Social Studies: How Businesses Become Financially Successful

Here is an introduction to lessons at CGK Afterschool.

CGK's eight-week-long project works will be based on the main “Driving Question”.

Here are the Driving Questions for this "Social Studies" lesson.

Driving Question “How do businesses become financially successful?”

We followed this question with fun lessons each week that drew the student's interest.

Here are the comments of Mr. Bobby, the teacher who was in charge of the lessons.

Week 1

Entry Event. Students watched videos of young entrepreneurs that talked about their businesses. As a class we created a KWL chart and brainstormed examples of businesses and reasons for success or failure.

Week 2

Students thought about their passion’s and started to get an idea of their future business. As a class we created a PBL Vocabulary book and looked at words that we would be using in the class and created our own definitions and images to go with them.

Week 3

Students looked into market research on their ideas and started to get an idea on how to build a businesses plan. Using a kid friendly guide to building a business plan, the students used ipads to research their ideas and to talk with others.

Week 4

Students were broken into their teams for the final project and began to think about their passions together and get an idea of their final project and what they will be selling and how they will be selling it.

Week 5

Using the guide we used in the third week, students teams again looked at the business plan and began to think about the answers to the questions about their product. Marketing, cost and profit were thought of as a class.

Week 6

Students continued with the business plans as well as creating prototypes of their final design. Used an exit ticket strategy to check in on student’s progress having them answer inward thinking questions related to their learning of the subject.

Week 7

Students finalized their business plans and began to practice their speeches and worked on creating clean designs of their final projects.

Week 8

Students presented their final projects with prototypes or concept drawings. One group created their product, Chocolate Covered Grapes, and was already trying to sell it in the classroom.

The lesson on running a successful business was very challenging, with difficult vocabulary and thinking ahead.

However, the elementary school students concentrated on what the teacher was saying and worked hard, asking questions to their friends and teachers when they didn't understand something.

I believe that the experience of "difficulty" and "frustration" will be an invaluable asset for the children.

I hope they will continue to enjoy learning.