Energy Density (Halloween Edition) – Teacher

Summary

Teacher guide for an activity where students calculate the energy density (Cal/g) of Halloween candy to build a concrete understanding of what energy density means and how it’s measured. They rank their results, compare them to their hypothesis, and connect food energy density to how fuels store energy. The activity fits a single class period and works well in middle school science or a high school intro chemistry or Earth science unit. A student handout, candy nutrition data, and optional graphing extension are included.