Classroom Resources

Entrepreneurship Today: One Idea | Two Very Different Businesses

Discover how two businesses that started out with the same idea ended up finding success in very different ways. Students will consider the dynamic and sometimes unpredictable factors that go into creating a successful business, starting with the ever-changing demands of customers.

Make A Pitch Activity.PDF 607KBEducator Guide.PDF 590KB

Video Topic Series: Practice Makes Profit

Give students in grades 6-12 simple ways to start envisioning themselves as entrepreneurs with this three-part animated series. Use companion student activations and an educator guide to investigate the ideas discussed in each video.

About

The Video Topic Series: Practice Makes Profit takes students inside the everyday challenges and creative problem-solving that go into being an entrepreneur. Students will learn about the essential questions a business must consider to meet the needs of customers, while developing their own ideas for a successful business startup. Explore a wide range of important entrepreneurial topics in these short, engaging videos.

Classroom Conversation Starters

Use collaborative classroom interactions to help students pursue their own original business ideas.

  • Do you have a business idea that you think will be successful?
  • What kind of business does your community really need right now?
  • Can you work with others to bring your idea to life?
  • Are there any obstacles to making your dream business a reality?

Classroom Activities

Use these hands-on activities to get students started on the path to becoming the game-changing entrepreneurs of the future. Each activity includes objectives, standards, key vocabulary, and detailed implementation strategies based around the themes highlighted in the Video Topic Series.

Educator Guide
ELA, Math, and Entrepreneurship/Business

Practice Makes Profit Educator Guide

Grades 6-12
Three, 45 minute class periods
Learn more about the Video Topic Series: Practice Makes Profit and find effective ways to engage students using the companion classroom activities and conversation starters.
EDUCATOR GUIDE
Classroom Activity
[Economics, Business Education]

Make the Pitch

Grades 6-12
45-60 min
Students are tasked with inventing a new business idea from scratch. Sharing their ideas with others, students will explore the types of businesses that they would like to create or invest in.
View Activity.PDF, 607KB
Classroom Activity
[Mathematics]

Putting the “Inform” in Information

Grades 6-12
45-60 min
Students can think like entrepreneurs to determine what types of data might be useful to support real-world businesses. They will brainstorm ways to effectively illustrate this information to others.
View Activity.PDF, 960KB
Classroom Activity
[English Language Arts]

To Pivot or Not to Pivot?

Grades 6-12
45-60 min
Students investigate the major changes businesses sometimes make to their products or services to stay successful. Students will step into the shoes of a video game business owner and make a big decision.
View Activity.PDF, 672KB
Classroom Activity
[Entrepreneurship]

Seeing into the Future

Grades 6-12
45-60 min
Students will explore the reasons why businesses budget and the various ways in which they can avoid overspending. They will investigate how expenses are predicted, tracked, and evaluated to gain a better understanding of business budgets.
View Activity.PDF, 692KB
Classroom Activity
[Entrepreneurship]

Show Me the Funding

Grades 6-12
45-60 min
Students discover what it takes to get a business financed, including methods like traditional business loans, venture capital, and crowdfunding. Using real-world scenarios, students will get an idea of the financial pressures that businesses face.
View Activity.PDF, 714KB
Classroom Activity
[Entrepreneurship]

Cash is King

Grades 6-12
45-60 min
Students examine the cash flow challenges of small businesses and brainstorm ways that entrepreneurs can address these issues. They will consider the root causes of disruptions to cash flow and potential solutions that businesses could use.
View Activity.PDF, 714KB
Classroom Activity
[Entrepreneurship]

Put a Price on It

Grades 6-12
45-60 min
Students discover the strategy and psychology that goes into pricing goods and services. After learning more about effective pricing strategies, students will develop their own recommendations for profitable pricing.
View Activity.PDF, 672KB

Did you know? 55% of adults in the US have started at least one business in their lifetime.

—Global Entrepreneurship Monitor

Venture Valley

Created by The Singleton Foundation, Venture Valley is an immersive multiplayer business-building game that gives students a fun outlet to practice entrepreneurship and personal financial skills, and compete with friends in positive ways.

Explore the gameHow to play