Turkish Coffeehouse Sip + Tweet!
Posted by Ariel WarshawTo wrap up our study of the Middle East, seventh grade Humanities students were welcomed into our classroom… which had transformed into a Turkish coffeehouse from 1633! We read about the history of coffee – Ethiopia and Yemen both claiming to be the birthplace of the brewed beverage – and learned about how Ottoman Sultan Murad IV outlawed the consumption and trade of coffee, along with the establishment of coffeehouses, throughout the empire. Those who went against his decree were fined, imprisoned, or beheaded – in fact, some were even sewn into leather sacks and thrown into the Bosporus to drown! After reading about this complex history, students were tasked with crafting tweets in the voice of various types of people. These tweets were to argue for or against this ban on coffee. While they “tweeted”, seventh graders sipped on (decaf) coffee, nibbled on treats, and listened to traditional Turkish music. Their final tweets ranged from the humorous to the blunt. This was a memorable and delicious way to wrap up our study of this multifaceted and beautiful region!
@OttoTheManImam “Coffee should not be what everyone wants – it should be Allah.”
@supermom3802 “I just can’t even believe that coffee houses are banned. Like girl, my kids are TIRING and I NEED my coffee! #ineedcoffee”
@traderjoeofficial “I’m really angry because I was making so much money selling coffee. I’m probably gonna lose all of my net worth. I was the number one coffee trader! I’m so angry, please let me sell coffee again. “
@ilovecoffee8329 “I owned a coffee shop and I was FORCED to shut it down. I have 7 kids that I need to feed!!! This is NOT OK!! #imbrokenow”
@SufiMystic “Coffee good. Makes me connect with god”
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