A history of

chocolate
Table of Contents:
(Click on an image to go directly to that resource)

1. Teacher Notes. Several pages of notes explaining what is

included, the standards covered, and how to use the materials
in your classroom.

2. Student Packet Cover Page. Use this sheet as a decorative

cover should you use the materials as a packet.

3. Non-Fiction Passages. Three versions of an original passage

on the history of Chocolate. Perfect for differentiating. Each
passage is five pages long and includes several text features
such as: captions, headings, and photos.

4. Student “I Can” Statements. Before each Close Reading

Activity and Reading Response Practice is a sheet listing the
standards covered in student-friendly text.

A © 2015 Jennifer Martinez, everythingjustso.org

Table of Contents:
(Click on an image to go directly to that resource)

5. Close Reading Practices. Students read the passage three

times and complete a different close reading practice after
each.

6. Reading Response Prompts. Students use information

from their reading to complete two writing prompts. In order
to answer completely, they must use text evidence in their
responses.

7. Writing Pages. These blank writing templates can be used

in several ways. Place the pages in your writing center, use for
writing letters, or as additional space for written responses.
Three options to choose from.

8. Vocabulary Booklet. 11 words important to the text fill

the pages of this booklet. Students write a sentence telling
what they knew about the word before reading the passage,
a sentence on what they’ve learned about the word, make
connections to other words, and draw their idea of the word
in the box. Pages can be cut in half and stapled on the side to
make a booklet.

B © 2015 Jennifer Martinez, everythingjustso.org

Table of Contents:
(Click on an image to go directly to that resource)

9. Close Reading Thinkmarks. Each of the close reading

practices asks students to mark the passage for something
specific. You can also have them mark more of what they
notice by utilizing these thinkmarks.

10. Printable Valentines and Treat Bag Toppers. 12 different

Valentine Cards and 10 Treat Bag Toppers for you and your
students to use.

11. Answer Keys. Answers are included for the Close Reading
Practices and Reading Response Prompts.

C © 2015 Jennifer Martinez, everythingjustso.org

my study of
chocolate

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Name: _______________________________________

© 2015 Jennifer Martinez, everythingjustso.org

 Chocolate
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People have been drinking and eating chocolate for centuries. But, where does
it come from? How did it become so popular? In this article, you will learn

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about the history of chocolate, the people responsible for its popularity, and
how it continues to be used today.

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What is Cacao?
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The chocolate we know and love comes
from a plant called the cacao (kuh-kow) tree.
Cacao trees grow in tropical rainforests near
Top Five Cacao
Producing Countries

the Equator. Many grow on the continents of 1. Cote d’Ivoire 1741

2. Ghana 897
West Africa, South and Central Americas, and 3. Indonesia 405
Southeast Asia. Cacao trees usually are 4. Nigeria 250
between 20 and 40 feet tall, but they can 5. Brazil 228
grow up to 60 feet. These trees grow
underneath much taller trees, which protect (measured in thousands of tons
produced each year)
them from the sun and wind.
Source: ICCO Quarterly Bulletin of Cocoa Statistics

© 2015 Jennifer Martinez, everythingjustso.org 1A

The Pods Clockwise from
The leaves on cacao trees are top left: cacao
green, glossy, and about the size blossoms, mature
cacao pods,
of an adult’s hand. Beautiful pink membranes
or white blossoms grow on the covering seeds
bark of the tree. Some of the inside the pods.

flowers turn into a football-shaped

fruit called pods. The pods begin
green in color, but change to
yellow, orange, and red as they
ripen. Pods are ready to be picked
when they have grown for five to

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six months.

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Beans

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Inside the pod is a white, sticky

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membrane that holds dozens of
cacao beans. Cacao beans are

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very bitter. Farmers work to remove some of that bitterness before selling the
beans to manufacturers.

p NORTH
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AMERICA
EUROPE

AFRICA
ASIA

1 2
4
3
EQUATOR SOUTH
AMERICA 5

AUSTRALIA

ANTARCTICA

2A © 2015 Jennifer Martinez, everythingjustso.org

Workers break pods in half and remove the sacs. Dried cacao beans

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First, workers split the pods in half and scoop out the membrane that holds
the seeds. They pull the beans out of their sacs and put them into a container

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or pile. Next, the piles are covered by banana leaves and left in the jungle up

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to eight days. During that time, the beans bake in the sun and go through a
process that reduces the seeds’ bitter taste. When finished, the seeds are

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moved to flat surfaces, such as trays, to dry. Now they are a dark brown color

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and look more like what we think of as chocolate.

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The Factory
Farmers sell their beans to businesses that make chocolate products. In a

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factory, beans are cleaned before they are roasted. Roasting helps to bring
out the deep chocolate color and smell of the beans. After cooling, beans are
cracked so that the meat, or nib, inside can be removed. Nibs are pressed
between large stones until they melt and become a liquid.

In order to make chocolate candy,

different ingredients must be added to
the liquid chocolate. Most chocolate we
eat has extra chocolate butter and sugar
added to it. Other types of chocolate
have added milk, vanilla, salt, cinnamon,
and even chili powder.

© 2015 Jennifer Martinez, everythingjustso.org 3A

History of Chocolate

Ancient Peoples
The use of cacao beans dates back thousands of years to the Olmec, Mayan,
and Aztec people of Central America. The Olmec people used to make a
chocolate drink by grinding the cacao beans and mixing them with water,
vanilla, honey, and chili peppers. Years later, Mayans began growing cacao as
a main crop on their farms. The Aztecs used beans as money because they
were so valuable. The beans were used to pay for taxes, buy food, and trade
with other people who had cacao trees in their areas.

European Royalty

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On his fourth trip to the New World, Spanish

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explorer, Christopher Columbus, met with an Aztec

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ruler named Montezuma (mon-tuh-zoo-muh).
Montezuma loved his chocolate drinks and shared

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some with Columbus and his men. Columbus
enjoyed the drink so much that he took cacao

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beans home with him so that he could share them
with Spanish royalty. However, the king and queen

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were not impressed with the cacao because it was
bitter.

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Spanish explorer, Christopher Columbus

In 1528, another Spanish explorer named Don

Hernan Cortes also learned of cacao while
traveling in Central America. He too wanted to take
the exotic beans and drink back with him to Spain.
Unlike Columbus, Cortes’ drink became wildly
popular. He removed the chili powder and added
sugar to make it sweet. Soon chocolate became
well loved throughout Europe, and was given as
gifts among royalty and others who were rich.

Chocolate for Everyone

The process of creating chocolate to eat was Spanish explorer, Don Hernan Cortes

long and expensive. For many years, only those

4A © 2015 Jennifer Martinez, everythingjustso.org

who were very wealthy could afford to buy it. In the 1700’s, a French inventor
created a new machine for grinding beans. This used a table that was heated
from underneath, which made the process easier and faster than before. Soon,
the price for chocolate became affordable for everyone.

Chocolate Today

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People in several countries use cacao as medicine. In Mexico, healers believe
chocolate drinks can cure bronchitis. Children are taught to drink chocolate for

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breakfast each morning to stay free from scorpion or bee stings.

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Just like their ancestors, people in the Dominican Republic use chocolate to

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soothe sore throats and help with stomach issues. In Panama, there is a group

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of natives called Kuna Indians. They drink at least five cups of chocolate each
day. Some people believe the chocolate has helped their people steer clear of

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heart disease and cancer.

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In Europe and the United States, chocolate
is considered a treat that makes a delicious
gift. Thousands of pounds of chocolate are
sold each year and given to loved ones as
gifts on holidays such as Valentine’s Day,
Easter, Halloween, Hanukkah, and Christmas.
Chocolate often can be found at other
celebrations, such as birthday parties. People
young and old love chocolate!
A tray of Valentine’s Day chocolates.

Vocabulary
rainforest: an area with tall trees and a warm, rainy climate.
membrane: a thin, flexible layer.
manufacturer: a person or company that makes products to sell.

© 2015 Jennifer Martinez, everythingjustso.org 5A

 I CAN: DAY ONE
Read Speak and
Write
Informational Text Listen

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1. I can read closely to decide 4. I can write appropriate 1. I can prepare to talk with others
exactly what the text is telling me. responses to questions and about what I have learned. When

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I can use information from the prompts. I am prepared, I can participate in

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text to make inferences. I can use talks with a partner. I can add to
evidence from the text to support 9. I can use evidence from the text their ideas while talking about my

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my work. to support my work. own.

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2. I can determine the main idea of 10. I can write for short and long 2. I can read and listen to
a text and find important details to periods of time. I can create information. I can decide what is

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support it. different kinds of writing. important from what I see and
hear.

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3. I can describe how one event
caused another to happen. 4. I can tell others about what
I have learned. I can organize
my thoughts so that listeners
understand my thinking.
 Close Reading Practice 1
Name: ____________________________________________ Date: ________________

Directions: While you read the text for the first time, make several notes. Use
the symbols on the thinkmark below to guide you. When you are finished,
complete the prompts below. Be sure to have a highlighter, pen, or colored
pencil ready!
1. Why did the author write this text?
RI.1, RI.6

close reading ________________________________________

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thinkmark
________________________________________

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________________________________________
* This is important

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2. Find a piece of evidence from the
! This is interesting text that supports your answer. For

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example, if you think the author wrote
? I have a question the article to persuade you, then find

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a statement that proves this; if you
x think it was written to inform you, then

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I don’t understand
v I can visualize this
~ I can make a connection
locate a piece of information that you
learned. Highlight your proof and then
write it below: RI.1
________________________________________

This word is new to me ________________________________________

________________________________________
____ I want to talk about this
________________________________________

________________________________________

________________________________________

________________________________________
6 © 2015 Jennifer Martinez, everythingjustso.org
3. In your own words, what is the main idea of the passage? RI.1, RI.2

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

4. Find three details in the passage that support your main idea and
highlight them. RI.1, RI.2

5. Before moving on, share your answers with a partner. What do you

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notice? Are they similar or very different? Discuss what you find. SL.1, SL.4

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6. Write a sentence or two about your discussion with your partner: W.10

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_________________________________________________________________________

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_________________________________________________________________________

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_________________________________________________________________________

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7. In what type of climate do cacao trees grow? RI.1, RI.3 _____________________

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_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________
8. Don Hernan Cortes was not the first explorer to bring cacao to Spain.
However, his drink was the one that became popular. Explain why. RI.1, RI.3

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

9. Using information from the text, name one use for chocolate that does not
involve eating or drinking. RI.1, RI.3

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________
7 © 2015 Jennifer Martinez, everythingjustso.org
 Reading response prompt 2
Name: ____________________________________________ Date: ________________

Your job is to create a new type of chocolate candy. You decide what it
will look like, smell like, taste like, and so on. Write as much as you can detailing
your new candy. Then, draw a picture of your creation on the following page.
Be sure to give it a name and a wrapper. W.3, W.4, W.10

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14 © 2015 Jennifer Martinez, everythingjustso.org

 my chocolate candy

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BY:
© 2015 Jennifer Martinez, everythingjustso.org
What I know about
chocolate
by: ______________________________________

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© 2015 Jennifer Martinez, everythingjustso.org
What I know about
chocolate
by: ______________________________________

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© 2015 Jennifer Martinez, everythingjustso.org


My chocolate
Vocabulary Book

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Name:

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__________________________________

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chocolate
What I already knew about this word: __________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
Something new I learned about this word: ____________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Other words I can connect to this word are: __________________________________

© 2015 Jennifer Martinez, everythingjustso.org


cacao
What I already knew about this word: __________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________

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Something new I learned about this word: ____________________________________

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_______________________________________________________________________________

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_______________________________________________________________________________

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Other words I can connect to this word are __________________________________

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equator
What I already knew about this word: __________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
Something new I learned about this word: ____________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Other words I can connect to this word are: __________________________________

© 2015 Jennifer Martinez, everythingjustso.org

 We’re a perfect pair,
Valentine!

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Valentine!

© 2016 Jennifer Martinez, everythingjustso.org

Happy Valentine’s Day

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To: From:

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Happy Valentine’s Day
To: From:

© 2016 Jennifer Martinez, everythingjustso.org

 Happy Valentine’s Day

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To: From:

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Happy Valentine’s Day
To: From:

© 2016 Jennifer Martinez, everythingjustso.org

 thank you!
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© 2018 Jennifer Martinez, everythingjustso.org