SESSION ONE:

Before reading the story, write the clues listed below on the board. In addition, show
students the picture on the front cover of the book. Next, challenge each student to
predict what will happen in the story by writing a summary that includes the listed clues.
Collect the papers.
_____________________________________________

Story Clues: a nice boy who loves chocolate, old coin, chocolate store, a magical piece of
candy, chocolate-flavored toothpaste, a chocolate pencil, Mom as a chocolate statue, cure
_____________________________________________

READ THE FIRST SECTION OF THE BOOK (PAGE 1 – 26)
SESSION TWO:

Chapter 1: John is often described as a “very nice boy.” Do you agree or disagree with
this description? What makes a person nice?

Chapter 3: How would you like it if everything you put into your mouth tasted like your
one favorite food? Make a list of the pros and cons of this situation.
=Have the students answer one of the above questions. Share the answers and discuss their
opinions of each other’s answers.
_____________________________________
=Discuss the meanings to the following words from this section…make sure the students are
using context clues to decide what the words mean.
Absentmindedly p. 10 par 1; Laden p. 14 par 9; Hesitate p 12 par 3; Hastily p. 15 par 3;
Cellophane p. 15 top of page
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
READ THE SECOND SECTION OF THE BOOK (PAGE 27 – 47)
SESSION THREE:

Chapter 4: John has just had his first really bad experience as a result of his ability to
make things turn to chocolate. What do you predict will happen in the next few chapters?
=Have the students answer the above question. Share the answers and discuss their opinions of
each other’s answers.
____________________________________
= Discuss the meanings to the following words from this section…make sure the students are
using context clues to decide what the words mean.
Devouring p. 29 par 2; Slyest p. 29 par 2; Corridor p. 37 par 5; Reproving p. 38 par 2;
Concentrating p. 39 par 2
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
READ THE THIRD SECTION OF THE BOOK (PAGE 48 – 68)
SESSION FOUR:

Chapter 7: Describe how John’s attitude toward chocolate is beginning to change. Have
you ever wanted something badly and then, when you finally got it, decided that it wasn’t
as good as you thought it would be? Describe your situation.
=Have the students answer the above question. Share the answers and discuss their opinions of
each other’s answers.
_________________________________
= Discuss the meanings to the following words from this section…make sure the students are
using context clues to decide what the words mean.
Enviously p. 49 par 3; Quenching p. 49 par 3; Appetizing p 51 par 2; Avarice p. 55 top of
page; Humiliation p 62 par 1
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
READ THE THIRD SECTION OF THE BOOK (PAGE 69 – 87)
SESSION FIVE:
CHARACTER SKETCH ACTIVITY
=Have each student complete the character analysis sheet. Have them share and discuss their
answers.
_________________________________
= Discuss the meanings to the following words from this section…make sure the students are
using context clues to decide what the words mean.
Cranium p. 75 par 2; Elixir p. 73 top of page; Exhaustive p. 75 par 2; Abruptly p. 77 par 3;
Pleasantries p. 78 par 2
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SESSION SIX:
Then and Now
Now that we’ve read The Chocolate Touch, discuss some of the differences between then and
now. Make a chart of then and now as you discuss the following:
Here’s a quote from Chapter 5 in The Chocolate Touch, “Miss Plimsole (teacher) walked silently
into the classroom. As soon as she appeared in the doorway, all the chattering and scuffling
stopped. The twenty boys and girls sat straight in their chairs and looked straight ahead at the
clean blackboard. ‘Good morning, children,’ Miss Plimsole said. ‘Good morning, Miss Plimsole,’ the
class answered respectfully.” How is classroom behavior different today?
In Chapter 7, John drinks milk at school from a small milk bottle. Today we have small milk
cartons.
In Chapter 9 here are the games that the children, dressed in party clothes, played:
“Blindman’s Bluff”, “Fox and Geese” and “Grandmother’s Footsteps”. Have the children try to
find more information about these games. Perhaps they can ask their grandparents about the
kinds of parties that they had fifty years ago. What games do we play today?
Old fashioned words from the book include: spectacles (eye glasses), arithmetic (math),
brigand (bandit), tonic (liquid vitamins),boiled candy(hard candy like lollipops), flibberty-jibberty
(dizzy, mixed up) romping ( running and playing).
Student Writing Assignment
What is the reason why you would/would not like to live in a world like it was fifty years ago?
=Have students share their answers to the above prompt.
SESSION SEVEN;
=NOW WE WILL CONNECT THE CHOCOLATE TOUCH WITH THE MYTH IT IS BASED ON.
1. READ THE PICTURE BOOK KING MIDAS AND THE GOLDEN TOUCH TO THE GROUP.
--STUDENTS SHOULD FILL IN STORY MAP SHEET AFTER THE STORY IS READ.
2. DISCUSS THE STORY MAP SHEET WITH THE GROUP
SESSION EIGHT:
=STUDENTS WILL COMPARE AND CONTRAST THE TWO STORIES.

GIVE EACH STUDENT A SMALL AMOUNT OF POST-ITS.

HAVE EACH STUDENT WRITE ONE ITEM ON EACH POST-IT ABOUT HOW THE
STORIES ARE ALIKE AND HOW THEY ARE DIFFERENT

HAVE THE STUDENTS THEN PUT THEIR POST-ITS ON A LARGE SCALE CLASS
VENN DIAGRAM

DISCUSS THEIR THOUGHTS BY GOING OVER THE VENN DIAGRAM AFTER ALL
STUDENTS HAVE POSTED.
o DISCUSS EACH STORY FIRST (DIFFERENCES) AND THEN THE CENTER OF
THE VENN DIAGRAM (ALIKE)
One additional activity would be to have the students make a list of Titles for new myths with
this same problem.