Business Around Us

Overview

In this first lesson of Young Entrepreneurs in Action, students explore what businesses do, why they exist, and how they respond to people’s needs and wants. They draw on familiar local examples before beginning to think like young entrepreneurs.

Learning intentions

• WALT explain what a business is and why businesses exist.
• WALT distinguish between needs and wants.
• WALT identify how local businesses provide goods or services.
• WALT share ideas clearly and listen respectfully to others.

Success criteria

• I can describe a business in my own words.
• I can identify whether something is mainly a need or a want.
• I can give an example of a local business and explain what it provides.
• I can contribute an idea and build on someone else’s thinking.

Curriculum links

• Social Sciences — Economic Activity: understanding how businesses provide goods and services to meet people’s needs and wants.
• Social Sciences — Financial Education: recognising that people and organisations make choices about economic activity.
• English — Oral Language: planning ideas for an audience and communicating them clearly.
• Key competencies: thinking; participating and contributing; relating to others; using language, symbols, and texts.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook: Who needs this business? Teacher displays the opening business mystery slide showing a striking local business image with the name hidden, then asks, “What might this business provide, and who might use it?” Students make an individual prediction, then share with a partner. Invite two or three responses without confirming the answer immediately.

2. 5–12 min · What is a business? Teacher uses the business definition and examples slides to introduce: a business provides goods or services, usually in exchange for money, and exists to meet people’s needs or wants. Clarify that goods are things people can buy, while services are actions or help provided for others. Students suggest examples and classify them orally as goods, services, or both. Emphasise that not every organisation is a business, and that businesses can be small, large, online, mobile, whānau-owned, or community-based.

3. 12–20 min · Needs and wants Teacher shows the needs-and-wants sorting slide and explains that needs are essential for wellbeing, while wants are things people would like but can live without; some examples depend on context. Students use their fingers to signal “need” or “want” for examples such as food, warm clothing, a gaming headset, transport to school, medicine, and a birthday cake. Discuss one example where reasonable people might disagree, asking students to justify their thinking rather than focus only on a correct label.

4. 20–32 min · Local business investigation Teacher distributes the local business investigation sheet and models one example, such as a nearby bakery: what it provides, who uses it, and which need or want it might meet. Students work in pairs to choose a familiar local business, such as a dairy, market stall, hairdresser, farm, takeaway shop, mechanic, library café, online shop, or sports provider. They record whether it provides goods, services, or both; identify its likely customers; and explain the need or want it meets. Remind students not to record private information about business owners or families.

5. 32–40 min · Share and compare Teacher uses the partner-share prompts to structure brief presentations. Each pair gives a 30-second explanation: “Our business is… It provides… Its customers might be… It meets the need/want of…” List businesses on the board in two columns—goods and services—and invite the class to notice similarities and differences. Ask, “Could the same business meet a need for one person and a want for another?”

6. 40–45 min · Plenary and exit ticket Teacher returns to the final reflection slide and asks students to complete the sentence, “Businesses are important because…” Students complete a short exit ticket: define a business, name one local business, and state one need or want it meets. Collect responses as they leave.

Resources

• the business mystery and teaching slide deck
• the local business investigation sheet
• Whiteboard and markers
• Student pencils
• Optional local map or photographs of familiar businesses
• Exit-ticket slips

Assessment

• Listen during the hook and sorting activity for students’ understanding of goods, services, needs, and wants; ask students to explain their reasoning.
• Check paired worksheets for an accurate business example, a plausible customer group, and a clear explanation of what the business provides.
• Use the exit ticket to identify students who can define a business and connect it with a need or want. Reteach these concepts briefly at the beginning of Lesson 2 if needed.

Differentiation

• Provide a word bank and sentence starters on the local business investigation sheet, such as “A business provides…” and “Customers might need/want…”.
• Offer picture examples and read instructions aloud for students needing literacy, attention, or processing support. Pair students thoughtfully and allow oral responses or scribing.
• Support English language learners with images, gestures, and the terms business, goods, services, needs, and wants displayed throughout the lesson.
• Extend confident students by asking them to explain how the same business could meet different needs and wants, or how its customers might change over time.