Image of kids with hot chocolate and gingerbread man cookie
DNY59/Getty Images (Hot Chocolate); iStockPhoto/Getty Images (Right Child); Shutterstock.com (All Other Images)
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The Truth Behind Hot Cocoa and Gingerbread

Where did these two winter treats come from? The truth may surprise you!

By Laine Falk
From the December 2024 / January 2025 Issue

Learning Objective:Students compare and contrast two short, parallel nonfiction articles.

Lexile® measure: 560L
Featured Skill: Compare Two Texts,
Vocabulary: bitter, ingredient, scrumptious, “have a kick,” root, variety
Common Core Standards
  • Social Studies Focus
    Culture, Long Ago and Today
  • Common Core Standards
    RI.2.1 Key details RI.2.4 Vocabulary RI.2.5 Nonfiction text features RI.2.7 Use visuals RI.2.9 Compare two texts on a similar topic RI.2.10 Read grade-2-appropriate informational text SL.2 Participate in conversations about grade-2 texts
TEKS Standards
  • Social Studies
    (7) Economics. The student understands the roles of producers and consumers in the production of goods and services. The student is expected to: (C) trace the development of a product from a natural resource to a finished product. (16) Social studies skills. The student communicates in written, oral, and visual forms. The student is expected to: (A) describe the order of events by using designations of time periods such as historical and present times; (B) apply vocabulary related to chronology, including past, present, and future

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Think and Read

As you read, think about which treat you would want more and why.

Sweet, Creamy Cocoa

When was it invented? 

Museum purchase, Fowler McCormick, Class of 1921, Fund/Princeton University Art Museum

ancient mug

People first made cocoa more than 2,000 years ago! They lived in places we now call Mexico and Central America. The drink was cold and very bitter, not hot and sweet. It was a little spicy because it had chili powder in it. 


What gives it its special taste? 

iStockPhoto/Getty Images

cacao beans

The most important ingredient in hot cocoa is cocoa powder. People crush beans from the cacao (kuh-KOW) tree to make it. Hot cocoa also has sugar. Milk makes it rich and creamy. Yum.  

Time for Treats! 

Shutterstock.com

Today hot cocoa comes in flavors like milk chocolate, caramel, and peppermint. They are scrumptious! That means delicious. You can top cocoa with marshmallows. You can even add chili power, like people did long ago. What kind of hot cocoa would you want to drink?

Spicy, Crunchy Gingerbread

When was it invented?

IanDagnall Computing/Alamy Stock Photo

Queen Elizabeth I

Bakers in Europe first made gingerbread cookies about 1,000 years ago. A few hundred years later, Queen Elizabeth the First of England had an idea. She had her bakers make gingerbread men that looked like her friends. 

What gives it its special taste? 

Leonid Nyshko/Alamy Stock Photo

ginger

Gingerbread cookies have a kick. That means they are a little spicy! The spicy taste comes from a plant called ginger. It’s a root that grows under the ground. Sugar adds a little sweetness.  

Time for Treats!

Shutterstock.com

You can find gingerbread cookies in a variety of shapes. That means all kinds of shapes. You can even decorate gingerbread people to look like your friends, like Queen Elizabeth did. Would you like to bite into a spicy, crunchy gingerbread cookie?

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Activities (5)
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
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Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
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Implementation

  • Small group; whole group; independent reading

Pairings and Text Connections

Before-Reading Resources

  • Text Preview Bookmarks 
    (10 minutes) Students can cut out the nonfiction bookmark and use it to preview the text.
  • Compare and Contrast Video 
    (5 minutes) Watch a video to help students develop their compare and contrast skills.
  • Play the Vocabulary Slideshow 
    (5 minutes) Familiarize students with vocabulary words they will see.

Suggested Reading Focus

Comprehension, nonfiction text features (30 minutes)

  • Read the hot cocoa side. Note how the subheads tell what the text will be about. Next read the gingerbread side. Ask students which winter treat they like best!

After-Reading Skills Practice

  • Quiz: Comprehension check (15 minutes)
  • Venn Diagram: Students can use a Venn diagram to compare gingerbread and hot chocolate. (15 minutes)
  • Lost Gingerbread People!: In this whole-class activity, students will decorate and describe gingerbread people, and then play a game with them. This skills page includes step-by-step instructions for teachers. (45 minutes)

After-Reading Read Aloud

(10 minutes) 

  • We are offering a special online resource for this article! It’s an online read-aloud of the classic Gingerbread Man story. Listen to it after reading. 
  • As an extension, kids can compare real gingerbread and the fictional story with our Fiction and Nonfiction skills page. 

Text-to-Speech