How Good is a Potato Chip?
Is there one superlative potato chip? One potato chip that is tastier, crunchier, or saltier than all others? One chip that's size is ideal? That was the question that Mr. Mac's and Mrs. Bahm's fifth grade students attempted to answer, but how?
Small groups of students constructed a rubric, an established rule or guide, by which they evaluated three different types of potato chips. However, before making their rubrics, students had to agree upon the criteria, rules or standards by which something (potato chips) or someone can be judged or measured, to make up their rubrics. Students had to select four criteria, for example: crunchiness, saltiness, texture, size, color, and taste. Then students could begin their quest to find this year's quintessential potato chip.
Then students had to reach a consensus for each criterion for each chip. When there was disagreement on a criterion score, students had to discuss calmly and rationally why they thought a chip should be scored for a given criterion. Some groups voted on the score, while others used the tried and true method of Rock/Paper/Scissors to resolve differences of opinion.
Just how good are three types of potato chips that were rated by Bennet Elementary fifth graders? Ruffles potato chips were this year's winning chip.
