Have you ever heard of a woman named La Malinche? She met Hernan Cortes when he came to Mexico and he used her to take down the Aztec empire in the 1500s. The 7th graders have been studying her for our PBAT unit in Social Studies! We debated whether we considered her as a victim, traitor, or hero!
We kicked off our unit by getting the information we needed through readings, videos, and Zoom discussions. We used a lot of different sources in class. Jane, an ELA teacher who helps in the Social Studies Zoom class, said “The Readers’ Theater and art in the La Malinche picture book were my favorite sources!”
After a couple weeks of our learning about La Malinche, then we started to really get into it and decided which side we were on (victim, traitor, or hero). Then we started our PBAT essays – that part drove everyone crazy. I remember how confused I was before I even started the essay. I had so many questions to ask before I could choose a side. I had to remember that we had our teachers to support us and help answer all of our questions. Glen, the Social Studies teacher, said, “I love seeing how different students interpret the story and the arguments
they develop based on their own perspectives. Lots of students had a hard time picking ‘hero, traitor, or victim’ because they found so many valid arguments for each side, which is what we want!”
The pressure of deadlines and having to present was also stressful for us. Students had to attend roundtable discussions over Zoom with a panelist (teachers, parents, even upper grades students) asking us on-
demand questions about our essay. I felt so nervous. I hate having to present but the outline that my teachers gave me really prepared me for the Zoom session. Tracy, my crew leader and who was a panelist for the roundtables, said, “I was so impressed by all the work everyone put in their PBAT and all the thoughtful research!” Even though I was stressed, I had to remember that it was ok and we were going to write a lot of essays moving into 8th grade and high school.
My PBAT roundtable was good and I am glad it is over! Devon, an ELA teacher at BCS who attended the La Malinche roundtables, said “The PBAT process at Brooklyn Collaborative is something that I really enjoy. It is a way to hear a small group of students genuinely discuss their thinking and ideas on what they are studying. I also like the internal-debate that sometimes is posed between students where they engage in an academic spar (friendly, of course), which is always evidence-based or rooted in personal experiences!”
As you can see, both students and teachers enjoyed the PBAT. So many things were fun about this unit. It’s amazing to learn new things because not many of us knew about La Malinche before, and this unit pushed our limits. Even writing the PBAT was really fun even though I was really stressed! In the end it was worth it. Everyone’s hard work paid off and I think that’s one thing we can all agree on and be happy about!
