Third Graders at Cuyahoga Heights Elementary School took a fun and creative approach to showcasing their understanding of supply and demand, producers and consumers, and other economic concepts. After completing their unit, the third-graders took on the roles of entrepreneurs and invited the school’s fourth graders to use their “Pup Bucks” expected behavior coupons to purchase their merchandise at a Business Fair.
“We used a variety of resources, including books, informational text, and videos, to develop a unit that supported both English Language
Arts and Social Studies standards to deepen the students’ knowledge of both economics and reading,” said teacher Kaylin Runger.
Students read the novel “Billy Sure: Kid Entrepreneur”, analyzed websites, and enjoyed a visit from a SalesForce guest speaker. Each student worked during language arts, technology, and arts classes to create a business plan, develop a logo, produce a commercial, and manufacture a product to bring their business idea to life. Among the items “manufactured” were bath bombs, guitar-pick jewelry, bookmarks, airplanes, origami figures, and slime.
“Our third graders were extremely creative and hardworking throughout this unit,” noted Runger. “They developed essential skills, such as creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making, while learning to think ‘outside the box’ and explore their interests and talents.” They also learned about teamwork and collaboration and how to delegate tasks, communicate effectively with one another, and work toward a common goal.”
All three third-grade teachers (Runger, Madison Smith, and Kaya Zingale) felt the students exceeded all expectations with this project. “We were proud of their hard work, perseverance, and creativity,” noted Runger. “The Business Fair was a fun way to spark their curiosity, excitement, and passion for learning about business and entrepreneurship.”