Go to Main

Go to Learning Context

Go to Assessment Plan

Go to Student Work

Go to Procedure

Go to Resources

Go to Instructional/Environmental Modifications

Go to Time Required

Go to Reflection
Chocolate Fever
Procedure
The actions of students and teachers and the interactions among and between students and teachers:
Number Four Graphic

What Teachers and Students Do

A detailed timeline follows. In this Learning Experience, a variety of activities take place. To prepare for the Learning Experience, teachers:

  • Access Amazon.com for book selections/gather articles on chocolate and the chocolate shortage
  • Make supply list (see Resources)
  • Determine trip costs and availability of sites
  • Check school district bus costs
  • Create rubrics to be used
  • Explain Self-Assessment and Teacher Evaluation

In this Learning Experience, students:

  • Examined the literary elements of books and recorded their notes in book journals. Students read from a variety of genres (see below).
  • Met in book circles to discuss what they had read and how they used inference and deduction throughout their readings, and presented their points of view of selected literature at book circles.
  • Used the characters from the books to create poems. Other students created Chocolate theme poems using suggestions from the teacher at creating poetry with a theme.
  • Presented their candy bar and wrapper creations, games, and "Chocolate Delights" projects to peers. Students had to follow classroom rules during the presentations. These expectations were outlined each time and reviews came from the students.
  • Presented board games to peers. They outlined the goal of the game, directions needed to be followed, and how the group arrived at the title of the game.

Game Board Directions

Brainstorming List for Game Boards

  • Presented the design of the candy bar and wrapper to their peers. They had to convince their classmates their candy bar was the next best seller.

Speaking Rubric

Composed a descriptive paragraph describing their newly invented candy bar. (Some included the description of their wrapper, too.) Students had to be able to identify the wrapper by the number posted next to the candy bar.   Instructions for parents are provided.

Create A Candy Bar Parent Directions

Candy Bar Paragraph

Descriptive Paragraph Rubric

Student Work:

  • Created their own video commercial to advertise the candy bars they had created in the early portion of the unit.
  • Responded to questions asked when they presented their games and "Chocolate Delights" projects.
  • Worked with student volunteers invited to make a Candy Invitation. Cooperative groups were designed for a Tasting Day.  (Even the shyest students were able to interact with adults in discussing chocolate selection and design.)
  • Composed Thank You Notes to all the volunteers who helped in cooperative groups, candy making, chaperoning the field trip and a note to the Lake Champlain Chocolate Factory.
  • Thank You Letter Rubric

Day 1
Gather students and do ice breaking activities

Commence literature pieces

LITERATURE OUTLINE

Note: Examine the list of literature available from Amazon.com. Select appropriate grade level material.

We read Chocolate Fever by Robert Kimmel Smith to our classes as a read aloud kick-off book.

We used the following selections for second grade.

  • Middle level: Mary Marony and the Chocolate Surprise by Suzy Kline
  • Upper level: Box Car Children: Chocolate Sundae Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner

Read Aloud:

  • Chocolate Touch by P.S. Catling
  • Cocoa Commotion by M. Peterson
  • Hershey( biography) by Charnan Simon

We used the following selections for third grade:

  • Lower level Box Car Children: Chocolate Sundae Mystery
    Gertrude Chandler Warner
  • Lower/Middle level Chocolate Touch Patrick S.Catling
  • MiddleUpper level Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Roald Dahl
  • Cocoa Commotion M. Peterson
  • Upper level Charlie and the Glass Elevator Roald Dahl
  • Days 2 and 3
    Science

    • (Parent and son presented a lesson on chocolate after returning from St. Lucia where they toured a chocolate factory.)
    • Life cycle of cocoa bean and manufacturing process. Have students grind up and taste the beans.
    • Thank you notes
    • Thank You Letter Rubric

    Social Studies

    • Geographic location of plants – Aztecs, Cortez
    • Locate Rain Forests- world maps

    Language Arts

    • Literature connection Cocoa Commotion by Melissa Peterson

    Day 4

    • Read information on chocolate shortage and discuss.
    • Using tidbits of information ("chocolate morsels") review the history
    • Taste Test Preparation
      • Remove candy bars from wrappers carefully. (Retain wrappers for activities throughout the unit) Separate into serving sizes for groups.
      • Create groups for taste test.

    Note:  Be aware of students who may be allergic to peanuts.

    Day 5
    Taste Test

    • Set clock for 3 min.
    • All stations staffed by an adult.
    • Students observe candy -size, shape, noted layered ingredients, and type of chocolate.
    • Taste candy.
    • State a descriptive word.
    • Move to next station – repeat, record all descriptive words for Create a Candy Bar Parent Directions.

    Day 6
    Examine wrapper for:

    • Nutritional values, weight, ingredients, advertising suggestions and company name.
    • Supply work packet to students to record data.
    • Discuss rhyming, alliteration and onomatopoeia to encourage interesting names for bars.
    • Each day have an estimating jar. Use the same jar and use a variety of sized chocolate products for estimation. (Tootsie rolls, M&M’s chocolate chips, malt balls, kisses). Graph results daily giving rewards to those students with the closest guess.

    Day 7
    Create own candy bar

  • List ingredients, create a name, design shape of bar and design a cross section.
  • Day 8
    Create candy bar wrapper

  • Discuss design possibilities.
  • Days 9 and 10

  • Use writing process for a descriptive paragraph of this candy bar. Descriptive Paragraph Rubric
  • Brainstorm.
  • Encourage students to use other words that they and their peers verbalize throughout process.
  •  Days 11, 12 and 13

  • Students now share their creations and read paragraphs.
  • Number the paragraphs that hang on board. Students will listen and record the numbers of the bar being described.
  • NOTE: Assign students to bring in game boards to examine. In a cooperative group discuss the game pieces, design, object, rules, etc. Record brainstorming on experience charts to be shared with the whole group.
  • Day 14 through 17
    Commence game boards

    NOTES:

    • Prepare folder for each group
    • Provide parent directions (see parent guide)
    • Parent records all brainstorming ideas categorizing for easy retrieval of information (see brainstorming list for game boards)

    Day 18
    Introduce project ideas.

  • Chocolate Delights.
  • Allow the students two weeks to complete the project.
  • Day 19
    Create chocolate candy using molds.

    Day 20
    Sharing day (games created by collaborative groups)

  • Students presented game boards and discussed how they play the game, how pieces were made etc. Each student in the group had an active role in this presentation.
  • Day 21
    Chocolate Delights Projects (completed individually or in pairs)

  • The students who participated in this part of the project had the opportunity to share their creations with their peers. We shared large candy bar created by parents.
  • Day 22
    Trip to Lake Champlain Chocolate Factory   (also possible on their website www.lakechamplainchocolate.com)
    1-800-634-8105

    Days 23 and 24
    Play
    Chocolate created games

    Top of Page