Hello Families,
This month, we will be completing our 6th-grade unit on Yellow Fever and will begin a new unit, Chocolate!
In this unit, students explore the world of chocolate, utilizing primary documents and conducting independent research to understand the diverse range of roles that chocolate has played in various cultures worldwide.
Students have access to primary and secondary articles, artifacts, and images that cover the 3,700 year history of chocolate and take students on an odyssey that includes ancient times in Mexico, as well as the Olmec, Mayan, and Aztec peoples and their cultures, through to current day issues in chocolate production, including the movement for better labor practices and reduced habitat destruction.
Students build information literacy skills, learn how to craft and then answer a research question, and collaborate to conduct a Socratic seminar. They learn how to construct an evidence-based argument and use those skills to write a short piece aimed at convincing readers that their favorite kind of chocolate is the best, debate whether or not chocolate should be included in school lunches, and draft a persuasive letter to a local candy store owner.
Throughout these activities, students learn to build their knowledge by identifying and researching source documents, and to construct explanations and arguments based on solid, relevant evidence and information. As students reach the end of the unit, they synthesize all of the skills they’ve developed to tackle a culminating research project—part essay, part interactive timeline.
To help you navigate the assignments due this month, I have included a picture that lists the tentative assignments for November.
