Lesson Plan - She's the Boss

Learning Objective

Students will meet a 12-year-old who launched a business selling science experiment kits.

Content-Area Connections

Social Studies, Economics

Standards Correlations

CCSS: RI.4.1, RI.4.2, RI.4.3, RI.4.4, RI.4.8

NCSS: Production, Distribution, and Consumption

TEKS: Social Studies 4.10

Text Structure

Description

1. Preparing to Read

Watch the Video
Before reading, watch the video “Meet Ava, the Business Whiz.” Discuss: What are some of the secrets to Ava’s success as a young entrepreneur?

Meet Ava, the Business Whiz
Watch a video to hear from Ava about running a business.

Preview Words to Know
Project the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know.

  • entrepreneur
  • consumers


Set a Purpose for Reading

As students read, have them think about what it takes to be a successful business owner.

2. Close-Reading Questions

1. How did Ava’s own interests inspire her business?
Ava’s interest in doing experiments inspired her business. The article explains that Ava has “created homemade rockets, made her own slime, and even used lemons to make electricity.” Now she sells kits showing other kids how to do these things. 
(RI.4.5 Cause and Effect)

2. Based on the article, what are some ways consumers learn about Ava’s products?
Customers learn about Ava’s products by visiting her website and social media pages, seeing the products in stores like Whole Foods, and attending the events Ava runs at schools, toy stores, and children’s museums. 
(RI.4.2 Main Idea and Key Details)

3. What does Ava mean when she says that a kid selling a product should “price it right”?
When Ava says that a kid selling a product should “price it right”, she means that the kid should be careful to charge enough that they make a profit. She suggests making sure that “the amount you charge isn’t higher than your costs.” 
(RI.4.1 Inference)

3. Skill Building

FEATURED SKILL: Reading a Chart
In the sidebar, Ava says it’s important to “price it right.” Discuss what she means. Then use the skill builder “Business Basics” to analyze expenses and sales for a fictional business and to explore how to calculate profit. 

(RI.4.7 Text Features)

Text-to-Speech