Course Plan: Business & Finance for Grades K-5

Overview

This 4-week course is designed for a multi-age homeschool group (grades K–5), focusing on "Business & Finance" through the mentor text Civic Square: The Grand Opening. Each week comprises five lessons, integrating reading, writing, grammar, and math skills through real-world classroom economy tasks and roleplay.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the month, students will:

Understand fundamental business concepts
Explore various bank careers
Learn about investment and the stock market
Gain insights into insurance careers
Showcase their knowledge through a final market showcase, civic simulation, or presentation

Week 1: Business & Finance

Lesson 1: Introduction to Business

Objective: Define business and its importance in the community.
Activities:
- Read: Civic Square: The Grand Opening, Chapters 1-2
- Write: List different types of businesses they see in their community.
- Math: Create a simple budget for starting a lemonade stand (K-2: 1 item; 3-5: 3 items).

Lesson 2: Roles in a Business

Objective: Identify different roles within a business (e.g., manager, cashier).
Activities:
- Read: Continue with Civic Square (Chapters 3-4)
- Write: Write a short description of their favorite business role.
- Roleplay: Set up a mock business with defined roles (K-2: small business; 3-5: larger operation).

Lesson 3: Understanding Profit and Loss

Objective: Learn about profit and loss in a business context.
Activities:
- Read: Review Chapters 5-6 of Civic Square.
- Math Activity: Use play money to simulate sales transactions and calculate profit and loss (K-2: basic calculations; 3-5: addition/subtraction).

Lesson 4: Marketing a Product

Objective: Understand the basics of marketing and advertising.
Activities:
- Read: Civic Square, Chapters 7-8.
- Writing: Create a catchy slogan for their business.
- Art: Design a simple advertisement poster for their product.

Lesson 5: Business Presentation

Objective: Present their business concept to the group.
Activities:
- Presentation: Students share their business plan (K-2: 2 minutes; 3-5: 5 minutes).
- Feedback: Peers provide constructive feedback using a simple rubric.

Week 2: Bank Careers

Lesson 6: Introduction to Banking

Objective: Identify the purpose of banks in the community.
Activities:
- Read: Civic Square Chapters 9-10.
- Writing: Write about how banks help people.
- Roleplay: Set up a classroom bank kiosk.

Lesson 7: Types of Bank Careers

Objective: Explore different careers available in banks.
Activities:
- Read: Civic Square, Chapters 11-12.
- Writing: Choose a bank career and write about its responsibilities.
- Roleplay: Assign roles (bank teller, manager) during a banking simulation.

Lesson 8: Opening a Bank Account

Objective: Understand the basics of saving and opening a bank account.
Activities:
- Math Activity: Create a savings plan using fictitious amounts.
- Read: Review relevant sections from the book.

Lesson 9: Interest and Savings

Objective: Learn about interest and how it affects savings.
Activities:
- Math: Calculate interest on a simple savings amount (K-2: visual representation; 3-5: basic calculation).
- Discussion: Talk about why savings are important.

Lesson 10: Bank Presentation

Objective: Present on a chosen bank career.
Activities:
- Presentation: Each student presents their bank career and its impact on the community.
- Feedback: Provide and receive peer evaluations.

Week 3: Investment & Stock Market

Lesson 11: Introduction to Investments

Objective: Define investment and why it is important.
Activities:
- Read: Civic Square, Chapters 13-14.
- Writing: Write 3 reasons why investing is important.
- Discussion: Talk about different types of investments.

Lesson 12: Stock Market Basics

Objective: Learn what the stock market is and how it works.
Activities:
- Read: Civic Square, Chapters 15-16.
- Math Activity: Use a graph to track a fictional stock’s performance.

Lesson 13: Simulating Investing

Objective: Simulate buying and selling stocks.
Activities:
- Roleplay: Set up a classroom stock market.
- Math: Calculate gains/losses based on fictional stock prices.

Lesson 14: Research Companies

Objective: Research and present on a company of choice for potential investment.
Activities:
- Writing: Create a simple report on the company (K-2: drawings; 3-5: written report).
- Presentation: Share findings with peer groups.

Lesson 15: Stock Market Showcase

Objective: Simulate an investment fair.
Activities:
- Setup: Create booths to showcase chosen companies.
- Presentation: Students present their chosen investment opportunities and why others should invest.

Week 4: Insurance Careers

Lesson 16: Understanding Insurance

Objective: Define insurance and its role in personal finance.
Activities:
- Read: Civic Square, Chapters 17-18.
- Discussion: Talk about different types of insurance (car, health).

Lesson 17: Roles in Insurance

Objective: Identify various careers within the insurance sector.
Activities:
- Research: Look up typical job roles in insurance.
- Writing: Write a job description for a role in insurance.

Lesson 18: Insurance and Risk Management

Objective: Learn about risk and how insurance helps manage it.
Activities:
- Math Activity: Calculate potential risks and their costs in different scenarios (K-2: simple examples; 3-5: more complex scenarios).

Lesson 19: Creating an Insurance Policy

Objective: Create a mock insurance policy for a hypothetical product.
Activities:
- Writing: Draft a simple insurance policy using templates.
- Roleplay: Present their insurance product to classmates.

Lesson 20: Final Showcase

Objective: Present what they learned through the unit.
Activities:
- Market Showcase: Set up booths for their businesses, bank roles, investments, and insurance policies.
- Reflection: Write a journal entry about what they learned and how they can apply it in real life.

Conclusion Wrap-Up

By the end of the month, students will have applied reading, writing, grammar, and math skills to role-play as business owners, bank employees, investors, and insurance agents. They will complete city-building projects and reflect on real-world decision-making in their final presentations, demonstrating their mastery of essential business and finance concepts.