brightlivesenglish.com/lessons/milton-hershey-chocolate-town/
45-minute lesson plan
| Time | Stage | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 0–3′ | Warm-up | Ask the class: “Do you like chocolate? What is your favourite sweet food?” Let a few students answer. |
| 3–13′ | Words | Pre-teach the 5 words with the flashcards: candy, sweet, chocolate, factory, town. Say each word, show the meaning, and ask for a quick example. |
| 13–20′ | Video | Play the video (3:30). Students follow the transcript. Play it a second time if needed. |
| 20–28′ | Comprehension | Worksheet C (or the online Story Challenge): check answers together. Ask “How do you know?” |
| 28–35′ | Grammar | first … then … after that: to put things in order. Show “First he made caramels. Then he made chocolate.”, then do worksheet E together. |
| 35–43′ | Worksheet | Students do worksheet A, B and D alone or in pairs. Check with the answer key. |
| 43–45′ | Speaking | In pairs: “Milton Hershey failed two times, but he did not stop. Why is it important to try again?” |
Homework: students finish the lesson online (flashcards + Story Challenge). With your class link, you see who finished.
Words and grammar
- candy (noun): food made with sugar. “At 14, he learned to make candy.”
- sweet (adjective): with lots of sugar. “People loved his sweet caramels.”
- chocolate (noun): sweet brown food from cocoa beans. “He bought machines to make chocolate.”
- factory (noun): a building where people make things. “He built a big chocolate factory.”
- town (noun): a place with houses and streets. “He built a town for his workers.”
Grammar: first … then … after that — to put things in order. “First he made caramels. Then he made chocolate.”
Discussion questions
- Milton Hershey failed two times, but he did not stop. Why is it important to try again?
- What was the hardest moment in Milton Hershey's story? What did Milton Hershey do?
- Make two sentences about your own life with “first … then … after that”. (From the story: “First he made caramels. Then he made chocolate.”)
Student worksheet
A Match the words to their meanings
- candy (noun)
- sweet (adjective)
- chocolate (noun)
- factory (noun)
- town (noun)
- caramel (noun)
- worker (noun)
- shop (noun)
- food made with sugar
- a place where you buy things
- with lots of sugar
- a building where people make things
- a person who works for a company
- a soft brown candy made with sugar and milk
- sweet brown food from cocoa beans
- a place with houses and streets
B Complete the sentences from the story
shop · candy · caramels · workers · chocolate · sweet · town · factory
- First he made .
- He built a big chocolate .
- He bought machines to make .
- At 14, he learned to make .
- He built houses for his .
- He built a for his workers.
- His first candy failed.
- People loved his caramels.
C Did you understand?
- His first candy shop was a big success.True / False
- What did he make first?
- Chocolate
- Caramels
- Bread
- Ice cream
- Who did he build a town for?
- Famous people
- Tourists
- His workers
- Soldiers
- He gave his money to a school for boys with no parents.True / False
D Put the words in order
- caramels / made / First / he
E Grammar: first … then … after that
We use it for to put things in order. First he made caramels. Then he made chocolate. · After that, he built a big chocolate factory.
Example from the story: First he made caramels. Then he made chocolate.
- he made caramels. Then he made chocolate. (First / After / Last)
- First he made caramels. he made chocolate. (Then / First / Before)
- After , he built a factory. (that / then / first)
F Your turn
Retell Milton Hershey's story in 5–6 sentences. Use at least three words from exercise A.
Answer key
A. 1a 2c 3g 4d 5h 6f 7e 8b
B. 1 caramels · 2 factory · 3 chocolate · 4 candy · 5 workers · 6 town · 7 shop · 8 sweet
C. 1 False · 2 b · 3 c · 4 True
D. 1 First he made caramels.
E. 1 First · 2 Then · 3 that
Transcript
His first candy shop failed.
His next shop failed too.
This is the story of Milton Hershey.
Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.
Candy. Candy is food made with sugar.
At 14, he learned to make candy.
Sweet. Sweet food has lots of sugar.
People loved his sweet caramels.
Chocolate. Chocolate is sweet brown food from cocoa beans.
He bought machines to make chocolate.
Factory. A factory is where people make things.
He built a big chocolate factory.
Town. A town has houses and streets.
He built a town for his workers.
Now: first, then, after that.
First he made caramels.
Then he made chocolate.
Ready? Let's begin.
Milton Hershey was born in America in 1857.
At 14, he learned to make candy.
First, he opened a candy shop. It failed.
Then he tried New York.
It failed too.
He did not stop.
People loved his sweet caramels.
In 1893, he bought machines to make chocolate.
First he made caramels.
Then he made chocolate.
In 1900, he sold his caramel company.
After that, he built a big chocolate factory.
He built a town for his workers.
He started a school for boys with no parents, and he gave it his money.
He had a ticket for the Titanic, but he took another ship!
Let's review. At 14, he learned to make candy.
People loved his sweet caramels.
He bought machines to make chocolate.
He built a big chocolate factory.
He built a town for his workers.
And remember: first he made caramels.
Then he made chocolate.
Milton Hershey's story teaches us: never stop trying.
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