Ottoson Students Take a Bite out of Science

Red velvet lava cake, tectonic plates made of Rice Krispy Treats and volcanoes erupting caramel — it’s not behind the scenes at Cake Boss, it’s just another normal day in Jen Crafts’ seventh grade science classes at.

Instead of sticking to rigid project guidelines, Craft challenged students to create their own works of art to demonstrate their earth science knowledge.

“I wanted to give students more choices,” the teacher said. “I was so impressed with the way that they were able think for themselves and work together.”

The open assignment also appealed to students.

“I liked brainstorming a bunch of ideas and finding the one that worked,” said Chris Warren, who constructed a multi-layer cake to illustrate the Earth’s inner core.

His favorite part of the assignment: getting to eat his homework once it was complete.

Check out the photo gallery for more on the students’ projects.