After an introduction on argumentative/opinion writing where Ms. Youngman's 3rd Grader's engaged in friendly arguments with one another on topics such as the best season, chip flavor, movie genre, sport, and more...students chose what they believe to be the best candy to research and defend in an opinion essay and Google slides presentation. The topic is fitting considering that all of 3rd grade is reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
The students are researching their chosen candy and are finding some very interesting facts! Did you know that Snickers was named after the inventor's family horse? Or that Jolly Rancher originated as the name of a failed ice cream shop out west? How about that the letter "m" began being stamped on M&Ms in the 1950s to distinguish it from the many companies trying to imitate it?
These are just a few facts that they are discovering. The final projects with their research and "arguments" as to why their candy is the best are sure to be sweet and full of lots of satisfying evidence! 
