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Third Grade Genre Study and Purposeful Writing in Response to
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (by: Ronald Dahl)
Day 1: Meeting the Characters: Charlie, Mr. Wonka, and the Golden Tickets (Chapter 1-6)
General Information:
Name: Autumn Schaffer
Grade Level: Third Grade
Subject Areas: Language Arts with Technology integration
Date Taught: Day 1 of 5 lesson plans
Total Duration of Lesson: 65 minutes
Title of Lesson:
Meeting the Characters: Charlie, Mr. Wonka, and the Golden Tickets (Ch.1-6)
Primary Learning Outcomes:
1. The student will read aloud third grade text with age-appropriate pronunciation and
fluency.
2. The student will discuss the subject matter of each chapter as well as the holistic
comprehension of the read-aloud chapters.
3. The student will use a basic internet search to locate non-fiction material based
upon the history of chocolate and the process in which chocolate is made.
4. After completing an online tutorial, the student will sequence the events of making
chocolate in sequential order.
5. The student will use basic elements of poetry (rhyme and rhythm) as well as
descriptive words to write for a purpose. The purpose of the poem will be to invite
young children to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory.
6. After being presented with the information (chapter 6 of Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory) the student will write a short persuasive essay expressing their position.
Related Georgia Performance Standards: (Third Grade Reading)
Fluency:
ELA3R1 The student demonstrates the ability to read orally with speed, accuracy,
and expression. The student
a. Applies letter-sound knowledge to decode unknown words quickly and accurately.
d. Uses self-correction when subsequent reading indicates an earlier misreading
within grade-level texts.
Comprehension:
ELA3R3 The student uses a variety of strategies to gain meaning from grade-level
text. The student
g. Summarizes text content.
i. Makes connections between texts and/or personal experiences.
n. Identifies the basic elements of a variety of genres (fiction, non-fiction,
drama, and poetry).

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q. Formulates and defends an opinion about a text.
Writing:
ELA3W1 The student demonstrates competency in the writing process. The
student
a. Captures a reader’s interest by setting a purpose and developing a point of view.
b. Begins to select a focus and an organizational pattern based on purpose, genre,
expectations, audience, and length.
d. Uses organizational patterns for conveying information (e.g., chronological
order, cause and effect, similarity and difference, questions and answers).
f. Begins to use specific sensory details (e.g., strong verbs, adjectives) to enhance
descriptive effect.
i. Begins to include relevant examples, facts, anecdotes, and details appropriate
to the audience.
j. Uses a variety of resources to research and share information on a topic.
k. Writes a response to literature that demonstrates understanding of the text,
formulates an opinion, and supports a judgment.
l. Writes a persuasive piece that states a clear position.
Materials and Equipment:
Instruction/ Whole Group
1. Class set of Ronald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
ISBN: 0142410314
(Dahl, Ronald. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. New York: Puffin Books, 1973.)
2. Activeboard Presentation
(focused on taking formative notes about each chapter, review the genre of nonfiction,
complete a sequencing activity of how chocolate is made, and review the genre of poetry
as well as the characteristics of poetry)
3. Computer with internet accessibility
4. Sequencing worksheet- for each student (see attachment)
Independent Projects/Assignments
1. Spiral Bound Writing Notebook
2. Construction paper, markers, paint, crayons, colored pencils
Technology Connections:
1. All About Chocolate
http://www.fieldmuseum.org/Chocolate/about.html
(Internet Website about the history of chocolate and how chocolate is made)
2. Making Chocolate (for kids)
http://www.fieldmuseum.org/Chocolate/manufacture_interactive/manufacture.html
(This interactive website allows the students to sequence through the events of making
chocolate. It begins with growing a cacao tree, which is where chocolate comes from. The
process ends with the students packaging their very on candy bar!)
Procedures:

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Step One: Introduction (Estimated Time: 10 minutes)
1. The teacher will introduce the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by
Ronald Dahl. She will discuss other books by Ronald Dahl, such as Matilda,
James and the Giant Peach, The BFG, and The Witches. She may also choose
to put images of the book covers as well as images of Ronald Dahl on her
activeboard presentation.
2. The teacher will then focus on introducing the book Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory. She may choose to summarize major events in the story by saying that
this will be a book about a poor boy that lucks upon a wonderful opportunity.
He gets to visit a chocolate factory owned by the mysterious Willy Wonka. His
inventive chocolates are like none other and all the children in town would love
to see the factory. When Charlie arrives he is able to not only able to see the
unique factory rooms and taste the various types of chocolate, he also receives a
special prize.
3. Finally, after introducing the book and arousing the students’ attention the
teacher should then pass out the class set of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
The teacher may choose to read aloud the chapter and have the students follow
along in their copy. She also may have the students take turn reading aloud. In
some cases the students may work in groups to read to one another. It is
probably best, however, if the readings are completed in a unified setting.
Step Two: Teaching the Primary Learning Outcomes (Estimated Time: 45 minutes)
1. The teacher will read-aloud, or allow the students to read aloud, chapters 1-6.
The plot of these chapters focus on introducing the main characters, Charlie
Bucket and his family as well as the mysterious Willa Wonka. The students
learn that Charlie is a poor boy, yet he is pure and loyal to his family. He is also
very humble and honest. The students also learn about the intriguing yet
secretive chocolate factory. To everyone’s surprise, however, Willie Wonka has
allowed five golden tickets to be placed in some of his chocolate bars. The five
children who receive the tickets will have the honor of touring Wonka’s
factory! This day’s reading ends as two children, Augustus Gloop and Veruca
Salt, find two of the golden tickets. Unlike Charlie, however, these two children
have personality flaws and are not nearly as pure as the main character.
Activity 1:
2. Immediately after reading the text, the teacher will instruct a whole group mini-
lesson based upon the nonfiction, real life history of chocolate. The teacher may
need to explain that while Willy Wonka’s factory is fictitious, there are real
chocolate factories that make the chocolate that we eat. They begin with the
flowers from the cacao tree and end with the completely packaged candy bar.
To aid in teaching this process, the teacher may choose to utilize the website:
All about Chocolate http://www.fieldmuseum.org/Chocolate/about.html
3. After the students have learned about the history of making chocolate as well as
the process in which chocolate is made, the students, either using a computer
lab or using the activeboard, will complete a child-friendly process of making
chocolate. This reviews the learned material as well as allows the students to
interact with the process. This interactive website can be located at:

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http://www.fieldmuseum.org/Chocolate/manufacture_interactive/manufacture.html
4. Shortly after, the teacher should use whole group instruction to complete a
sequencing activity based upon what the students learned about the process of
making chocolate. (See attachment for an appropriate graphic organizer.) The
teacher can complete a similar exercise on the activeboard and have the student
mimic the process on their own graphic organizer.
Activity 2
5. The teacher should then shift focus from the nonfiction process of making
chocolate back to the content within Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The
teacher should discuss the significance of the golden tickets and how they were
invitations for certain children to visit the unique factory. After discussing and
reviewing the characteristic of poetry, which include rhyme and rhythm, allow
the students to write their own poem that could serve as a golden ticket. Remind
the students that while it should be creative and inventive, much like Willy
Wonka’s speech and demeanor, these inviting poems should also contains
specific elements. The students will need to include the date and time of the
tour as well as what the children should bring with them. It would also be nice
to include snippets of information that the children might see in the factory. The
teacher should remind the students that this is not a mere poem; it is also an
informational and descriptive piece of writing. (See attachment for example.)
Afterwards, the teacher may allow the students to decorate their poem to look
more like a golden ticket.
Step Three: Closure (Estimated Time: 10 minutes)
1. As the students complete their invitations, the teacher may choose to allow
them to present to the class. The teacher may also choose to allow the other
students to assess their classmates, judging if they have included all vital pieces
of information. The teacher may also choose to review the content of the
chapter read today and predict what will happen in the next chapters. The
teacher may also choose to preview, summarize, and hint at the next day’s
readings.
Assessing the Primary Learning Outcomes:
Each student’s ability to read age-appropriate text (Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory) with fluency and correct pronunciation will be assessed by the teacher during
whole group instruction. While this assessment will be informal, it will also be natural,
allowing the teacher to see what each student is capable of without prior study of the text.
This also proves the importance of why the students should read in a whole group setting.
If the students read aloud in small groups or if the teacher simply reads the book herself,
this specific assessment cannot take place.
After the students have been presented with the process of making chocolate, using
the online tutorial, they will be given the opportunity to practice recalling the steps using
an accompanying interactive website. Afterwards the student’s knowledge of the process
will be assessed by using a graphic organizer. While the actual steps are not necessarily the
primary learning outcome, the process of learning to organize information in sequential

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order is. For this reason the teacher may choose to prompt and review the actual answers to
the process after the students have attempted to sequence them on their own.
The students will also be assessed on their ability to write a poem using rhyme and
rhythm. Their abilities to include descriptive and informational context within their poem
will also be assessed. The teacher will be able to evaluate each poem as the creator
presents it to the class. The other students will also be given the opportunity to evaluate
each other, making sure each poem relays the vital information with clarity as well as with
appropriate poetic devices.
Plan for Early Finishers: (see attachment for persuasive writing process planner)
As the students complete their poetic invitations, they may begin the final assignment
which is actually designated for homework. During the reading of Charlie and the
Chocolate Factory the students will keep a personal writing journal in which they response
and connect to certain situations within the text. While the students may choose to include
other additional responses, the teacher will provide at least one prompt per day. The
student will then respond to this prompt using evidence from the reading as well as their
own opinion. The writing prompt for the first day asks the students to interpret a certain
situation from two points of view. Afterwards, the students are to take a stand and write a
short persuasive paper defending their opinion about the situation. The situation is:
“Augustus Gloop found a golden ticket by eating a lot of chocolate. His mother was proud,
but Charlie’s grandmother said it was disgusting. Whose opinion do you support? Because
he ate so much chocolate, his probability of getting a gold ticket went up, but his health
was endangered. What would be a solution? (buy low fat chocolate, share his bought
chocolate, exercise)”
Accommodation:
Many of the students within the class may be unable to read with appropriate
fluency or pronunciation. For this reason, the teacher may nonchalantly ask that these
students read shorter passages as well as passages that are not as vital to the chapter’s
comprehension. (Many students are not able to read aloud and comprehend the text
simultaneously.) It is also important that the teacher ask questions that review or
summarize the chapters as well as address misconceptions as soon as they become evident.
This accommodation can easily occur during the reading process.
Other students may not be able to recall the specific process of making chocolate,
even after watching a tutorial and completing an interactive activity. For this reason, the
teacher may choose to include the answers on a sequencing activity on the active board. It
would then, of course, be the student’s objective to simply order the facts in sequential
order. This may help students who are not able to recall the specific process. Even with this
accommodation the students should be able to practice using a graphic organizer to
sequence an activity. This, unlike the process of making chocolate, is the actual learning
outcome.
To aid the student in writing an informational and descriptive poem, the teacher
may first provide an example of a finished product. She may also choose to make a list of
vital information that should be included in a whole group instruction format. This way the
students will only have to aid their own creativity to the assignment.

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Extension:
As an extension to any of these lesson plans the students could simply complete other
responses to literature within their writing notebook. The teacher may provide other
prompts focused towards the read chapters. She may, however, allow the students to
respond naturally, perhaps even in diary format. The teacher may also have the students
choose a main character (Charlie, Grandpa Joe, Willy Wonka, or the other children who
visit the factory) to embody in writing format. As each chapter is read aloud the students
could respond, in writing, their feelings about the events within the story. They would, of
course, do so in the mindset and point of view of their chosen character.
Remediation
For students with sever difficulties in reading and comprehending such a text, the teacher
may choose to limit the chapters as well as spend more time discussing the information
that occurs within each. The teacher may also choose to use the activeboard to take notes
about the main events that occur within each chapter. Due to this extra time spent in
interpreting the text, the teacher may choose to limit the activities involved with each
reading session. For example, the teacher may choose to only provide certain pieces of
chocolate’s history as well as modify what information is used when interpreting its
process. Finally, the teacher may allow the students to work in groups to create their
informational poem. She may also choose to display the piece of information to be
included within the project (as discussed in the “accommodation” section.)