Milton Hershey and his Chocolate Unit Study

Learn all about America’s most famous chocolate maker in this Hershey Chocolate Notebooking Unit Study for homeschooling families.

This Milton Hershey’s Chocolate Unit Study was written for upper elementary students studying famous Americans and their success stories, but can easily be modified for older or younger students as well.

Use the resources below for your unit study about Milton Hershey and learn how his persistence finally paid off with a successful chocolate product after three big failures. The Hershey company is worth 47 billion dollars today.

Follow the instructions for each chapter of Chocolate by Hershey and learn about chocolate, the Battle of Gettysburg, the Gutenberg press, US geography, the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, The Great Depression, and more!

And check out the additional activities and videos for extra learning and fun!

Some links in this post may be affiliate links for products that I’m using or have tried in the past and recommend. This means that if you click on them, I may make a tiny commission, at no extra cost to you. For more info, check our privacy policy.

Hershey Chocolate Unit Study Resources

Library List:
Chocolate by Hershey: A Story about Milton S. Hershey by Betty Burford (A Creative Minds Biography) ***required resource Also available on Open Library and Hoopla

Optional Resources:

Milton Hershey: More than Chocolate: Heroes of History by Janet & Geoff Benge. I recommend the audiobook version, you can find it on Hoopla

Let’s Visit a Chocolate Factory by Catherine O’Neill OOP, but on Open Library.

Hershey Chocolate Unit Study Instructions

Read Chocolate by Hershey and complete the activities. Learn the vocabulary words for each chapter as you read. Use the vocabulary cards to help you learn the definitions by writing the definitions on the back of each card.

Ch. 1: Milton S. Hershey lived in Eastern Pennsylvania during the Civil War. Locate Gettysburg, PA. You may wish to research the famous battle at Gettysburg that marked the turning point in the Civil War and Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg speech. Use the notebooking printables in the Unit Study pack to write what you’ve learned about Gettysburg.

Vocabulary: furiously, scheme, nougat

Ch. 2: Milton was apprenticed to a newspaper editor. Set up a tour of your local newspaper to see how it runs, if you can.

Otherwise, watch this video showing how a printing press works. The one in the video is a Gutenberg replica. The one Hershey learned to use would have been similar as presses didn’t change much until the later 1900s. Describe how a printing press works using the notebooking page in the Unit Study pack.

Vocabulary: apprenticeship, confectionery, Mennonite

Ch. 3: Milton went to Denver, Colorado to work as a candy maker. Find Denver, Colorado. He later traveled to Chicago, Illinois and then to New Orleans, Louisiana. When his business didn’t work there, he returned to Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Draw out his journey on the map in the Unit Study pack.

Vocabulary: discouragement, specialized, grateful

Ch. 4: Despite numerous setbacks, Milton refused to give up. Can you think of a time when you didn’t give up when times were tough? Watch this video about his failures and successes. Look up Galatians 6:9 in your Bible and copy it onto the Perseverance copywork worksheet in the Unit Study pack.

Vocabulary: quality, success

Ch. 5: Milton visited England to see where his caramels were being shipped and sold. He then returned to the United States to Chicago where the 1893 World’s Fair was taking place. He saw machinery from Germany that made chocolate. Find those countries on a world map. Learn about the World’s Fair, called the 1893 “Columbian Expo” after the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus arriving in North America, with this video. What kinds of things do you think Mr. Hershey saw there? Write about the World’s Fair with the notebooking page in the Unit Study pack.

Vocabulary: lavish, precious

Ch. 6: Milton sells his caramel factory so he can build a chocolate factory. Read Let’s Visit a Chocolate Factory by Catherine O’Neill.


Watch this video of the Disney-style ride at the Hershey Factory to see how they make chocolate. Learn how chocolate is made, from harvesting the cocoa beans to chocolate bars from the factory with this Great American Chocolate Factory video. Write about the process of making chocolate with the notebooking page in the Unit Study pack.

Just for fun, watch the I Love Lucy chocolate factory episode, here’s a clip of it.

Learn more about Milton Hershey’s life and accomplishments. Watch this Story of Milton Hershey for Kids by Bedtime Stories podcast.

Vocabulary: reasonably, persuaded, orphanage

Ch. 7: The Great Depression occurred in the United States during 1930s. Milton Hershey worked hard to keep it from affecting his town and employees. Listen to this podcast from Bedtime Histories about the Great Depression and how it affected the country. Write about the Great Depression and how it effected people’s lives with the notebooking page in the Unit Study pack.

Vocabulary: devoted, prospered

Hershey Chocolate Unit Study Activities

Make a chocolate treat on the stovetop (with adult supervision) like these tried & true No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies. Use these step-by-step instructions from Taste of Home.

Complete Hershey Fill in the Blank Worksheet that’s free in the Free Resource Library (and is included in the unit study pack)

Visit the Hershey’s site to learn more about Hershey and his chocolate.

Watch this How Hershey’s is Made documentary from Hershey’s circa 1976 and compare it to these two videos: How Hershey’s Kisses are Made and Inside the Hershey Factory, both from Food Network.

If you are ever in the neighborhood of Hershey, Pennsylvania, go to the Hershey’s World Chocolate Factory like Perfect Little Planet and 601 Travels did.

Make some Gluten-Free Hot Chocolate Cloud Dough with these super easy instructions.

You may also want to learn more about chocolate with our sister site’s Hot Chocolate unit in the Polar Express and Hot Chocolate Family Unit Study, with activities and lessons for all ages.

Get your copy of the Milton Hershey Chocolate Unit Study in the HHO Shop