Course Plan: Business & Finance for K-5 Multi-Age Homeschool Group

Overview

This four-week course is designed to engage students in grades K-5 through lessons centered around the theme of "Business & Finance," using the mentor text "Civic Square: The Grand Opening." Each week will focus on a specific aspect of business in real-world contexts while fostering key reading, writing, grammar, and math skills. Students will participate in practical, hands-on activities to simulate real-world business scenarios and deepen their understanding of finance concepts.

Weekly Breakdown

Week 1: Business & Finance

Lesson 1: Introduction to Business Concepts
- Objective: Define what a business is and identify different types of businesses in the community.
- Activity: Read Civic Square: The Grand Opening and create a list of businesses found in the text.
- GSE Standards: ELA.1.R.C1.1, MATH.1.MD.3
Lesson 2: Roles in a Business
- Objective: Identify different roles within a business and describe their functions.
- Activity: Role-play different business roles (e.g., manager, cashier, customer).
- GSE Standards: ELA.2.R.C1.2, ELA.3.W.C10
Lesson 3: Budgeting Basics
- Objective: Understand the concept of a budget and its importance to a business.
- Activity: Create a simple budget for a class store project.
- GSE Standards: MATH.2.NBT.7, MATH.3.OA.7
Lesson 4: Store Design Ideas
- Objective: Conceptualize a store layout based on target customers.
- Activity: Design a floor plan for a class store and present it.
- GSE Standards: ELA.4.W.C10, MATH.3.G.1
Lesson 5: Store Business Simulation
- Objective: Implement budgeting by purchasing supplies for the class store.
- Activity: Role-play running a store, including transactions within a budget.
- GSE Standards: MATH.5.NBT.7, ELA.5.W.C10

STEM Builder’s Blueprint Challenge: Plan and design a small store, including budgeting expenses and projected income.

Week 2: Bank Careers

Lesson 6: Introduction to Banking
- Objective: Learn about the purpose of banks and different banking services.
- Activity: Read Civic Square: The Grand Opening and discuss the role of banks.
- GSE Standards: ELA.1.R.C1.1, MATH.1.OA.6
Lesson 7: Banking Roles
- Objective: Explore various careers in banking and their responsibilities.
- Activity: Create a career chart for different banking positions.
- GSE Standards: ELA.2.R.C1.2, ELA.3.W.C10
Lesson 8: Savings & Check Writing
- Objective: Learn how to write a check and the importance of saving money.
- Activity: Practice writing checks (simulated) using sample amounts.
- GSE Standards: MATH.2.NBT.8, MATH.4.NF.3
Lesson 9: Bank Booth Creation
- Objective: Design a bank booth for our class bank.
- Activity: Build a class bank booth and create signs for services offered.
- GSE Standards: ELA.4.W.C10, MATH.3.G.1
Lesson 10: Savings Tracker
- Objective: Use tools to track savings and expenditures.
- Activity: Create a savings tracker to note their class bank savings.
- GSE Standards: MATH.5.NBT.4, ELA.5.W.C10

STEM Builder’s Blueprint Challenge: Develop a bank booth that showcases saving concepts and offers a savings tracker to customers.

Week 3: Investment & Stock Market

Lesson 11: Introduction to Investing
- Objective: Understand what it means to invest and why it is important.
- Activity: Discuss different investment types and read about investment basics.
- GSE Standards: ELA.1.R.C1.1, MATH.1.OA.6
Lesson 12: Stock Market Simulations
- Objective: Learn how the stock market functions and simulate trading stocks.
- Activity: Participate in a mock stock market with assigned companies.
- GSE Standards: ELA.2.R.C1.2, MATH.3.OA.7
Lesson 13: Investment Tracking
- Objective: Track the value of investments over time.
- Activity: Create a mock investment log to track stock performance.
- GSE Standards: MATH.4.NF.3, ELA.4.W.C10
Lesson 14: Graphing Investments
- Objective: Learn to create bar graphs and line graphs to represent investment data.
- Activity: Graph investment changes based on mock stock market performance.
- GSE Standards: MATH.5.MD.2, ELA.5.W.C10
Lesson 15: Present Investment Choices
- Objective: Justify investment choices based on research and trends.
- Activity: Present findings about chosen stocks and their growth.
- GSE Standards: ELA.3.SL.C4, MATH.5.NBT.5

STEM Builder’s Blueprint Challenge: Create a visual representation of your stock investments and their potential future growth through graphics and data analysis.

Week 4: Insurance Careers

Lesson 16: Understanding Insurance
- Objective: Describe what insurance is and why it is necessary.
- Activity: Read Civic Square: The Grand Opening focusing on insurance references.
- GSE Standards: ELA.1.R.C1.1, MATH.1.OA.7
Lesson 17: Types of Insurance
- Objective: Identify different types of insurance (health, auto, home).
- Activity: Create a poster displaying various types of insurance and their purposes.
- GSE Standards: ELA.2.R.C1.2, ELA.3.W.C10
Lesson 18: Writing an Insurance Plan
- Objective: Learn how to draft a simple insurance plan.
- Activity: Write a fictional insurance policy for a classroom item.
- GSE Standards: ELA.4.W.C10, MATH.3.G.1
Lesson 19: Claims Process
- Objective: Explain what insurance claims are and how to file them.
- Activity: Role-play filing an insurance claim for a mock scenario.
- GSE Standards: MATH.5.NBT.4, ELA.5.W.C10
Lesson 20: Final Showcase & Reflection
- Objective: Present the knowledge gained throughout the course in a creative format.
- Activity: Conduct a civic simulation where students "host" businesses and interact.
- GSE Standards: ELA.3.SL.C5, MATH.5.MD.3

STEM Builder’s Blueprint Challenge: Design an insurance policy for a fictional character in a real-world scenario, including how they would handle potential claims.

Monthly Conclusion Wrap-Up

By the end of this course, students will have applied their reading, writing, grammar, and math skills to role-play as business professionals, complete city-building projects, and engage in simulated businesses. Evidence of learning will include weekly writing journals, completed task checklists, learning guides, and a final presentation such as a market showcase, civic simulation, or roleplay. Students will reflect on real-world decision-making and demonstrate growth across academic and creative disciplines.

This course plan aligns with US educational standards and integrates essential skills relevant to real-life business and finance scenarios for learners in grades K-5.