Critical Thinking/Workflow
Practicum in Business Management
Lesson Plan
Performance Objective
Upon completion of this lesson, each student will understand how interpersonal skills, leadership,
teamwork skills, and human relations affect the workplace
Specific Objectives
 Students will compare positive and negative traits in the workplace.
 Students will analyze the proper way to communicate effectively in a situation.
 Students will identify their own strengths and weaknesses along with keys to help achieve selfactualization.
Terms
 Cooperation – working together for the common good.
 Critical thinking – the process of thinking carefully about a subject or idea, without allowing
feelings or opinions to affect you.
 Initiative – quality of self-motivation; the ability to get the job done on your own.
 Innovative – new and different ideas and methods.
 Prioritize – to arrange in order of importance so that you can deal with the most important
things before the others.
 Productivity – Measure of output; for example, the number of products produced per hour.
 Project – a piece of planned work or an activity that is finished over a period of time and
intended to achieve a particular aim.
This lesson should take 10-12 class days to complete.
Preparation
TEKS Correlations
This lesson, as published, correlates to the following TEKS. Any changes/alterations to the activities
may result in the elimination of any or all of the TEKS listed.
130.122C Knowledge and skills
(2) The student applies concepts of critical thinking and problem solving. The student is
expected to:
(A) analyze elements of a problem to develop creative and innovative solutions;
(B) critically analyze information to determine value to the problem-solving task;
1
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.
(C) compare and contrast alternatives using a variety of problem-solving and criticalthinking skills; and
(D) conduct technical research to gather information necessary for decision making.
(15) The student maintains workflow to enhance productivity. The student is expected to:
(A) organize and prioritize work;
(B) complete assigned tasks in a timely manner;
(C) coordinate work with that of team members;
(D) assist with overflow work; and
(E) coordinate submission of proposals.
(25) The student demonstrates project-management skills to improve workflow and minimize
costs. The student is expected to:
(A) identify resources needed for a project;
(B) develop a project plan; and
(C) apply project-management tools to monitor progress.
Interdisciplinary Correlations
English
110.42(b) Knowledge and skills.
(6) Reading/word identification/vocabulary development. The student uses a variety of
strategies to read unfamiliar words and to build vocabulary. The student is expected to:
(A) expand vocabulary through wide reading, listening, and discussing; and
(B) rely on context to determine meanings of words and phrases such as figurative
language, idioms, multiple meaning words, and technical vocabulary.
(7) Reading/comprehension. The student comprehends selections using a variety of strategies.
The student is expected to:
(F) identify main ideas and their supporting details;
(G) summarize texts; and
(J) read silently with comprehension for a sustained period of time.
Speech
110.56 (b) Knowledge and skills
(1)(A) Explain the importance of communication in daily interaction;
(2)(E) participate appropriately in conversations for a variety of purposes;
(3)(A) use appropriate communication in group settings;
(E) use appropriate verbal, non-verbal, and listening strategies to communicate effectively in
groups; and
(5)(B) use language clearly and appropriately;
Tasks
 Students will secure signatures on all forms, as specified by the teacher.
 Students will return all paperwork in a timely manner.
2
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.
Accommodations for Learning Differences
It is important that lessons accommodate the needs of every learner. These lessons may be modified
to accommodate your students with learning differences by referring to the files found on the Special
Populations page of this website (cte.unt.edu).
Preparation
 Copy the handouts
 Have multimedia presentations ready to show
Instructional Aids
 Student Notes sheet
 Student worksheets
Materials Needed
 Copies
 Pencils
Equipment Needed
 Teacher computer
 Projector (for digital presentation)
 Calculators
Introduction
Learner Preparation
 Begin by having students to describe the last time they had to complete a big project for school,
work, church, etc. Then ask students how they determined what order to do the assignment in
– and if it was a group assignment, how they decided who did which part.
 Explain to students that when a large amount of work is required to complete a project or solve
a problem, it is important to come up with a plan first and then to break the project into
smaller parts with deadlines to help with the workflow.
Lesson Introduction
 Have students explain what a project is and to list skills they think are important when trying to
complete a project.
 Explain to students what procrastination is and have them list advantages and disadvantages of
procrastinating.
3
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.
Outline
OUTLINE
MI
I.
NOTES TO TEACHER
Project Management Skills
a. Define Phase
b. Plan Phase
c. Do Phase
d. Review Phase
Beating Procrastination
Initiative Games
Business Project
II.
III.
IV.
Students may read through the list of
project management skills or the
teacher may put the information into
a presentation format and present it
to students in that manner.
Once complete, students should be
able to explain what a project is and
the different phases.
Explain to students the pitfalls for
procrastination and how they should
avoid putting assignments/projects
off until the last minute for fear of
missing the deadline.
Initiative Games will prepare your
students to work in groups for their
Business Project.
The Business Project will probably
take a minimum of 10 – 45 minute
classroom sessions. Encourage
students to stay on target. The
teacher may want to give a deadline
for each section to help students
maintain the workflow.
Multiple Intelligences Guide
Existentialist
Interpersonal
Intrapersonal
Kinesthetic/
Bodily
Logical/
Mathematical
Musical/Rhythmic
Naturalist
Verbal/Linguistic
Visual/Spatial
4
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.
Application
Guided Practice
 The teacher will use the multimedia presentations to teach the material. The teacher will
monitor students’ independent practices.
Summary
Review
 What is a project?

List and explain the four phases of a project.

Explain why procrastination should be avoided.
Evaluation

Informal Evaluation
o Teacher will check for understanding
o Very small work group option (students help each other)

Formal Evaluation
o Tests over the material
5
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.
Project Management Skills
What is a Project?
Everyone is involved in all sorts of projects throughout our lives, but unless you’re a project
management professional, we don’t often think about what makes a project a project. All around us
are things to be done, tasks to accomplish, decisions to make, skills to learn, problems to solve, results
to achieve. For example:
•Families decide what to buy at the food market, purchase the items, and make meals.
•Farmers plant, cultivate, and harvest crops that are then sold in markets.
•New houses are planned, designed, constructed, sold, and then families move in.
•Teachers plan their lessons, engage students in activities, and evaluate the results.
•Students receive assignments, do research, and write up and present their findings.
•Communities develop recycling plans, implement them, and measure the impact.
•Businesses plan new products, develop and test them, then sell them to consumers.
What makes these diverse activities, from small to large, all projects?
There are two key qualities of projects:
1. Projects are temporary efforts with a clear start and finish – they are not ongoing.
2. Projects have an end result – something created or completed that is often unique.
In the examples above, the end results are: eating meals, food sold in a grocery stores, families moving
into new homes, lessons taught, research papers handed in, recycling program impact reports
presented, and new products sold in stores and online.
Listening to the daily weather and stock market reports, answering your phone, brushing your teeth
each night – these activities are not usually considered projects, because they are brief ongoing
activities, and though there are some short-term results, there isn’t much of an end result in mind.
These simple actions just keep recurring regularly and they don’t really require an intentional plan or
produce a result that’s complex, different, new, or unique.
The measure of success in most business-oriented projects is to reach the end of the project cycle “on
time, on budget, and on scope.” What’s most important to business is meeting the project deadline
without spending more money than has been allocated for the project, without adding extra features
(and costs), or without fulfilling all of the project requirements (being “out of scope” of the desired
result).
6
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.
Define (Initiating) Phase: Project Definition & Team Agreement
At the beginning of a learning project, there are two resources that are particularly helpful in making
sure everyone understands what the project is all about, what is expected of each player, what the
intended outcomes of the project will be, and how the project team members will work together on
the project – The Project Definition document and the Teamwork Agreement.
The Project Definition document records the answers to the key questions that define the main
characteristics of the project, such as this “Defining Dozen” list of questions:
1 . Why is this project needed?
2 . What is this project about? (a brief description)
3 . What is the goal of this project?
4 . What will be the end results of the project? (the “deliverables” in business terms)
5 . What will this project not do, even if it could be done easily?
6 . What type of project is this? (inquiry, design, debate, expression; prescriptive exploratory; or a
combination)
7 . What is the driving question, problem, issue, or perspective that motivates the work in this project?
8 . When will the project need to be completed?
9 . Where will the project be done?
10. What resources are needed to successfully complete the project? (equipment, tools materials,
funding,
technology, online resources, books, etc.)
11. How will the project be evaluated? (quality of the project work and end results, the learning
outcomes, the
effectiveness of the project methods)
12. What risks are involved in the project? (events or conditions that may delay or impact project
work)
7
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.
Plan (Planning) Phase: the Work Plan
In the second stage of the learning project cycle – the Plan stage – organizing and planning out the
team members’ project work is the focus. It is most helpful in this stage to collaboratively develop a
WorkPlan document that includes items such as:
• A list of project deadlines for each stage of the project work (when each of the Define, Plan, Do, and
Review stages should be completed)
• A list of project tasks in the order they need to be performed
• The project owners for each of the tasks
• The resources needed for each task (materials, tools, funding, expert advice, etc.)
• Time schedules for each of the tasks (start and finish dates)
Do (Executing, Monitoring/Controlling) Phase: Check-in Meetings
Once the team members have entered the Do stage of the project cycle, three important
considerations move to the top of the list of project managing concerns:
• Are team members consistently meeting the expectations set in the Work Plan, and if not, can the
Work Plan be modified without putting the whole project at risk?
• Is the quality of work meeting the needs of the project, or must time be taken to improve or redo the
work?
• Is the communication among team members sufficient to help keep things on track and to see how
all the parts of the project are working together?
8
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.
The Review (Closing) Phase: Rubrics, Reflections & Celebrations
Though project monitoring/reviewing is an important ongoing activity in all the other learning project
stages (the real-time “cyclometer” readings in the project cycle model), the Review stage is where full
attention is focused on evaluating, and celebrating, the achievements of the entire project.
There are three project outcomes that need to be reviewed in this stage:
 The quality and impact of the end results of the project (a report, product, presentation,
performance, model, artifact, device, program, website, etc.), and the key project work that
contributed to it

The learning outcomes for each team member, often aligned to a set of common learning
standards

The effectiveness of the project methods used in each stage of the project that helped produce
the end results (the definition, planning, doing, and reviewing efforts of the project team –
including reviewing the reviewing process!)
9
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.
Beating Procrastination
Watch the brief video on procrastination at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYEP-qFl-Rc
Discussion (10 min.)
 What were some of the psychological causes of procrastination in the video?

Have you done the same thing before? Give examples?

What were the consequences? (Failure, Stress, etc)
Assigned Discussion Leader (30 min.)
 Divide into groups of four to five students and read this case study below:
“Michael is a first-year student at the local college. During the first few weeks of class he is asked to
participate in a variety of activities, each of which takes away from his study time. Why given the
choice between going to the movies and reading a chapter of economics, Michael almost always picks
the movies. He tells himself “I’ll catch up later.” He doesn’t realize that each time he makes such a
choice, he will suffer from the consequences in due time. As the term continues, the consequences
begin to appear. He pulls an all-nighter to cram for an Art History test. He completes a Philosophy
paper an hour before class, but can’t get it printed in time. The consequences become more and more
serious. As the term comes to a close, Michael is rushing to start research papers, to complete
assigned readings, and to prepare for final exams. He has trouble sleeping. He feels overwhelmed by
the amount of work he needs to complete. Tension causes him to eat poorly. He blanks out on his
Chemistry final. Michael’s grades for the term are lower than he had anticipated when he started the
term. Thinking he can’t handle college, Michael becomes depressed and considers leaving school.”
Retrieved from:
http://www.pueblocc.edu/StudentServices/CounselingandTransfer/Study_Skills/NoProcrastination.ht
m
Directions
1. Using the self-help strategies for beating the procrastination habit, as a group, develop a plan
for Michael. Each group member must contribute at least one strategy that is used by the
group.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
When the assigned discussion leader presents your group findings, he/she must point out who
contributed each point.
10
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.
Initiative Games
WHAT ARE INITIATIVE GAMES?
Initiative games are fun, cooperative, challenging games in which the group is confronted with a
specific problem to solve. Begin by clearly explaining the game. Make sure the rules are understood,
including that everyone must complete the activity for the group to be successful. Don’t offer ideas for
solving the problem. Stand back and let the group work and play with it even if the group has a difficult
time. Don’t interfere unless something is unsafe or the group has fallen apart.
Activity #1: LINE UP
Materials: blindfolds
Blindfold everyone in the group. Whisper to each person a number from one to the number of persons
in the group. After you are done, tell the players they must line up by consecutive numbers without
talking. Everyone should begin to move slowly around each other, putting palms up facing outward to
protect themselves from collisions.
Activity #2: KNOTS
A group of six to 12 people forms a circle. Each person puts the right hand into the center of the circle
and clasps hands with one other person who is not standing next to him or her. Then everyone puts
their left hand into the circle and clasps hands, again making sure that person is not standing next to
them. They should be holding two different people’s hands. The goal is to untangle the knot without
letting go of anyone’s hand.
Activity #3: THE GREAT EGG DROP
The goal is to build a structure that will prevent an egg from breaking when it is dropped from a height
of 8 feet. The only materials allowed are 20 straws and 30 inches of ½ -inch masking tape. Try to do it
with as few materials as possible.
— From The Bottomless Bag
11
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.
The Big Pitch:
Starting A Business Project
Do not lose this! You will need it now…and later.
(200 Points)
Introduction
One way to start learning about how businesses operate in the American economy is to actually
develop a business idea and “pitch” it to potential investors for financial support. For the next 10 plus
weeks, you and your teammates, will consider what it might take to start a “for-profit” enterprise from
scratch. (Choose wisely! You will never see some of these people again after the end of the school year.)
You will then pitch your idea to a group of “investors” (us) in order to secure financing to bring your
product/service to the market.
Note: You will almost certainly NOT be developing a real business or product. You WILL be considering
different ideas that might become a good product or service. Almost anything can be considered. Use
your imagination. I am only asking that you keep your ideas REASONABLE, POSSIBLE, and
APPROPRIATE.
Objective
The purpose of this activity is for you to get a “feel” for some of the analysis and decision-making that
characterize business operations in the American economy. As an entrepreneur, you (and your team)
will confront basic issues of starting a business, including determining the type of business
organization, product development, marketing, and financing. In the end, you will find that this is a
very applied assignment.
Overview of the Process
Once completed, you will have covered these topics
1. Business Organization: Decide what type of business you want to run (sole proprietorship or
partnership), delegate responsibilities, and choose a company name/logo.
2. Market Research: Generate ideas for a possible product/service, identify “target” consumers,
assess demand and earnings potential, and develop a marketing plan (who are you going target
and how are you going to reach them-in other words: advertising.).
3. Cost Analysis: Research and estimate the costs of production and pricing.
4. Team Presentation/Business Report: On an assigned day (week of _____________________), you
will make a formal presentation to potential investors (the class) and turn in a written report.
Note: Your team may on occasion be able to use class time for “board meetings” to discuss your
progress, BUT be aware that the majority of work on this project will be done outside of class.
12
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.
Ground Rules
 You may NOT market any products/services related to the following: sex, drugs, gangs, and alcohol.
Avoid anything not school appropriate. You WILL need approval (from me) on the product/service
you decide to develop.

If your business involves a PRODUCT, your company must develop a product to which you have
ADDED VALUE. If it is a SERVICE, you must show how it is different from everything else out there.

Any students who are absent for the group’s presentation or “absent” from the written work
can/will receive no more than a “C” for that part of the project.

You may only work with up to TWO other people from this class period.
Business Report Questions (Written Work)
In order to receive full credit, the following must be answered with a reasonable amount of detail. If
you want my advice, I would start at question number one as soon as possible and start moving down
the line.
DO NOT put any of the following in a folder or binder of any type!
1. What is the name of your business, and why did you choose it? Create and include a picture/copy
of a logo of your design with this answer.
2. List the company’s owners (you and, if applicable, your partners) and their roles, jobs, and
responsibilities. For example: Who is the president, finance manager, marketing manager, and/or
production manager? Please include the duties of each (advertising, personnel, sales, customer
service, etc.).
3. What type of business organization have you formed (sole proprietorship or partnership) and why
did you choose this form of organization? What are the advantages and disadvantages of your type
of business organization? Note: Remember when we discussed this in class in the first few weeks?
4. What type of product/service are you proposing to sell (What exactly are you doing)? Why?
Describe the product/service. Include a photo or drawing of your product(s) and/or the equipment
needed to carry out your services.
5. If you are proposing to sell a product: How did you add value to your product?
If you are proposing a service: How is your service different from all of the other similar services
(your competition) out there?
6. What variety of products did your group brainstorm to sell? In other words, what did you consider
doing before you settled on your final idea?
7. What specific land, labor, and capital will you need to produce, sell, and distribute your product?
8. Where and how will your product be PRODUCED? Where will you primarily SELL your product?
13
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.
9. If you were to decide to go forward with this idea and start an actual, on-going business, what
steps would you need to take? What government approvals are necessary (Business licenses,
environmental regulations)?
10. What kind of market research did you perform? Note: This will almost always be in the form of a
market survey that we will do as an assignment here, in class. This question will help you with
numbers 13, 14, 16, and possibly/ultimately 17.
11. In what kind of market structure will your company compete? Is it a market, monopolistic
competition, oligopoly, or monopoly? Remember these choices from chapter 7? What are the
characteristics and barriers to entry in your market structure? This is all found in chapter 7.
12. If you will face some competition, who or what is your competition?
13. Explain how you set the price for your products/services.
14. Describe your customer base, or target. In other words, what is the age, gender, personality, etc. of
your ideal customer?
15. Prepare a radio commercial (10-30 seconds), television commercial (20 seconds – 2 minutes
maximum) and print advertisement (1/4 page minimum – 1 page maximum) for your company or
your products/services. Explain the strategy behind each of your advertisements/commercials.
16. Include a “detailed” financial report that shows your estimated revenues and costs. In other words,
what do you estimate it will cost to start this thing? Give us some details; break down the “major”
costs. This can be accomplished through some minor research on the Internet, through some short
interviews with business owners or possibly even with your boss at work or parents. Also include
an estimate of how much money you think you can bring in (revenue) with this idea. You can
“guesstimate” this from your market survey (see number 10 above).
17. How much money will you need to start the business?
Remember…NO folders or binders!
14
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.
BUSINESS PRESENTATIONS (THE CLASSROOM PITCH)
In addition to the above written part, in order to receive full credit you must present your findings to us,
the investors.
As a start-up company, it is necessary that you secure financing to bring your product/service to
market. Commercial banks would not be a likely source of funding, as you would be too high of a risk.
Therefore, you must go before a group of private investors, who are willing to take the risk (in
exchange for a potentially high payout) and invest in your ideas. You must convince the investors that
you have a viable and profitable business enterprise.
The following is a list of requirements for the presentations.

ALL team members involved in the business enterprise are to be present on the assigned
presentation date, unless otherwise arranged and approved. All team members are to participate
in the written work as well as the presentation itself.

Presentations are to be a minimum of five minutes and a maximum of 10 minutes.

Presentations will include a minimum of four visual aids. This is a partial list of possible examples:
o One print ad for a newspaper or magazine. You have to do this anyway. Why not show it to
the group?
o Your income statement/financial report. Again, you have to do anyway for full credit.
o Product prototype, picture of a possible location/building, tools or machines involved in
your business.
o A graph (you will eventually do this anyway), logo (already done), chart, additional video,
etc.
o Presentation software
o A short promotional film in addition to your TV ad. The TV ad does NOT count as a visual.
Presentation Outline
Here is what you will do the day that you present. Remember, you have to do this in five to 10 minutes.
o Introduce your company and your team members .Treat the presentation like a real “pitch”
for funding. Consider us as strangers. You do not know us and we do not know you.
o Give detailed answers to all of the written questions. Remember you have a certain amount
of time (10 minutes). Give yourself time to answer the questions in the presentation and
then consider anything over and above the information and answers.
o Present your estimated income statement/financial report (Question 16).
o Present television commercial (radio only if you have time).
o How much money will you need to start the business? Tell us how much you are asking
from us today (Question #17).
o Answer questions from investors.
Get to work, start now, start now, and start now! Good luck.
15
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.
Business Project Proposal
(25 Points)
STOP! Before you began, you must clear your business idea with me. Do not lose any part of this
handout. The first thing that you must complete is this short form. You will give it to me with your idea
on: __________________________________ and then I will return it to you with approval or denial.
Everyone must turn in one of these before moving forward with this project!
Name:
For this project, I will be working (circle one):
1. Alone.
2. In a group. (You may choose up to two others from this class.). Name(s) of other group members:
General business idea (type of business):
Why did you choose this type of business? This is the justification for me giving you the points on this
assignment. (One paragraph minimum):
16
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.
Starting a Business Rubric
Do not lose this. Someone in your group must give this to me in order to get a grade on the project.
Please put everyone’s name on this!
Written Work (No Folders or Binders!)
All questions are answered (1-17) completely, in complete and comprehensible sentences and
paragraphs.
Thorough?
50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0
Incomplete!
The Pitch
Over
Time:
Looked at Everyone
5
4
We can hear you
Engaging
None
10
9
8
4
7
Eye Contact
3
2
Projection
4
3
5
5
Under
1
2
0
1
Enthusiasm
3
2
0
1
Any Idiosyncrasies
6 5 4 3 2 1
0
Looked at No One
0
Huh?
I Fell Asleep
What did you say?
Visual Aid(s) (Minimum of Four/Used Appropriately in the Presentation)
What? _______________________________________________________________________
Can see from the back 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Can’t see
Television Commercial
Within Time 10
8
Well Done/Time Well Spent
Actually Sold the Product
6
5
10
4
4
8
3
6
2
2
4
0
1
Over
0
2
Last Minute
0
What?
17
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.
Presentation in prepared and well-polished speech
____ 1. Introduce yourself? Name of business? Why? Logo or picture included?
____ 2. What are your roles, jobs, and responsibilities?
____ 3. What type of business organization have you formed? Sole proprietorship? Partnership?
Why did you choose this form of organization? What are the advantages and disadvantages of your
type of business organization?
____ 4. What type of product/service are you proposing to sell (What exactly are you doing)? Why?
Describe the product/service. Photo or drawing of your product(s) and/or the equipment.
____ 5. If you are proposing to sell a product: How did you add value to your product? If you are
proposing a service: How is your service different from all of the other similar services (your
competition) out there?
____ 6. What variety of products did your group brainstorm to sell? In other words, what did you
consider doing before you settled on your final idea?
____ 7. What specific land, labor, and capital resources will you need to produce, sell, and distribute
your product?
____ 8. Where and how will your product be produced? Where will you primarily sell your product?
____9. If you were to decide to go forward with this idea and start an actual, on-going business,
what steps would you need to take? What government approvals are necessary (Business licenses,
environmental regulations)?
____ 10. What kind of market research did you perform? Survey? Interview(s)?
____ 11. In what kind of market structure will your company compete?
Market?
Monopolistic competition? Oligopoly?
Monopoly?
What are the characteristics and barriers to entry in your market structure?
____ 12. If you will face some competition, who or what is your competition?
____ 13. Explain how you set the price for your products/services.
____ 14. Describe your customer base, or target. In other words, what is the age, gender,
personality, etc. of your ideal customer?
____ 15. Explain the strategy behind each of your advertisements/commercials. Radio Ad (optional)?
Print Ad?
____ 16. Financial report? Give us some details; break down the “major” costs.
18
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.
____ 17. How much money are you asking for today?
Excellent
90 80
70
60
Total
Name of Business:
50
40
30
20
10
0
Poor
/200
Attire:
19
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved.