Lesson Plan: Day 2 Core Block - Business & Finance

Lesson Overview

In today’s lesson, students step into their roles as young business planners within the Business & Finance District of Civic Square. Building on the mentor text “Grand Opening: A Civic Square Story,” they will explore how AJ, Liam, Simay, and Onyx brainstorm their shop ideas. Students will practice retelling events, writing star detail sentences, using commas in a list, and rounding prices to calculate total costs. Through guided discussion, creative writing, and applied math, students will experience the foundational steps of planning a successful store in their learning city.

“I Can” Statements

Reading: I can retell the events from “Grand Opening: A Civic Square Story.”
Writing: I can write a star detail sentence about my store idea.
Grammar: I can use commas in a list correctly.
Math: I can round prices to find a total cost for my store.

Hook (10 minutes)

Begin the lesson by displaying a picture of a busy marketplace. Ask students to share what they see, inspiring their thoughts about running a store. Pose the question: "What makes a store successful?" This will engage their critical thinking and connection to their roles as business planners.

Discussion Prompts:

What stores do you like to visit?
What do you think is important for a store to have?

Transition:

After a few moments of sharing, let them know they’ll learn how to plan their own stores, just like the characters in "Grand Opening."

Teaching Point (5 minutes)

Introduce today’s objectives, emphasizing the skills they will practice: retelling events, descriptive writing, using commas, and rounding prices. Explain that each skill is crucial for planning a successful business.

Modeling (10 minutes)

Reading:

Read aloud a key passage from "Grand Opening" where AJ, Liam, Simay, and Onyx brainstorm their store ideas. After reading, model how to retell the main events. Emphasize key points as you summarize the ideas shared by the characters.

Writing:

Demonstrate how to write a "star detail" sentence. A star detail sentence is a statement that captures the essence of an idea using descriptive words. On a board, write: “My store will sell [item], and it will have [feature].”

Grammar:

Show how to use commas in a list by writing a few items they might sell in their stores. Emphasize the use of commas between items. Example: “We will sell toys, games, and books.”

Math:

Model how to round prices. Select a few examples of store prices (e.g., $4.49 rounded to $4.50) and demonstrate rounding both up and down.

Guided Practice (15 minutes)

K-2 Students:

Reading: Pair students to retell the brainstorming scenes from "Grand Opening" in their own words.
Writing: Have students write a star detail sentence about their store idea, using sentence starters.
Grammar: Guide them to create a list of items they want to sell, reminding them to use commas appropriately.
Math: Provide them with price examples to round with guidance.

3-5 Students:

Reading: In small groups, students summarize the character planning scenes and discuss the importance of teamwork in brainstorming.
Writing: Encourage them to write a more complex star detail sentence about their store idea, using vivid adjectives.
Grammar: Challenge them to create a longer list of items with commas and conjunctions.
Math: Assign prices for several items and ask them to round each to the nearest dollar, then work toward finding a total.

Independent Work (15 minutes)

K-2 Students:

Complete a worksheet where they retell the brainstorming events, write a star sentence, list their store items with commas, and round a set of simple prices.

3-5 Students:

Create a mini-presentation of their store idea that includes:
- A summary of the brainstorming process
- A detailed star sentence
- A comma-separated list of store items
- Rounding prices and calculating the total

Reflection (5 minutes)

Prompt students to reflect on why planning is important for a business. As they write or share in pairs, ask them to think about how planning helps avoid mistakes and makes things easier.

Reflection Prompt:

“Why do you think it’s important for businesses to plan their store ideas before they open?”

Conclusion

Wrap up by inviting a few students to share their reflections and any unique aspects of their store plans. Emphasize the role of planning in success and how the skills they practiced today will help them as future entrepreneurs.

Overall, today’s lesson encourages creativity and critical thinking while giving students applicable skills that connect to the larger theme of Business & Finance.