Lesson plan D
"How chocolate is made"
Team games, educational visits and
chocolate: to become informed consumers
Lesson Plan
4th grade, primary school
Interdisciplinary activities
Duration: 4 x 45’
Number of students: c. 20-25
This eLearning Resource has been developed by the DigiLab Sapienza and Museo del Cioccolato Antica
Norba within the Europeana Food and Drink Project, demonstrating the value and potential of food and drinkrelated content sourced through Europeana.
The project is funded by the European Commission under the ICT Policy Support Programme part of the
Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme.
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
How chocolate is made
PART A ........................................................................................................................................ 3
Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 3
Europeana Food and Drink................................................................................................. 3
Museo del Cioccolato Antica Norba ................................................................................... 3
School visits at Museo del Cioccolato ................................................................................ 4
Overview ................................................................................................................................ 5
Topic of the lesson ................................................................................................................. 6
Prior knowledge ..................................................................................................................... 6
Learning target ....................................................................................................................... 7
Educational aims, objectives and expected results ............................................................... 7
Educational methods and approaches................................................................................... 7
Approaches in developing activities inside and outside the classroom ................................ 8
Supervising and educative tools ............................................................................................ 8
Homework .............................................................................................................................. 9
Students’ assessment framework .......................................................................................... 9
PART B ...................................................................................................................................... 10
Teaching timeline, process and implementation framework of the teaching methods and
approaches ........................................................................................................................... 10
Section A - Read the ingredients ...................................................................................... 10
Section B - Educational visit ............................................................................................. 13
PART C - Appendices ................................................................................................................ 19
A – The story of a chocolate ................................................................................................. 19
B1 – Guess what? The ingredients of chocolate products ................................................... 19
B2 – What do you know about chocolate? .......................................................................... 19
C – Pictures from Museo del Cioccolato used in these Educational Resources .................. 19
D – Content from Europeana ............................................................................................... 19
E - Scoreboard ...................................................................................................................... 19
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How chocolate is made
PART A
Introduction
Open Educational Resources supporting the lesson plan “How chocolate is
made“ are created by Museo del Cioccolato “Antica Norba” di Norma (Latina,
Italy) and DigiLab, Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca e Servizi (Sapienza
University in Rome).
Europeana Food and Drink
This initiative is part of the Europeana Food and Drink project, cofunded by
the European Commission under the ICT Policy Support Programme, part of
the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme.
These Open Educational Resources demonstrate that the connection
between cultural heritage and the food and drink sector can create a great
value in education.
Museo del Cioccolato Antica Norba
The Chocolate Museum is an initiative by Antica Norba (DOLCIPP Srl).
The story of Antica Norba began in 1956 with the opening of the first artisan
bakery in Norma (province of Latina). In 1977, the chocolate workshop was
opened, providing the basis for the factory of today.
The Chocolate Museum was established in Italy in 1995. It now receives
more than 20,000 visitors every year and is one of the main tourist attractions
in the province. Alongside the Museum, there are a range of activities related
to promotion, information and research, as well as chocolate-making courses
and demonstrations.
The Chocolate Museum is in Norma, in Via Capo dell'Acqua, 20.
To celebrate Choco Day (World Chocolate Day) on October 12th each year,
the Museum organises a series of events that attract about 10,000 people.
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How chocolate is made
School visits at Museo del Cioccolato
Approximately 10,000 students, mainly from primary schools, visit the
Chocolate Museum every year. The instructors illustrate the entire process of
chocolate production, from cocoa cultivation to factory processing, and explain
how our relationship with chocolate has changed over time and across
cultures.
The exhibits at the Chocolate Museum help you understand how cocoa is
grown, how chocolate is made, and how it was consumed in previous
centuries. Also, at the "Chocolate School", children can try their hand at
making chocolate: each of them is given some hot chocolate and some
moulds, with which to create their own chocolates.
This educational resource allows teachers to supplement the school trip to the
museum, and to place it in a wider context of learning activities.
Arianna Giuliani, the instructor who manages the school visits, has actively
participated in the creation of these educational resources, cooperating with
DigiLab Sapienza (partner of the Europeana Food and Drink project).
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How chocolate is made
Overview
This lesson plan aims to make students pay more attention to what they eat:
to think about the ingredients, how to understand them, and how they are
processed to create industrial food products.
Chocolate is the focus of this lesson plan; similar learning goals could also be
achieved by using different foods, adapting the educational resources
available here in an appropriate way.
In the first part, students learn to read the labels and packaging of chocolatebased foods, with an emphasis on identifying the various ingredients. During
this phase, they will be asked to bring to school the labels from chocolatebased products they often consume at home. They will take part in a team
quiz, and will be able to discuss what they have learned by looking carefully at
food labels. They will be given homework on this theme, with the aim of
transferring the skills they have learned into their daily routines, involving their
family members as well.
In the second phase, students will learn about the production process of
chocolate, with reference also to its history: when it was first discovered, who
consumed it in previous centuries, and the equipment used to produce it in
both the past and the present.
Students who take part in educational trips to the Antica Norba Chocolate
Museum will receive this information at the museum; their learning is
supported by the various exhibits on display.
There is a presentation available in Appendix A, which can be used by
teachers to convey this type of information.
At the end of this section, students can participate in a quiz, organised into
two groups.
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How chocolate is made
Topic of the lesson
The specific topics of this teaching project are:

reading and understanding the list of ingredients on the labels of food
products

the history of chocolate, in terms of
o the process of chocolate production today
o the process of making chocolate in past centuries and in
different cultures
o how chocolate was consumed in past centuries and in different
cultures
Prior knowledge
It is assumed that students already possess:

Basic skills in relation to sensory awareness (liquid and solid, hot and
cold, sweet and savoury);

Basic skills in the field of geography (distinguishing countries with hot
or cold climates);

The ability to read and understand the weight of a food as indicated on
a label.

To understand how certain historical events have changed
consumption habits over time (the discovery of America, the spread of
industrial machinery), students should be able to place these events
along a timeline
However, all these skills will also be developed during the course of the
lessons
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How chocolate is made
Learning target
The learning target is to develop an understanding of the relationship between
a food product and its various ingredients. In particular, in the first part of the
teaching project, students are asked to concentrate on the theme of
ingredients; while in the second part, which may involve a visit to the
Chocolate Museum, they will focus on the production process.
In each instance, the students will learn how the ingredients and preparation
methods affect the taste and characteristics of the products we consume.
In addition to the skills acquired, the project aims to stimulate the students'
interest in these issues, and to lay the foundations for a process of change in
eating habits. To achieve this goal, it is essential to involve the family: indeed,
one of the homework tasks involves interaction with family members, who will
be asked to reflect on the ingredients in finished food products.
Both the first and the second part involve quizzes, with students participating
in teams. In these activities, students will learn how to organise themselves, to
make decisions when there are different opinions within the group, and to
handle success and failure in a competition between two teams.
Educational aims, objectives and expected results
After the end of the lesson the students will be expected to demonstrate
specific skills and knowledge related to the subject including the recognition of
terms, the questioning of specific food habits, the connection between historic
events and daily life, the ability to find ingredients on labels.
The project could also contribute to some changes in consumption patterns,
particularly in relation to chocolate and sweets.
Educational methods and approaches
The approach taken in this project is student-centred, focusing on their
knowledge, previous experience and habits. The acquisition of skills takes
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How chocolate is made
place through socialisation, interaction with instructors, the relationship with
teammates during group games, and the dialogue with family members
required for the homework task.
Rather than imposing ideas on students with regard to healthy and nonhealthy foods, they are instead encouraged to take an interest in the
ingredients of products made with chocolate, and in the production procedures
involved.
Approaches in developing activities inside and outside the
classroom
The suggested activities are based on:

school visits;

team games;

observation sessions;

small research projects;

interaction with family members.
Supervising and educative tools
During the lesson, the following items will be used:

PowerPoint presentation to describe the history of chocolate (Appendix
A) and for the team game (Appendix B2)

Working sheets (Appendice B1)

Scoreboard (Appendice E)

A video, to be shown during the school visit

Other images from Europeana or Museo del cioccolato (Appendix C
and D)
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How chocolate is made
Homework
At the end of section A students are given a homework assignment, described
in detail in this document (pag 12).
Students’ assessment framework
The final assessment will be made by means of the two team games: the first
aimed at guessing the name of a product on the basis of its ingredients, the
second modelled on the quiz, "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire."
In addition, there are the homework task assigned to students at the end of
section A, and the continuous feedback from the teacher and the instructors at
each stage of the project.
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How chocolate is made
PART B
Teaching timeline, process and implementation framework of
the teaching methods and approaches
The project is divided in two sections, and each section is divided into several
phases.
Section A - Read the ingredients
This section is divided in two phases; in between a break could easily be
inserted.
Preparation
1. The teacher will need to print and hand out the required number of
double-sided work-sheets, containing pages 3 and 4 of Appendix B1 –
“Guess What”. Each student will then have only one sheet, to be
completed on both sides.
Alternatively, the students can write on a blank sheet of paper: in this
case the teacher will need to give specific instructions on how to
complete the task.
2. Students will be asked to bring in class the label or packaging from a
chocolate-based product, including its list of ingredients
Classroom activities
Phase 1- About 45 minutes
1. Students are divided into two teams: the "milk chocolate" team and the
"dark chocolate" team. The teacher could divide the students into
groups by simply asking them which kind of chocolate they prefer.
5’
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How chocolate is made
2. The teacher will explain the students that the various chocolate-based
products on the market are made with many different ingredients and
that by reading the label you can learn what these ingredients are.
5’
3. Each student then reads the label or packaging from the chocolatebased product brought into school. Each pupil highlights with a pen

The name of the product;

The weight of the product

The list of ingredients
10’
4. Each student completes the first side of the work-sheet. They write their
full name, and the name of their team.
5’
5. On the other side, each student writes down the weight and ingredients
listed on the product packaging.
All students hand to the teacher their completed work-sheets.
10’
6. The teacher gives the "dark chocolate" team the sheets completed by
the "milk chocolate" team, and vice versa.
Each team can only read the side of the sheet which mentions the
ingredients. By reading the product ingredients, they have to guess its
name and write it at the top.
10’
Phase 2 – about 45’
7. The teacher allows them to turn over the paper and check how many
products they have guessed correctly. The team that guesses the
largest number of products is declared winner. During the checking
stage, students can discuss the ingredients of different products.
15’
8. The teacher can encourage a debate amongst the pupils:
Did you know that chocolate-based products contained these
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How chocolate is made
ingredients? Were you surprised? What surprised you in particular?
Do you think it is important to know the ingredients of what you are
eating?
20’
9. As a class, pupils can choose three products whose ingredients are
very different from what they imagined.
10’
Homework
1. Repeat the same game you played in class with some of your family
members. Who won?
2. Were there any products you could not guess during the course of the
game? Describe why you think these are more difficult to guess. Also
interview the people who played the game with you to get their point of
view.
3. Read the ingredients of some products you find at home.
Identify and bring to school:

Three labels or packaging from products which you think are
particularly suitable for your daily diet

Three labels or packaging from products that you think are not
appropriate for your daily diet
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How chocolate is made
Section B - Educational visit
School trip to the Chocolate Museum
Phase 1 - About 45 minutes
Chocolate and our senses – 15’
The educational visit begins by drinking a glass of hot chocolate from the
"Chocolate Fountain" at the entrance to the Chocolate Museum.
The instructor encourages students to reflect on their sensory perceptions, by
asking questions such as:

Is the chocolate you are drinking hot or cold?

Is it liquid or solid? Is there any connection with the fact that it is hot?

Is it dark chocolate or milk chocolate? To answer this question we have
to ask ourselves: Is it sweet or bitter?

What ingredients make milk chocolate sweeter?

Is cocoa sweet or bitter?
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How chocolate is made
How chocolate is made – 20’
The instructor describes the process of chocolate production, encouraging
input from the pupils. To give visual support to his explanation, he uses a
short film and various exhibits from the Chocolate Museum.
He shows a picture of a cacao tree and some examples of its fruit and beans.
The whole process is illustrated, beginning with the cultivation and harvesting
of the crop in countries close to the equator and ending with the processing
and packaging at the factory.
From cacao, we get cocoa butter and cocoa powder. The combination of
ingredients from the cacao tree with other ingredients (milk, sugar, vanilla)
produces different varieties of chocolate.
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How chocolate is made
Some exhibits in the Chocolate Museum
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How chocolate is made
Consumption of chocolate over the centuries – 10’
The instructor guides the students quickly through the museum, focusing
mainly on certain exhibits that show how the way we consume chocolate has
changed over time.
The difference between the use of chocolate by the Mayan people in America
and the consumption of hot chocolate in the courts or Europe will be stressed.
The transition to the consumption of solid chocolates will then be shown,
together with the different machines used for industrial and artisan production.
Some exhibits in the Chocolate Museum
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How chocolate is made
Phase 2 - about 45’
School of chocolate – 20’
For this phase, all students are taken to a special room in the Antica Norma
Chocolate Museum.
The Museum is located inside a factory that produces chocolate. The pupils
are reminded of the main stages involved in the production of chocolate, and
are asked to enact the final phase, leading to the creation of solid chocolates.
1. They take a glass of liquid chocolate
2. Pour it into moulds
3. Put it into the refrigerator, and wait for it to turn solid
At the end, every child will have his/her own chocolates to take home.
The children are given instructions for replicating this procedure at home.
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How chocolate is made
What do you know about chocolate? – 25’
For this phase, the students are divided into two teams: the "milk chocolate"
and "dark chocolate" teams.
The two teams participate in a quiz modelled on "Who Wants to Be a
Millionaire" and based on skills learned during the educational visit.
The quiz is outlined in Appendix B2: "What do you know about chocolate?"
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How chocolate is made
PART C - Appendices
A – The story of a chocolate
Presentation
B1 – Guess what? The ingredients of chocolate products
B2 – What do you know about chocolate?
Quizzes
C – Pictures from Museo del Cioccolato used in these
Educational Resources
D – Content from Europeana
E - Scoreboard
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