ED 305 Calvin College Lesson Planning Form

Names
Anika Slauer and Evan Kroon
Big Idea:
Building a Better Business
Thread/Crossover: Economics
Grade: 4th
I. Objectives
What is the main focus of this lesson? This lesson is a culmination of the former lessons where the
students show their knowledge of business basics by running a boat business simulation. In this lesson
they will be introduced to the simulation and learn how to create the origami boats.
How does this lesson tie in to your units Big Idea? Our big idea is focusing on the basics of
business. In this lesson the students will be introduced to their boat business that they are about to run.
What are your objectives for this lesson? (As many as needed.) Indicate connections to
applicable national or state standards. Include any themes or major concepts from the thread
(themes of geography, Core Principles of Economics, etc)
1. Students will learn how to create origami boats.
2. Students will learn about will happen throughout the boat simulation in the following two days.
3. Students will be asked to brainstorm ideas about their target population and marketing strategies
for the following day.

II. Before you start

Prerequisite knowledge
and skills.

In the four lessons prior, the students will have learned about supply and
demand, knowing their target population, and specialization in the
workforce.
Formative: We will walk around and help students as they are learning to
create origami boats.

Assessment
(formative and
summative)

Summative: Each students boat will have to be checked by the teacher to

make sure that they are properly creating the boats.
Universal Design for Learning Networks/Domains (see UDL Guidelines)

Options for Perception

STRATEGIC
Multiple Means of Expression
(Action)
Options for action/interaction

AFFECTIVE
Multiple Means of
Engagement
Options for recruiting interest

The students marketing techniques can be

tailored to their individual needswhether
that be video, poster, song, etc.

The students are building their

boat and interacting with their
business staff.

They can determine their logos,

marketing strategies, and boat
design.

Options for Language/Symbols

Options for Expression

Options for Sustaining Effort &

Persistence

The students will use mathematical

notation when determining their profits.
Also, the students will be creating
physical/visual representations of quantity
vs. quality products, specialization, and so
forth.

The students are given the

freedom to create their own logo,
boat model, and so forth while in
the simulation.

RECOGNITION
Multiple Means of Representation

The students will be collaborating

and communicating throughout
the simulation.

Options for Comprehension

This simulation supports memory and
transfer as it is a culmination of the last
four lessons where they learned about
different aspects of businesses.

Materials-what materials
(books, handouts, etc) do
you need for this lesson
and do you have them?

Do you need to set up

your classroom in any
special way for this
lesson? If so, describe it.
III. The Plan
Tim
e
Parts
10
min

20
min

Motivatio
n
(Opening/
Introducti
on/
Engageme
nt)
Developm
ent

Options for Executive Function

Options for Self Regulation

Before the simulation official

As the students calculate their
starts, the students will have time profits they can self-assess one
to strategize in areas such as
aspect of their business.
marketing, efficiency, and so
forth.
Simulation Packets for all students
Paper
Notecards
Paper clips
Pencils
Scissors
Boat commercials from previous years
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEYfHp-uk0c
Class desks will be facing the projector screen. Each student will have a
simulation packet and fives pieces of blank paper, one notecard, and one
paperclip.

The description of (script for) the lesson, wherein you describe teacher
activities and student activities (indicate in parenthesis where you are
addressing standards and themes)
Now that we are business experts, we are going to create businesses of our own! In
the next three days you and 4 friends are going to create a boat company.
To give you an idea of what this looks like we are going to watch a few boat
commercials from last years fourth graders!
Watch three boat commercials (not disclosed in this lesson due to privacy concerns).
Now we have to learn how to create out boats!
Watch the following YouTube video having students follow along with their paper:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEYfHp-uk0c
Once video is over, walk through the boat making process step-by-step and have
students follow along with another blank sheet of paper. (Do this twice)
Have students create a boat on their own and walk around to see if they are making
them correctly (by now they have created four boats).
If time allows have them create a fifth boat.
Ask students to write their name on their best boat and leave it on their desk.
Teacher will walk around classroom checking everyones boats to make sure that
they made them correctly. Meanwhile the students will play trashketball (crumple
their four extra boats and shoot them into the recycling bin keeping track of each
table groups number of successful shots).
Conference with students if their boat was improperly made.
Read off the names of students in each simulation group.

10
min

Can anyone tell me what we need to think about in order to be the best boat
company in town?
Prompt students to list the following (if they do not list them, teacher will state the
remainder of topics):

Closure

In order to be the best company in town what do we need to think about again?
-Target population
-Supplies
-Demand
-Location
-Marketing/advertisement
-Quantity vs. Quality
It us up to you and your staff to create the best boats on Reeds Lake. So with your
group you will have the last few minutes of class to brainstorm about your target
populationknowing that we are located in East Grand Rapids on Reeds Lake. You
can brainstorm your slogan, logo, and company name as well, but we will discuss
this further tomorrow!

Explain how this lesson supports your Big Idea. What is the takeaway?
The students are modeling basic business principles as they create boat companies. This lesson sets up
the next two lessons where the students are actively partaking in the business principles theyve learned
about.