PROJECT DESCRIPTION
INSTRUCTORS
SCHOOL SITE
LEVEL
SUBJECTS
Together we answered the essential question, “How have different cultures used the cacao bean to cultivate power and joy?” Students learned about different cultures that are important to the history of chocolate. For example, we have learned about the Olmec, Mayan, Aztec, Ghana, and Spanish cultures. Through this lens, we learned about the importance of multiple perspectives in historical times and how it is relevant to today. We paralleled the Spanish colonization with the U.S. colonization and students were asked to create historically accurate fictional narrative based on one of the communities we learned about. After writing their stories, students had a week-long “boot camp” in reading out loud fluently which involved; prosody, tempo, and expression. In addition, a collection of the students’ stories were published into a book. Students then were asked to record their fictional narratives using these 3 skills. In math, students were asked to find a chocolate recipe they enjoy and needed to upscale their recipe in order to serve more people. This required students to multiply fractions by whole numbers. At the end, students designed recipe cards. This culminated into a wonderful exhibition where students showcased their historical knowledge and mathematical skills!
Math: Students learned how math is used in everyday activities. We dived deep into fractions and explored recipes from around the world that contain chocolate. Children learned how to multiply, simplify and evaluate fractions and write recipes for larger populations. These activities allowed children to learn how math and chocolate are universally connected to us all.
Writing: In writing, students wrote historical fiction stories based on the cultures that gave us chocolate. Students developed historically accurate characters and learned about basic narrative structure. They were creative writers and imaginative perspective takers as they stepped into the shoes of their characters. We are excited to publish our work in a book on Amazon which is available for purchase!
Humanities: 5th graders in humanities got to step back in time and learn the historical content of ancient Meso-America, Ghana, and Spain. Through multiple perspectives, students learned about colonization and its effect on indigenous groups of people. In addition to history, students developed their reading skills such as fluency, tempo, and expression when reading aloud their historical narratives. We also engaged in a novel study to learn about modern day Mexican culture by reading Becoming Naomi Leon by Pam Munoz Ryan.
“This project was really fun and big. What I liked about the project was making the ancient civilization essays. I also liked our exhibition and setting it up.” – Josue
“What I liked about the Cacao project is that it was a great way to learn about how different cultures used the same thing but in their own different ways. For example how the Cacao was used as currency but also used as an ingredient to make a drink that only rich people could have. I thought the Cacao project was a fun way to learn about different cultures and the history and the challenges each of them went through. It was an interesting way to learn about how chocolate was made since it is very popular and a well known treat! My personal favorite part about this project was that we were able to pick a culture to write a story about which meant that we would have to sorta study more about the culture which was really nice. Overall, I really did enjoy this project and I wouldn’t mind doing it again, since I had a nice experience with this project.” -Alyssa