Students choose a city, then receive weather forecasts and financial reports to help them predict how many cups of lemonade they can sell. Rent and advertising costs are also added to the mix. This is a one-player game where the object is to exceed the posted high scores for profits. Bankruptcy ends the game sooner. This lesson provides historical perspective on the economics of farm life.
Students match traits and behaviors of successful entrepreneurs to the characteristics of farmers.
Discussion questions cultivate understanding of opportunity cost, scarcity, capital goods and resources, productive and natural resources, division of labor, and goods and services. These Eighth Grade Assignments include instructions for creating company flyers, checks, gift certificates, business cards, letterheads, memos, and fax coversheets. The imaginary companies also generate graphs from spreadsheet reports. Many well-done examples of student Web pages are included, and a work sheet examines the role of business in the world. At Business Plan Basics , students learn how to write a business plan.