Internationalizing Curriculum.WebQuests

Fun Facts about Chocolate
A WebQuest for Teachers
Internationalizing the Curriculum

Introduction
Cocoa beans were first harvested and enjoyed by the Maya Indians in around 600 AD. The beans were valued as currency, given as gifts and used for trade with the Aztecs. Your students have probably all enjoyed chocolate in one form or another. They should enjoy learning more about the history of cocoa beans!

Task
You are going to have your students work in groups to discover fun facts about chocolate. Decide how many facts (10-15 recommended) you want them to discover and have them illustrate each of the facts. Finally, they will share their discoveries with the rest of the class. Count how many contradictions they discover!

Process
Begin by having each group of students visit different websites from the extensive list below. Note that some of the websites are in Spanish and you may want to challenge students who are learning Spanish.

Resources

Questions and answers about cocoa beans are presented on the International Cocoa Organization website. http://www.icco.org/questions/qindex06.htm
This site has a timeline with the history of the cocoa bean and chocolate explained.
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blchocolate.htm
The National Confectioners Association presents the history of chocolate
http://www.candyusa.org/Chocolate/history.asp
This web site in Spanish by the Institute of Cacao and Chocolate presents everything from the history of chocolate to songs and riddles about chocolate.
http://www.chococao.com
Also in Spanish, this site has not only the history of chocolate but recipes and amazing chocolate structures. http://www.iespana.es/buffetdecorado/chocolate.htm
This web site explains the history of chocolate in Spanish. http://www.ciberjob.org/cocina/historia/chocolate.html
Another web site in Spanish that explains the history of chocolate and the processes involved in making chocolate. http://www.puyet.com/chocolates/frame_que_es.htm
The science of chocolate is explained using interactive videos.
http://www.exploratorium.edu/exploring/exploring_chocolate/index.html
The Field Museum in Chicago presents a chocolate exhibit, which is currently touring the United States. Check the schedule or visit the exhibit virtually. http://www.fmnh.org/chocolate/

Other resources:

The Coes, both anthropologists with a culinary bent, delve deeply into the history of their mouthwatering subject. The material on ancient cultures is particularly fascinating--did you know that the Maya used unsweetened liquid chocolate as currency? And in a chapter called "Chocolate for the Masses," they detail the modernization of chocolate manufacture, which has allowed more than 25 million Hershey's Kisses to roll off the conveyor belt each day. The True History of Chocolate
Sophie D. Coe, Michael D. Coe

All About Chocolate : The Ultimate Resource...
Carole Bloom

Chocoholics beware; All About Chocolate will likely make you drool all over the pages until you can get your next fix of cocoa heaven. This is a mini-encyclopedia of chocolate history, terminology, trivia, and, of course, rich, chocolatey recipes.

Conclusion
Did your students enjoy writing and illustrating their fun facts about chocolate? Did they learn some interesting facts about chocolate?

Evaluation

	Good	Better	Best
Personal growth and knowledge of topic	You learned 2 or 3 interesting new things about chocolate.	You learned 4 or 5 interesting new things about chocolate.	You learned more than 5 interesting new things about chocolate.
Appropriateness of finished product	Some of your illustrations matched your fact.	Most of your illustrations matched your facts.	All of the illustrations in your groups FUN FACTS book matched!
Overall information about cocoa beans and chocolate	Your group had only one or two facts that no other group had found.	Your group had three or four facts that no other group had found.	Your group had more than four interesting facts that no other group had found.