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TEACHER MATERIALS · UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

THE HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE

Key

1. Warm up

10 mins. This stage introduces the topic of the lesson and personalizes it for students. Students can choose the
best answer(s) for themselves for questions 1-3 and then compare with 1 or 2 others. Elicit or explain the meaning
of addictive (something you can’t stop using or doing). Conduct a quick class round-up to cover a range of answers.
Then set the final question and elicit ideas from the whole class. Tell students they are going to find out more
about the history of chocolate.
1. students’ own
2. students’ own
3. students’ own, but, there is some evidence that moderate amounts of chocolate can benefit the heart and
brain.

2. Watch for main idea

10 mins. In this stage, students watch the main part of the talk (0:00-3:41 - but don’t watch the last part yet!) to
find out some facts about the history of chocolate. Before watching, students work in pairs to read the sentences
and think about whether they are true or false. Elicit or explain the meaning of equator (the imaginary line around
the middle of the Earth, marking 0 degrees latitude) and child labour (the use of children as workers). Students may
have some ideas about the answers from their previous knowledge, but even if they don’t, they will benefit from
considering the sentences and trying to identify the key concepts that are being tested (a sound exam strategy).
Students listen to check their ideas; if necessary, play some/all of the main part of the talk again before checking
answers with the whole class and ask students to explain their answers with information from the talk. Then
invite students to reflect on what they learned from the talk, compared to what they talked about at the end of
the Warm Up.
1. T the trees are referred to as cacao trees as well as cocoa trees, and the pronunciation is slightly different
2. F it was originally a drink
3. F it was a gift from a feathered serpent/snake God
4. T it was used as currency
5. F served in gold cups
6. T upset stomachs
7. F it was invented in 1828, the 19th century
8. T a Swiss chocolatier named Daniel Peter
9. T ie in South America and West Africa
10. F more than 2 million children are affected today.

3. Vocabulary

5 mins. In this stage students define vocabulary from the talk that will help them to understand and discuss some
of the more detailed information later in the lesson. Go through words 1-8 and drill pronunciation - the stressed
syllable is underlined. Then students can match the words with their meanings. Go over the answers by giving
the definition (A-H) and asking students to say the word (1-8) in order to check their pronunciation.
1. b 2. f 3. e 4. c 5. h 6. d 7. g 8. a

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TEACHER MATERIALS · UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

THE HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE

4. Watch for detail

10 mins. In this stage, students place the key vocabulary from the previous exercise into sentence contexts, listen
to the talk for detail and then offer a personal response. Students can work in pairs to complete the gap-fill before
listening to the main part of the talk (0:00-3:41) to check their answers. Then ask students to respond to the final
question - they may not have been aware of the darker side of the history of chocolate, or unaware of the use of
slave and child labour in modern times.
1. rituals 2. court 3. colonists
4. slave 5. cultivation 6. abuses of human rights
7. persists 8. indentured labour

5. Language in context

10 mins. In this stage, students can practise the skill of working out meaning from context. These phrases are
helpful to understanding the talk, but it won’t be necessary for students to add this high-level language to their
active vocabulary. Students can look through the transcript of the talk to find these five phrases in the parts
indicated. Invite students to ask questions about any of the other words from the talk you have heard so far (apart
from the last part which you haven’t heard yet) - you can encourage students to guess their meanings, answer the
questions yourself or let students have a few minutes using dictionaries, preferably English-English.
1. a bitter, invigorating concoction frothing with foam 2. an aphrodisiac
3. ailments 4. a delicacy
5. chocolate was no longer an elite luxury but had
become a treat for the public

6. Conclusion

5 mins. Students watch the final part of the talk (3:41-4:21) to identify the main message. Go over the four options
first and then watch the short clip. Students can confirm their answers in pairs, and then check with the whole
class. Encourage students to justify their ideas - all four options relate to the content of the conclusion but only
one summarises the whole conclusion. This exercise can contribute to students’ wider reading and writing skills.
ANSWERS: C is the main message, but the conclusion refers to a cruel history (A), native cultures (B) and advertising
and a sort of psychological unhealthiness (D).

7. Dicussion

10 mins. Students can now respond to some of the issues raised in the talk. In your context, there may be
alternative schemes and brands to Fairtrade which you can elicit or describe to students.
ANSWERS: students’ own answers but for 3, examples of products and industries with poor working and environmental
practices include: bananas, tea, coffee and cotton.

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Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in Miri Dominguez's lessons.