In the beginning of January, one section of 10th-grade history students researched the social, political and environmental impact of a commodity that was traded in the 15th-19th centuries.
Commodities chosen included sugar, cacao, corn, coca, spices, opium and indigo. In order to understand the status of each commodity in a modern context, students shared a story about how commodities are traded today.
Students were also asked to bring in a tangible representation of their product when possible, so that we could see, taste and feel the commodity. Needless to say, the sugar and cacao (chocolate) presentations were very popular!