Cristela C. Wise

and Irene Chavez

Hi! We teach 6^th grade Keyboarding and 8^th grade Computer Literacy at Lt. George Gutierrez, Jr. Middle School in Harlingen, Texas. We are a Mentor School and would like to use this site to share links and information with other teachers. We changed the title of our 8^th grade course to Business Ventures and made some changes in the classroom setup and curriculum. The end result is a unique and very successful course that prepares our 8^th grade students for the world of technology and the world of work. If you would like to exchange your middle school students’ projects with our classes, email us at:

wisecc@harlingen.isd.tenet.edu

chavezi@harlingen.isd.tenet.edu

The benefits of changing the curriculum from the traditional computer literacy format to a classroom teaming format are detailed below.

• Students feel a sense of belonging and participate more than they would in the traditional setting.
• Students listen more carefully and follow directions better, when they know their team will be rewarded.
• Students encourage each other to complete and turn in assignments when the team is rewarded for 100% participation.
• Since teams are rewarded for coming to class and being on time, attendance goes up and tardies are reduced to a minimum.
• Since teams are rewarded for cooperating and working quietly, discipline problems disappear.
• By rewarding teams who successfully complete an assignment without teacher assistance, students tutor and assist each other to learn and master a skill.
• Because each student must perform his job in order for the whole team to succeed, self-esteem is raised.
• Students develop better interpersonal skills, become better at conflict resolution, and gain insight into how other people think.
• Since students assume responsibility for their own actions and their own learning, the teacher no longer needs to act as the “sage on the stage,” but can be the “guide on the side.”
• The teacher can become a true facilitator, helping students gain knowledge and solve problems without providing all of the answers or directions.

BUSINESS VENTURES AT GUTIERREZ MIDDLE SCHOOL

Business Ventures is a semester course, which simulates the actual working conditions that students may expect to find once they graduate and become employed. Students apply for jobs and are hired with a specific job title. The degree of performance in their respective jobs will affect their company. Each company is rewarded daily for attendance, compliance of school rules, and for a job well done. Companies are fined when an employee does not perform his/her duties and/or breaks school rules. A “Business of the Week” is named each class period on Friday, and that company enjoys special privileges. Digital photos of the Businesses of the Week are displayed in the hallways. In addition, each teacher selects one company each month to be recognized as Business of the Month. Those companies are invited to a pizza party at the end of the semester.

Students learn that teamwork is very important for the success of their company. One of their team projects involves marketing and selling a product. They are required to detail the steps that need to be taken by each employee for the success of their entrepreneurship project.

We teach conflict resolution and encourage students to uphold “The Six Pillars of Character” from charactercounts.com so that they may learn to get along with each other. Students receive written warnings from their co-workers when necessary and may be fired after two written warnings. Students who are fired or resign are on unemployment for three days and cannot participate in class activities. Companies, who fire an employee or hire an employee who has resigned, are exempt from Business of the Week Honors for three weeks.

On the third day of a student’s unemployment status, the student may fill out a resume for employment and attempt to get hired from a company. After interviewing the student, the company can hire the student by completing a hiring form. The newly hired student is on probation for 3 days. The company can fire the student on probation without consequences.

If the company decides not to hire a student they interviewed, the student will go back on unemployment for at least 3 more days and repeat the interview process with another company.

Career planning is a major part of the class. Students choose one of the eight career pathways in effect at the two Harlingen high schools. Students then use a variety of resources to create a brochure for their career pathway. In their final project, they create a “Career Planning PowerPoint Presentation” on their career pathway.

Our Business Ventures students learn to use Microsoft Publisher, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. One of their first assignments is to create a logo for their company. They use Publisher for this assignment. They also use the Internet daily. We set up e-mail accounts for each of the five offices in our classroom. The students use e-mail to read the lesson plans for the day, to download files we send them, and to send birthday messages to students on our birthday posters.

Paper tests are a thing of the past in Business Ventures. Our students take all theory tests on the Internet. Students practice and take ready-made tests such as Internet Safety in the funbrain.com website. Students and teachers get immediate feedback on test results. Students with Internet access at home can practice for tests, or study sheets may be printed for students who do not have Internet access. Ready-made tests for all subjects are available on this website. Teachers can also create their own tests on this website and can choose whether to share the test with other teachers or not.

Although the course is only a semester in duration, we try to help students with their academic skills in the form of daily oral language activities and journal writing. In addition, our students use the daily almanac in factmonster.com to enrich their vocabulary and history knowledge. Students are required to record the word of day, this day in history (major historical events), and the name, job title, and birth year of a famous person who is celebrating his/her birthday.

Students who are ahead on class assignments can earn office rewards for their companies by researching careers. The students use specific websites to research the duties, work environment, training and educational requirements, job benefits, and salaries of careers of their choice. These students also use the Internet for scavenger hunts. They search for answers to questions about topics such as sharks, bats, volcanoes, deserts, and rain forests.

The Business Ventures course has turned out to be a great success for our students and teachers. The hard work that went into the inception of the course has more than paid off. Our curriculum is based on Bastrop ISD’s World of Work. For more information you may contact us or Kathy Kincheloe, Lori Lusk, and Nick Nicholson – authors of “Bringing the World of Business Into Your Classroom,” © 1995 Bastrop Independent School District, 105 Loop 150 West, Suite J, Bastrop, TX 78602.