Sustainability in Entrepreneurship

Year Level

Year 9

Duration

45 minutes

Class Size

20 students

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WALT (We Are Learning To)

• Understand the role of sustainability in modern business practices.
• Evaluate how sustainable practices can be integrated into entrepreneurial ideas.
• Reflect on how our own business ideas can positively impact the environment.

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Success Criteria

Students can:

• Explain the concept of sustainability in business using key economic and business terms.
• Identify sustainable business practices and justify their importance.
• Propose and discuss ways their own entrepreneurial ideas might contribute to environmental sustainability.
• Work collaboratively to share and critique sustainability ideas respecting diverse viewpoints.

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Australian Curriculum Alignment

Economics and Business (Humanities and Social Sciences)

• Content Descriptor: AC9HE9S05 - Create descriptions and explanations using economic and business knowledge, concepts and terms, incorporating research (Year 9)
• Elaboration: Incorporate corporate social responsibility and global supply chains when explaining sustainability decisions in business (AC9HE9S05_E1).
• Content Descriptor: AC9HE9S03 - Interpret information and data to explain economic and business issues and trends
• General Capability (Critical and Creative Thinking): Consider sustainable solutions and implications in entrepreneurial contexts.

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Resources

• Whiteboard and markers
• Laptops/tablets with internet access
• Sustainability case study handouts (dyslexia-friendly, with simplified fonts and clear headings)
• Graphic organiser worksheets
• Business idea templates previously developed by students (from earlier lessons)

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Lesson Outline

1. Introduction and Engagement (10 minutes)

Activity:

• Begin with a class discussion: “What does sustainability mean in business today?”
• Capture student responses on the whiteboard, introducing terms such as environmental impact, corporate social responsibility, and sustainable supply chains.
• Show a brief modern business sustainability example (e.g., an Australian company known for sustainable practices).

Teaching Points:

• Define sustainability in business: meeting current needs without compromising future generations’ ability to meet theirs.
• Relate sustainability to entrepreneurship: why modern businesses must consider the environment and society.

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2. Exploring Sustainability in Entrepreneurship (15 minutes)

Activity:

• Students review a simplified case study of a sustainable business (dyslexia-friendly handout).
• In pairs, students use a graphic organiser to identify the sustainable practices used, benefits to the environment, and possible challenges.
• Each pair briefly shares one key point with the class.

Differentiation:

• Provide sentence starters and graphic organisers for students who need support.
• Challenge advanced learners to include economic benefits and risks of sustainability in their analysis.

Curriculum Link:

• Developing reasoned arguments on business decisions considering corporate social responsibility and environmental impacts (AC9HE9S05_E1 and E3).

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3. Applying Sustainability to Their Own Ideas (15 minutes)

Activity:

• Students revisit their own entrepreneurial ideas developed in prior lessons.
• Individually or in pairs, students brainstorm ways their business can be more sustainable, using prompts such as:
  • How can the product or service reduce waste or emissions?
  • Can materials be sourced ethically or locally?
  • Are there ways to reuse or recycle?
• Students record their ideas in the business idea template focusing on sustainability.

Differentiation:

• Provide examples of sustainable business practices across industries.
• Advanced learners can propose innovative solutions or new sustainable business models.

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4. Sharing and Reflecting (5 minutes)

Activity:

• Invite a few students to share their sustainability ideas with the class.
• Facilitate a quick discussion on the potential impacts and any challenges.
• Summarise the importance of incorporating sustainability into entrepreneurship.

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Assessment

• Informal: Observations during pair discussions and class sharing.
• Formal: Completion of the sustainability section in their business idea templates demonstrating understanding and application of sustainable concepts.

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Extension Activity for Early Finishers or Advanced Learners

• Research and present a short report on an innovative sustainable business practice in the global market and its relevance to Australian entrepreneurs.

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Differentiation Strategies for Diverse Learners

• Dyslexia-friendly reading materials with clear headings, bullet points, and sans-serif fonts.
• Visual organisers to structure information.
• Sentence starters and scaffolds for written responses.
• Collaborative pair work to support social learning.
• Encourage oral explanations for students who find writing challenging.

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Reflection for Teachers

• Evaluate student engagement with sustainability concepts.
• Note which students may benefit from further scaffolding or enrichment.
• Reflect on integrating cross-curriculum priorities such as environmental sustainability in future lessons.

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This lesson plan aligns closely with the Australian Curriculum v9 for Year 9 Economics and Business, focusing on sustainability and corporate social responsibility within entrepreneurship. It combines critical thinking, application of knowledge, and reflection in a 45-minute timeframe flexible for a class of 20 students. The lesson encourages students to think innovatively about sustainability as a key part of business success and ethical responsibility.