Adventure Book Club: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

By: Rose Wehrman - This Syllabus is brought to you for free and open access by the Honors Program at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Expanded Learning Clubs by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Copyright 2019 by Rose Wehrman under Creative Commons Non-Commercial License. Individuals and organizations may copy, reproduce, distribute, and perform this work and alter or remix this work for non-commercial purposes only.

Name of Club: Adventure Book Club: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Age/Grade Level: Grades 3-5

Number of Attendees: 5-8 

Goal of the Club: (learning objectives/outcomes) Improve literacy, encourage engagement with books, and nurture critical thinking and relational empathy.

Resources: (Information for club provided by) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Ronald Dahl, various Pinterest boards, educational websites (linked)

Content Areas: (check all that apply) 

• Arts (Visual, Music, Theater &Performance) 
• Literacy 
• STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering &Math) 
• Social Studies 
• Wellness (Physical Education, Health, Nutrition &Character Education) 

Outputs or final products: (Does the club have a final product/project to showcase to community?) N/A but could be incorporated

Introducing your Club/Activities: Get to know them, go over expectations, dispel previously held notions about the story, get them excited 

General Directions: Encourage/improve literary engagement while building other skills 

Tips/Tricks: Be willing to be silly and use your own imagination!

LESSON PLAN WORKSHEET:

Lesson Activity Name #1: Lollipop Bookmarks: Getting Ready to Read

Length of Activity: 45 minutes 

Supplies: 

• Pipe cleaners, 
• popsicle sticks, 
• books, 
• craft materials
  

Directions: Twist pipe cleaners around themselves in order to form a plate (be creative with technique and color)! Once the “lollipop” has been created, glue the lollipop to a popsicle stick and set aside. With the remaining time, begin reading—aim for Chapters 1-3, and assign the remainder for next time.

Conclusion of the activity: Ask students what they already know about the book (probably from the movie) and ensure them that the book is different and still exciting. 

Parts of activity that worked: They loved having their own bookmarks for their own books. 

Parts of activity that did not work: A *strong* glue needs to be used in order for the pipe cleaners to stick.

Lesson Activity Name #2: Elephant Toothpaste

Length of Activity: 45 minutes 

Supplies: 

• Large tin, 
• sod bottle, 
• spoon, 
• 1 tablespoon yeast, 
• 3 tablespoons warm water, 
• plastic squirt bottle, 
• ½ cup 6% hydrogen peroxide, 
• 4-5 drops food coloring, 
• dish soap, 
• paper towels, books
  

Directions: Ask what students thought of 1-3; read Chapters 4-7. Transition to a discussion of how Willy Wonka makes his candy. He uses science, and he follows a recipe. Today, you’re going to make a recipe: 2 H2O2(aq) → 2 H2O(l) + O2(g). Various are available on the Internet, but in general, set the plastic bottle in the large tin (for clean-up), separately mix the yeast and water, then mix the soap, hydrogen peroxide, and food coloring in the plastic soda bottle. Add the yeast mixture to the soda bottle, and a (minor) explosion will occur. 

Conclusion of the activity: Discuss how/why this happened and how it was relevant to book

Parts of activity that worked: It was fun, introduced science to reading, and they loved it. 

Parts of activity that did not work: It does not last as long as expected.

Lesson Activity Name #3: Vocabulary Scavenger Hunt

Length of Activity: 45 minutes 

Supplies: 

• Golden foil, 
• paper, 
• pens, 
• books 

Directions: In advance, pick out vocabulary words and write them on pieces of paper—either wrap all or some of them in gold foil. Turn this into a game after revealing that “golden tickets” are hidden all over the room. Give students five minutes to find as many as they can, but in order to get a point for their golden ticket, they must be able to define the word. Read Chapters 8-11. 

Conclusion of the activity: Recap the chapters and ask for predictions. 

Parts of activity that worked: 

Parts of activity that did not work: Requires advance gathering of materials.

Lesson Activity Name #4: Wonka Creation Day

Length of Activity: 45 minutes 

Supplies: 

• Craft materials, 
• paper, 
• books 

Directions: Read for approximately 25 minutes. Then challenge students to create their own edible Wonka masterpiece. This is an invention and begins with blueprinting—have them brainstorm, plan, and then build a prototype of their creation. 

Conclusion of the activity: Applaud their creativity; assign a chapter or two for next time. 

Parts of activity that worked: They were so creative! 

Parts of activity that did not work: It took a while to jumpstart the children’s imaginations.

Lesson Activity Name #5: Performance Day

Length of Activity: 45 minutes 

Supplies: 

• Books 

Directions: Engage with reading for the whole club. Instead of reading paragraphs, let students pick the characters they want to be. Each character, however, comes with his/her own unique voice and demeanor and must be acted out—costumes encouraged. 

Conclusion of the activity: Reflect and assign a chapter or two for next time if necessary. 

Parts of activity that worked: I really saw the students engaging with the characters and exploring the story through new perspectives. 

Parts of activity that did not work: They had to warm up to being silly (it starts with you!)

Lesson Activity Name #6: End of Club Party

Length of Activity: 45 minutes 

Supplies: 

• Books, 
• golden foil, 
• Everlasting Gobstoppers, 
• Laffy Taffy (one/student), 
• full-paper print out of Oompa Loompa, 
• Wonka bar print outs, 
• Hershey’s chocolate bars with almond (can be substituted), 
• handwritten notes, 
• tape, 
• paper towels, 
• blindfold, 
• as much other candy as you deem necessary for a party 

**check for dietary restrictions 

Directions: In advance, write a short note to each student that begins, “Congratulations! You’ve found a Golden Ticket!” and ends by saying you’re proud of them and encouraging them to keep growing and reading. Tape this note to the outside of a Hershey’s almond bar—the ones with gold foil sides. Wrap the Wonka bar wrapper printout around the chocolate bar and tape it. These are gifts for the students. I recommend handing them out at the end. Before the club, tape the Oompa Loompa poster to a smooth wall. Students will be blindfolded and attempt to stick the Laffy Taffy on the Oompa Loompa for Pin the Tail on the Oompa Loompa (could also be Willy Wonka or children’s characters). At some point, try to read a chapter. While students are reading, pull out the Everlasting Gobstoppers for a group snack—then point to the chapter named after Everlasting Gobstoppers to point out that this is entirely, 100% true. 

Conclusion of the activity: Ask how they liked the story. Strongly encourage them to finish the book on their own, making sure to tell them how amazingly they’ve done and how proud you are of them. 

Parts of activity that worked: They loved the personalization, the games, the candy, and the gift. 

Parts of activity that did not work: I was sad.

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This Syllabus is brought to you for free and open access by the Honors Program at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Expanded Learning Clubs by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Wehrman, Rose, "Adventure Book Club: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (2019). Honors Expanded Learning Clubs. 28. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/honorshelc/28