Who should have the cocoa beans? An introduction to Fairtrade
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An engaging starter activity introducing Fairtrade through a hands-on cocoa bean distribution exercise that helps students understand economic inequalities in the chocolate industry.
What's included
- Step-by-step activity guide using 50 cocoa beans (real or drawn) to explore fair distribution
- Discussion prompts and teaching notes to guide classroom conversation
- Detailed lesson plan with extension ideas and learning outcomes
A free PDF of the worksheet and teaching notes is available to download. PowerPoint presentation and editable versions are exclusive to subscribers.
Using this resource to introduce the concept of Fairtrade
This hands-on activity serves as an excellent introduction to Fairtrade by encouraging students to think critically about income distribution in the chocolate industry. By physically dividing cocoa beans between six different groups (such as farmers, manufacturers, and retailers), students actively engage with concepts of fair trade and economic justice. The concrete nature of the task makes complex economic relationships tangible and memorable, while the justification element develops students' reasoning and presentation skills.
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An extract from the teaching notes:
This activity is an extended starter activity and falls into the category of ‘Initial Stimulus Material’ as it involves using tangible material (cocoa beans) to stimulate curiosity and interest in pupils in the topic of ‘Fairtrade’.
For the full initial stimulus material effect of the lesson, 50 cocoa beans need to be sorted into a sandwich bag for each pair of students before the lesson begins. Alternatively, students can draw their 50 beans onto the worksheet or they could use Smarties, M&M’s or similar small sweets.
Clever steering of the conversation should lead students to be asking about, whether it is fair that the farmers receive so little and what can be done about it. This starter is then ideal as an introducing the lesson topic of ‘Fairtrade’.
There are opportunities for linking this extended starter with numeracy, e.g. the beans received by each of the six groups can be converted to percentages, and the results could be shown graphically.
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