Business Concepts Introduction

Year level

Year 6 (Australian Curriculum v9 aligned)

Duration

45 minutes

Class size

25 students

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Learning intention

• Understand what businesses do.
• Distinguish between goods and services.
• Identify examples of businesses in the local community.

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Australian Curriculum alignment

Learning Area: Humanities and Social Sciences (Economics and Business)
Content Description:

• Identify the role of businesses and why they provide goods and services
• Understand the difference between goods and services
  Referencing the Economics and Business strand for lower secondary with appropriate scaffolding for Year 6, this lesson links to developing an understanding of business concepts in the local community context (although the v9 curriculum is focused from Year 7+, its principles can be adapted to Year 6; cross-check with AC9HS6S03 and AC9HS6K08 to scaffold to Year 6) .

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Curriculum links:

• Students learn to locate and describe goods and services and understand their significance in the community (AC9HS6S03, AC9HS6K08).
• Students analyse consumer influences (personal, social, economic) on purchasing decisions.
• Economic understanding at age-appropriate level: What businesses do, and why goods and services exist.
• Capabilities: Critical and creative thinking, Personal and social capability.

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Materials needed

• Whiteboard or interactive screen
• Paper and markers or crayons for mind mapping
• Local business examples (printed photos or slides of local shops, markets, service providers)
• Worksheet template for mind map (optional)

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Lesson structure

1. Introduction (10 minutes)

Teacher explicit teaching:

• Begin with a simple explanation:
  • A business is an organisation or person that provides goods or services to people.
  • Goods are things you can touch or own (e.g., bread, clothes).
  • Services are activities someone does for you (e.g., haircut, bus ride).
• Show images/slides/real-life examples of local businesses — a bakery, a hairdresser, a mechanic, a cafe.
• Discuss how these businesses provide goods or services.

Teacher questions:

• Can you name any businesses near our school or in our community?
• Are their products goods or services?
• Why do people go to these businesses?

Use an engaging storytelling approach by describing a day in the life of a local business owner, such as a cafe.

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2. Pair activity: Goods and Services Mind Map (20 minutes)

Instructions:

• Students work in pairs.
• Each pair will create a mind map on paper listing goods and services they encounter daily.
• Prompt students to think about their home, school, and community.
  • For example: food from shops (goods), bus rides (services), school supplies (goods), doctors (services).
• Encourage creativity with drawings or words.
• Teacher circulates to support thinking and prompt deeper answers.

Learning goals:

• Categorise items into goods and services.
• Link concepts back to local examples.

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3. Whole class share and discussion (10 minutes)

• Invite pairs to share one or two items from their mind map.
• Write examples on the whiteboard, categorising under "Goods" or "Services."
• Discuss why some businesses sell goods, some provide services, and some do both.

Key messages:

• Businesses satisfy needs and wants through goods and services.
• Examples in the local community vary widely.
• Goods and services impact daily life and the economy.

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4. Plenary (5 minutes)

• Recap the difference between goods and services.
• Quick rapid-fire quiz: Teacher names items, students shout “Goods” or “Services”.
• Homework suggestion: Students observe and note three goods and three services used at home or in their community.

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Assessment:

• Observation of student participation during discussion for understanding.
• Review mind maps created in pairs for correct categorisation.
• Use questioning to assess conceptual understanding during plenary.

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Differentiation:

• Support: Provide pairs with picture cards of goods and services.
• Extension: Have some students identify types of businesses that sell both goods and services.

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Cross-curriculum priorities & general capabilities:

• Ethical understanding: Discuss fair business practices as part of economic roles.
• Personal and social capability: Collaborative mind mapping activity encourages teamwork.
• Critical and creative thinking: Students analyse their environments to classify concepts.

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This lesson aligns with the Australian Curriculum v9 by introducing foundational economic and business concepts through culturally and locally relevant examples, scaffolded investigations, and collaborative activities appropriate to Year 6 students' learning needs and capabilities. It sets a strong foundation for the following "Shark Tank!" unit lessons that will expand on business planning and entrepreneurial thinking.

If you want, I can also provide a detailed sequence for the next lessons!