For Chocolate Lovers Only
A WebQuest for Grades 2-3, WebQuest Agricultural Series
by Missouri Farm Bureau and Missouri State University
INTRODUCTION
Are you a fan of chocolate? Do you like hot chocolate or hot cocoa, chocolate candy, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate cupcakes, chocolate ice cream, chocolate shakes and malts, hot fudge sundaes, fudge brownies, mocha drinks or other foods made with chocolate? Have you wondered where chocolate comes from? If you said yes to any of these questions, then this WebQuest is for you. Be careful you may be wishing for a piece of chocolate candy before you are through.
TASK
In this WebQuest you will learn where chocolate comes from and the steps in changing the cocoa bean into a chocolate candy kiss. While completing this WebQuest you will: 1) Pretend you are the child of a farmer who grows cocoa trees. Write a personal narrative explaining the jobs your family members do to help harvest the cocoa pods and get them ready to sell to the chocolate factory. 2) Complete a graphic organizer illustrating the stages in the processing of the cocoa bean to chocolate,
PROCESS
Chocolate comes from the bean of a cocoa bean which grows on cocoa trees. Cocoa trees grow in hot tropical climates like the rainforests in Mexico, Central America, South America and Africa (click on the box that says “View Growing Regions”). Cocoa pods grow on the branches and trunk of the cocoa tree. Farmers harvest or cut the pods from the trees. The cocoa beans are removed from the pods. There are 40 to 50 cocoa beans in each pod. Then the cocoa beans are dried in the sun. After the cocoa beans are dried they are sold to factories.
At the chocolate factory the cocoa beans are cleaned, cracked and ground to make “chocolate liquor” or liquid chocolate. Sugar and cocoa butter are added to the liquid chocolate. Some of the chocolate is poured into molds to make candy bars, chocolate kisses and other chocolate candies. The rest of the chocolate is used to make cocoa, syrup and other delicious chocolate products.
1. View a video from a cocoa farm in the rainforest of South America. Pretend you are the child of a farmer who grows cocoa beans. Write a personal narrative explaining the jobs your family members do to help harvest the cocoa pods and get them ready to sell to the chocolate factory.
2. Take a tour of the Hershey’s Chocolate Factory to see how cocoa beans are changed into chocolate. Now, ask your teacher to help you print a graphic organizer to explain the stages in the processing of the cocoa bean to chocolate
CONCLUSION
Now you know where cocoa beans are grown. You also learned the stages of changing the cocoa bean to chocolate. Are you ready for a piece of chocolate?
GLOSSARY
Go to the glossary page for the meaning of some of the new words.
EVALUATION
Rubric For Graphic Organizer and Personal Narrative
|
Task
|
3 pts.
|
2 pts.
|
1 pts.
|
0 pts.
|
|
Steps of the cocoa bean to the chocolate bar
|
All steps of the cocoa bean to the chocolate bar clearly and accurately named.
|
Most steps of the cocoa bean to the chocolate bar clearly and accurately named.
|
Some steps of the cocoa bean to the chocolate bar clearly and accurately named.
|
No attempt.
|
|
Personal Narrative
|
1. Well organized
|
1. Organized
|
1. Unorganized
|
No attempt
|
|
Personal Narrative
|
2. Clearly written
|
2. Somewhat clearly written
|
2. Poorly written
|
No attempt
|
|
Personal Narrative
|
3. No spelling or grammatical errors.
|
3. Some spelling and/or grammatical errors but do not interfere with understanding and clarity.
|
3. Numerous spelling and/or grammatical errors that interfere with understanding and clarity.
|
No attempt
|
CREDITS
This WebQuest was created by teachers participating in Missouri's Agriculture in the Classroom program at Missouri State University through a USDA grant. The template on this site was adapted from a template from The WebQuest Page and the original was designed by Dr. Lyndon Irwin. Assistance for this project was provided by Mrs. Barbara Irwin, M.S. and Mrs. Diane Olson, M.S.
Teachers are encouraged to adapt this lesson for classroom use only. No part of this publication may be transmitted, stored, recorded or published in any form without written permission from Missouri Farm Bureau. This page was developed by Rebecca J. Baker, reviewed by Lyndon and the late Barbara Irwin and is maintained by Missouri Farm Bureau. Please address questions to Diane Olson at Missouri Farm Bureau.