Lesson Plan Title: Businesses In Your Backyard
Concept / Topic To Teach: Types of Businesses, Business Research, Digital Storytelling
Standards Addressed:
 8.1 Educational Technology: All students will use digital tools to access, manage, evaluate, and
synthesize information in order to solve problems individually and collaboratively and to create and
communicate knowledge.
 9.1 21st-Century Life & Career Skills: All students will demonstrate the creative, critical thinking,
collaboration, and problem-solving skills needed to function successfully as both global citizens and
workers in diverse ethnic and organizational cultures.
 9.2 Personal Financial Literacy: All students will develop skills and strategies that promote personal
and financial responsibility related to financial planning, savings, investment, and charitable giving in
the global economy.
General Goal(s): Students will see the different types of businesses that exist in their very own “backyard”
(meaning their neighborhoods). They will work together in groups to conduct research about those businesses
and use that information to create a digital story. They will use a variety of digital skills to create a final product
that is visually entertaining and rich with information about businesses.
Specific Objectives: SWBAT: identify businesses as a sole proprietorship, partnership, or corporation,
summarize the concept of a specific business type, produce a media-rich digital story about businesses in their
community, and practice collaborative skills in groups.
Required Materials:
 Internet connected computer with PhotoStory
 Digital camera
 Microphones
“Do-Now” to introduce lesson:
 In your own words, explain the 3 business structures. (This topic would have been taught in the previous class.)
 What type of business structures exist in your neighborhood? (3 types are Corporation, Partnership, and Sole
Proprietorship)
Step-By-Step Procedures:
1. After students review the concepts of business structures they will be assigned to small groups.
2. Each group will choose one type of business to focus on.
3. As a group they will identify where they can find examples of that type of business in their
neighborhood.
4. Students will find images to represent that business; they can conduct internet searches (see wiki for
links) or take their own pictures. Digital cameras can be signed out and taken home if they wish to take
their own pictures.
5. Go over the components to a digital story:
 video
 printed word
 audio clips
 still pictures
 your voice
 bring personal voice and experience into story
 tone/emotion of voice
6. Direct attention to the Digital Story page on class wiki. This page includes links to image and audio
sources as well as “How To” tutorials
7. In class students will conduct research to learn more about that business. The following elements must
be included.
a. explain the type of businesses you chose
b. choose at least 8 businesses
c. find out product/ service they sell
d. identify headquarters
8. Complete storyboard form to plan digital story.
9. Use the checklist to organize your tasks.
10. See the class wiki page for links to sites with audio and images that you can use.
11. Use PhotoStory to create your digital story.
12. Each business should have an image and text that identifies the business name.
13. Use narration to share the information you found when you researched that business.
14. Include a title and credit slide; be sure to give credit for any images or audio used.
Plan For Independent Practice: Working in groups to complete the project.
Closure: Presenting digital story to the class and uploading to internet.
Assessment: Students will be evaluated based on this rubric.
Adaptations (For Students With Learning Disabilities): Select 5 businesses to include in video.
Extensions (For Gifted Students): Including multiple types of businesses in the project opposed to just a
single type. More in-depth research on each company.
Possible Connections To Other Subjects: This will be related to English studies as students will be
researching, writing, and speaking to create their story.
Sample To Show Students:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjmAyPjqSEI