How do writers introduce and develop the central ideas in a text? To answer this question, ninth graders closely examine "The Age of Honey," the opening chapter in Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos' Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science, and analyze the details the writers use to develop the main idea of the chapter.

Concepts

argumentative writing, reading nonfiction, supporting evidence, main ideas, reading comprehension

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Have individuals catalog the kinds of sugar and other sweeteners found in their kitchens

Classroom Considerations

• The focus of the one-unit module is on helping writers develop the skills they need to develop well-crafted arguments supported by solid evidence
• The first in a 28-lesson unit designed to directly address Common Core reading and writing standards for grade nine
• The unit uses Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos' Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science as a central text

Pros

• The 16-page packet includes a detailed plan, discussion questions with model responses, and a homework assignment

Cons

• None

Common Core

RI.9-10.2 W.9-10.9.b