Charcuterie boards seem to be all the rage, trending as a creative way to display everything from appetizers to desserts! With the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day rapidly approaching, I thought it would be a great time to introduce this concept and the Charcuterie Board Virtual Challenge to my students. Because of teaching in a hybrid setting, I made this a virtual activity and can’t wait to see what my students create! So, I will leave you with the same question I will my students, “What’s on your board?”

Set

• Most of my students are not familiar with the term “charcuterie,” nor what it is, so that’s where this lesson begins. First, I will teach them how to pronouce the term!
• Students will then complete Part I of the Charcuterie Boards assignment, using provided resources. They will investigate what they are, their origin, different types of boards and examples of foods used on them. Students will also create a list of tips to keep in mind when arranging a creative, eye-catching board.

Materials

• iPads & Laptops
• Projector & Screen
• Flipgrid
• Platters, Trays or Charcuterie Boards (optional)

Activities

• In the second part of the assignment, students are presented “The Charcuterie Challenge” via a scenario. The Scenario Challenge reads like this:
  • “You have been invited to a Super Bowl party & a Valentine’s Day function and have been asked to bring a charcuterie board to each.  For the Super Bowl party, you plan to make either an appetizer board or a meat & cheese board.  Since Valentine’s Day is all about sweets, you plan to make a dessert board .”
• Students will choose two different charcuterie board templates from the slide deck to create their “virtual boards”. They will need to save images and remove backgrounds as they build a display. Students may delete or hide the boards they are not using within the slide deck. Note: If you are pushed for time, simply have your students choose one board to create instead of two! Also, if you are doing this lesson at another time, the scenario can easily be changed/adapted to another event such as a birthday party! The possibilities are endless!
• For the final part of the challenge, students explain and share the contents of their charcuterie boards with the class via Flipgrid, using the code you’ve provided them.
• If you are teaching in person and/or can offer labs safely and it’s within your budget, you may want to challenge your students to create an actual appetizer, meat & cheese or dessert charcuterie board using platters, trays or actual boards! Students could plan what they will include ahead of time and may even be willing to help supply some of the ingredients!

Attachments

• Charcuterie Boards Assignment (please make a copy)
• Charcuterie Board Challenge (please make a copy)

Similar Lessons

• Crostini Appetizers: Mini Lesson & Lab