Weighing Business Choices

Overview

In this lesson, students create a personalized pros-and-cons list for starting a business, then revise it to clarify connections between ideas and evidence. This builds on earlier unit work by moving from identifying entrepreneurial factors to evaluating them through personal values and decision-making.

Learning intentions

• Students will be able to organize ideas and information into a clear pros-and-cons format.
• Students will be able to use linking words to connect claims, reasons, and evidence from notes or examples.
• Students will be able to develop relevant points with sufficient facts or concrete examples appropriate for a classroom audience.
• Students will be able to participate in a collaborative discussion to refine their thinking and writing.

Success criteria

• I can create a pros-and-cons list with headings and well-organized bullet points.
• I can explain why each pro or con matters to me using clear linking words (for example, because, therefore, however).
• I can support my points with specific details or examples (not just opinions).
• I can revise my list after peer feedback to make the relationships between ideas clearer.

Curriculum links

• Writing: introduce a topic and organize ideas using headings and formatting to make important connections and distinctions (WALT/Students align with CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.9-10.2a).
• Writing: use words, phrases, and clauses to link major sections and clarify relationships between claim(s) and reasons and between reasons and evidence (Students align with CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.9-10.1c).
• Writing: develop points using well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, details, or examples (Students align with CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.9-10.2b).
• Speaking and listening: participate effectively in collaborative discussions, building on others’ ideas and expressing ideas clearly (Students align with CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1).

Lesson structure (50 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Warm-up (Decision Prompt). Teacher writes: “Should you start a business now or wait?” Students quickly journal 2–3 possible reasons on scrap paper, labeling each as “pro” or “con.”
2. 5–12 min · Model + Think Aloud. Teacher displays a sample outline titled “Starting a Business: Pros and Cons.” Teacher models how to add headings and bullet structure, then explains how linking words show relationships (e.g., “One reason is…, therefore…”; “However, …”).

• Students highlight in the sample where the writer uses headings, where details appear, and where linking words connect ideas.

3. 12–23 min · Collaborative Brainstorm. Students form groups of 4. Each group completes a quick “Value-to-Factor” chart: values (e.g., independence, flexibility, income goals, learning, stability) matched with possible business factors (e.g., time demands, risk, skills needed, market demand).

• Students take notes and add at least one specific example for each group value-to-factor match (a past experience, local observation, or realistic scenario).

4. 23–36 min · Draft: Personal Pros-and-Cons List. Teacher provides a one-page template with headings: “Pros” and “Cons” plus a top line statement: “Starting a business fits my goals because… / Starting a business may not fit my goals because…”

• Students draft 4–6 pros and 4–6 cons. For each bullet, they must include: (a) a value connection, and (b) a detail/example, using at least two linking words across the list.

5. 36–43 min · Peer Feedback (Cohesion Check). Teacher gives a simple checklist for peer review:

• Do headings make the list easy to follow?
• Do bullets show clear reasons and include at least one detail/example?
• Are linking words used to clarify relationships (because/therefore/however)?
• Students swap lists with a partner and provide one “glow” (what’s strong) and one “grow” (what to revise).

6. 43–50 min · Revise + Exit Ticket. Students revise their own list based on feedback, then complete a 2-question exit ticket:

• Which one pro or con is most important to your decision, and what value does it connect to?
• Which linking word will you add or improve to make your reasons clearer?

Resources

• One-page pros-and-cons template with headings and bullet space
• Value-to-factor chart handout (or slide)
• Student notebooks/scrap paper for brainstorming
• Peer feedback checklist (print or posted)
• Colored pencils/highlighters for identifying details and linking words
• Timer and board/slide for the sample pros-and-cons structure

Assessment

• Formative during brainstorm: teacher circulates and listens for value-to-factor connections and evidence use.
• Formative during drafting: teacher checks for headings, sufficient detail/examples, and at least two linking words.
• Exit ticket review: confirms students can articulate a key pro or con and explain the value connection and reasoning link.

Differentiation

• Support: provide sentence starters for bullets (e.g., “This is a pro because…,” “However, this could be a con since…,” “For example, …”).
• Support: allow students to use a word bank of linking words and value words, and offer an “example bank” of realistic scenarios (time commitment, startup costs, mentorship, local customer needs).
• Extension: students who finish early add a third section titled “My Decision (Next Step)” with one short paragraph describing how they will test one pro or manage one con.
• EAL/SEN considerations: permit oral planning before writing; offer a graphic organizer that separates “Value,” “Reason,” and “Example” within each bullet.