Problem Solving & Opportunities

Overview

This 60-minute lesson is Lesson 7 of 12 in the "Entrepreneurship in Action" unit designed for Year 5-6 students. The focus is on understanding how entrepreneurs identify problems in their communities and create innovative opportunities to address these issues. Through real-world examples and active investigation, students will develop their problem-solving and opportunity-creation skills, relevant to the Australian Curriculum v9 for Economics and Business in Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS).

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Curriculum Alignment

Australian Curriculum v9 Reference — Humanities and Social Sciences: Economics and Business (Year 5-6)

• Content Description:
  • Understand how entrepreneurs connect products and services to community needs and wants.
  • Investigate how entrepreneurs identify and respond to opportunities and problems within communities.
• Key Skills/Capabilities:
  • Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
  • Entrepreneurial skills and innovation
  • Collaboration and communication

Relevant Curriculum Codes:

• AC9HS5S02: Locate, collect and organise information and data from primary and secondary sources
• AC9HS5S03: Evaluate information and data to identify patterns or relationships
• AC9HS6S05: Develop evidence-based conclusions (Year 6 focus on decision making based on evidence)

These align directly with the lesson goals of problem identification, opportunity recognition, critical evaluation, and solution generation within economic and business contexts.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. Define a problem and what it means to create an opportunity in the context of entrepreneurship.
2. Identify real problems faced by communities through case studies of successful entrepreneurs.
3. Analyse how these entrepreneurs created opportunities by solving community problems.
4. Collaboratively brainstorm and propose simple solutions or business ideas to local issues.
5. Present findings and proposed solutions to peers, practising communication skills.

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Resources Needed

• Whiteboard or Smartboard
• Projector or screen for videos/images
• Case study printouts or summary sheets of local/community-based entrepreneurs (can be hypothetical or real examples)
• Large paper or digital devices for group brainstorming (e.g., tablets or laptops if available)
• Sticky notes, markers, pens for group activities
• Worksheets with guided questions for analysis and reflection

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Lesson Breakdown (60 minutes)

1. Introduction & Warm-up (10 minutes)

• Activity: Class discussion asking students:
  • What is a problem? What is an opportunity?
  • Can they think of any problems in their community?
• Purpose: Activate prior knowledge and set context.
• Teacher role: Guide students to connect everyday problems with opportunities entrepreneurs might explore.

2. Investigation: Entrepreneurial Problem Solving (15 minutes)

• Activity: Present 2-3 short case studies of Australian or local entrepreneurs who identified a community problem and created a business opportunity.
  • Examples could include a local recycling entrepreneur, a tech start-up solving school lunch issues, or a student-led community garden project.
• Support: Use visuals, short videos, or stories.
• Task: In pairs, students highlight the problem identified and the opportunity created.
• Curriculum link: Gathering and organising information from multiple sources (AC9HS5S02).

3. Group Activity: Brainstorming Solutions (20 minutes)

• Setup: Students form groups of 5-6.

• Task: Groups choose a community problem (it can be one discussed or a new one they identify).

• Each group uses graphic organisers or a digital mind map to brainstorm possible opportunities or businesses to address that problem.

• Students fill out worksheet prompts:

  • What is the problem?
  • Who does it affect?
  • What solutions or products could help?
  • How could this solution be created or started?

• Teacher: Circulate, guide thinking, encourage creativity and feasibility.

4. Presentation & Reflection (10 mins)

• Groups briefly present their problem and proposed opportunity/solution to the class (2 minutes each).
• Class discussion on common patterns — e.g., many solve environmental problems, or how simple ideas can turn into businesses.
• Summarise entrepreneurial mindset: observing problems, thinking creatively, acting collaboratively.

5. Wrap-up & Homework (5 minutes)

• Reflective question on worksheet or in journals:
  • How can you look for opportunities in your everyday life?
  • What traits do entrepreneurs show when solving problems?
• Teacher shares a teaser for the next lesson on planning projects or creating business plans.

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Assessment

• Formative: Observation of group discussions and presentations.
• Worksheet answers evaluated for understanding of problem and opportunity concepts, and creativity.
• Reflection journal to assess personal insights on entrepreneurship.
• Opportunities for peer feedback on concepts and presentation skills support learning growth.

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Differentiation

• Provide sentence starters or vocabulary lists for students needing literacy support.
• Allow use of drawings or diagrams instead of written work.
• Higher-achieving students encouraged to add detailed plans or marketing ideas.
• Group work mixes skill levels for peer support.

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Notes for teachers

• Use familiar local examples where possible to increase relevance.
• For very large classes (e.g., 110 students), break into several groups and run simultaneous group activities with multiple facilitators or teachers.
• Digital tools like Padlet or Jamboard can be used for real-time collective brainstorming if devices and internet are available.
• Encourage students to think beyond immediate problems — future opportunities or sustainability.

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This lesson plan encourages active engagement, critical analysis, collaboration, and communication — building foundational entrepreneurial skills aligned with the Australian Curriculum for Years 5-6 Economics and Business within HASS.