Time Frame: 1.5 hour block

Objective

• Students will read a non-fiction self-help book and write a book report summarizing the book and applying the information to their lives.

Set

• This project is a part of a senior life skills class. I explain to the students that after high school it is really up to them to engage in learning on their own. No one is going to spoon feed them. One of the ways adults learn is by reading books on subjects that they need to work on or learn more about.
• I always warn my students that self help books a lot of times are written by religious authors that may have opinions different than yours. If you disagree with what what your authors say please explain that in your book report.

Materials

• Go over the Life Long Learning Book Report Directions & allow students to either choose a book from the book list that you provide or get their book approved by you. I let my students choose from a collection of books that I have and if they are not satisfied with my selection they have to purchase a book from the book list or one that I approve that is a minimum of 200 pages.
• Depending on your students you can assign the project and have them complete it entirely on their own or you can do parts of it in class. I happen to have a group of students that were frank with me and said they pretty much wouldn’t do it if I just assigned it. Although I hate the fact that some students refuse to do homework, I knew that I was basically setting them up to fail if I didn’t rethink the assignment. So I made a deal with them that we would have reading day every Friday for a quarter so they c0uld get most of it done in class. The incentive of class time is that if they were productive with their class time they won’t have to do any of it at home.

Activities

• Read the book in class and have students fill out the Reading Comprehension Chart – the chart is in the Life Long Learning Book Report Document under “Attachments.”
• Pass out one sticky note per student. Have students find at least one interesting idea or quote that they read to share with the class at the end of the reading day.

• At the end of each reading day save about 15 minutes at the end of class to have each student talk about a main idea or quote that they found interesting from their reading.

Assessment

• Life Long Learning Book Report Rubric (Word)

Attachments

• Life Long Learning Book Report (Word)
• Life Long Learning Book List (Excel)

Websites

• Amazon.com : Usually a cheaper place to buy self help books than a physical bookstore
• Half.com : A good place to find cheap used books
  

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Johnny Money: An Entrepreneurial Experience

Teach your students about entrepreneurship through a free online interactive game sponsored by the Young Entrepreneur Foundation. The game allows students to start a fictitious retail store. After set up is complete students make business decisions on advertising, donating to local charities, managing their employees, operating costs, inventory control, paying bills, taking out loans, etc. There are also surprises thrown their way such as on the job injuries and natural disasters. Throughout the game students will become familiar with monthly reports such as a balance sheet and cash flow statements. The game is scored and students compete against each other.

Teachers can check in on student’s progress through class reports and base class discussion off monthly reports. The teacher’s manual offers a list of discussion topics to coincide with the game so students can further connect the game to the real world experiences of a business man or woman. Some sample questions include, “if offered fewer working hours in order to keep your job, would you accept?” “Did anything occur during the simulation that you could not control? How did you decide to move forward during those events?”

Websites:

• Johnny Money
• Start-Up Junkies: If you have time in class I highly suggest showing an episode or two of this show produced by Mojo. Hulu.com allows you to watch full episodes for free. As the name implies the show follows a start up company through the beginnings of business and explores topics like venture capitalism, marketing strategies, sales strategies, public relations, etc.
• Dog and Pony: Hulu.com also airs free episodes of  BNET’s interviews with entrepreneurs. They are short clips all under 10 minutes perfect for a lesson introduction or closing to a class.

Similar Lesson Plans:

• Entrepreneurship

Similar Products:

• Go Venture Educational Games & Simulations

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Objectives

• Students will prepare themselves for college by researching their college or university’s course requirements, visiting their college, preparing a budget, applying for scholarships, creating a campus map, and finding clubs or associations to join.

Set

• Read through the packet explaining the college project

Activities

• Give students at least two weeks of time to work on the project in the computer lab. It is sometimes challenging to find all the information that students need for the project because every college’s website is different. Teacher help is really key to making this project successful.

Extensions

• You can also have your students come up with a list of dorm accessories with pictures and prices to add to their budgets.

Closure

• Have students share from their reflections as to what the most valuable parts of the project were for them and what they learned.
• What things are you most nervous about for college?
• What are you most excited for at college?

Evaluation

• Grade Students with the attached rubric. Have the rest of the class also evaluate their peers and take the average of their scores and add it to yours for their final grade.

Attachments

College Project Handouts:

• Guide to College Project
• Course Mapping
• College Budget instructions
• How Much College Will Cost?
• Professional Associations
• Reflection Essay

Websites

Helpful Articles

• Furnish Your Dorm on a Budget
• Live within the Rules of Dorm Life

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