JA It’s My Business! encompasses entrepreneurship curriculum for students in grades six, seven, and eight. The program emphasizes entrepreneurship while providing a strong focus on social studies, reading, and writing skills. Students are encouraged to use critical thinking to learn entrepreneurial skills that support positive attitudes as they explore and enhance their career aspirations. Six volunteer-led activities are required.

The following are session descriptions and corresponding key learning objectives stating the skills and knowledge students will gain.

Session One: I Am an Entrepreneur

Working in groups, students play the E-Quiz Game Show. They begin to identify entrepreneurial characteristics they possess by learning about the lives of entrepreneurs both past and present.

 Key Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

  • Define entrepreneurship.
  • Identify four key entrepreneurial characteristics.
  • Recognize personal entrepreneurial characteristics.
Session Two: I Can Change the World

Students work in groups to complete a blueprint for the Teen Club. They identify the first entrepreneurial characteristic, “Fill a Need”, by considering customer needs and brainstorming product design. Students begin to identify the skills and knowledge needed to start a business.

 Key Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

  • Describe how entrepreneurs fill
    a market need.
  • Discuss the role of market research in determining market need and gaining competitive advantage.
Session Three: I Know My Customer

Working in groups, students recognize the second entrepreneurial characteristic, “Know Your Customer and Product.” Students discover ways to market specific products to the appropriate customers.
 

 Key Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

  • Create effective advertisements for a variety of businesses.
Session Four: I Have an Idea

Students participate in an auction designed to highlight creative and innovative entrepreneurs and their businesses. 

 Key Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

  • Recognize how being creative and innovative are necessary entrepreneurial skills for starting a business.
  • Verbally defend their decisions.
Session Five: I See a Need

By analyzing current examples of social entrepreneurs, students identify businesses they can start. They examine ways entrepreneurs use the four entrepreneurial characteristics to develop their business plan.  
 

 Key Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

  • Analyze how entrepreneurs use their knowledge and abilities to create businesses.
Session Six: Celebrate Entrepreneurs!

Students create Entrepreneur Profile Cards to showcase their understanding of the fourth entrepreneurial characteristic “Believe in Yourself.”

Key Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

  • Identify characteristics they share
    with entrepreneurs.
  • Create a Personal Entrepreneurial Profile.

JA It’s My Business! enhances students’ learning of the following concepts and skills:

Concepts–Advertising, Apprentice, Auction, Auctioneer, Be Creative and Innovative, Believe in Yourself, Bid, Business, Business Plan, Civic Responsibility, Customer, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneur Profile, Fill a Need, Know Your Customer and Product, Market, Marketing, Profit, Self-taught, Social Entrepreneur

Skills–Active-listening, Analyzing Information, Brainstorming, Creative Thinking, Critical Thinking, Decision-making, Deductive Reasoning, Estimating, Following Directions, Group Work, Interpreting Information, Measuring, Money Management, Oral and Written Communication, Problem-solving,
Self-assessment.

JA It’s My Business! was strategically developed to align with academic content areas. The program’s focus on reading and writing standards ensures relevance in all classrooms affected by high-stakes testing.

JA It’s My Business! is a series of six sessions recommended for after-school students in grades six, seven, and eight. The average time for each activity is 60 minutes. Extended learning opportunities were developed to enhance and extend core activities. JA It’s My Business! provides interactive, take-home materials for students, including access to an online Entrepreneur Journal at www.ja.org. Materials are packaged in a self-contained kit that includes detailed activity plans for the volunteer and materials for 24 students.

All JA programs are designed to support the skills and competencies identified by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. JA programs also augment school-based, work-based, and connecting activities for communities with school-to-work initiatives.