Create Your Own Business: Lesson Plan

Subjects

• Language Arts
• Economics

Grades

• 6-8
• 9-12

Brief Description

Students learn to work in cooperative groups to create their own businesses.

Objectives

In this lesson, students

• create businesses.
• learn to understand the costs of acquiring business licenses and advertising.
• discuss issues relating to the name, location, and kind of businesses they hope to co-construct.
• identify the best method to sell their products.

Keywords

Business planning, Social Sciences, Language Arts

Materials Needed

Pen and paper, computer, production software (for example, Microsoft Office)

Lesson Plan

Introduction: Ask students to describe their ideal businesses. Next, ask students to list the things they think starting a business requires. Responses will vary. Write each student response on the blackboard.

• Explain to students that people need capital (money) to start a business. Also make it clear that specific laws that regulate businesses.
• Explain that starting a business requires research on a variety of issues, including how much it will cost to start the business, where to locate the business, and the cost of advertising in newspapers, magazines, etc. Explain that businesses need publicity materials, such as banners to introduce the business to the community; signs; and business cards.
• Explain that most businesses in America are small businesses. Make sure that students understand that many small businesses fail but the ones that succeed do so because their owners take the time to carefully plan the business. Activities:
• Organize students into cooperative groups. They will work in groups to decide on the type of business they will create. There should be four students in each group.
• Each student will assume a different role within the group: group recorder, discussion leader, group reporter, or group taskmaster. The recorder will record the comments of the group members on paper or on a laptop and then transfer the notes to the PC. The discussion leader will keep the discussion flowing. The taskmaster will make sure that the group remains focused on the creation of the business plan, business cards, banners, etc., using Microsoft Publisher. The reporter will report to the entire class about the products and findings of their group.
• To make the group presentation, students will publish the written report via the word processing program. Members of the group will co-construct slides using PowerPoint and other media using print material and resources gathered from the World Wide Web. They will also explore the Internet to look at business sites. Students may use those sites as models for their own businesses. Time requirement.
• This lesson requires four to six 40-minute class periods, plus time for research using library and Internet sources in order for each group to complete the written and oral reports.

Assessment

Each group will complete a summary of discussion and publish it via Microsoft Word. The reporter and group members will discuss and explain their business plan before the entire class.

National Career Development Competencies: Describe individual skills required to fulfill different life roles while working effectively in a group.

Illinois State Goal 15: Students understand economic systems with an emphasis on the United States.

Lesson Plan Source

Submitted by: Clyde Winters, John Shedd, Chicago, Illinois

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