Most school districts offer business classes for students to take as high school electives. The type of business classes a school offers varies from district to district. Business classes provide students an opportunity to see how companies run. Business projects are a way for students to get hands-on experience with business activities that can help prepare them for business work in college or at a company.

Accounting

Simulate a business’s transactions. Set up sample invoices, receipts, vendor slips and checks. Each student should receive a copy of these and must enter them on a general journal. Students then need to copy journal entries into the appropriate ledger.

Business Administration

Create a business proposal. Students can work in groups to write a proposal for a business that they want to start. The proposal must contain all of the elements of a business plan, including a mission statement, a list of objectives and a start-up budget with the initial investment requirements.

Business Ethics

Present a case study or debate to the class. Have students work in pairs to research a particular case study of where a corporation’s actions were deemed unethical or where its ethical conduct is under scrutiny. Each student should find research about the company and each student should take a side as to whether the business’s conduct was ethical. Present these case studies in a debate form.

Presentation Software

Use computer software programs to create a presentation on a business of choice. Have students research a company that interests them. They must find information about the company’s cash flows, mission statement and future projections. Students must use presentation tools, such as PowerPoint, to present their researched company to the class.

Marketing

Design an advertising handout for a business of choice. Have students select a company that interests them and create an advertisement for that company. Ads can be multimedia commercials, flyers, brochures, radio spots or newspaper ads.

Personal Finance

Students should create a personal budget for their own financial responsibilities. Many students may have part-time jobs or collect allowance. They also have a number of financial obligations, such as gas for their car or books for school. Students should analyze their monthly income and expenses and determine whether their current income meets their monthly needs.

Web Page Design

Create a web page for a company of choice. Students should design a web page for a company that interests them. Make sure that your assignment requires students to include all of the elements of web pages that you have studied so far in class, such as navigation bars, font formatting or mastheads.

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References

  • "Best Pracitices for High School Classrooms"; Randi Stone; 2001.
  • "The New American High School"; David Marsh; 1998.

Writer Bio

Brad Conway began writing professionally in 2007, when he published an online column for the "New York Times Magazine." He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Temple University and a Master of Education in secondary education. Conway currently teaches high school and college English.