Bring Chocolate Creations to Life
From melting experiments to crafting delicious treats, these interactive chocolate-themed activities will captivate your students, making learning fun and unforgettable.
Give each student two different types of chocolate to taste and compare. I recommend using Hershey Miniatures, which include milk chocolate, Special Dark, Krackel, and Mr. Goodbar. A 40-ounce bag contains 135 miniature bars, making it an economical choice for classroom activities.
Have students open one piece of chocolate at a time and complete a chart with descriptive phrases about its texture, flavor, and overall experience. Encourage them to use rich, specific language such as “creamy and smooth,” “mildly sweet,” “silky texture,” or “crispy crunch.” Remind them to avoid generic words like "good," "tasty," or "delicious."
Once they’ve described both types of chocolate, students will use their notes to write a detailed comparison paragraph. Their writing might include sentences such as...
Hershey's Milk Chocolate has a rich, creamy texture whereas the Krackel contains a wonderful crackly crunch.
These hot cocoa mix-filled ornaments provide a fun and festive way to teach instructional writing during the holiday season. Students can write step-by-step instructions on how to assemble the ornaments and how to prepare a cup of hot chocolate using the mix inside.
For safety, use plastic ornaments. Remove the tops before filling. A funnel will help pour the ingredients into the ornament. Start by adding the cocoa mix, followed by chocolate chips and sprinkles. If marshmallows get stuck in the funnel, use a skewer or shish kabob stick to gently push them through.
To decorate, tie ribbons around the ornament's hanger for a festive touch.
Click the button below to access the recipe, printable instructions for making hot cocoa from the mix, and decorative writing paper for students to craft their instructional paragraphs.
I am always amazed by the kindness of others. While reading The Chocolate Touch, my fourth-grade students were inspired to bake chocolate chip cookies—because who wouldn’t want a warm, freshly baked treat? There’s nothing quite like cookies straight from the oven!
I reached out to our cafeteria staff to see if they’d be willing to bake the cookies if we prepared them. Without hesitation, they happily agreed. Their generosity made this sweet classroom experience possible! Ironically, one student in this very group later graduated from Johnson & Wales and is now a professional chef.
These chocolate-themed classroom recipes are sure to be a hit with your students! The first recipe, Raspberry Hot Chocolate, was inspired by our Hatchet novel study. We celebrated Brian’s discovery of raspberries by making this delicious treat.
The second recipe comes from our classroom reward system. Once a month, my co-teacher and I divided the class—students who earned the extra reward joined me for a special activity, while those who didn’t participated in an alternate activity with my co-teacher. As a fun reward, my group roasted marshmallows over candles and made S’mores. Click the link below to see photos of students enjoying this tasty treat!
As a hands-on way to explore the properties of solids and liquids, students melted candy coating and observed how it changed states. They then spread the warm, melted chocolate onto graham crackers and watched as it slowly solidified again as it cooled. Not only did this activity reinforce their understanding of phase changes, but it also made for a delicious learning experience!
Although I couldn't find my photos to share, this project was so much fun that I had to include it! The video provides a step-by-step guide, making it easy for students to follow along.
To create chocolate bowls, students first label their balloons with Sharpies. They then dip the balloons into melted chocolate and let them harden. Once set, the balloons are popped, leaving behind edible chocolate bowls. We filled ours with Easter candy for a festive holiday treat!