Fairtrade and Cocoa Choices

ST Name: Kym Fox

ST Number: 40036679

Class Level: 2nd & 3rd Class

Date: 15/05/25

Subject: Geography

Time: 12:40

Duration of Lesson: 40 Minutes

No of Pupils: 27 pupils

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Strand(s):

Environmental Awareness and Care

Strand Unit(s) / Element(s):

Environmental Awareness

Learning Outcome(s) / Content Objectives:

• Recognise and investigate human activities which may have positive or adverse effects on local and wider environments.
• Understand the concept of Fairtrade and describe how it helps farmers and communities around the world.

Learning Objectives:

1. The child should be enabled to explain some challenges cocoa farmers face and how Fairtrade can support them.
2. The child should be enabled to express their opinions confidently and respectfully during a conscience alley activity about Fairtrade decisions.

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Assessment:

1. Method: Teacher-led questioning and observation during conscience alley activity.
2. Assessment of: Pupils’ understanding of Fairtrade, cocoa farming challenges, and their ability to articulate viewpoints with reasoning.
3. To be recorded: Individual participation in discussion and responses to questions.

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Teacher Questioning:

Lower order questions (Closed Questions):

1. What is cocoa used for?
2. Can you name one problem cocoa farmers face?
3. What does Fairtrade mean?

Higher order questions (Open Questions):

1. Why might it be important for chocolate companies to buy only Fairtrade cocoa?
2. How do you think choosing Fairtrade products might help farmers and their families?
3. What would you do if you were a shopper choosing between regular chocolate and Fairtrade chocolate? Why?

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Language Development Opportunities:

• Introduce vocabulary such as “Fairtrade”, “cocoa”, “farmer”, “market price”, “sustainable”, and “community”.
• Use sentence starters to support expressive language during conscience alley (e.g. “I think… because…”).
• Promote listening and speaking skills through paired and whole class discussion.

Literacy Development Opportunities:

• Reading comprehension through a short, age-appropriate news article about cocoa farming and Fairtrade.
• Writing a short letter from the perspective of a child to a chocolate company (optional extension or homework).
• Encourage the use of descriptive language when discussing challenges faced by farmers.

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Teaching Methodologies:

• Talk and Discussion
• Collaborative / Co-operative Learning
• Active Learning through conscience alley role-play
• Skills Through Content
• Problem Solving by evaluating different roles and decisions
• Using Local Environment by connecting Fairtrade with local shops / products

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Introduction (10 minutes):

Stimulus:
Display images of cocoa pods, chocolate bars (both regular and Fairtrade labelled), and photos of cocoa farmers. Read aloud a short, child-friendly news article about the challenges cocoa farmers face and the benefits of Fairtrade.

Elicit Prior Knowledge:
Ask pupils what they know about where chocolate comes from, if they have heard of Fairtrade, and what they think Fairtrade means. Briefly discuss other Fairtrade products they might know (bananas, coffee, flowers).

Share Learning Intention:

• Today, we will learn about how cocoa is grown and some challenges farmers face.
• We will explore how Fairtrade helps people who grow cocoa.
• We will share and respect different opinions in a special activity called conscience alley.

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Development (20 minutes):

1. Read & Discuss News Article (5 mins):

   • Teacher reads aloud key points from the prepared news article.
   • Highlight difficulties such as low prices, hard work, and community issues.
   • Explain Fairtrade’s fair prices and community support.

2. Fairtrade Products Discussion (3 mins):

   • Discuss other products with Fairtrade labels.
   • Why might people choose these products even if they cost a bit more?

3. Conscience Alley Activity (12 mins):
   Set up two lines facing each other — right side = Agree/For, left side = Against/Disagree. Assign roles and prompts to individual pupils or pairs, rotating so all get to contribute. Teacher guides and encourages respectful listening.

Prompts:

• You are the Cadbury’s chocolate company manager deciding whether to use only Fairtrade cocoa beans.
• You are a shopper deciding between a regular chocolate bar and a more expensive Fairtrade one.
• You are a chocolate shop owner deciding whether to only sell chocolate made from Fairtrade cocoa.
• You are a government leader deciding whether to support laws requiring chocolate companies to use Fairtrade cocoa.
• You are a child in Ireland writing to a chocolate company — should you ask them to switch to Fairtrade cocoa?
• You are a cocoa farmer offered a low price by a big company — should you accept or refuse?
• You are a teacher planning a school fundraiser — should you sell only Fairtrade chocolate?

Encourage students to use “I think… because…” statements and connect back to the article and discussion.

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Conclusion (5 minutes):

Cognitive:

• Recap what Fairtrade means and why it is important.
• Ask pupils to share one new thing they learned today.

Social:

• Emphasise the value of hearing different perspectives and making fair decisions.
• Praise respectful listening and sharing during conscience alley.

Transition:

• Suggest the class investigate other Fairtrade products used locally or organise a simple Fairtrade chocolate taste test next week.
• Prompt pupils to think about how their choices as consumers affect others around the world.

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Universal Design for Learning (UDL):

Pupil(s)	Reason(s)	Method(s)	Additional Comments
Pupils with language difficulties	Support verbal expression and vocabulary	Provide visuals and sentence starters	Use peer support during discussion
Pupils with attention difficulties	Highly engaging conscience alley physical activity	Movement-based learning	Short bursts of talk supported by actions
EAL pupils	Exposure to vocabulary with use of pictures	Key vocabulary displayed	Pair EAL pupils with supportive peers

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The Learning Environment:

Resources:

• Age-appropriate news article printouts or projected text
• Photos/images of cocoa pods, farmers, chocolate bars (Fairtrade and non-Fairtrade labelled)
• Two lines of chairs or floor markers for conscience alley
• Posters or real Fairtrade products (chocolate, bananas, coffee packets)
• Sentence starters printed on cards for conscience alley participation

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This lesson aligns with the IE Curriculum framework by fostering Environmental Awareness and Care through investigation of human activities (cocoa farming), developing critical thinking, communication skills, and social responsibility in young learners. The conscience alley activity supports oral language development and collaborative learning while reflecting cross-curricular literacy and citizenship competencies.