Resource English students blind review chips during class

The+three+chips+included+Ranch+Veggie+Sticks%2C+Pepperocini+Kettle+Chips%2C+and+Salsa+Tostitos.

Aimee Buckley

The three chips included Ranch Veggie Sticks, Pepperocini Kettle Chips, and Salsa Tostitos.

Elyssa Lieu, AVT EIC

Amador’s Resource English students recently tested their writing skills in a new challenge: writing reviews. Led by Ms. Buckley, students had fun tasting several unknown chips and noting down their impressions of each one.

“I try to incorporate things that are more engaging. [The students] had three different chips to taste and describe, and at the end, I told them what each chip was, and then they wrote up a review on the three chips and put them in order of deliciousness,” said Resource teacher Aimee Buckley.

Students were initially confused by the unorthodox assignment, but Ms. Buckley helped guide them through each step.

Just because a person has challenges in their life doesn’t mean they can’t be successful.

— Ms. Buckley

“I think they were all surprised that this was the activity we were going to be doing, taste chips as part of a classroom activity. The responses I got were very positive generally, although some students were unsure of how to turn chip tasting into an essay. I’d provided them examples beforehand from a chip review website that’s actually really funny, so we talked through how to do it… and did it step by step,” said Ms. Buckley.

Ultimately, the reviews were a success in helping students and teacher alike adjust back to a school year of in-person learning. For Ms. Buckley especially, they were a reaffirmation of her core beliefs in teaching her students.

“Just because a person has challenges in their life doesn’t mean they can’t be successful. There’s a lot of very highly successful individuals in our country and in the world who also have disabilities, and it’s important for us to recognize their strengths and not just focus on their challenges,” said Ms. Buckley.

You can check out one of the reviews written by Tegan Morrison here.