Starting Your Business: Prototypes and Service Demos — Lesson Plan and Activity

Entrepreneurship · Lesson Plan

Prototypes and Service Demonstrations

Part of the MoneyInstructor-nomics classroom-economy series, this hands-on lesson has students design a product or service to sell at the classroom Bazaar. They shop the classroom store for materials, build a prototype or develop a service demonstration, and plan to produce about 20 units. It connects directly to the business-expenses and focus-group lessons that follow.

Grades 3–8 Lesson Plan 45–60 minutes Free Lesson
Creating product prototypes lesson illustration

Lesson at a glance

Topic
Classroom Economy
Grade Level
Grades 3–8
Resource Type
Lesson + Worksheet
Estimated Time
45–60 minutes
Format
Lesson + activity
Materials
Printable lesson, activity sheet, pencils

Learning objectives

  • Design a product or service to sell
  • Build a prototype or service demonstration
  • Plan to produce about 20 units
  • Source materials from the classroom store
  • Connect prototyping to later cost and pricing decisions

What you’ll need

  • Printed lesson and activity (one per student)
  • Classroom store of craft/supply items
  • Pencils

Vocabulary

Prototype
A first working model of a product.
Service demonstration
A trial run showing how a service works.
Production
Making multiple copies of a product.
Classroom store
A stocked supply of materials students ‘buy’ from.
Bazaar
The classroom marketplace where students sell.
Design
Planning how a product or service will look and work.

Lesson plan

Estimated time: one 45–60 minute class period (hands-on).

Lesson sequence

  1. Stock the store (before class). Set up the classroom store with gathered supplies.
  2. Design (15 min). Students decide on a product or service to offer at the Bazaar.
  3. Prototype (20 min). Students build a prototype or rehearse a service demo.
  4. Plan production (10 min). Plan how to produce about 20 units.

Assessment

Assess the prototype or demo and the production plan for feasibility within the classroom store’s supplies.

Discussion questions

  • What product or service will you sell at the Bazaar?
  • What is a prototype, and why build one first?
  • How will you produce about 20 units?
  • What materials do you need from the classroom store?
  • How might your design change after feedback?

Printable Lesson & Activity

Prototypes and Service Demonstrations — Lesson & Activity

A printable classroom-economy lesson and activity: students design and build a product prototype or service demo to sell at the classroom Bazaar.

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