History of Chocolate

---

ST Name: Kym Fox

ST Number: 40036679

Class Level: 2nd & 3rd Class

Date: /5/25

Subject: History

Time:

Duration of Lesson: 40 Minutes

No of Pupils: 27 pupils

---

Strand:

Continuity and Change over Time

Strand Unit(s) / Element(s):

Food and Farming

---

Learning Outcomes / Content Objectives:

• Identify some of the factors which have caused or prevented change
• Refer to or use appropriate timelines

---

Learning Objectives:

1. The child should be enabled to understand the origins and history of chocolate, recognising key events over time that influenced its development and popularity.
2. The child should be enabled to sequence historical facts about chocolate using a comic strip timeline, demonstrating knowledge of continuity and change.

---

Assessment:

1. Method: Observation during activities and review of comic strip timelines produced by pupils
2. Assessment of: Understanding of historical facts and sequencing skills related to chocolate’s history
3. To be recorded: Children’s participation in discussions, accuracy and creativity of their timelines, and responses to questioning

---

Teacher Questioning:

Lower order questions (Closed Questions):

1. Where did chocolate originally come from? (I)
2. What is the main ingredient used to make chocolate? (I)
3. Can you name one way chocolate was used in the past? (D)

Higher order questions (Open Questions):

1. Why do you think chocolate became so popular over time? (C)
2. How has chocolate changed from the past to now? (C)
3. What might life have been like for the people who first discovered chocolate? (C)

---

Language Development Opportunities:

• Use of subject-specific vocabulary: cacao, timeline, continuity, change, farming, ancient civilisation
• Encouraging full sentences and explanation during discussions and questioning

Literacy Development Opportunities:

• Reading and listening comprehension during video viewing
• Writing and sequencing facts in the comic strip format with captions or speech bubbles
• Using descriptive language to express historical concepts

---

Teaching Methodologies:

• Talk and Discussion
• Collaborative / Co-operative Learning
• Active Learning
• Skills Through Content

---

Introduction:

Stimulus:

• Start with a brief question: “Who likes chocolate?” to engage interest.
• Show an introductory picture of cacao beans and chocolate bars to spark curiosity.

Elicit Prior Knowledge:

• Ask simple questions about what children already know about chocolate.
• Discuss any family or cultural traditions related to chocolate.

Share Learning Intention:

• “Today, we are going to learn about the history of chocolate – where it came from, how people used it long ago, and how it became the chocolate we enjoy today.”
• “By the end of the lesson, you will be able to make a comic strip timeline about the history of chocolate.”

---

Development:

• First Video Viewing (15 minutes):
  Play a child-friendly, historically accurate video on the origins and history of chocolate (ensure the video matches IE curriculum age standards). Children watch and listen carefully.

• Second Video Viewing with Teacher Notes (5 minutes):
  Play the video again. Teacher pauses at key points to write main facts and dates on the board (e.g., original use by Aztecs, introduction to Europe, chocolate’s evolution). Engage the class with brief WH questions orally.

• Comic Strip Timeline Activity (15 minutes):
  Children receive a worksheet with blank comic strip frames. They draw scenes depicting key moments from chocolate history (e.g., discovery of cacao, Aztec use, European arrival, modern chocolate). Children add simple captions or speech bubbles to show understanding.

• Collaborative Sharing (5 minutes, optional if time allows):
  Pair or small groups share their comic strips and explain one fact to a partner or the class.

---

Conclusion:

Cognitive:

• Summarise key points drawn on the board and emphasise how chocolate’s story shows change and continuity over time.

Social:

• Reinforce collaborative learning during comic sharing, fostering listening and respect for peers’ ideas.

Transition:

• Link this lesson to a future lesson on farming or trade, highlighting how crops like cacao shaped societies.

---

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Adjustments:

Pupil(s)	Reason(s)	Method(s)	Additional Comments
Children with literacy difficulties	Support in writing captions	Provide sentence starters; allow pictorial responses	Use visuals and peer support for confidence
EAL learners	Vocabulary comprehension	Pre-teach key words and visual aids	Use bilingual support if possible
Pupils with attention difficulties	Short, varied tasks	Frequent engagement breaks; hands-on drawing	Movement breaks or fidget tools

---

The Learning Environment:

• Arrange desks in clusters for cooperative discussion and sharing.
• Clear board space for timeline notes during video viewing.

Resources:

• Age-appropriate educational video on chocolate history (preselected)
• Whiteboard and markers
• Comic strip worksheets with blank frames
• Colouring pencils/crayons
• Visual aids showing cacao beans and chocolate products

---

This lesson plan links directly with the IE Curriculum framework by embedding the strand Continuity and Change over Time through the strand unit Food and Farming, fulfilling learning outcomes about identifying causes of change and using timelines, all within an engaging, active learning environment suitable for 2nd and 3rd class students. The use of video and comic strip creation supports multiple learning styles and encourages deep understanding through creative expression.