Question Sheet: Screaming for Ice Cream

By Science News Explores

SCIENCE

Before reading:

  1. Do you like ice cream? Why or why not? What makes certain ice cream brands taste better than others? 

  2. What are the main ingredients of ice cream?

During reading:

  1. How are ice cream manufacturers seeking to improve ice cream? 

  2. What’s the difference between high-quality ice cream and cheaper varieties? 

  3. What role do stabilizers play in ice cream? 

  4. What are antifreeze proteins? See www.phschool.com/science/science_news/articles/chemists_redesign.html(Prentice Hall). 

  5. Describe what’s required for a food product to be called ice cream? 

  6. Why is eating too much ice cream unhealthy?

After reading:

  1. Get the same flavor of an expensive brand of ice cream and a cheaper variety. Conduct a taste test without telling people which one is which. Can people tell the difference between the brands? How do people describe whatever differences they detect? Which brand did most people prefer? 

  2. In what ways does soft-serve ice cream differ from hard ice cream? Does soft-serve ice cream require a different type of manufacturing process? See inventors.about.com/od/foodrelatedinventions/a/ice_cream.htm (About.com) and www.newsday.com/entertainment/ny-fdcov4340236

    jul13,0,7852829.story?coll=ny-entertainment-bigpix

    (Newsday). 

  3. Ice cream is a tasty treat, but it’s not very healthy. Do you think ice cream should be served in schools? Why or why not?

SOCIAL STUDIES

Write an article about the history of ice cream. Where did it come from? How did it become so popular? You can look into the history of ice cream shops, flavors, or ice cream production. See www.foodsci.uoguelph.ca/dairyedu/ichist.html (University of Guelph) and www.zingersicecream.com/history.htm(Zinger’s).

LANGUAGE ARTS

One of the reasons that people like ice cream is that they associate it with special times and places. Ask some people about memorable ice cream experiences. Turn the most interesting account that you find into a short story.

MATHEMATICS

There are 31 flavors of ice cream at the local ice cream store. How many different triple-scoop cones can you make? Remember that two chocolate scoops on the bottom and one vanilla scoop on the top is the same as two chocolate scoops on the top and one vanilla scoop on the bottom.