In this lesson, students research the three basic types of business organization: sole proprietorships, partnerships, and corporations. Considering the advantages and disadvantages of each, they function as consultants offering advice on which form of business is best suited for different business scenarios. The case studies all feature real- life entrepreneurs who started businesses producing chocolate candy and cookies—they all result ultimately in “sweet” success stories. Once students have made their recommendations, they are provided the identities of their clients and asked to prepare reports that tell the rest of the story—what happened to each founder and business. Products featured in this lesson that almost every student will recognize are the Hershey chocolate bar, Mars M&Ms and Famous Amos chocolate cookies.

Students explore an alternative to starting a business from scratch-investing in a franchise. They consider the pros and cons of a franchise and whether this form of business is an option that would fit their personality and needs. Students research and analyze franchise opportunities, selecting one that they think they might be able to operate in their own community. While making their choice, students consider a variety of factors including their personal interests and abilities, the reputation of the product or service, the franchisor’s ability and willingness to assist the franchisee, and market factors such as consumer demand and competition.

Students will learn about the four types of business organizations: sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, and franchise. Students will play a concentration game to better understand the features, advantages, and disadvantages of each type. Students will then analyze four scenarios and recommend the type of business organization that is most appropriate for each case. The lesson concludes with an analysis of how each type of business organization plays an important role in the U.S. economy.

Students are sometimes clueless when it comes to saving money. It is important that our students learn that saving their money not only helps them achieve financial goals, but actually earns them extra money. In this lesson they will learn that there are a variety of ways in which to save, depending on whether they have short-term or long-term goals.

Students learn that the Columbian Exchange resulted in an enormous exchange of goods, resources, and institutions between the Old World and the New World and that the results of the Exchange were both positive and negative. Slides for the lesson are included.

For this interactive, students choose to sell to industry one, industry 2 or to a single owner.

In this lesson students learn about demand and factors that cause demand for a good or service to change. They also learn to recognize factors that influence their behavior as a consumers. Students will define quantity demanded, give examples of changes in demand caused by changes in consumer tastes and preferences, consumer income, number of consumers, and prices of related goods and services. Students will identify an increase or decrease using in a graph. Students will also predict an increase or decrease in demand when given pertinent information and explain what causes a shift in demand.

This lesson introduces students to three basic economic indicators: real GDP, the inflation rate, and the unemployment rate. The students work in small groups to develop an economic forecast, using the three basic economic indicators. They participate in a simulation activity involving a fictional economic forecasting firm. The firm has taken on a client who wishes to start a new business and wants to know whether this is a good idea, given the current economic climate. To advise the client, the students produce a report based on research they conduct about the state of the economy, according to the three economic indicators.

Students learn how to identify headlines in the news and current events as illustrations of problems in supply and demand. Students will be linked to news sites to create their own analysis of supply and demand issues in problems facing our society. Students will identify factors that change supply and demand for products. Explain how changes in supply and demand affect prices and quantities produced. Analyze actual news stories to determine how changes in supply and demand affect prices and output.

This lesson illustrates the differences between inventions and innovations. It discusses what entrepreneurs are and their role with inventions and innovations. Students will define entrepreneur, explain the difference between invention and innovation, and determine the skills necessary to be a successful entrepreneur.

Throughout this lesson students take note of the role of risk and incentives as factors found in all entrepreneurial pursuits. They will analyze, compare and evaluate personal characteristics of entrepreneurs. They will also develop a greater self-understanding as they determine if they have the traits found in successful entrepreneurs. Finally, students set goals, which will help them to become more entrepreneurial.

This lesson discusses the relationship between interest rates and stock prices, the role of uncertainty in markets.

What kinds of jobs do kids do? Who pays them? What kind of job would you like to do? In this lesson, students will make a list of the kinds of jobs and businesses they might pursue, pick the one they would most like to do, and make a plan on how to get started.

In this lesson students learn decision making skills that will help them become better consumers. They learn about the importance of price information in making their decisions. Students will gather information on different brands of athletic shoes and determine the best buy. Then, students identify a toy or game they would like to buy. To help determine where to purchase their toy or game, students gather information from online resources. Finally, students conduct interviews to determine how adult they know use e-commerce. They draw generalizations from their data and create a report of their findings.

This engaging lesson challenges students to connect economics and geography as they investigate global companies in the stock market.

Students will learn about supply, demand, price, competition, and entrepreneurial skills in this lesson. They will put what they learned into action by creating an ice cream stand, to complete with other stands in the classroom.

Okay, so your tuna fish sandwich probably isn't worth a couple grand. It's most likely made with a type of tuna called albacore. But, on the docks in Tokyo different kind of tuna, related to the stuff in your sandwich, is sold for $70,000 dollars a fish. The Japanese praise the bluefin tuna, or maguro, as a delicacy. In this lesson students will explain that supply and demand are the factors that determine the market price of a good. Describe why some goods are more expensive than others. Graph supply and demand curves from data.

In this lesson students will learn what a taste test is, learn how to take a sample of demand for lemonade, review Max’s supply schedule for lemonade, create a supply and demand schedule independently or with the class, discover where lemons are grown, and discover a great recipe for making refreshing lemonade from scratch.

Students learn about the characteristics of a market economy and economic provisions in the U.S. constitution.

In this activity, students read about mercantilism and read the tale, The Golden Touch, to hypothesize why mercantilist ideas about gold were given up.