The 6th Grade Identity Unit within the MESH (Math, English, Science, and History) classes, for which the theme was how we are what we eat, culminated on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, with a presentation in Hajjar Auditorium and a food festival in the Wharton Lessin Dining Hall. More than 30 tables displayed sweets, savories, and beverages, from Indian samosas to Puerto Rican coquito, representing students’ cultures and family traditions.
“The unit illustrates how food brings people together”
“Every student had a role in the celebration, including reading parts of their work, sharing the process, or showcasing part of their project,” says Ms. Sarah Macone, Grade 6 English Teacher and Team Leader. “The unit illustrates how food brings people together.”
Grade 6 Dean Ms. Tasha Urbanowski says many of the parents in attendance told her they felt the unit reinforced their sense of community. “There was also a sense that it celebrates our diversity in such a nice way… sharing such a wide range of special foods and traditions in the group was educational as well as fun,” she added.
Students’ hard work is documented on a Google site. “This is a powerful and meaningful component of the unit because it presents all of the work in one place for everyone to read and enjoy,” says Ms. Macone.
Cayla R. ’31 describes the Identity projects as follows: “In History class, we created slideshows about a food that connects to our cultures. In English class, we wrote about a specific food and its significance to us. In Math class, we collected data on the food we had eaten that week then graphed it out on a piece of paper using only symbols. Lastly, in Science class, we had to make an infographic showing the ingredients of the dish of our choice, where they originated from, and a fun fact about them.”
The English project was Cayla’s favorite, she says, because, “I wrote about how my grandma had taught me how to make matzah ball soup and how we have made it together every Passover for as long as I can remember.”
“There was also a sense that it celebrates our diversity in such a nice way… sharing such a wide range of special foods and traditions in the group was educational as well as fun”
When researching the ingredients in the soup, Cayla admits she was surprised to learn that all of them originated in Asia or Europe. “This project made me appreciate the global nature of our food,” she says.
Similarly, Olivia M.A. ’31, who created an infographic on the ingredients in a family recipe for chocolate cake, says she learned a lot about foods from her research. Another takeaway from the unit, she says, was learning how to score data.
Cole M-H. ’31 says the most memorable part of the unit was the kickoff event, when all sixth-grade classes had the opportunity to taste breakfast foods from three different cultures, representative of the chefs in the Dining Hall. “It was surprising how many cultures and ethnicities we have at D-E, yet we all work together as one collective community,” he says.
Overall, says Ms. Macone, “I think our students felt celebrated and appreciated!” Hear from Ms. Macone and several of our 6th graders in the video clip below!
