pretzel rods.

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Remediation

Extension/Enrichment

I found a book after I did the lesson that I want to use next time I do this project.

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The Piece that is You by Gayle Holdman

https://thepiecethatisyou.com/shop/ols/products/the-piece-that-is-you

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Have students then create a story of their own that goes with the stained glass window they created.

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