Classroom Activities
Biography Activity
First, to start the biography unit, I will ask my students as a class to define what is a biography (definition and description of what will be included in a biography) on their individual pieces of paper in their notebooks. I will use a Think-Pair-Share technique. By using Think-Pair-Share, my students will come up with ideas on their own first, work with a partner to expand on those ideas, and lastly share with the entire class what the partners think about the topic. The collaboration with a partner will help generate additional ideas. Then explaining information to the entire group will indicate if my students really grasp the idea. I can add or correct information as a whole class. My students will use a word mapping technique as modeled on the board. Word mapping is a great graphic organizer. A graphic organizer allows for my students to visually arrange the information in a sequence.
Modeling a graphic organizer is very important so that my students know what to do and how to use it effectively and efficiently. I will write the word "biography" very big using one color marker, then I will switch to another color just to keep the focus on the one word. With the word "biography" in the middle, I will show them how to branch off with the suggestions. This is completed by adding a line off of the middle word. If there are subheadings then a line will be placed off of this word. I will ask for one suggestion to be placed on this map, just to get my class started. Students will write their word map on the word biography in their notes so that these may be referenced throughout the unit.
I will walk around the classroom to view what students are doing and prompt those that may need extra help. My students may choose their partner. If there happens to be an uneven amount of students in the room, students may have to work with three in a group. The partners will share and add to the biography word map.
I will then bring the whole class together for the sharing as a group part. I will ask for answers and write them on the board. I will encourage my students to add to what is already written down. It is important to hear the words and see the words in order to understand and to remember the significance of this subject.
Career Cards Activity
Prior to class, I will use two tables in Microsoft Word to type twelve careers on one table and twelve different careers on a second table. I will make a class set and cut these tables into 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" cards. These careers will range from lawyer to plumber to chef. I will be sure to include careers that will need higher education, a four year degree, and specialized training. In pairs, my students will be given these two tables of careers and are not to show what is on these career cards to each other. My students will be given three minutes for each round to describe the career on the cards. The giver will try her best to describe the career to the receiver. The giver cannot say any words that are in the career. For example, she cannot say, "The shortened word is a vet," if the answer is a veterinarian. For each correct answer, the giver can place a checkmark next to the career. Once the time is up, the receiver will give clues to what they have on the card. The same rules will apply. The team that achieves the most points will receive extra credit points on an upcoming test. A tie breaker may be needed, so I will have a few extra careers to determine the winner. The first team that achieves four additional careers will receive the points.
Afterwards, as a whole class, we can discuss the training or education required to get into this career. We can talk about what local colleges or training facilities individuals may go to get started down this pathway. We can discuss what classes that they may want to take next school year to set a foundation. This will be a valuable activity for my students to test their knowledge on the careers and to get them thinking about their own career plans.
Entrepreneur Activity
On my projector, I will list forty popular, well-known entrepreneurs, such as Oprah Winfrey, Donald Trump, Jay-Z, Dave Thomas, Jennifer Lopez, and Bill Gates. These individuals are motivated, successful business leaders. I will have students write down the top three choices of entrepreneurs that they will like to explore. I will assign random numbers to the students and ask him or her for one of his or her picks. Once a person is selected from the list, they cannot be selected again. This will assure that presentations will not repeat.
My students will be responsible for researching the entrepreneur using the computers in my classroom and writing down twenty five key words to describe the selected person's family and professional life. I want my students to find out what makes this person and/or the product unique. My students will market the entrepreneur by either using a word splash or using the web site www.wordle.net. It is up to my students to decide which graphic organizer they want to use. Important words may be emphasized using red or written in a larger font. They may draw what the person looks like or what products they sell.
My students may decide that they will rather be creative using the free web site www.wordle.net where they will type in the important words a few times to emphasize them. The significant words will become larger as they spring to life on the page. They may select different colors, different fonts, have words appear horizontal and vertical or only vertical on the page. Those students who chose to make a Wordle will use a color printer. Once printed, they can tape the paper to a poster and add any drawings to the masterpiece. My students may choose to cut out the poster in the shape of a chicken or in the shape of Kentucky if they selected Colonel Harland Sanders from Kentucky Fried Chicken. I will show my students an example of what I produced based on Walt Disney using Wordle first. I will tape this to a poster shaped like Mickey Mouse ears to add some finesse to the project. Once this is an established project, I can show previous years' students work to my students.
My students will present to the class the information that they found to be important about their entrepreneur. They will be able to use the poster as a guide during the presentation. A rubric will be provided to my students so that the expectation is clear on what will be graded. Points will be distributed for creativity, use of twenty five words, marketing the entrepreneur and the products, spelling and grammar check prior to presenting, eye contact with audience, and overall explanation. The class will benefit by learning of several entrepreneurs. It may interest my students to read biographies outside of class about others. I want my students to see the struggles that the people may have had to go through, personally and/or professionally, to become the successes that they turned out to be. I want to emphasize the importance of not giving up, asking for help from others when it is needed, and the importance of giving back to the community as we look at these inspirational entrepreneurs. Perhaps this will inspire my students to open their own businesses. A prior student of mine was influenced by a project that I used to implement in class where my students designed their own sneakers. After graduating from college, he opened up his own business designing logos and producing T-shirts for local businesses. One project inspired this gentleman to become an entrepreneur. This is what I hope to see with this unit.
Interviewing a Local Entrepreneur Activity
To wrap up the unit, my students will speak with entrepreneurs in our local community. My students will devise questions in class to ask on an interview to learn about this person and his or her own business. I will provide the time in class to work on the following activity.
During class, we will discuss how to set up a time and place to interview the person, obtaining background information ahead of time, and how to conduct the interview. We can write down suggested questions to ask. I can gear the students towards what will ultimately be placed in a PowerPoint for their presentation in class. Describe her childhood and teen years. Did any of her relatives own a business? What type of education or training did she receive? How did she come up with the business? Did she have to ask for loans from a bank or family members? Are there competitors in the business? How does she see her business in the future? Is she married? Does she have children? The focus when interviewing an entrepreneur should be on how she started and now operates her business. Networking, marketing, and advertising should also be discussed. Does she participate in any organizations? How does she get the word out on her products? How does she gain exposure in the marketplace? What marketing does she implement? Are advertisements in the newspaper or trade journals, on the radio or on billboards? Personal questions may come later, such as marriage, children, and favorite vacation spots.
Encouragement and demonstrating a sense of understanding during the interview will help my students collect more information during the interview that they can use during the biography. Their body language shows an interest in the entrepreneur. Eye contact and listening skills are important. The positioning of my students' body shows if there is interest in the interview. Leaning their body in and having their body facing forward shows interest in the interviewee. This is an important conversation that should not be missed. My students will be encouraged to jot down notes as they interview their entrepreneurs. They will need to listen carefully to what is said and not be afraid to ask the entrepreneur to repeat what was said during the interview.
I will type a letter to the entrepreneur explaining that this collected information will be used in a presentation to the class. My students will provide this letter prior to the interview and have it signed for approval. The presentation will be used to inspire the biographer and their classmates to learn about entrepreneurship. My students will be able to use entrepreneurs who operate a convenience or corner store, dry cleaner, restaurant, franchise, an Internet business, gas station or a car repair shop. This list is just to get them thinking about who they can interview. They may want to interview a relative who does not live in the community. If this is the case, I will allow them the flexibility to select their relative for this project. The relative can send me an e-mail if my students cannot deliver the explanation letter. This may give a new interest in the aunt's business.
I will provide a PowerPoint template for a guide to prepare my students for their presentations. This will provide consistency and will be easier for me to be non-biased. Otherwise, the students will struggle with how information should be arranged and will panic on how to fill up eighteen slides.
My students will receive a rubric prior to presenting so they know how they will be graded. This presentation will require the presenter to dress professionally. I will go through the requirements of men's attire which includes a button down shirt, tie or vest, dress pants, and dress shoes. Women's attire includes a dress shirt and skirt or dress pants or a dress and dress shoes. Points will be deducted from the presentation if proper attire is not worn. Additional points will be determined if the following criteria has been achieved: creativity in use of background, pictures, and slide transitions, fulfilling the eighteen slide requirement with the facts on their entrepreneur, spelling and grammar check prior to presenting, eye contact with audience, and overall explanation.
My students will see that owning a business involves communicating with employees, customers, and manufacturers. Being an entrepreneur is a long-term career choice that is made after having experienced other jobs. With hard work, anything is possible. I believe in my students. With my influence, I want my students to believe in their dreams of the future and be successful in their career choices.
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