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For Businesses

For students & teachers, the best pitch lesson to introduce business plans to students.

Kassie Winne

In a classroom in Dallas, Texas, we asked groups of students to identify a problem in their neighborhood and find a creative solution for it. Their empathy and creativity blew me away. They were ready to tackle issues like homelessness, a lack of business attire for low-income areas seeking job mobility, creating healthier and more active communities, replacing toxic products with organic ones, reducing our carbon footprint and more. If these were the types of conversations they were having at ages 10 and 11, I couldn’t wait to see what they could accomplish in the future.

The next step was teaching them how to present their ideas in an engaging, succinct way. We encouraged students to be themselves, put their best foot forward, show their passion for their ideas, and to be prepared to present their ideas for no more than 90 seconds. There was excitement in the air on the day of the presentations. For these students, their business pitches were personal, and that seemed to ignite a fire. I could easily picture these passionate students as our future business and community leaders ready to work together and take on difficult problems with creative solutions.

By introducing business and entrepreneurial learning in the elementary classroom, we can support students in developing the skills we so desperately need in our future leaders and citizens — communication, collaboration, and creative problem-solving skills. This activity is a great way to introduce business plans to students and start cultivating those employability skills they will need to be successful.

Entrepreneurial Expedition: The Pitch Activity

For this pitch activity, students will have the opportunity to collaborate with each other to problem solve. This is meant to be open-ended so that students come up with an idea that they are not only passionate about but also ‘buy in to.’ Meant to be engaging for all types of learners (auditory, visual, reading/writing, kinesthetic) this pitch activity encourages students to be creative, explain their thinking, come up with a visual prototype, and practice their oral language skills.

Step 1 – The Set Up: Tell students today is the day they’re going to solve a problem and they’re then going to convince everyone why it’s a great idea. Pair students into groups of 3-4.

Step 2 – The Problem: Give students 5 minutes to brainstorm a problem they might face each day. Consider a classroom set of brainstorming if students are having a hard time and then allowing groups to select from those problems. EX: they eat breakfast on the way to school and get it all over their clothes, they get sand in their socks during recess, etc.

Step 3 – The Plan: Give students 20 minutes in those same groups to come up with ideas of a solution that would fix their problem. Remind them that this is a brainstorming session so they want to list all ideas and listen to them. They can pick their favorite idea after.

EX: a granola bar that when they unpeel the wrapper, it unwraps into a bowl that collects crumbs, a sock topper that holds their socks up and seals the top so sand doesn’t get in.

After the 20 minutes is up, give students another 5 to discuss which solution makes the most sense to develop a product for. They will need to decide as a group which product they will develop a sales pitch for.

Step 4 – The Design: Students will design their product on a poster. Have them list as many adjectives as they can to describe their product to help in their business pitch once they have completed the design on their prototype.

Step 5 – The Pitch: Once students have finished with their posters, explain that they will be giving the class a business pitch to convince them they have the best product in the class. I suggest sharing this video of 10-year-old Jack and his lemonade stand idea as a good pitch example.

Give students this guideline for a 60-second sales pitch Start with a question.

  • What is the problem?
  • What is the name of the solution you came up with?
  • Why is it a good product?
  • Who are you selling this to and the cost?
  • How much money do you want for this idea?

Completing the Lesson Have students create their business pitch and practice within their pair/group for 10 minutes, then present to the class.

For elementary teachers looking for a free extended learning experience in financial education and business, check out EVERFI’s Vault – Understanding Money lessons to navigate the world of income and careers through online games and quizzes.

For middle school teachers looking to help their students master the basics of business with a youth entrepreneurship curriculum , check out EVERFI’s Venture – Entrepreneurial Expedition.

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29 Easy Entrepreneurship Activities for All Classes

Deanna ritchie.

business plan class activity

As educators, we can cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset in our students. By incorporating these 20 easy entrepreneurship activities into our classes, we can inspire creativity, foster problem-solving skills, and prepare students for success in any career they choose.

Whether it’s through hands-on exercises, podcasts, videos, or structured programs, these activities will engage students and ignite their entrepreneurial spirit.

See also: 20 Small Business Ideas to Start in High School

Table of Contents

1. Inventing and Pitching Card Game ( our favorite )

products entrepreneurship card card game

Get ready to ignite your students’ imaginations and spark their entrepreneurial spirits with this entrepreneurial card game. Products is a hands-on and engaging way to teach your students about the basics of entrepreneurship.

Skypig, the brains behind this engaging game, cleverly integrates entrepreneurship into their gameplay. By using product and feature cards, players are encouraged to develop unique, marketable products while assuming the role of budding entrepreneurs. The game’s core values emphasize the importance of creativity and originality, allowing players to have a great time while testing their ingenuity.

This immersive experience is a fantastic resource for teaching various skills, such as public speaking and creative thinking, and fostering an entrepreneurial mindset. Skypig offers not only an original edition of the game but also a teacher’s edition, complete with a comprehensive 6-page lesson plan, making it an invaluable tool for educators seeking to instill these skills in their students in a relaxed and enjoyable manner.

2. The Envelope Challenge

envelope challenge

The Envelope Challenge is a simple yet effective activity that encourages students to think creatively and develop problem-solving skills. Provide each student or group with an envelope containing a small amount of fake money. They devise a plan to increase their investment within a specific time frame.

This activity not only enhances collaboration and critical thinking but also demonstrates to students how easy it can be to generate income.

3. Defining Problems Exercise

Entrepreneurs are problem solvers, and being able to define problems clearly is a crucial skill for success in entrepreneurship. Show students pictures that depict various issues and ask them to identify and define the problems they see. Please encourage them to think about the information they need to understand the situation better. By focusing on clearly defining the problem before attempting to solve it, students develop critical thinking abilities and learn to approach challenges strategically.

4. Ready, Set, Design!

design

The Ready, Set, Design! activity challenges students to think creatively and develop innovative solutions to real-world problems. Divide students into groups and assign each group a challenge, such as designing a new way to drink on the go or a new method of communication. Please provide them with a bag of everyday materials, such as rubber bands, pipe cleaners, and foil, and ask them to design a product that meets the challenge. This activity encourages students to think outside the box and fosters creativity and problem-solving skills.

See Also: Are You Raising Money-Smart Entrepreneurial Children?

5. The StartUp Podcast

The StartUp podcast is a valuable resource for sparking conversations about entrepreneurship in the classroom. It provides insights into the entrepreneurial journey and offers real-life examples of the challenges and successes that entrepreneurs face.

Assign students to listen to an episode of the podcast and facilitate a class discussion on the key takeaways and lessons learned. This activity allows students to gain a deeper understanding of entrepreneurship and encourages them to think critically about the concepts discussed in the podcast.

6. The Business Proposition

Articulating a clear and concise value proposition is essential for any entrepreneur. In this activity, introduce students to a value proposition and provide them with a brief faux business or product idea. Ask students to express the value proposition for the given idea concisely. This exercise challenges students to distill the essence of a business or product and develop effective communication skills.

7. Reverse Brainstorming

problem solving

Reverse brainstorming is an excellent activity for developing problem-solving and creative thinking skills. Start by presenting a problem to the students, such as studying in a noisy library. Instead of brainstorming solutions, ask the students to brainstorm ways to improve the situation.

For each idea they come up with, challenge them to find a solution to the worsened situation. This activity encourages students to think critically and consider alternative perspectives, essential skills for entrepreneurship.

8. Entrepreneurship Videos

Take advantage of the abundance of free, short online videos that discuss various aspects of entrepreneurship. Use these videos as a tool to introduce students to the topic of entrepreneurship or assign them as homework. Some recommended videos include “What is an Entrepreneur?” and “The Best Advice for Entrepreneurs.” These videos provide valuable insights and inspire students to think about entrepreneurship in new ways.

9. Entrepreneurial Mindset Cards

blank cards

Entrepreneurial mindset cards are a valuable resource for developing entrepreneurship skills in students. These cards provide definitions and prompts related to entrepreneurial thinking. Distribute the cards to students and have them take turns reading the mindset definitions and answering the associated questions. This activity helps students develop a growth mindset and encourages them to think critically about entrepreneurship.

10. Pitch Challenge Toolkit

The Pitch Challenge Toolkit is a comprehensive resource for teaching entrepreneurship skills. This free toolkit consists of five lessons that cover various aspects of entrepreneurship, including creativity, problem-solving, critical thinking, and presentation skills. The toolkit provides step-by-step instructions and activities for guiding students through the process of developing and delivering a pitch. Using this toolkit, you can help students develop essential skills for success in entrepreneurship.

11. Free Entrepreneurship Lessons

Take advantage of free entrepreneurship lessons from reputable organizations such as VentureWell. These lessons cover a wide range of entrepreneurship-related topics and provide hands-on activities that engage students and teach them about the entrepreneurial mindset. Incorporate these lessons into your curriculum to give students a comprehensive understanding of what it takes to be an entrepreneur.

12. Contemporary Entrepreneurship Program

If you are looking for a ready-to-use entrepreneurship program, consider the Contemporary Entrepreneurship Program. This program is designed to engage students in a two-to-three-week unit focused on entrepreneurship. It covers topics such as generating business ideas , conducting market research, considering legal and financial issues, and writing a business plan. By implementing this program, you can give students a comprehensive understanding of the entrepreneurial process.

13. “Choose Your Own Adventure” Business Building

One engaging activity that introduces students to entrepreneurship is the “choose your own adventure” style series. In this activity, students follow the journey of a character named Jay as he starts his own business. Students make decisions for Jay and experience the real-world challenges and opportunities of business building . The series includes interactive videos that teach entrepreneurship, financial concepts, and economic ideas. This activity not only enhances students’ understanding of business but also encourages critical thinking and decision-making skills.

14. Literature and Business Terminology Integration

Integrating literature with entrepreneurial concepts is another effective way to engage students in entrepreneurship education. For instance, students can read a book like “Sweet Potato Pie” and apply business terminology such as profit, loan, and division of labor to interpret the text. After reading, students can discuss the book and reflect on what it takes to own and run a successful business. This activity not only strengthens students’ reading comprehension skills but also introduces them to the vocabulary and concepts commonly used in industry.

Here is a list of great entrepreneurship blogs to check out .

15. Mock Job Interviews

job interview

Conducting mock job interviews is a valuable activity that helps students develop job-related skills while fostering an entrepreneurial mindset. In this activity, the teacher sets up mock interviews based on the student’s desired career paths. Students can practice interviewing skills with a partner in the classroom, but the activity becomes even more effective when an adult can perform the interview. This activity enhances students’ communication skills, professionalism, and confidence, which are crucial qualities for entrepreneurs.

16. Inviting Local Entrepreneurs to the Classroom

Instead of simply teaching about business leaders and entrepreneurs, why not invite local entrepreneurs to share their experiences directly with students? This activity provides students with the opportunity to interact with real entrepreneurs and ask them questions. By preparing questions for the business leaders, students develop critical thinking and interpersonal skills . Additionally, this activity exposes students to different entrepreneurial journeys and helps them understand the practical aspects of starting and running a business .

17. Self-SWOT Analysis

A SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis is a common tool used in business to assess the internal and external factors that affect an organization. In this activity, students apply the SWOT model to analyze themselves and their future goals. By identifying their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, students gain valuable insights into their entrepreneurial skills and areas for growth. This activity encourages self-reflection and helps students align their goals with their strengths and opportunities.

18. Researching Star Entrepreneurs

star entrepreneurs

Researching a star entrepreneur of their choice is an engaging activity that allows students to explore the lives and contributions of successful entrepreneurs. Students are tasked with investigating an entrepreneur using online resources and presenting their findings to the class. During the presentation, students focus on what motivated the entrepreneurs to start their businesses and the impact they have had on society. This activity promotes research skills, public speaking, and critical thinking.

19. Business Plan Shark Tank

In this activity inspired by the popular TV show “Shark Tank,” students create their business plans and present them in a simulated entrepreneurial pitch environment. Students write a comprehensive business description, conduct market analysis, develop marketing and sales strategies, determine funding needs, and project financial outcomes. They then present their business ideas to the class, receiving feedback and constructive criticism. This activity enhances students’ business planning, communication, and presentation skills.

20. Town Data Review and Business Proposal

Engaging students in a town data review and business proposal activity allows them to think critically about the needs and opportunities in a local community. In this activity, students review data about a town, discuss the data as a group, and propose a new business idea that addresses a specific need in the town. By considering the existing services and products in the town, students can identify gaps and propose innovative business solutions. This activity encourages students to think creatively and develop problem-solving skills.

21. Reverse Brainstorming

brainstorming

Reverse brainstorming is a unique entrepreneurial activity that encourages innovative thinking . Instead of trying to solve a problem, students are challenged to think of ways to make a problem worse. For each new issue they add to the situation, students must then think about how to solve that problem. This activity prompts students to think outside the box, develop creative solutions, and embrace an entrepreneurial mindset.

22. Startup Podcast Listening

Listening to podcasts focused on entrepreneurial learning is an excellent activity that exposes students to real-life stories and insights from successful entrepreneurs.

Students can choose from podcasts covering different aspects of entrepreneurship and the challenges of starting a business.

After listening to an episode, students can discuss the key takeaways, lessons learned, and how they apply to their entrepreneurial aspirations. This activity enhances students’ listening skills, critical thinking, and entrepreneurial knowledge.

23. Exploring Different Ways to Make Money

Teaching students different ways to make money is an essential aspect of entrepreneurship education. Students learn the difference between providing a service and selling a physical product.

In small groups, students brainstorm creative ways to make money, considering their unique skills and interests. Through this activity, students develop an entrepreneurial mindset and learn to assess the viability of their ideas.

24. Understanding the Characteristics of an Entrepreneur

In this activity, students explore the characteristics and traits of successful entrepreneurs. The teacher reads questions about entrepreneurship aloud, and students move to different corners of the room based on their answers. At the end of the activity, students count their points to assess their knowledge about entrepreneurship.

This activity fosters critical thinking, self-awareness, and an understanding of the key qualities required for entrepreneurial success.

25. Examining the Benefits and Challenges of Entrepreneurship

Helping students think critically about the benefits and challenges of entrepreneurship is an essential aspect of entrepreneurship education. In this activity, students reflect on the advantages and drawbacks of working for themselves and owning their businesses.

Additionally, students complete an entrepreneur checklist to assess their entrepreneurial skills and identify areas for improvement. This activity promotes self-reflection, awareness of the entrepreneurial journey, and the development of problem-solving skills.

26. Creating a School Garden Business

Engaging students in a hands-on activity like creating a school garden business combines entrepreneurship with environmental education. Students collaborate to design and build a school garden that yields crops that can be sold for profit.

They develop a business plan, consider market demand, plant and maintain the garden, sell the products, and track profits and losses. This activity provides students practical experience in business planning, financial management, and sustainable practices.

27. Promoting Social Entrepreneurship

social entrepreneurship

Exploring the concept of social entrepreneurship is a valuable activity that encourages students to think about using business to create a positive social impact. The teacher presents a set of problems on the board, and students are invited to think about what these problems have in common. Together, the class creates a definition of social entrepreneurship and brainstorms solutions to address social issues. This activity nurtures empathy, creative problem-solving, and a sense of social responsibility among students.

28. The “If I Knew…” Exercise

To continuously improve the course and maintain student engagement, the “If I Knew…” exercise is a valuable tool. At the end of each term, students are asked to reflect on their expectations at the beginning of the class and what they gained from the course. They also share what they would have changed if they had known certain things beforehand. The teacher aggregates the feedback and presents it to the students in the last class, creating a feedback loop for course improvement. This exercise sets the stage for future classes and encourages a culture of continuous learning and feedback.

29. The Get Out of the Building Exercise

The Get Out of the Building exercise emphasizes the importance of customer interaction in entrepreneurship. Students are encouraged to leave the classroom and engage with potential customers to gather feedback and insights. This exercise allows students to validate their ideas, understand customer needs, and make adjustments based on real-world feedback. It helps students develop empathy, communication skills, and the ability to iterate their ideas based on customer feedback.

[Related: 8 Must-Try Entrepreneurship Games ]

Frequently Asked Questions: Fostering an Entrepreneurial Mindset in Students

1. what is an entrepreneurial mindset, and why is it important for students.

An entrepreneurial mindset is a set of skills and attitudes that empower individuals to think creatively, take risks, and solve problems effectively. It’s essential for students as it equips them with versatile skills that can be applied to various careers and life situations.

2. Are these entrepreneurship activities suitable for all age groups?

Yes, these activities are adaptable and can be tailored to suit students of different age groups, from elementary school to college and beyond.

3. How do these activities promote creativity and problem-solving skills?

These activities encourage students to think outside the box, explore new ideas, and find innovative solutions to real-world challenges. They are designed to stimulate critical thinking and creativity.

4. Can I incorporate these activities into my existing curriculum?

Absolutely! Many of these activities can be seamlessly integrated into existing coursework to complement traditional learning.

5. Do I need any special materials or resources to implement these activities?

Most of the activities can be executed with readily available materials and resources. You won’t need anything particularly extravagant to get started.

6. How can I ensure that students stay engaged throughout these activities?

By making the activities interactive and relatable, students are more likely to stay engaged. Incorporating multimedia elements such as podcasts and videos can also enhance their interest.

7. What are some potential outcomes of these entrepreneurship activities for students?

Students who engage in these activities may develop better problem-solving skills, increased self-confidence, enhanced communication abilities, and a more profound sense of adaptability – all essential skills for success in any career.

8. Can these activities be used for remote or online learning?

Yes, many of these activities can be adapted for remote or online learning, making them versatile options for educators in various teaching environments.

Deanna Ritchie

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Learning the Business Model Canvas with Dr. Alex Osterwalder

Teaching the Business Model Canvas: Part 1 – Intro

October 4, 2021 doan winkel comments 0 comment.

When we ran a workshop with Dr. Alex Osterwalder about how he teaches his Business Model Canvas, attendees were so excited about what he was sharing, 98% of them voted to change our schedule on the fly and extend his session from 60 to 90 minutes.

The exercises he was sharing were too engaging to let him stop.

In this article, the first in a 3-part series, we’ll structure Osterwalder’s exercises into easy-to-implement lesson plans you can use with your students.

business plan class activity

Exercise #1: Business Model Matching

To introduce students to the 9 components of the BMC, Dr. Osterwalder starts by giving students a set of business model hypotheses and asking them to place each one in the appropriate box of the BMC.

Prepping Before Class

To make the most efficient use of class time, assign students to watch these videos before class:

  • Getting from Business Idea to Business Model
  • Visualizing Your Business Model
  • 9 Steps to Creating a Successful Business Model

Then you’ll want to print out the worksheets linked in the lesson plan below. Digital worksheets are also in the lesson plan if you’re teaching remotely.

Step 1: Fill the Boxes

Alex uses Airbnb in his first exercise because:

  • Students are familiar with Airbnb
  • As a two-sided marketplace, Airbnb is a great example of how one business model may need to fulfill the needs of multiple customer segments to be successful

Starting with the “Airbnb BMC: Travelers” worksheet, ask students to write each of the provided business model hypotheses in their appropriate boxes:

business plan class activity

Copies of this worksheet are available in the lesson plan below.

We recommend each student complete this individually. While students will work in pairs for the next step, to help increase engagement and discussion, we like using Think. Pair. Share. with this type of exercise, which starts by having students work on their own.

Step 2: Pair

Next, ask students to pair up (if necessary, create breakout rooms for virtual students), and compare their answers. If there’s anything they disagree on, ask them to try to discuss and come to a consensus.

Note: this is an important part of the Think. Pair. Share. process. Talking with a peer helps them organize their thoughts better and practice vocalizing them. If your students are reluctant to speak in class, pairing students up like this before asking for a class-wide discussion can help inspire more interaction.

Step 3: Share

Reconvene the class. Go one by one through the boxes and ask a pair to share what they wrote for a particular box. Go through each of the boxes in this order:

  • Customer Segments
  • Value Proposition
  • Customer Relationship
  • Revenue Streams
  • Cost Structure
  • Key Activities
  • Key Resources
  • Key Partners

Ask a new pair to report out what they wrote for each box and then ask the rest of the class if they had anything else different for that box. If student pairs disagree on what should be in a particular box, use that as an opportunity to increase discussion and, before you reveal the correct answer, have your students vote on which answer they think will be right.

Business Model Canvas for Airbnb Travelers

Slides with the correct answers, like the one above, are available in the lesson plan below.

Step 4: Repeat with Airbnb Hosts

Now ask students to fill out the AirBnB BMC: Hosts worksheet using the same Think-Pair-Share technique. 

business plan class activity

Take time to explain that many businesses don’t have just one business model as a part of their success. Instead, many businesses, like Airbnb, are a multi-sided market. In this business model, the needs of two parties must be met.

You can highlight the popularity of this business model by pointing out that Uber, Doordash, Amazon all have this multi-sided market where the business has to keep multiple customers happy.

Business Model Canvas for Airbnb Hosts

Summary & Next Steps

Alex prefers simple matching exercises like these as a quick way to introduce the BMC. For more details on how to use it, including worksheets and slides, check out the free lesson plan below.

Next up, Alex provides students with BMCs that are partially filled out and asks students to fill in the rest – which we’ll detail in the next article in this series! We’ll share two more steps in the process Dr. Osterwalder uses to teach the business model canvas:

  • How to use fill in the blank exercises to help students create their own canvases
  • How to use prioritization exercises to teach how to use the BMC to test business model assumptions

Want More from Dr. Osterwalder?

business plan class activity

Find more about Alex’s work at Strategyzer.com .

Watch Alex Teach

If you’d like to see Alex teach the Business Model Canvas himself, just enter your email below to watch his full workshop on Teaching the BMC:

Get the Teaching the Business Model Canvas Lesson Plan

We’ve created a detailed lesson plan for the “Teaching the Business Model Canvas: Part 1” exercise to walk you and your students through the process step-by-step.

business plan class activity

Read Part 2 In This Series of Teaching the Business Model Canvas

Check out the second post in this series, focused on using a fill-in-the-blank exercise to help students develop their own hypotheses.

business plan class activity

What’s Next?

In upcoming posts, we will share two more steps in the process Dr. Osterwalder uses to teach the business model canvas.

Subscribe here to be the first to get these in your inbox.

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Missed Our Recent Articles?

Whether you are new to our community of entrepreneurship educators, or you’ve been contributing for years, we wanted to give you a list of the posts our community finds most valuable:

  • Improving Your (Inherited) Course. Inheriting an entrepreneurship course presents many challenges. Re-design the course and provide engaging experiences with this curriculum.
  • How to Improve Student Outcomes & Evaluations. Journaling can transform your students’ experience in your classroom. And can be a great way to get quality feedback on whether you’re an effective educator
  • “The best class I’ve taken!”   We all want a Dead Poets Society moment in our entrepreneurship class. One professor using the Experiential Entrepreneurship Curriculum got hers!
  • Teaching Customer Interviewing.  This card and the online game is a powerful way to teach students the importance of customer interviewing, and the right questions to ask.

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Teaching Introduction to Business with Mini-Projects

A group of students sit around a table

Article Summary

  • Mini-projects are quick, low-stakes assignments that help bolster student understanding
  • When supplemented by MindTap activities and textbook readings, mini-projects help students relate course material to real-world applications
  • Mini-projects can build student confidence in speaking, engaging with others and presenting in class

Dr . Elizabeth Cameron is a Professor of Law, Cybersecurity & Management at Alma College

Teaching Introduction to Business provides a unique opportunity to inspire students to study Business and kickstart their careers. Actively engaging students in class discussion can excite them about the course topics, improve assessment scores, increase Business majors and improve retention .

One way to do this is by using mini-projects. Mini-projects are quick, low stakes and engaging exercises that help students apply course material in a memorable way. The key is to not overcomplicate the exercises or make them too time consuming.

Professors can use a bonus point incentive to grade these or mark them as engagement points. I assign mini-projects frequently and don’t award points because students love them so much that they willingly do them. These projects are also scalable for larger classes and can be done in breakout rooms with the most interesting ideas being shared with the entire class.

As an instructor, I have found the “Why Does it Matter to Me?” and “Learn It” assignments in MindTap to be a great prelude to mini-projects. The “Why Does it Matter to Me?” assignments help students better understand why the content matters in real life. Then, when the professor links the pre-learning to a mini-project, it cements this knowledge. The “Learn It” sections are also great ways for students to learn terms, definitions and elements. All of this advance learning application in MindTap helps improve the value of mini-projects and results in higher assessment scores.

Below are some of the mini-projects with MindTap that have been successful in my Introduction to Business class. For these activities, I reference chapters in my Foundations of Business , 6th Edition text. All of these mini-projects can be done face-to-face or online with modifications.

1. What Motivates You?

This goal of this mini-project is to have students link motivation theories to real-life application.

Before Class : Have students read chapter 10 on motivating employees, complete MindTap assignment(s) and come prepared to share one item that motivates them.

During Class : Ask students to identify one strategy to motivate employees when money is not an option. This is fun because you will see students build on each other’s comments, whether in the classroom or online. As a follow up activity, ask students, “How would you motivate your classmates?” If you assign group work like I do, this helps your students encourage one another.

2. Stranded at Sea & The Key to Effective Decision-Making

This project focuses on building critical thinking and identifying a problem or opportunity in the decision-making process. I actually led this assignment on Microsoft Teams and it worked just as well as in person.

Before Class : Have students read assigned chapter 6 on management and complete the corresponding activities.

During Class : Go over the steps in the decision-making process then ask students to comment on which step they think is the most difficult. They will have a variety of answers, with few students saying it is hard to identify the problem or opportunity (as not everything is a problem).

Next comes the fun part. Tell an outrageous stranded at sea fact pattern using numbers based on the size of your class, such as:

“The students in the class are traveling by ship to Portugal for a business conference and a sudden storm erupts. The ship sinks into the ocean and the only survivors are the students in the class — all others have perished. Your professor is not with you and is unlikely to immediately look for you. No remains of the ship are visible. You see that four of the students are hurt, and six students have no life jackets.”

Then, have students sit on the floor and “tread water.” Ask, “What is your problem or opportunity?” Students will start with food, sharks, water, injured classmates, etc., which are all symptoms of a greater problem or opportunity. A student usually spots an island. If they don’t, you can interject with this fact.

Once students are on the island, ask the question again: “What is your problem or opportunity?” Students will suggest getting food, starting a fire, helping the injured, etc. Then ask, “Are your problems over once you reach the island?” Typically, at least one student will say no, and that the problem or opportunity is “How will we function? Who will lead and how will we survive?” If the problem or opportunity is misdiagnosed, more people will perish.

Whether online or in-person, make sure to have students “tread water” to put them in a real frame of mind. Also, make sure to embellish the facts each semester as this exercise becomes legendary.

After this exercise, students will have learned a valuable lesson that correctly diagnosing the problem or opportunity is key to effective decision making.

3. Product Classifications

This project helps students better understand the product classifications and how marketing tactics change for each classification.

Before Class : Have students read the content on consumer product classifications in chapter 12, complete MindTap assignments and come to class to class prepared to talk about a product they purchased and its classification (i.e., convenience product, shopping product, specialty product, etc.). I give an example of a unique woven beach mat I purchased while in Hawaii.

During Class : Students will bring a variety of examples such as food, clothing, sports equipment or technology. What is very helpful about this assignment is that students often misclassify these goods. They correct themselves and revise their classifications as they hear their classmates’ examples.

In person, students give answers in a round robin fashion. When teaching online, I allow students to give verbal answers or post in the chat. Students enjoy this activity because they like talking about what they purchase and why. They leave with a solid understanding of product classifications and how businesses market products differently.

4. Shark Tank Analysis  

This project lets students pull together information from all chapters in the book and apply it to a real-life entrepreneurial venture. I discuss the assignment on the first day of class and have it submitted in the last few weeks of the course.

Before Class : Have students select an episode of Shark Tank and focus on one entrepreneur’s pitch. Students then write a one-page reflection on issues, concerns, recommendations and other connections to the course with little repetition of the facts.

During Class : Each student gives a five-minute presentation that demonstrates how their business learning applies to that entrepreneur’s pitch. Students also provide business recommendations to the entrepreneur. For online courses, you can use Bongo within MindTap to have students record a video presentation.

It’s amazing how students notice the topics that were covered in the course. I was also very surprised by which Shark Tank episodes interest students and how fun these class discussions are. For example, “ Squatty Potty ” was more engaging and hilarious than expected. If you have many sections or a large class, consider putting students into teams for this project.

5. Vacations and Hotel Stays

This mini-project aligns with the chapter on marketing and market segmentation. This is a new concept for most students and not always easy to understand.

Before Class : Have students read chapter 11 on building customer relations, complete MindTap assignments and think about a vacation they took, jotting down where they lodged and why.

During Class : Do a market segmentation mapping on the physical or virtual whiteboard with all the places students have stayed. Student answers typically include cheaper hotels (i.e., Super 8) mid-range (i.e., Holiday Inn) above mid-range (i.e., Sheraton) and some real high end (i.e., Ritz-Carlton). For online classes, expect the chat feature to blow up as students really engage with this activity.

After this exercise, students will better understand target markets and the ways that businesses segment the market to target a service or product to a specific group of people.  

6. Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

This project aligns with the “building customer relationships through effective marketing” marketing chapter and sub-topic. The exercise blends discussion on effective CRM, best management practices, marketing follow-up and effective business communication.

Before Class : Have students read chapter 11 on building customer relationships, complete MindTap assignments and think about a business that they continue to frequent because of great customer relationship management. Or, have them consider a business that has lost their patronage and why.

During Class : I put students into groups to discuss, then have them share their most interesting CRM story with the class. When time permits, I let all students share their stories.

After listening to their classmates’ stories on effective and ineffective CRM, students have a better understanding of the importance of a solid CRM plan.

Final Thoughts on Teaching Introduction to Business

Mini-projects are fun for discussion, but they also build student confidence in speaking, engaging with others and presenting in class. As an unintended benefit, these mini-projects also improve attendance, college retention and class friendships.

Every professor can benefit by letting students do more of the discussion. I believe learning goes full circle, and that professors learn as much from our students as they do from us. And above all, students learn a lot from each other. Share the floor, and you will find students more engaged and more excited about the material and your course.

For more teaching resources, check out this post on promoting student collaboration virtually and in person.

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13 Class Activities To Stimulate Inventor-Entrepreneurs

10 Class Activities; team building a tech project

We updated this article with new class activities. The article was originally published in September 2017.

How can you bolster and maintain student engagement throughout your course? If you’re in search of ideas, we’ve curated a collection of cutting-edge class activities used by VentureWell Course & Program Grants recipients. These class activities are designed to prepare early-stage innovators in taking the first steps toward transforming their ideas into impactful inventions and ventures.

aileen huang-saad

1) The “If I Knew…” Exercise Aileen Huang-Saad University of Michigan “Each term, I end the class with the “If I knew” assignment. Students are asked to fill out a simple PowerPoint template that asks the following questions:

  • When I signed up to take this class, I was expecting…
  • This is what I got out of the class…
  • If I had only known…
  • This is what I would change…

Before class, I go through all of the student responses and aggregate the feedback into the themes. I then present the summary to the students for the last class and we discuss their reflections. This summary presentation is then used to iterate on the course for the following year and is assigned as the first reading for the next cohort of students as their first assignment. This sets the stage for the next class.”

2) The Envelope Exercise Pritpal Singh Villanova University

“I like class activities like the envelope exercise developed by Tina Seelig at Stanford University. In this exercise, the students are asked to plan for a two-hour activity to increase an initial, unknown investment provided to them in an envelope. The amount of money in the envelope is very small – around $2. The students are usually surprised at how little money is in the envelope. Yet, every time I’ve done this exercise, the students have increased the investment money provided to them. The exercise helps students realize how easy it is for them to make money. I was particularly delighted when the students at the Bluefields, Indian, and Caribbean University in Nicaragua came to this realization. These students are generally from relatively poor communities and lack confidence in their ability to make money. When they performed this exercise and realized how easily they could make money, it was really eye-opening and thrilling for them. It was also a very rewarding experience for me.”

business plan class activity

3) The Get Out of the Building Exercise Rodney Boehm Texas A&M University

“I provide exercises that get students out of the building. Nothing shapes a student’s perception about their idea or market better than talking with a customer . Most students are uncomfortable when they start a conversation with a potential customer. Once they are comfortable with the skill, it transforms them and their way of thinking.”

Laquita Blockson headshot

4) The Pure Imagination Exercise Laquita Blockson Agnes Scott College

“During the second week of my introductory entrepreneurship courses, I conduct a team exercise to convey the importance of creativity. I first show my students the “ Pure Imagination ” scene from the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, asking them to listen carefully to the lyrics. This prepares them to think beyond normal convention during the exercise. I then provide each team with a common household item—a clothespin, a pill bottle, a cotton t-shirt, for example—and instruct them to think of alternative uses for their item. Once the teams have identified ways their item can be repurposed, I encourage them to contemplate how to deconstruct and reconstruct each item to make it more user-friendly. I find this exercise particularly useful because many of my students are not business or engineering majors, so by inspiring them with a film that they have likely seen, and by using common items, they are able to better internalize the connection between creativity and entrepreneurial opportunity.”

ruth ochia

5) The Defining Problems Exercise Ruth Ochia Temple University “In my introductory course, I work on students developing a sense for defining problems. I show pictures that contain many potential issues. The students are asked to define the issues they can see and what questions they would ask or additional information they would want to help define the problems. They always want to start with solutions, but the key is to get them to define the problem better, which is half the work of solving the problem anyway.”

deb streeter

6) The Flipped Classroom Exercise Deb Streeter Cornell University

“I think almost all entrepreneurship professors use class activities to create what is now considered to be a “flipped classroom.”  I’m no different. Students in my courses work to develop business ideas and concepts, go out to understand customers, pivot, pitch, and spend time outside the building to learn and practice Lean Startup concepts. I also try to spark interesting conversations inside my classroom. Sometimes I do that by using short, focused video clips or the Startup podcast. I use the mishaps and adventures featured in the podcast to illuminate important ideas and concepts. The episodes are a perfect match with so many concepts related to entrepreneurship and Lean Startup. The class becomes very invested and opinionated about the founders and the company.”

Jed Taylor

7) The Business Thesis Exercise Jed Taylor University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

“There is a simple business thesis exercise that we use in our I-Corps program that teaches teams to articulate their value proposition and customer segment in a concise way.  It sounds simple, but it always amazes me how challenging it is for students to do at first.  I even crack out this exercise every time that I give a guest lecture across campus.”

business plan class activity

8) The Soft Skills Exercise Cheryl Bodnar Rowan University “I use game-based class activities to help students develop their soft skills such as oral communication and teamwork, both of which are critical for entrepreneurs. Each player has a card with various symbols on it, and only one of the symbols on their individual card is defined. Without showing their cards to other players, participants have to decode the symbols and reveal the message on their individual cards, using only oral communication. The end result: all players enter a color on a rainbow-colored game board and the whole class wins.”

joe tranquillo

9) The Blindfold Exercise Joe Tranquillo Bucknell University

“In some classes I teach, I will hand out blindfolds and ask everyone to put them on. Then they pair up. Their task is to leave the second floor of the engineering building, navigate the campus, find the library, stand in line at the café and order a coffee or tea. The pair only gets to take off their blindfold when they get their beverage. Afterward we deconstruct this activity. The most important insight is that we as educators talk a lot about knowing your customer. Sometimes the only way to really understand a customer is to live in their world. After this activity the challenge is to find ways to become or simulate how to be your customer. Students seem to remember these class activities for a very long time!”

business plan class activity

10) The Two-Minute Pitch Exercise Christine E. King University of California, Irvine

“I teach the students how to design websites and we train them how to perform two-minute pitches. I love watching the students get excited about their project, and learn how to understand the big picture. These pitches are then presented at our final symposium to industry judges. We provide the winning team with funding and resources to start their company. Each year, we have 1 to 3 student teams form companies and continue to develop their venture beyond their degree. It creates such an exciting environment to teach in, as what we show them becomes applied immediately into their careers.”

For many student inventor entrepreneurs, their first exposure to innovation and entrepreneurship happens in the classroom. That’s why it’s important to continuously develop and improve upon innovation and entrepreneurship class activities to ensure early-stage innovators are well-equipped to solve the world’s biggest problems. Learning curriculum development ideas and best practices from other faculty in the ecosystem can help educators adopt, implement, and refine their own coursework for maximum impact.

business plan class activity

11) The Value in Waste Exercise Taryn Mead University of Arkansas and Western Colorado University

“I teach about various topics related to the circular economy, including regenerative innovation, or the process of developing supply networks for new products using waste materials. With VentureWell’s support, I recently led a class—and later an innovation challenge—in which students had to develop a product and business model to turn waste into new products. The teams have come up with great concepts, and some of them are going to apply for business accelerator programs at the state level.”

Editor’s note: Learn more about Taryn’s work using the waste stream in the classroom .

business plan class activity

12) Life Cycle Analysis for Sustainable Engineering Design Nancy Ruzycki University of Florida

“In my exercise, students track an object through its life cycle to understand its impact all along the product journey. This is especially eye-opening for materials engineers, who might not have considered the impact of their materials choices. This gives them something to think about as they move into an engineering design career and start making decisions for a company. I love the life cycle analysis for the impact it has on students in their understanding of engineering materials selection.”

Editor’s note: For more information on materials choices, check out our Tools for Design and Sustainability .

Carlee Bishop headshot

13) The How Might We… Mini-Design Challenge Carlee Bishop Agnes Scott College

“We kick off our Human Centered Design (HCD) course with a mini-design challenge to introduce students to the design process and products. This helps students focus on a larger course project that addresses how to create a sustainable, human-centered intervention in the agriculture space. Our philosophy is to establish a learning environment for students to learn HCD by doing HCD.”

You might also like these blog articles with example class activities you can use:

  6 Virtual Classroom Exercises To Keep Students Engaged

7 Class Exercises To Amplify Innovative Thinking

Activities for Teaching Innovation: Game-Based Learning

Curious to know more about our Course & Program Grants, which offer up to $30,000 in funding to faculty and staff? Learn more .

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Home | Blog | 12 Easy Entrepreneurship Activities For Any Class (Plus 3 Free Lessons)

12 Easy Entrepreneurship Activities For Any Class (Plus 3 Free Lessons)

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1. The Envelope Exercise

For this activity, print fake money and place small amounts in envelopes for individuals or small groups of students. You can choose to give everyone different amounts of money or keep it all equal. Explain that your students’ goal is to increase their investment — and in doing so, use the collaboration and critical thinking skills that are important in entrepreneurship.

Give students 20 to 30 minutes to brainstorm before having each individual or group share their ideas. Odds are high that they will be surprised by how easy it is for them to make money!

2. Defining Problems Exercise

Entrepreneurs find solutions to problems they see in the world . This means that the ability to clearly define problem s is important in entrepreneurship careers . To help students build this skill, s how them pictures that depict issues (like the one below) and ask them to define the problems they can see.   

White closet overflowing

Next, ask the students what information they would need to help define the problem better . They’ll want to start coming up with solutions right away but challenge them to focus on clearly defining the issue before trying to resolve it.   

3. Ready, Set, Design!

For this exercise, divide students into groups and give each group a challenge such as thinking of a new way to drink on the go or a new method of communication; keep the challenge open ended. Give each group a bag of everyday materials such as rubber bands, pipe cleaners, and foil. Have students design a product based on the challenge.   

After 15 minutes, have each group present their design and explain why that product meets the challenge. The point of this activity is to get students thinking creatively without getting hung up on the details.  

4. The StartUp Podcast

The StartUp podcast is excellent for sparking conversations about entrepreneurship in class. It illuminates important concepts revolving around entrepreneurial life. You can have students listen to an episode for homework and then facilitate a class discussion on what stood out to them in the episode.  

StartUp: A show about what it's really like to start a business

5. The Business Proposition

This activity will give students practice articulating a value proposition, which is a simple statement summarizing why a customer would choose your business or product. To get started, go over the definition of a value proposition and give students a brief faux business/product idea or have them come up with their own.   

Ask students to express their value proposition in a concise way. It may sound easy but keeping it brief can be challenging. This is a great exercise for helping students develop their entrepreneurial spirit.  

6. Wacky Ideas and 2-Minute Pitch

For this fun entrepreneurship activity, give students any two objects and have them brainstorm ways they can combine the objects into one invention. Then they must define the invention. Have them answer questions such as:  

  • What is it?  
  • What can it do?   
  • Who uses it?   
  • How could it be used differently?   

After defining the invention, students have two minutes to pitch it to the class. They should start by introducing themselves, the name of their company, and their invention. Once they’ve made their introductions, have them explain how their invention works and why people need it.  

Student pitching idea

7. Reverse Brainstorming

In reverse brainstorming exercises, you take a problem and try to make it worse. This process allows you consider perspectives you may not have thought of before. An example problem you can present to students may be that they’re trying to study in the library, but people are being too loud in the hallway.   

Next, ask students how they can make the situation worse such as opening the library door, so the hallway commotion is louder. For every idea they come up with for how to make the situation worse, they then must find a solution for the issue. Problem solving and creative thinking are highly valued entrepreneurship skills, and this activity focuses on building both.  

8. Entrepreneurship Videos

There are tons of short, free videos online discussing all aspects of entrepreneurship. You can play one at the beginning of class to introduce students to the topic of entrepreneurship careers or have them watch the videos as homework. Below are a few examples of short videos you can use.  

  • What is an Entrepreneur?  
  • Who Even is an Entrepreneur?  
  • The Best Advice for Entrepreneurs  

What's an entrepreneur?

9. Entrepreneurial Mindset Cards

There are 24 entrepreneurial mindset cards from venturelab that help your students build entrepreneurship skills. Y ou can print the cards or u se the random card generator on the site to play their suggested games or any other game that you come up with . One of their suggested games starts with dealing a card to each student . Then h av e them take turns reading the mindset definition and answering the question on the card.  

10. Pitch Challenge Toolkit

The P itch Challenge Toolkit is a free, five-lesson pitch challenge consisting of a simple set of activities to help your students learn entrepreneurship soft skills such as creativity, problem solving, critical thinking, and presentation skills. This is an excellent toolkit for developing workforce readiness skills for 21 st century careers , regardless of whether students pursue a career in entrepreneurship.  

Young entrepreneur pitch challenge

11. Free Entrepreneurship Lessons

Realityworks offers a free series of lessons focused on a variety of entrepreneurship-related topics which includes many of the activities mentioned above! These lessons will help teach students about what it’s like to be, think, and act like an entrepreneur. You can teach all three lessons together or choose which ones fit best in your class. These lessons offer an easy way to integrate a brief entrepreneurship program into any CTE course .  

Access your free entrepreneurship lessons

12. Realityworks Contemporary Entrepreneurship Program

Students using soft skills activity cards

Our ready-to-use Contemporary Entrepreneurship Program helps you create an engaging two-to-three-week unit all about entrepreneurship.

Through this program, students will learn how to be an entrepreneur, generate business/product ideas, conduct market research, consider legal and financial issues, and write their own business plan.  

Looking for more entrepreneurship teaching resources? We suggest these resources:  

  • Checking out this in-depth blog post all about our Contemporary Entrepreneurship Program  
  • Watching our webinar, “Best Practices for Integrating Entrepreneurship Into CTE Courses:”  

Best Practices for Integrating Entrepreneurship Into CTE Courses Webinar

  • And of course, don’t forget to download these three free entrepreneurship lessons .

2 thoughts on “ 12 Easy Entrepreneurship Activities For Any Class (Plus 3 Free Lessons) ”

Hello. I’m a CTE Business and Marketing instructor in Idaho and I’m very interested in purchasing the Contemporary Entrepreneurship course packet. Is it possible to get a quote and a copy of your company’s W9 so my school district can set you up as a vendor?

Thank you for reaching out, Sarah! We’d love to assist you. I will pass your information to our Account Services Team, who will reach out if they need anything more from you to provide the quote. If you have any questions, in the meantime, you can contact them anytime via email ([email protected]), phone (800-830-1416) or by live chatting on our website. Thank you! 🙂

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The Ultimate Guide to Business Education Lesson Plans

Looking for new lesson plans and ideas for your business education classes can overwhelm any teacher. Your plans are the foundation of your students’ learning experience, so you’re concerned about using the right resources to provide your students with the knowledge and skills they need.

With so much material to cover, course standards to meet, and little time to plan and prepare, you need to quickly find high-quality materials for your classes.

In our experience working with teachers like you, we’ve found four common reasons business teachers look for new lesson plans.

To help you find exactly what you need, click below to jump to information in this article that is most relevant to you:

  • I have no materials to teach my business classes.
  • My business curriculum is outdated.
  • My students aren’t engaged.
  • I need supplemental business lesson ideas.

In this guide, you’ll find some of the best places to refresh your lesson plans with resources that are up-to-date, engaging, and easy to implement. We’ll also discuss the consequences of continually looking for new lesson plans and resources and help ensure you always have quality business education resources at your fingertips. 

What To Do If You Have No Materials To Teach Your Business Classes

Your school is expanding its business education offerings, and you’re in charge of teaching a new course. Suddenly, you have the daunting responsibility of coming up with an entire curriculum on short notice, and you have no idea what materials your students will need to succeed. 

If you’re in this situation, the task before you can feel ominous and scary. If you aren’t able to find materials quickly enough, you run the risk of your class becoming a total disaster.

You want to locate enough exercises and activities to create lesson plans as soon as possible. And it’s essential to choose the right resources from the beginning. You’re not alone in feeling this way; many other teachers have been in the same situation. 

To help you get started, we’ll answer four common questions teachers have about building a business education curriculum: 

  • What Should I Consider Before I Get Started?
  • How Do I Create Effective Lessons?
  • What Materials Do Other Teachers Use?
  • How Do I Choose A Good Teaching Resource?

By understanding the answers to these questions, you’ll be able to effectively evaluate which materials are suitable for your business courses.

What To Consider Before Creating Lesson Plans and Building Your Business Curriculum

Before diving in and creating your lesson plans and curriculum , you should consider the big picture of what you are teaching and how you’ll achieve success. 

Three things to consider before building your business curriculum are:

  • Your course standards
  • Your students’ goals and outcomes
  • The teaching methods you will use

Below, you’ll learn why you should keep each of these in mind as you create your lesson plans.

Consideration 1: Your Course Standards

Before choosing what materials you want to use, the first step is knowing what you need to teach. The best place to start is your course standards, which are usually published by your state department of education or another accrediting body. Many business education course requirements are based on the National Business Education Association (NBEA) standards, which can be a great starting point for you to reference.

In addition, connect with your administrator or program coordinator for more information on your specific course requirements. When you look at the requirements you are responsible for meeting, you can gain a better understanding of the steps you need to take to meet your standards.

Remember, course standards are the most critical content you need to cover, so starting with your standards ensures your lessons prioritize the essentials.

Consideration 2: Your Students' Goals and Outcomes

After reviewing your standards, it’s critical to consider the student outcomes you want to achieve. Every task should be designed to move your students forward in the learning process.

One key objective in many business classrooms is preparing students for a certification test. Business certifications have become increasingly common and demonstrate the scope of a learner’s knowledge and skills in business.

Some common certifications teachers incorporate in business courses are:

  • Entrepreneurship and Small Business (ESB)
  • Communication Skills for Business (CSB)
  • Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS)
  • 21st Century Skills Assessment

If your students will take a certification exam, you need to ensure your lessons will set them up for success in preparing. Since you are responsible for tailoring your instruction to these certifications, it’s a good practice to think about how every unit, lesson, and activity connects to these learning goals.

Consideration 3: The Teaching Methods You Will Use

Once you determine what you need to teach, you should think about which teaching methods you plan to employ.

Some teaching methods commonly used by business teachers include:

  • Lecture-based instruction
  • Classroom discussions
  • Hands-on activities
  • Project-based learning
  • Student-led instruction
  • Formative assessments

Although it is possible to rely on a single type of instruction for the entirety of your class periods, this is usually not the most effective way to reach all of your students. Instead, teachers have found that when they include a variety of active-learning exercises and techniques, they can better enhance their students’ learning process.

Overall, the methods you want to incorporate can help you determine what materials to use when building your business curriculum. The exact elements you choose for your lessons will depend on the type of course you are teaching, your standards, and the particular needs of your students.

How Do I Create Effective Business Lessons?

Now you know what you want to keep in mind when building your curriculum. But you might be wondering how you actually go about creating good business lessons. In this section, you’ll learn how you can make lessons that set your students up for success.

Fundamentally, a good business lesson is one that successfully communicates and reinforces critical concepts to ensure every student learns and grows within your class.

Educators often have different perspectives on how to quantify a good lesson, but ultimately the best lessons effectively engage students and help them master the course material.

Thankfully for teachers and students, there is not just one type of good lesson. Instead, an adept educator uses blended learning to provide effective instruction to students.

Blended learning strategies combine time-honored classroom learning techniques with digital resources. By engaging learners in different ways, blended learning helps students better retain and master course material over time.

Here are a few different types of lessons business education teachers can use to provide quality, varied instruction to their students:

  • Teach compelling class lectures that engage students during their initial period of learning course material.
  • Once students are familiar with the concepts of a particular unit, use discussion periods to allow learners to consider course material and ask questions.
  • Create compelling lessons using interactive exercises that prompt students to immerse themselves in the course material further.
  • Institute learning games and review exercises to reinforce knowledge and prepare for course exams.
  • Implement a curriculum system to teach fundamental concepts, and reinforce that information in class lectures to further solidify student understanding.

Mixing instructional methods can help you reach students with different needs and learning preferences. By using active learning techniques instead of relying solely on passive learning situations, you can help your students better comprehend content throughout an entire unit.

Regularly varying the type of lessons you employ helps create an environment where course material is reinforced, and every student can succeed.

When implemented successfully, blended learning strategies can foster a highly effective learning environment for students.

Want to learn more about blended learning? Download this free guide to find four strategies you can easily implement in your classes. Discover Strategies to Implement Blended Learning >

What Materials Do Other Teachers Use When Building Their Business Lessons?

When looking for new business education materials, it’s common to wonder what other teachers use. Business teachers like you find success with several different types of resources. 

The most popular types of business education teaching materials are:

  • Supplemental Materials
  • Digital Curriculum

Below, we’ll discuss the pros and cons of each one to help you determine which is right for your needs.

Business Education Textbooks

Textbooks are a reliable option for teachers who want a complete curriculum they can follow for an entire course. With a textbook, you have access to complete lesson content for students along with related assignments and activities. Many textbooks also include a teacher’s edition with lesson plans to guide your instruction and engage students.

The biggest drawback of using a textbook is that your text eventually becomes outdated. Some teachers have also found that their students perform best when they augment textbook resources with supplemental exercises and activities. For technology-related topics in particular, educators have discovered that they need to look beyond a traditional text.

However, textbooks remain incredibly valuable in providing teachers with everything they need to teach their courses, making them a great fit for many business classrooms.

Supplemental Business Education Teaching Resources

Supplemental materials play a significant role in many business education classrooms. These resources often take the form of individual lessons or activity ideas found on forums or marketplaces like Teachers Pay Teachers (TpT) . Teachers often turn to supplementary material to add to their existing curriculum or construct lesson plans from scratch.

The biggest strength of supplemental resources is that they allow teachers to have maximum control over the content of their courses. An adept educator can bring together outstanding resources from various providers to create an excellent learning experience for students. 

Teachers who want to build a business education course or program that uniquely meets their standards have been highly successful with supplemental materials. On the other hand, it can be very time-consuming to assemble lesson plans, activities, and assessments using supplementary materials. Doing so requires a substantial commitment from teachers to create the curriculum they need.

Digital Business Education Curriculum

A third option many instructors choose for their business education classes is digital curriculum. A digital curriculum system is a software based blended learning option that saves teachers time while providing a variety of teaching materials. 

Digital curriculum allows teachers to save time with planning and grading by providing a comprehensive set of teaching materials. It’s also adaptable to a blended learning environment, allowing teachers to make the most out of valuable classroom time while using technology to engage students with course content. Digital curriculum is also continually updated, keeping course content current with changing standards and technological innovations.

One of the drawbacks of digital curriculum is that although it can allow for more flexibility than some textbooks, it lacks the complete customizability of using supplemental resources. However, it can be the right fit for teachers who want a continuously updated curriculum to meet their students’ needs.

How Do I Choose a Good Teaching Resource?

Choosing teaching resources for your students is paramount to your work as a business educator. With textbooks, supplemental materials, and digital curriculum each having their pros and cons, you may be concerned that you are making the right choices.

Which teaching resources are right for your learners will depend on several factors. Consider what types of materials your students find engaging, the amount of time you have to teach a particular topic, and the issues you must cover to satisfy your course standards. You’ll also want to consider how all of your teaching materials fit together to create your course curriculum.

Just as there are many different subjects you may teach in your business classes, there are plenty of reputable providers you can turn to for quality lesson plans and activities.

Ready to build your business curriculum? Jump ahead to popular teaching resources for common business education topics you can use right now. Find Business Lessons for My Classes >

What To Do If Your Business Education Curriculum is Outdated

If you’re new to teaching business education in your school, you may have inherited lesson plans and teaching materials left by a previous instructor. It’s always great when departing teachers leave materials behind for the next instructor. However, not all of this content may be current or relevant to your students today.

Chances are, if you’ve been using an older curriculum, some or all of the material is outdated. The lesson plans may refer to software that your school no longer uses or emphasize aspects of business that no longer align with your standards. Either way, you’ll need to update your curriculum, or you and your students could face the consequences of outdated materials.

What are the Consequences of Outdated Materials?

An outdated business curriculum can have severe consequences for your students’ success in learning information and performing at their best on exams and certifications.

If you’re teaching with outdated materials, it may result in one or more of these issues in your classes:

  • Students who receive outdated or inaccurate information might not pass certification tests that will help them in their careers.
  • If students tell others they think your course is dated or irrelevant, enrollment in your program could drop.
  • Dated materials may not align with new course standards, resulting in not hitting your teaching requirements.

With such high stakes for you and your students, it’s paramount that every classroom uses current, accurate, and relevant resources.

How Do I Even Begin to Fix My Outdated Business Lessons?

When facing outdated lesson plans, you might find the task of improving them to be daunting and even stress-inducing. Where do you even start?

The first step to revising or replacing outdated content is to audit the amount of material that is genuinely outdated. A simple way to do this is to look at your entire curriculum for each course you teach.

When conducting a curriculum audit , review your materials to see how your lessons have been affected and note whenever:

  • Your content no longer meets course standards
  • Your content is inaccurate or irrelevant
  • The technology in your classroom has changed

Surveying these signs of outdated educational resources is an effective way to ensure every unit in your classes is relevant and ready for teaching.

As you complete your audit, note every time your resources include dated information. Use your best judgment to determine whether an example or activity is relevant to your current students.

What Do I Do if Only a Small Portion of My Lessons Are Outdated?

After you’ve finished auditing your curriculum, you may discover that only a few of your lessons are out of date. Most of your curriculum is ready for your students, but there are places you can tweak your lessons to make sure they are current.

In this case, you can easily address your problem by finding replacement lessons for material that is no longer up to date. When you locate new, timely lesson plans, you can integrate them into your curriculum to seamlessly bring your course up to date.

This technique is also helpful when you experience minor changes to your course standards. You can simply locate quality lesson plans to cover new standards and add them to your existing instructional materials.

Need a few lessons to replace your existing ones? Jump ahead to popular business education lessons you can use to replace your outdated content. Find New Business Lessons for My Classes >

What Do I Do if Most of My Business Lessons Are Outdated?

Replacing outdated course content can be overwhelming for many teachers, but it’s important to find resources that provide what your students need. When you’ve finished reviewing your lesson plans, if you find that all or most of your materials have become outdated, you should consider a more comprehensive solution to replace your dated curriculum.

If the majority of your materials are outdated, the most straightforward way to bring your content up to date is to replace your curriculum entirely.

A brand new curriculum will provide content that adheres to the latest standards, engages students with relevant examples, and saves teachers the time it takes to assemble their coursework by themselves.

Teachers have seen success updating their lessons with a variety of new curriculum options. Two of the most common types of business curriculum are textbooks and digital curriculum systems. Both provide teachers with ample resources to teach business education courses and can help any teacher provide a more up-to-date, comprehensive curriculum.

Wondering whether textbooks or digital curriculum is right for you? Download your free comparison guide to find out.   Digital Curriculum vs. Textbooks: Which Is Right for You? >

business-education-lesson-plans-student-engagement

What To Do If Your Business Lessons Aren't Engaging

You know the struggle of dealing with students who aren’t engaged. You’ve worked hard to prepare for class and are teaching with as much energy and enthusiasm as you can muster. But your students simply aren’t responding. You’re met with blank stares, glances at the clock, and worst of all, dead silence. These are situations that every teacher dreads, and when it happens in your business education classes, it’s easy to feel embarrassed and unsure of what to do next.

Why Is Student Engagement Important?

Student engagement is essential to your classroom. Students who are alert and attentive participate more often, learn more thoroughly, and perform better on exams. When learners engage with your material, you can have more confidence that they comprehend and will remember valuable insights that will help them both now and in the future.

On the contrary, disengaged students miss out on valuable learning through everyday engagement with your course material. When they can’t focus and don’t contribute to discussions, students can’t reinforce the course material in ways that retain knowledge and skills.

Even worse, if your course is seen as boring, your enrollment numbers could decline and result in challenges with your program’s growth.

Ultimately, engaged students are more likely to be successful and ready for future learning and career opportunities.

How Do I Keep My Business Students Engaged?

If you notice that student engagement is dropping in your classes, you’ll want to grab their attention as quickly as possible. 

For a quick fix to your engagement challenges, try one of these student engagement strategies for business classes :

  • Use relatable situations and examples that feel relevant to students’ everyday life. Choosing examples students understand makes learners more likely to feel as though they have agency in the learning process and contribute to class discussions.
  • Promote active learning over passive learning to encourage students to get involved in classroom activities. Dynamic learning exercises help reinforce course concepts through differentiated instruction and allow students to better connect with the material.
  • Add role-play activities to mix things up and help students engage creatively with course material while developing critical soft skills. Students can develop public speaking, interviewing, and customer service skills, all while participating in fun classroom exercises.
  • Incorporate project-based learning into your program so students can create original ideas and express themselves. Projects help students reinforce content learned in class while working as individuals or groups.
  • Use a "hook",  also known as an anticipatory set, to get students' attention. There are many forms this can take, but one of the most tried and true is to begin class by sharing a story that both interests students and primes them for the lesson of the day.
  • Deliver lessons through multimedia to engage your students' senses on several different levels. Combining images, words, and sounds in a meaningful way can foster a deeper learning in students than simply having them read from a textbook. 
  • Try blended learning as a way to incorporate digital and traditional teaching methods. Blended learning allows students to get the most out of classroom time while using technology to learn and retain critical information.

While these strategies can help you boost engagement in the moment, if you find yourself constantly looking for new ideas and activities, chances are that your curriculum might be letting you down.

The best remedy to keeping your students active in your class is teaching from material that is engaging and relevant. Still, when you use more relevant and captivating resources, you won’t have to do as many things in your day-to-day instruction to boost student engagement.

If your material is compelling to your students, you won’t need to do as many extra things to boost engagement in your classroom. This is why it’s important to make sure you have the right curriculum resources for your classes! 

Where to Find Business Education Lesson Plans and Curriculum Resources

As a business educator, there is a good chance that you need to teach a wide variety of topics. Since business education encompasses many important subject areas, you might be concerned about finding the right lesson plans for all of the concepts you need to cover. Thankfully, there are many great resources available for teaching classes in your business program.

Below, you’ll find popular resources to help you teach 12 common business education topics:

  • Business Law
  • Career Readiness and Exploration
  • Communication
  • Computer Applications
  • Digital Literacy and Citizenship
  • Entrepreneurship
  • International Business
  • Personal Finance

Keep reading to find quality, engaging business education lesson plans for your courses!

Accounting Lessons

Accounting is one of the most common business education classes for high school students and a popular college major in the business career cluster. We often get questions from teachers about what accounting exercises and activities we would recommend for their students.

Refer to this article to find details about popular resources you can use: Top 3 Accounting Lesson Plans for High School . In this post, you’ll find details about three free, quality sources for accounting lessons, including the specific topics covered by each.

If you want a resource on accounting principles that you can use right now, download this free accounting lesson plan . This resource features presentation slides and speaker notes and can be used easily with your current accounting materials.

And if you teach in the middle school space, another article to check out is: 4 Best Accounting Lessons Plans for Middle and High School , which should cover many of your bases. 

Business Law Lessons

Business law is a topic that can provide valuable knowledge and skills for students aspiring to careers in the business world. Although it’s a broad topic area, introducing students to business law concepts and principles can help them prepare for management, finance, and legal compliance jobs.

This article addresses some of the top business law lesson plans for high school . These lesson plans are helpful for teachers who want to give their students context on different aspects of the legal system as it pertains to business, including tort law and criminal law.

If you need materials to teach business law, check out these resources to see if one would work for your course.

Career Readiness and Exploration Lessons

One of the first steps for business education students is learning about career development. Career development, which includes career exploration and career readiness, is essential to ensuring students are aware of work opportunities and the skills and qualities they will need to achieve their goals.

If you’re teaching career exploration to a younger audience, check out the best career exploration lesson plans for middle school . These resources introduce students to the possibilities of working in various careers and will help inspire them to dream big in their work aspirations.

In addition, these career readiness lesson plans will help your students learn what today’s employers are looking for and how they can achieve their goals. Teachers can also scaffold these resources to students at different grade levels to provide an optimal learning experience.

If you want a free resource that you can use right now, download this career exploration lesson plan and activity . It includes guidance to help students identify possible career choices as well as the steps necessary to achieve their goals.

Communication Lessons

Fluent communication skills are essential for individuals seeking business success. Developing these skills early on ensures that students have the best possible opportunity to rise to the occasion and prove their value to potential employers.

Finding resources to teach these skills isn’t easy, but other teachers have discovered this same problem and created valuable resources for teaching communication in the classroom. This post includes the 3 Best Resources to Teach Communication Skills in High School. Each resource comes complete with lesson plans, activities, and materials you need to teach communication.

If you’re teaching younger learners, the 3 Best Communication Lesson Plans for Middle School will help acquaint your students with the fundamentals of good communication.

Computer Applications Lessons

Some business teachers need to include computer applications in their curriculum. Understanding basic computer applications allows your students to be prepared for the many computing tasks they will often be required to complete as part of their education and future jobs.

If you’re looking for general computer applications resources, the 5 Best Computer Applications Lesson Plans for High School feature teaching plans for an array of age-appropriate applications.

However, you may need something more specific to the suite of computer applications your students are using.

If you’re searching for content specific to teaching Google Apps, here are Google Applications Lesson Plans Every Teacher Should Own .

If you need materials for Microsoft Office applications, check out the 4 Best Microsoft Office Curriculum Resources for Middle and High School .

Digital Literacy and Citizenship Lessons

Digital literacy is an increasingly important topic for teaching students discernment in a world full of media content and conflicting ideas. 

You can help your students develop appropriate skills for evaluating information online with resources in this article: How to Teach Digital Literacy Skills .

In addition, these digital citizenship lesson plans empower students to learn effective digital communication, combat cyberbullying, and maintain their privacy online.

Economics Lessons

There’s a good reason why economics is one of the most popular business education subjects taught in today’s high schools. An appreciation for the greater economic system is pivotal in helping students become competent money managers in their professional lives.

If you need more materials to teach this topic, look into the Top 3 Economics Lessons for High School . 

These lesson plans are perfect for educators looking for ways to introduce students to the fundamentals of macroeconomics and microeconomics. They also include roleplay scenarios and online learning features.

Entrepreneurship Lessons

Entrepreneurship is a popular elective in high school business programs. When you teach entrepreneurship, you can encourage your students to follow their aspirations in business through understanding the unique role and challenges of the entrepreneur.

There are some great resources out there to help teach entrepreneurship in your classes. To begin, check out the 4 Best Entrepreneurship Lesson Plans for High School . These materials range from simple lessons to cover just a couple of class days to more robust curriculum designed to last an entire course.

If you’re looking for additional resources, be sure to check out these additional entrepreneurship lesson plans . Each of these lessons will help you think outside the box and teach entrepreneurial skills to your students in a creative way.

International Business Lessons

Increasingly, high school teachers are looking for plans to teach international business to their students. The way business happens on a global scale is changing, and you need up-to-date information to keep your classes current.

This post provides five places to find international business lesson plans for high school . Inside, you’ll find reviews of resources that teach important international business concepts, such as international management, ethics and social responsibility, cultural differences, and etiquette.

These lesson plans come with interactive case studies, websites, exercises, and simulations to keep your students attentive and engaged.

Leadership Lessons

Leadership, including related capabilities such as communication, character, worth ethic, and critical thinking, is one of the most important qualities to cultivate in business students. While skilled managers help to run businesses, true leaders help them thrive and bring them to new heights. 

There are strong leadership lesson plans out there to help you teach this essential topic to your business students. Included are activities, handouts, teacher's guides, and other materials to help you implement this instruction in your classroom. 

With these resources, your students will both learn about and practice leadership skills so that they can guide a new generation of businesspeople to success. 

Management Lessons

Agile and perceptive management is an essential element of every thriving business. Developing sound management skills at an early age helps students prepare for work in business and sets them up to be respected and admired leaders.

Management is also one of the most common topics instructors need to cover in high school business courses. Unfortunately, it can sometimes be hard to find materials that learners find relevant and engaging. To help, we’ve brought together the top business management lesson plans for high school . Each of these resources includes detailed outlines and techniques for effectively teaching management to a young audience.

If you want help teaching effective leadership, the 4 Best Leadership Lesson Plans for High School reviews quality resources for developing student leaders. These lessons allow students to explore the qualities of a good leader and encourage them to cultivate these qualities in their own lives.

Marketing Lessons

Marketing can be one of the most exciting business subjects for students when taught in an engaging manner. Many teachers are searching for new methods for teaching marketing to pique the interest of their students.

The 7 Best Marketing Lesson Plans and Projects for High School include teaching materials ranging from supplemental marketing lessons to full-fledged marketing courses. When you read the article, you’ll learn more about each option to determine if one is suitable for your students.

Another excellent resource for marketing lesson plans is CTE Online, a career and technical education curriculum provider. CTE Online offers a 180-hour marketing course for teachers looking to cover the subject over an entire academic year.

If you teach the basics of marketing and want a lesson to use immediately, download this free principles of marketing lesson presentation . This free resource features prepared slides and speaker notes that discuss customer relationships, market segments, the value of marketing, and more.

Personal Finance Lessons

Middle school is the perfect time to begin instructing learners about responsible money management. Knowing how to manage personal finances is critical to helping students become sound money managers who have the foundations for financially solvent lives.

The best personal finance lessons for middle school feature complete resources to educate students about money management, credit, loans, and even consumer privacy.

If you're looking for more a robust curriculum, check out these financial literacy curriculum options for middle school .

Professionalism Lessons

Whether it's learning how to dress, how to be approachable, or how to make a good first impression, professionalism is a critical skill in the modern job market. Learning the strategies to thrive in a professional environment will benefit students almost no matter what field they choose to go into. 

Often, professionalism lesson plans can be tough to find, since they're usually focused on training new employees rather than high school students. If you're looking for some robust ones, though, these high school professionalism lesson plans will help you teach concepts like teamwork, communication, bringing the right attitude, and even having a good wardrobe. 

If you're looking for a quick lesson to teach this topic, check out this free downloadable professionalism lesson plan and activity . It includes resources like instructions, scenarios for students, and discussion questions. 

Consequences of Focusing Solely on Business Education Lesson Plans

In the section above, we looked at resources for the most common topics  teachers like you cover in their business education courses. Whether you’re teaching a new topic area or updating your content with something new and more engaging, any of these resources could be just what you need to fill a gap in your curriculum.

These supplemental resources are perfect for teachers looking to solve particular problems with their curriculum, but they aren’t a comprehensive solution. 

Have you found yourself searching for additional lesson plans, again and again, to meet an immediate need in your classroom? Did you complete an audit of your curriculum only to discover that most of your materials have become irrelevant and out of date?

If so, continually searching for new lesson plans, activities, and other classroom materials may be costing you more than you realize.

consequences-for-business-teachers

Three of the biggest consequences of constantly looking for new lesson plans are:

  • Spending your nights and weekends scrambling for new materials
  • Struggling to create a cohesive learning experience for your students
  • Discovering your favorite materials are outdated or no longer available

Consider the number of hours you’ve spent navigating the internet in search of replacement resources, only to use more time integrating your newfound content into your existing lesson plans.

Lost time strains your ability to handle other expectations like grading and working individually with students. You might also find yourself with less time to spend with your family or rest outside of school.

In addition to consuming a significant amount of time, we’ve heard from teachers who’ve shared other challenges in relying on supplemental resources to build their curriculum.

When students receive lessons and assessments from a variety of sources, they can experience a lack of instructional continuity within the course. This can be quite jarring when instructors jump around from various resources on a weekly or daily basis, leaving students confused about the most essential concepts of the class.

Other teachers have become disappointed and frustrated that the resources they’ve relied on suddenly become outdated, leaving them to replace these resources on an individual basis.

When tried-and-true resources aren’t current, or are no longer available on the internet, you’re left to search again. This cycle of replacing even the best supplemental resources can repeat itself, costing you even more time when you can least afford to spend it.

Ultimately, lesson plans only constitute the tip of the iceberg for supplying your business students with a comprehensive curriculum that will help them learn and grow. You also need effective projects, course assessments, discussion sections, and other resources to truly have a curriculum that meets your standards and keeps your students engaged.

To provide students with everything they need while saving yourself time and energy, consider a solution that will keep all of your curriculum current and engaging.

Overcome Your Challenges as a Business Education Teacher

Are you tired of searching for new lessons week after week, only to feel overwhelmed with your other responsibilities as a teacher?

Want to feel less overwhelmed and spend more time helping your students succeed? There are many strategies to help you do just that.

Read this free guide to discover how to overcome five common challenges:

  • Satisfying Your Course Standards
  • Meeting Diverse Student Needs
  • Keeping Students Engaged
  • Balancing Technology in the Classroom
  • Spending Too Much Time Planning and Grading

Overcome Your Teaching Challenges

Money Prodigy

23+ Free Entrepreneur Lesson Plans (Projects, Worksheets, etc.)

By: Author Amanda L. Grossman

Posted on Last updated: December 14, 2022

Need free entrepreneurship curriculum, lesson plans, and projects? Here’s entrepreneur lesson plans for high school, middle school, and elementary.

group of tweens working together, text overlay

So, you’re looking for entrepreneur lesson plans to help turn your kids or students into the innovators of tomorrow.

And not just to make them into entrepreneurs, but to benefit your kids and students with the following results of teaching entrepreneurship :

  • Improved academic performance
  • Increased problem-solving and decision-making capabilities
  • Improved interpersonal relationships
  • Higher self-esteem

But, exactly how are you supposed to teach entrepreneurship?

Entrepreneurs, among other qualities, need to be able to recognize opportunities in the marketplace. This means finding a need, and figuring out how to solve that need in a profitable way.

This can be as simple as a kidpreneur/kidpreneurship (or kidpreneur-in-the-making) opening a lemonade stand on a smoldering July day near a construction site, and as complicated as creating a machine knob specifically for tea growers in Japan.

And having this ability doesn’t have to result in a person starting their own business; it works equally as well for your child if they work for someone else in the form of more merit raises, one-time bonuses for one-off projects, promotions, leverage in salary negotiations, etc.

In fact, the skill of recognizing an opportunity, and seizing it by writing my own job description resulted in me snagging my first job out of college (worth an awesome $40,000 + benefits to me at the time). More on that in a bit.

What are the other skills a child needs to learn to help them as an entrepreneur?

Psst: you’ll also want to check out my resource list of youth entrepreneurship programs , entrepreneur biographies for kids , kid entrepreneur kits , and full review of the Teen Entrepreneur Toolbox . 

Article Content

How Do You Teach Entrepreneurship?

Teaching entrepreneurship is a bit trickier than, say, teaching algebra. With algebra, the equations come out with the same solutions, every time. But with entrepreneurship?

There are an endless number of variables that go into it, and an endless number of outcomes that can come out of it.

How are you supposed to teach for that?

One of the best ways to teach entrepreneurship is to choose entrepreneurial projects, activities, and lesson plans that aim at nurturing these entrepreneur skills:

  • Ability to identify opportunities
  • Self confidence
  • At least basic knowledge of business finances/financial literacy
  • Knows how to take measured risk
  • Vision and creativity

Elementary School Entrepreneurship Curriculum

Excited to start teaching your elementary school-aged kids about entrepreneurship? Let me share some entrepreneurship lesson plans, resources, and curriculum with you.

Also, check out these 3 kid business plan examples .

1. Venture Lab

Who It’s For : Grades 1-12

Financial Aid : ( Free for non-commercial use ) Curriculum that organizations can purchase to use with students

Length of Program : 90-minute lessons

Location : N/A

Venture Lab offers a curriculum suited for 1st – 12th graders (curriculum is divided into lower elementary, upper elementary, and middle school/high school.) This is a course in a box with all of the lesson plans already completed and is meant to be utilized as part of regular coursework, after school programs, or camps.

Its focus is on teaching girls components of entrepreneurship such as STEAM concepts and design thinking.

2. Money Monsters Start their Own Business

Who It’s For : 4th – 8th grade

Students will read through the Money Monsters Start their Own Business book (PDF provided – 51 pages), and then play a game that has them experience the ups and downs of starting a business.

I love how a Toy Store Income Tracker is included so that each student can track their own earnings and see the numbers for themselves.

Psst: you’ll also want to check out Federal Reserve Bank’s webinar on teaching kids entrepreneurship , which will give you some lesson plan ideas. 

Starting a Business Lesson Plans for Middle School

Do you want to teach your middle school kid (or student) how to start a business, and you need a lesson plan? I’ve actually created a Take Your Child to Work Day printable which will give you lots of ideas for your starting a business lesson plan.

More middle school business lesson plans for how to start a business (all free):

  • Federal Reserve Bank’s Jay Starts a Business (Grades 3-6; comes with teacher’s manual with lesson plans)
  • Free Kid Business Plan Templates
  • Biz Kid’s Crash Course on Entrepreneurship for Middle School
  • EverFI’s Venture Entrepreneurial Expedition (for grades 7-10).
  • Small Business Administration’s Young Entrepreneurs course
  • Foundation for Economic Education’s Booms and Busts , What is Entrepreneurship? , What is the Entrepreneur’s Role in Creating Value? , etc. (students can earn a Certificate of Achievement)
  • TeenBusiness’s Entrepreneur Lesson Videos series
  • Parade of Entrepreneurs Lesson Plan
  • Lemonade Stand Worksheets , and my best Lemonade Stand Ideas
Psst: Try holding a market day in your class. Here are 22 things for kids to make and sell , 17 boy crafts to sell , and help pricing their products in this market day lesson plan .

Teaching Entrepreneurship to High School Students – Free Entrepreneurship Curriculum

There are some great curriculum and materials out there for teaching entrepreneurship in high school, many of which include entrepreneur worksheets for students.

Psst: you also might want to check out these 5 business books for teens , and 11 business games for students .

1. Alison’s Entrepreneurial Skills Path

Who It’s For : Business students, and people interested in learning about creating a business

Financial Aid : Free

Length of Program : 6 lessons, each between 1 and 3 hours

Alison is a free, online platform with tons of courses, and one of the paths you can go down is an entrepreneurial skills one.

Teachers of the courses include venture capitalists, professors at Harvard, and professional entrepreneurs.

Lessons include:

  • Characteristics of the Successful Entrepreneur
  • Critical Skills for Entrepreneurs
  • Creating an Entrepreneur’s Checklist for Success
  • Entrepreneurship – Creating the Business
  • Key Elements of Entrepreneurial Success
  • Why Entrepreneurs Should Think Big

2. Youth Entrepreneurs

Who It’s For : Students

Financial Aid : Schools pay for this program, with the cost based on how many students get free and reduced lunches

Length of Program : 1 year

With this program, students first focus on economics, then they focus on starting their own businesses.

3. Diamond Challenge Business Curriculum

Who It’s For : Kids and teens

Length of Program : 14 modules

Looking for a video business curriculum with instructional guides? The Diamond Challenge’s program covers the following:

  • What is Entrepreneurship?
  • Opportunity Recognition
  • Opportunity Screening
  • Types of Businesses
  • Building a Business like a Scientist
  • Using a Business Model Canvas

They also offer a Social Curriculum track that’s 6 video modules long, including:

  • What is Social Entrepreneurship?
  • Wicked Problems and Grand Challenges
  • Social Entrepreneurship Processes and Challenges

4. INCubateredu

Who It’s For : 10th and 12th graders

Financial Aid : Free (at schools where it’s available)

Length of Program : 1 year (followed by acceleratoredu for the 2nd year)

Through Uncharted Learning’s program, 10 th to 12 th graders develop their own business, pitch their idea ta a shark-tank style event, and even have a chance at receiving funding.

5. JA BE Entrepreneurial®

Who It’s For : Grades 9-12

Financial Aid : Free for students

Length of Program : 7, 45-minute sessions

Location : Anywhere

Through your child’s school, they can take Junior Achievement’s Entrepreneurial program. The course teaches students how to create a business plan, plus how to start a venture.

Lessons covered include:

  • What’s My Business?
  • Who’s My Customer?
  • What’s My Advantage?
  • Competitive Advantages
  • Ethics are Good for Business
  • The Business Plan

6. JA Company Program Blended Model

Length of Program : 13 classes (2 hours/class), or as a 1-year program with 26 classes (1 hour/class)

Location : Anywhere (online course)

This is an online program that teaches high schoolers how to solve a problem/fill a need in their community through entrepreneurship.

  • Start a Business
  • Vet the Venture
  • Create a Structure
  • Launch the Business!
  • Run the Business

7. The Mint’s Be Your Own Boss

Who It’s For : Teens

Length of Program : 3 lessons

Starting with the Be Your Own Boss Challenge , The Mint takes your teen through the following three lesson:

  • Planning Your Business
  • Money & Your Business
  • The Law & Your Business

8. Wharton High School’s Entrepreneurship

Who It’s For : High School students

Length of Program : 50+ lesson plans

These lesson plans go through the following:

  • Entrepreneurs and Entrepreneurial Opportunities
  • Global Markets
  • Business Plans

9. YE$ Youth Entrepreneurship

Who It’s for : high school students

Cost : Free

Location : Anywhere (it’s a PDF)

Here’s a free PDF with tons of entrepreneur lesson plans and research done for educators, that is meant to go along with a 4-H program. You’ll find some nuggets in here, plus, it’s free!

Now let’s take a look at entrepreneurial projects that can teach your kids and teens all about starting a business with hands-on experiences.

10. Build a Business Plan

Who It’s For : Middle School and High School

Location : Anywhere (online)

Check out this plug n’ play business plan creator! You could send your students to this page to work through a business idea of theirs.

Then, at the end, they can print out their business plan!

Questions they’ll need to answer include:

  • Your big idea
  • Who will buy
  • How you’ll spend and make money

Entrepreneur Worksheets for Students

While I would recommend taking on one of the projects below, or one of the hands-on lesson plans from above, there are also entrepreneur worksheets students can use to learn about businesses.

Here’s a few of my favorites (all free):

  • Lemonade Stand Free Printables (here’s my best lemonade stand ideas , too)
  • Lemonade Stand Worksheets
  • Family Guide to Getting a Family Business Going (kid-centered)
  • Small Business Administration’s Lean Startup Business Plan
  • Take your students through the DECA Idea Challenge (you’ll need to pick your own everyday item to challenge students with, as the competition has ended for the year)
  • Take your students through the DECA Entrepreneur of Tomorrow Challenge (again, the competition is over, but the PDF is still available for you to set up your own)
Psst: you might want to check out my review on the Teen Entrepreneur Toolbox .

2 Entrepreneurial Projects – What is an Entrepreneurial Project?

Entrepreneurial projects are a smart way to teach entrepreneurship to kids, because, as with any project, it gives them a chance to dive deeper into a topic that interest them (all under the guise of teaching them how to start and run a business).

Entrepreneur Project #1: Winter Beverage Outdoor Tasting Contest

It’s soooooo easy to sit inside all winter long and slowly accumulate cabin fever (plus a few pounds). That’s why you’ve got to look for fun things to do in the winter.

Well today? We’re going to switch things up. I’ve created a family date night for you ( family winter activities !) that has both an indoor AND an outdoor component.

But don’t worry – with this fun winter activity we’ll keep things toasty throughout.

So, what’s the game plan? Each of your kid(dos) will make (rather,  create ) a warm winter beverage recipe  indoors . Then here’s the twist: you’re going to host a family taste testing contest around your fire pit in the backyard.

Not only will this make a fun family memory, but your kid(dos) will actually walk away with more money knowledge in the process centered around the all-important lesson of how to make a profit!

Psst: Now that’s a money lesson I could have used as a kid, specifically as I’ve gone into biz for myself as an adult.

Host a Winter Beverage Outdoor Taste Testing

Finding fun things to do in the winter doesn’t have to mean you’re freezing your tootsies off. There’s nothing better to keep you warm outdoors in the wintertime than a toasty drink. Well, a toasty drink around a roaring fire.

Here’s how it’s going down:

Step #1: Choose an Event Date

Build the anticipation for your family by choosing a date 1 to 2 weeks out (so that there’s time for you guys to complete the rest of the prep work).

Fill out the invitation on Page 1 of the free printable, and display prominently on your family’s bulletin board/gathering center in the kitchen so everyone knows the date of the big event.

Set the stage for the competition by having your family read their mission out loud. Other cool factors you can add in: make it a Friday or Saturday family date night, under the stars. Let the kids stay up a little past bedtime to complete.

Step #2: Your Kid(dos) Research Hot Drink Ideas to Enter into the Competition

Your kids are the ones entering the competition. They’ll be in the driver seat of actually creating their own recipe from scratch (with some inspiration from below).

There are lots of toasty, kid-friendly drink recipe ideas to get them started:

  • Hot caramel apple cider
  • Vanilla steamer with cinnamon
  • Harry Potter Warm Butterbeer

They’ll get lots of help not only from looking up recipe examples on sites like Pinterest, but also from the worksheet in the free printable (Page 2).

Step #3: Shop for the Ingredients

Once your budding restaurant consultant has determined possible ingredients they’ll need for their signature drink, they’ll need you, Mama Bear, to purchase them.

Take the list your kid(dos) have created and go to the store (solo, or with them) to make the purchases.

Having trouble coming up with a pool of possible ingredients to buy? Use the lists below for inspiration of what to pick up (a few of these ingredients you probably already have at home) and let your kids create what they can from it:

  • Bases : hot cocoa, apple cider, chai tea, milk
  • Flavors : cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract, flavor syrups
  • Sweeteners : sugar, brown sugar, caramel
  • Creamers : milk, half & half, almond milk, heavy cream, etc.
  • Top-offs : whipped cream, caramel sauce, orange peels for zesting

Save your store receipt, as your kid(dos) will need this information to price their drinks later on.

Step #4: Your Kid(dos) Tinker + Perfect their Drink

Using the purchased ingredients as well as anything in your home they can find, host a kitchen lab session where your kid(dos) tinker with ingredients and perfect their super-secret, signature recipes (talk about fun things to do in the winter inside!).

They’ll write down the exact portion sizes to each ingredient that they use as they go along, which is important for the next step.

Step #5: Your Kid(dos) Figure Out the Profit Margin of their Signature Drink

Remember, the goal is to create a new drink for this restaurant that not only costs less than $5, but has at least a 60% profit margin for the owner.

Ahem: between you and me, that means their cost needs to come in under $2.00.

So, as your kid tinkers with ingredients, they need to keep price in mind.

Note: this step can seem a bit unwieldy, but is SO important for the whole process. Just know – I’m outlining both how to do this all by hand, as well as giving you shortcuts to online calculators where your kid(dos) will still learn the process by setting up the inputs and thinking through how it all fits together.

Of course, we’re not talking about the cost of the entire ingredient that you’ve purchased. After all, it’s unlikely they’ll use an entire carton of milk to create one drink. We’re talking about the small portion size that they used of the product.

In other words, they’re not going to get the cost of a single drink they’ve created from your grocery store receipt as it is now. They need to do some calculating based on the measurements of each ingredient that goes into each drink.

You need to know how much it costs to create just ONE of your super-secret signature drinks so that you can calculate the profit margin.

What’s a profit margin? It’s the percentage of what you keep as profit from each $1.00. For example, a 20% profit margin means that we earn $0.20 on every dollar. That means that the other 80% or $0.80 are expenses. Remember that Jack, the man from The Yeti Slide, needs a 60% profit margin, or $0.60 on each dollar in profit after expenses are taken out.

Step #1: Write down your ingredients + quantities.

Step #2: Convert each quantity in your recipe to the quantity on the product label.

Divide your ingredients up by dry ones (like cocoa powder), and wet ones (like heavy cream or vanilla extract).

Then use the appropriate table below to convert the amount in your recipe to the amount that’s found on the ingredient’s product label (front of package).

For example, if you used 3 teaspoons of cocoa powder (dry ingredient), then your conversion is to a ½ ounce (the cocoa powder can is in ounces). Or if you used 2 tablespoons of almond milk, you find on the Wet Conversion table that you used 1 fl. Oz. (the almond milk carton is in Fl. Oz.).

Hint: Can’t find the conversion or a little confused? You can plug the exact quantity of your ingredients into  this liquid converter  or  this dry converter calculator  online and convert it into the measurement found on your product label).

Conversion tables:

Dry Conversions

Liquid Conversions:

Step #3: Calculate the cost of each quantity of ingredient used.

Now you need to price each converted quantity of ingredient by figuring out how much each ounce or fluid ounce costs, and then multiplying it by the amount you’ve used.

Hint: A good estimate to use for dashes of spices such as cinnamon or nutmeg is $0.05.

  • Write down the overall price of each ingredient used.
  • Write down the converted amount you used of it.
  • Divide the total amount in the product package by its price to find what each ounce or fluid ounce costs.
  • Then multiply that by the converted amount you used.
  • Write down the cost. Then add all of the individual ingredient costs to get your total expense to create the drink.

Example: I used 1 tablespoon (tbsp.) of heavy cream. One 8 fl. oz. container of heavy cream at the store costs $2.99. That is $0.37/ounce. I look at the conversion chart below, and see that 1 tbsp. converts to ½ ounce. So, I divide $0.37/2 ounces, and see that this ingredient for just one drink costs $0.186 (you can round up to $0.19).

Ingredient Cost:   $2.99 _ Converted Amount Used:  ½ fl. Oz.  Total Product Amount:  8 fl. Oz.   Cost per ounce:  _$0.37/fl. Oz.  Cost of Ingredient Used:  $0.37 X ½ = $0.186 .

Looking for a shortcut?  Here’s a free online tool for pricing out beverages . You’ll need the converted amounts.

Step #4: Calculate Your Profit Margin

Figure out how high your profit margin is if you sell the drink for $5.00.

Profit on Drink: $5.00 –  total drink cost  = _ $ _________.

Profit Per Dollar:  Your answer from above  \  Cost drink is sold for ($5.00)  =  $ Profit

Profit Margin:  $ Profit  X 100 =  Profit Margin%

Step #6: Taste Judging Begins

By now you’ve set the scene for some fun things to do in the winter outdoors – think a crackling bonfire out in the backyard (or in your fire pit. Heck, you can de-hibernate the grill for some winter outdoor cooking/heating), plus a table/flat surface where your kids can place their super-secret signature creations.

Bust out some blankets, cover straw bales with table cloths…you get the idea. (And if you’re in Houston like we are? Well, a hoodie should suffice).

Have your kid(dos) place their drinks on the tasting mat, as well as fill in how much their drink costs and what the profit margin is (all calculations they’ll be guided through on the free printable).

Now they get to take a break, while the parents taste + score each one!

Included in the printable are both a tasting mat as well as a score card with specific criteria, such as inventiveness, taste, and profit margin.

Step #7: Declare the Winners

There are winners in a variety of categories, and then an overall drink that is chosen for The Yeti Slide’s Yeti Roasts:

  • Most Inventive
  • Best Money-Maker
  • Newest Yeti Slide Signature Drink

Looking for fun things to do in the winter? This two-part activity for your child that will leave them understanding profit margins like a pro, plus give your family an awesome family date night under the stars on a winter evening when you might otherwise be watching tv.

What could be better than that? If nothing else, you’ll have created quite the memory.

Entrepreneur Project #2: A System for Your Child to Identify a Need in Your Home + Propose a Solution

We want to encourage your child to come to you with things they see that could use improvement, and ways they could add value or provide a solution for you.

Let’s go through how to do this.

Step #1 : Discuss with your child the idea that people need things + services.

Here’s a conversation outline for you with a few blanks to fill in (where underlined) :

“People need things and services in their lives. They need things to maintain their health, they need things to make life more enjoyable. They need parts to make repairs to their belongings. They need really cool items to buy as gifts for others. They need better systems or processes to make things work more efficiently, which just means taking less time and less money and getting the same (or better) results. All over the world, people need things. In my own life, three needs that I’ve satisfied through purchasing something include  X ,  Y , and  Z . By purchasing them, they made my life easier because  > . Generally, when people need something, they are willing to pay money for the solution. That’s why there are so many companies, all which provide products + solutions for people’s needs.”

Pssst: MAN I wish I could go back 17 years and give myself this talk! Would’ve saved me several adult years of banging my head against the wall trying to understand how to make money.

Step #2 : Task your child with identifying a need around the house/property/car.

What could this look like?

A Few Examples for you + your kiddo :

  • Find a more efficient way to organize the “command center” in your home.
  • Use Google Maps or another program to find a more efficient route for your commute.
  • Organize the wood pile + create newspaper logs that are fireplace-ready.
  • Find a better way to organize/clean/maintain the video game center in your home.
  • Clean out your car (I used to do this for my parents!) + add a car trash can to the back area so that in the future the kids can just use that instead of throwing things on the ground.
  • Introduce a better laundry system for the family’s clothes so that they actually  all  end up in the laundry room, sorted, and ready to be washed.

The possibilities are endless, and specific to what needs your child sees in your family life.

Step #3 : Once they’ve identified a need and come to you with it, you must decide if it’s worth it to you to move forward. Don’t be afraid if, after they’ve told you a need they  think  you have but that you don’t  actually  have, to tell them that it isn’t a current need of yours. Hey, the road to success is paved with failed products! This is excellent feedback so that they start to understand their “customer” and dig deeper. Perhaps they’ll even start to ask YOU what you want from them!

Step #4 : What are both of your expectations for this job so that you know when the job is completed correctly?

Let them tell you what they propose to accomplish and what that would look like.

Then you share what you, as a paying customer, expect in results. Hash this out if need be (just like a real negotiation between a biz and their potential client).

This includes a deadline.

Step #5 : Now you need to ask them for a price.

I know, I know. You might be wondering, “why on earth am I going to let my child choose how much I’m willing to pay them for something they want to do around the house? Isn’t it MY money?”

I totally get that. But remember that the nature of this lesson is to ignite that entrepreneurial spirit in them. Instead of you offering what you’re willing to pay, have them go through the exercise of pricing their efforts. Then the negotiations start.

This sets them up for good negotiation + valuation skills in the future.

Determine the market price you’ll pay, which is where their price (the supplier) and your price (based on how much you need what they’re offering + a dash of several other things) meets. $__________.

Step #6 : Your child completes the work + notifies you.

Step #7 : Using the checklist you both created, provide oversight and see if everything is as it was supposed to be.

Step #8 : Pay the agreed upon rate once everything is up to par. And if they don’t quite complete the project + deliver what they promised, it’s up to you whether you want to make a partial payment, or not pay at all (satisfaction guaranteed could be added to this lesson as well).

If your child makes it through this process, then they will have successfully figured out a “market” need, fulfilled it, and gotten paid from their initiative. This is something that will no doubt shape their futures.

And if they don’t quite succeed? Well the lessons are vast for all entrepreneurs as they traverse through the mistakes, failures, and successes.

It’s really a win-win situation.

Let me show you what I mean, with an example in my own life.

How I Used this Skill Set to Write My Own First Job Offer Worth $40,000 + Benefits

While some of my dorm mates were floundering around trying to find employment, I was busy enjoying my last two months of college before entering the “real world”.

Why is that? Because I had a job waiting for me. And the only reason why I had that job was I spotted a need in a local company, and wrote my way into it.

I had interned for an organization in my small college town, and they ended up building a start-up company set to open its doors sometime around when I was due to graduate. One day I asked them if I could have a full-time job there come June. The director looked at me, and said, “go ahead and write up a job description of what you propose you would do here. Then we’ll see.”

So I went back to my college dorm and worked on a job description. I thought about what the company was trying to achieve, and tied this into what I wanted to do with my life (at least what I thought I wanted to do at the time).

I wish I had saved a copy of the actual job description, but my sharp memory tells me it went something like this:

“Amanda L. Grossman will be the International Marketing & Sales contact at Chesapeake Fields. The International Marketing & Sales Person is responsible for researching new markets around the world where Chesapeake Fields’ products would be well received. Primary responsibilities include understanding these markets, making contact with potential wholesalers and distributors, sending samples, and being the brand ambassador for Chesapeake Fields within these markets.”

With one minor change − they put sales in front of marketing in my job title − I got an offer from them for $40,000 + benefits to do just that. Within the one year I worked there, I ended up negotiating an initial container load of $27,000 worth of our product to a major food retailer in Taiwan.

Unfortunately, my job AND that company went under not long after my first and only year there. But writing my way into a company right out of college based on a need I saw that I could fill? Well that was enough to impress future employers who then hired me.

See how lucrative learning this skill could be for your child? I’d love to hear below what needs (perceived or actual ones) your child comes up with to fulfill.

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Thursday 8th of June 2017

Uh, I totally love this post! My hubby and I are both entrepreneurs and want to instill the same in our children... definitely going to use these tips!!

Friday 9th of June 2017

*Squee*! Thanks, Lauren. I'd love to hear what your kiddos come up with:).

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BUSINESS PLAN Project-Based Learning Project - Entrepreneurship Class Activity

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Description.

The students create a lean BUSINESS PLAN for their very own fictional business of their choice in your Entrepreneurship Class or Introduction to Business Class.

An instructional video for the teacher is provided in the resource.

The materials included with this resource provide the teacher with step-by-step instructions for students to prepare their lean business plan.

An instructional presentation to show your students before the project begins.  This PowerPoint is only to be used to generate discussion on “ What is a Business Plan ?” & “ What is it used for ?” Use this discussion to get your students to decide what type of business would get them excited to create a business plan.

Create a cover for their formal business plan folder.

Students complete the components of their Business Plan:

  • Executive Summary
  • Company Description
  • Products and Services
  • Market Analysis
  • Strategy and Implementation
  • Organization and Management
  • Competitor Analysis
  • Financial Plan & Projections
  • Mission Statement
  • SWOT Analysis

Students gather images of supplies and equipment needed for their start-up business. Students must 'shop' within a fixed budget.

**TEACHER'S VISUAL NOTES, A STUDENT EXAMPLE OF A FINISHED BUSINESS PLAN, AND SUGGESTED GRADING RUBRIC ARE INCLUDED**

This is digital activity that sends easily to all learning management systems as it is a Google Doc! HOWEVER, IT IS DESIGNED TO BE PRINTED OUT.

**Can be completed in Google or Microsoft!** Just convert the files in Google to Microsoft files.

Related Products:

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• Different Type of Entrepreneurs

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• Billionaire - Entrepreneurship Research Project

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• Easter Candy Entrepreneurs Writing Prompts

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Classroom Group Activities for Intro to Business

Brenda priddy.

Group projects help students bond and grow.

An intro to business class is one of the first classes that students take covering business practices and basics. Students in this class are most likely college freshmen or sophomores, unfamiliar with the business world. There are several activities that teachers can use to get students thinking about how the business world works and whether they want to pursue a business career. These activities can also work in a high school setting.

Explore this article

  • Choose a Future
  • Mock Business
  • Market Research

Ethics is an important part of any business practice. Give the students a list of questionable ethics situations, such as the ethics involved in the hiring process, issues with time stealing, reporting accurately on business expenses and other frequent ethics issues. Have the students each write a short paragraph explaining whether the action is ethical and why or why not. Students should look at the legality of the actions, the implication for the company and the implication for the person performing the action. As a group, the students should vote on whether each action is ethical or not.

2 Choose a Future

Taking time to visualize a future can be important in an introduction to business class. Have students think about where they want to be in 10 years. Ask specific questions, such as what they want to wear, eat or do throughout the day. After students write down their answers, have the students come up with yearly, monthly or even weekly goals that they can implement to achieve that dream. Thoughtful planning is an important task that every student should complete so that the students can accomplish their goals in business and life.

3 Mock Business

One project that works well in an intro to business class is starting a mock business. Divide the class into groups of four or five students. Each group must come up with a business plan for a made-up business. The students need a name, logo, budget, target market, business plan, start-up budget and other basic information that is necessary to start a new business. Each group will then have to present its business to the class. The class acts as a finance office and votes whether the business is worth financing or not.

4 Market Research

Market research is the work that companies must complete before they can sell or market a product. The research tells the company who will buy the products and what consumers are looking for. Have each student conduct a market research survey of the classroom. Give each student fake information, such as income, age, gender, social status and interests. The students should investigate this information and come up with a product that the classroom would buy based on the information given.

About the Author

Brenda Priddy has more than 10 years of crafting and design experience, as well as more than six years of professional writing experience. Her work appears in online publications such as Donna Rae at Home, Five Minutes for Going Green and Daily Mayo. Priddy also writes for Archstone Business Solutions and holds an Associate of Arts in English from McLennan Community College.

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20 Creative Classroom Marketing Activities 

April 21, 2023 //  by  Seda Unlucay

These 20 engaging marketing activities offer more than just a fun learning experience for kids. By providing interactive tasks that focus on marketing concepts and techniques, they can help students develop important critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills. Students can also express their creativity, work together to create marketing campaigns and analyze the effectiveness of different strategies. Not only will they gain a better understanding of the world of business and marketing, but they’ll also develop an appreciation for how these concepts are applied in everyday life. 

1. PowerPoint Activity for Students

This comprehensive presentation covers various aspects of advertising, such as its purpose, impact, motivation, techniques, hidden ads, product placement, celebrity endorsements, guidelines, and ‘fake news’. Engaging visuals and clear information encourage discussions among students about the media that influences them.

Learn More: Twinkl

2. Debate About the Elements of Marketing

Students are provided with background information on product placement, its history, and examples of its use in various contexts, such as movies and sports events. They are then encouraged to discuss and argue for or against the practice of product placement in popular culture.

3. Evaluating the Influence of Ads on Target Markets

In this experiment-based activity, students will select 10 different types of food and create a survey asking participants to rate their desire to eat each item on a scale of 1 to 10. This makes for a fantastic opportunity to learn about different types of advertising and how they can influence people’s preferences. 

Learn More: Edu c ation

4. Make a Marketing Plan 

In this activity, children are asked to create an advertisement that would persuade people to come to the United States; showcasing the country’s positive aspects. This exercise helps students develop their creativity, persuasive writing, and drawing skills while gaining a deeper understanding of the historical context of immigration in the U.S. 

Learn More: Education

5. Media Literacy Activity

In this media literacy activity, children learn to be more discerning consumers of various media forms, such as television, print media, and the internet. Tim and Moby from BrainPOP guide kids through a process of understanding advertising, recognizing persuasive techniques, and separating facts from opinions. By learning these strategies, children can better decode and analyze content from TV shows, newspapers, and websites. 

Learn More: Brain Pop

6. Product Development Marketing Project

In this cross-curricular activity, students work together to research sneaker design, create their own sneakers, and develop a marketing and economic plan for their product. This unit helps students apply knowledge from various subjects, such as science (running principles), math (marketing and finances), and language arts (presentations and research).

Learn More: Teachers Pay Teachers

7. Marketing Case Study

This activity helps students explore the history of the Shamrock Shake and analyze the marketing lessons learned from this popular seasonal product. Students use critical thinking skills to complete a media analysis, assess other seasonal food items, and explore the marketing strategies behind those products. 

8. Read A Book To Learn About Marketing Skills

This digital picture book introduces children to the art of crafting convincing advertisements, which can be an engaging and useful skill for their future. It not only enhances their language and writing skills but also encourages creativity and critical thinking. 

Learn More: Epic

9. Hold a Market Day

Hosting a market day can provide a fun and engaging way for students to learn about marketing concepts and business skills, including budgeting, advertising, and customer service. It can also foster creativity and innovation, as kids brainstorm and create their own unique products to sell.

Learn More: Money Prodigy

10. Study Marketing Concepts

This quick and engaging exercise is designed to help kids build their vocabulary in the context of advertising and marketing. It helps students reinforce their understanding of advertising and marketing concepts, while also improving their reading comprehension and identification skills. 

Learn More: ISL Collective

11. Create a Monster Advertisement

This fun and imaginative activity involves creating an advertisement for a fictional monstrous product that could appear in a monster newspaper or magazine. Kids are encouraged to be inventive with their ideas; designing products and services tailored to monsters and coming up with catchy slogans and pitches.

Learn More: Kendra Kandle Star

12. Create a TV Commercial 

In this activity, students work in groups to create a unique TV commercial. After determining their product or service, they develop an outline, incorporating slogans or jingles. Finally, groups present their work to the class, either by describing, singing, or acting out their commercials.

Learn More: Art Class Curator

13. Advertising Techniques Project

This engaging project aims to teach students about various advertising techniques, such as bandwagon, testimonial, name-calling, and repetition, by having them create their own sample advertisements. Creating their own ads can help students become more aware of the persuasive strategies used in real-life advertisements, helping them become more informed consumers.

Learn More: Upper Elementary Snapshots

14. Analyze Marketing Techniques in an Ad

This teacher-created worksheet provides a brief text about advertising, explaining what it is and its purpose. Students are then required to read the passage and answer a series of comprehension questions. By working through this worksheet, children not only learn about advertising but also practice and develop essential literacy skills, such as reading fluency, comprehension, and critical thinking. 

Learn More: Primary Leap

15. Social Media Marketing Analysis

This lesson introduces students to easily confused words and the use of prepositions while also exploring the concept of micro-influencers and their impact on the marketing world. Learning about this real-world example of social media marketing can help students who are interested in pursuing a career in these fields.

Learn More: ESL Brain

16. Analyze the Effectiveness of an Ad

For this activity, children will employ critical thinking to examine a media advertisement before determining the message of the ad and identifying the intended audience. Students will learn to critically analyze media content and enhance their understanding of advertising techniques.

Learn More: Worksheet Place

17. Focus on the Power of Slogans

This activity prompts children to come up with a catchy slogan for a product or service before encouraging them to consider famous slogans they already know. Apart from learning about the importance of strong marketing messages, this exercise also enhances their language abilities.

18. Marketing Crossword 

This fun and engaging marketing crossword puzzle can help kids develop their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. It’s perfect for a low-prep brain break activity or formative assessment task. 

Learn More: Word Mint

19. Marketing Escape Room Challenge

This marketing-themed escape room challenge encourages problem-solving and critical thinking, allowing students to apply their knowledge of the four Ps of marketing (product, price, place, and promotion) in a real-life business scenario. The lesson is easy to prepare, with the task cards just needing to be printed in advance. 

Learn More: TES

20. Create a Super Bowl Commercial

The objective of the lesson is for students to discuss the persuasive strategies employed in various Super Bowl ads. Students are given a note-taking sheet to record their ideas while watching the ads before sharing them with their peers in structured presentations. 

Learn More: Sadler School

IRS plans to target executives who use their businesses’ private jets for personal trips and then write them off as tax deductions

business plan class activity

First, there were  trackers on Taylor Swift  and other celebrities’ private jet usage. Now, there will be more scrutiny on executives’ personal use of business aircraft who write it off as a tax expense.

IRS leadership said Wednesday that the agency will start conducting dozens of audits on businesses’ private jets and how they are used personally by executives and written off as a tax deduction — as part of the agency’s ongoing mission of going after high-wealth tax cheats who game the tax system at the expense of American taxpayers.

The audits will focus on aircraft used by large corporations and high-income taxpayers and whether the tax purpose of the jet use is being properly allocated, the IRS says.

“At this time of year, when millions of hardworking taxpayers are working on their taxes, we want them to feel confident that everyone is playing by the same rules,” IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel said on a call with reporters to preview the announcement.  Tax season began Jan. 29 .

“These aircraft audits will help ensure high-income groups aren’t flying under the radar with their tax responsibilities,” he said.

There are more than 10,000 corporate jets in the US., according to the IRS, valued at tens of millions of dollars and many can be fully deducted.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, passed during the Trump administration, allowed for 100% bonus depreciation and expensing of private jets — which allowed taxpayers to write off the cost of aircraft purchased and put into service between September 2017 and January 2023.

Werfel said the federal tax collector will use resources from Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act to more closely examine private jet usage — which has not been closely scrutinized during the past decade as funding fell sharply in the last decade.

“Our audit rates have been anemic,” he said on the call. An April 2023 IRS  report on tax audit data  states that “continued resource constraints have limited the agency’s ability to address high-end noncompliance” stating that in tax year 2018, audit rates for people making more than $10 million were 9.2%, down from 13.6% in 2012. And in the same time period, overall corporate audit rates fell from 1.3% to .6%.

Mike Kaercher, senior attorney advisor at the Tax Law Center at NYU said in a statement that the IRS should also revisit how it values personal use of corporate aircraft, beyond just how flights are reported.

“The current rules allow these flights to be significantly undervalued, enabling wealthy filers to pay much less in taxes than fair market value would dictate, and it’s within the IRS’ authority to revise these rules,” Kaercher said.

Werfel said audits related to aircraft usage could increase in the future depending on the results of the initial audits and as the IRS continues hiring more examiners.

“To be clear, that doesn’t mean everyone in a high-income category partnership or corporation is evading or avoiding their tax responsibility,” Werfel said. “But it does mean that there’s more work to do for the IRS to make sure people are paying what they owe.”

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business plan class activity

  • Housing, local and community
  • Housing and communities
  • Rented housing sector

Short-term lets rules to protect communities and keep homes available

Local residents will be protected from being pushed out of their communities by excessive short-term lets thanks to changes in planning rules.

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  • Planning permission will be required for future short-term lets 
  • Mandatory national register will provide valuable information and help ensure accommodation is safe
  • Proposals will give communities greater control over future growth
  • Homeowners can continue to let out their own main or sole home for up to 90 nights a year

Local residents will be protected from being pushed out of their communities by excessive short-term lets thanks to changes in planning rules announced today.

Under the reforms councils will be given greater power to control short-term lets by making them subject to the planning process. This will support local people in areas where high numbers of short-term lets are preventing them from finding housing they can afford to buy or to rent.

These changes are part of a long-term plan to prevent a “hollowing out” of communities, address anti-social behaviour and ensure local people can continue to live in the place they call home.

Meanwhile, a new mandatory national register will give local authorities the information they need about short-term lets in their area. This will help councils understand the extent of short-term lets in their area, the effects on their communities, and underpin compliance with key health and safety regulations.

Short-term lets are now a significant part of the UK’s visitor economy, and can provide increased choice and flexibility for tourists and business travellers. To recognise this, homeowners will still be able to let out their own main or sole home for up to 90 nights throughout a year without planning permission and government is considering how to apply the register so it does not apply disproportionate regulation for example on property owners that let out their home infrequently.

Secretary of State for Levelling Up Housing and Communities, Michael Gove said:

Short-term lets can play an important role in the UK’s flourishing tourism economy, providing great, easily-accessible accommodation in some of the most beautiful parts of our country. But in some areas, too many local families and young people feel they are being shut out of the housing market and denied the opportunity to rent or buy in their own community. So the government is taking action as part of its long-term plan for housing. That means delivering more of the right homes in the right places, and giving communities the power to decide. This will allow local communities to take back control and strike the right balance between protecting the visitor economy and ensuring local people get the homes they need.

Tourism Minister Julia Lopez said:

Short-term lets provide flexibility for homeowners and give tourists more accommodation options than ever before, but this should not prevent local people from being able to buy or rent homes in their area. The government is committed to getting the balance right to ensure both local people and our visitor economy can thrive.

Amanda Cupples, General Manager for Northern Europe, Airbnb said: 

The introduction of a short-term lets register is good news for everyone. Families who Host on Airbnb will benefit from clear rules that support their activity, and local authorities will get access to the information they need to assess and manage housing impacts and keep communities healthy, where necessary. We have long led calls for the introduction of a Host register and we look forward to working together to make it a success.

The proposed planning changes would see a new planning ‘use class’ created for short-term lets not used as a sole or main home. Existing dedicated short-term lets will automatically be reclassified into the new use class and will not require a planning application.

The changes are part of the government’s long-term plan for housing, unlocking more of the homes this country needs and meeting the target to deliver one million homes this Parliament, backed by £10 billion investment.

The government also intends to introduce associated permitted development rights – one allowing for a property to be changed from a short-term let to a standard residential dwelling, and a second that would allow a property to be changed to a short-term let. Local authorities would be able to remove these permissions and require full planning permission if they deem it necessary.

Both of these measures are focussed on short-term lets, and therefore the planning changes and the register will not affect hotels, hostels or B&Bs.

Further details of these measures will be set out in the government’s response to the consultations, including the timeline for implementation of the register, the use class and the individual permitted development rights - with the changes being introduced from this summer.

Alistair Handyside MBE, Executive Chair of the Professional Association of Self Caterers UK (PASC UK), said:

We welcome the introduction of a registration scheme for short term lets in England. This is widely supported by accommodation providers and will finally provide real data on our sector. This is a first and important step to creating a level playing field for operators and we look forward to working with the government on the detail of the introduction of the register.

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Kings Road Brewing plans expansion to Community House of Moorestown

business plan class activity

MOORESTOWN - An ambitious project here could give new meaning to the phrase "everyone into the pool."

Under the proposal, Kings Road Brewing Co. of Haddonfield in 2026 would open this town's first microbrewery — in a long-vacant swimming pool at the Community House of Moorestown.

In addition, students from Rowan College of Burlington County will study brewery sciences in classrooms created near the pool area.

The project is expected to tap the benefits that microbreweries bring to downtown areas, said Burlington County Commissioner Daniel O'Connell.

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“They create jobs, generate economic activity and become fun and attractive gathering spots for friends and families,” he said.

“I am confident this can be another amazing asset for Main Street," added Moorestown Mayor Nicole Gillespie.

Moorestown microbrewery could have big price tag

The project will require an investment in building improvements of about $1 million for the nonprofit. It has launched an online fundraising drive to reach that goal.

Kings Road Brewing expects to spend "north of $1 million" for its venture, said Bob Hochgertel, the firm's co-owner.

Kings Road has occupied a spot in Haddonfield's business district for almost five years.

"We've been wanting to come to Moorestown," said Hochgertel, noting similarities between the two communities.

Moorestown's council in 2021 approved a measure that permits microbreweries in the once-dry town.

The four-lane pool dates to the center's construction in 2016.

It closed about five or six years ago, after once-abundant swimmers turned to larger, more modern pools elsewhere, said Hendrickson.

The pool room occupies about 5,000 square feet in the basement of the community center. About 4,000 square feet of adjacent space will be used for classrooms, said Hendrickson.

Among other changes, a partition the length of the pool will be leveled with the shallow end of 3½ feet, said Hochgertel.

Tanks and equipment used to make beer will line each side of the pool. A railing will separate the production site from a raised area for customer seating.

Access to the microbrewery will be made through the rear of the community center.

The RCBC program, to offer hands-on experience at the brewery, is intended to prepare students to work in the craft beer industry, said Michael Cioce, the school's president.

Classwork for a certificate program could start this fall on the school's Mount Laurel campus, with an courses for an associate's degree available one year later.

BCRC received a state grant of $255,000 to obtain equipment for its brewery program.

Jim Walsh is a senior reporter for the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. Email: [email protected].

Bob Hochgertel, co-owner and managing director of King’s Road Brewing Company, said he looks forward to seeing a community hub develop in Moorestown like it did in the brewery’s original location.

Visit www.CommunityHouseBrewery.com to learn more about the Community House plans.

It expects to draw college students, but not just as patrons.

about 5,000 square feet

anothr 4K feet for classroom

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  • Environment

Salt Lake City Green Loop plans move forward with support from locals

Downtown Salt Lake City is usually bustling with activity. However, fewer than 30% of locals live within a five minute walk from open green space. 

Several locals shared their thoughts on the city’s plan to install a Green Loop. 

“I would like to see more frequent green space, more interspersed green space, so that it’s easily more accessible and I can just pop by and start walking around somewhere,” frequent park visitor and Salt Lake City native Emily Ostler said.

People who live in Salt lake City have reported wanting more trails, parks and green spaces to combat the noise and air pollution of urban living.

The city began drawing up plans for the Green Loop last spring. The plan includes more trees, shade, walking paths, and natural spaces within the busy streets. 

“It was while I was at BYU that I started going to parks a lot,” Ostler said. She would go out for picnics, journaling, to press flowers, and more.

“It was incredibly calming, made me feel alive and fresh and gave me a lot more energy to do schoolwork throughout the week,” Ostler said.

The Green Loop would offer several advantages, from additional walking and biking routes to effective storm management, the city said. It would also create an enhanced habitat for wildlife. 

Salt Lake City resident David Goodman comes to Liberty Park often to feed the squirrels, something he’s been doing for a while.

“I try to come a few times a week, maybe three or four times a week. I come to feed the squirrels … we’re best friends right now,” Goodman said. 

The city plans to release the Green Loop design for 300 East this spring. To keep up with the Green Loop, visit their site .

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