Bread-baking program hones Jamesville-DeWitt Middle School students’ academic skills

JAMESVILLE-DEWITT SCHOOL DISTRICT – Biting into a fresh piece of bread, a child may not realize that in addition to yeast, flour and water, healthy doses of math, science, reading and art skills are needed. Jamesville-DeWitt Middle School seventh-grade students were recently introduced to the idea that there’s more to bread than meets the eye when they participated in a free program offered by King Arthur Flour Company called Bake for Good.
King Arthur supplied the school with a bread-making kit for each seventh-grade student so they could bake at home. Families were supplied with an online link to a King Arthur bread making demonstration, and students were encouraged to bake two loaves of bread: one to keep and one to share as “an act of kindness” with someone that they feel safe being in contact with, such as a family member or neighbor.
Participation was optional. Measurements used in the bread recipe reinforce the students’ math lessons, observing the chemical reactions that occur when mixing yeast supports science lessons and, reading and comprehension skills are strengthened while following the recipe. Art talents are called upon while shaping the bread.
“There is so much that students can learn when working in a kitchen. It is wonderful to be able to give them the opportunity to experience an age-old skill while connecting to their food, their families and the community,” said Laurie Fabian, J-D Middle School home and careers teacher.
This is the third time the middle school has offered the activity, and in the past, the school has donated bread to the Samaritan Center, a non-profit organization that works to fight hunger in the Syracuse area.