After the first break, after picking books to read to our reading buddies, after morning circle, after snack and read aloud my small group of students gathered around a round table. I put a chocolate in the middle of the table. "Observe at first" was a very challenging task for the students. They leaned in as close as they could, fingers sneaking to touch the chocolate. I untied the ribbon, unwrapped the chocolate and broke it into nine pieces, one for each.
"What do you think how the chocolate got on the table?" I asked. This was my provocation for our new unit of inquiry about sustainable economy.
"You brought it," was an obvious answer. With a bit more nudging and many cases of LEGO blocks the students worked with partners to build a model to show the journey of the chocolate to our classroom table. They took pictures and then individually wrote the steps.
Here is my favorite part:
"...the guys who worked in factory they make chocolate and bring it on the truck to the shop while Ms. Terje wakes up and eats. Then she goes to school and teaches us. Then she goes to the shop and buys some food and chocolate. Then she comes back home and sleeps. On the next day she brings us this chocolate and we eat it."
Almost true. The chocolate was handmade in a small shop, and besides buying it I arranged a tour and a little workshop for us. That might be tomorrow's slice.
I really like the idea of having students chart the journey of the chocolate. Looking forward to tomorrow's tour.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of a unit I did on chocolate. We had a candy-maker come in and the kids made chocolate suckers. Fun unit! I can't wait to hear about your tour.
ReplyDeleteWhat I love about this Slice is how it made a fellow reader think of a unit on chocolate. I thought of the rainforest when you posed your Essential Question. And I really like the creative answer you were given by your students.
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