Economics Lesson: Snowmobile Business Plan
Lesson Plan
3 hoursGrades6, 7, 8Economics, Career Skills
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Written by Sherri Calhoun
About this lesson
Students explore the relationship between regional small businesses and climate change through informational text, gameplay, and team brainstorming sessions.
Inquire: Students share their experiences with snowmobiles and brainstorm businesses that benefit from recreational enthusiasts.
Investigate: Students play a game where the success of one’s snowmobile business is dependent on climate factors.
Inspire: Students make forward-looking decisions to promote the recreational opportunities of a geographic area while recognizing that warmer winters are going to require recreational diversification and recruitment of new consumers.
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Everything you need to teach it
How to edit these materials (video)Teaching tips
Suggestions
- This lesson and game can be used to support the following:
- A unit about a changing climate
- A unit on creating a business plan
- Mental math skills
- The skill of balancing a budget
- Encouraging students to take part in a recreational activity that is important to them and connects the lesson to both hard and soft vocational skills
- Teachers can print out the Vocabulary Cards and students can reference them throughout the lesson.
- The game BRAAP! can be played either in groups of up to four, or as a whole class. Students could work in pairs with their businesses, acknowledging that there would be more than one group with the same business. How teams purchase their upgrades would differentiate their success as a business.
- The instructions indicate that BRAAP! gameplay begins with the high roll of a die. In the absence of a die, any random method to determine the first play can work. Suggestions: Upcoming birthday, youngest student, etc.
- In the Inspire section, the business plan may be completed as individuals instead of in groups.
- Instead of creating a new, unique business, business plans could be created based on local businesses, with a concentration on expanding the business and clientele. Students could even interview the business owners to gain insight into the challenges of being a business owner.
- Students can expand on their business plan and create an advertisement, preferably in a format that supports the target audience of their plan. This may be a video advertisement, social media post, print media, or another mode that is conducive to meeting the desired clientele. A suggested rubric is provided.
- The materials in this lesson are intentionally regionalized to a specific area. However, the concepts experienced in this region are not unique. The concepts can be applied to many geographic areas that are experiencing climate change.
Prerequisites
- Teachers should review the BRAAP! Game Materials prior to teaching the lesson.
- It is necessary to print and cut out the game pieces before playing the game. However, it is not a difficult task. A student who finished their work early would be a great candidate to help with the cutting of cards.
- Students should have a basic understanding of the difference between climate and weather.
- Students should have a basic understanding of the terms income and expense.
- Students should have a basic understanding of how to make change using large bills.
- BRAAP! Is the sound that a snowmobile makes when revving the throttle.
- BRAAP! is a model in the form of a game that shows how businesses can be affected by climate.
- The game BRAAP! is based on current business trends and patrons. There is an acknowledgement that there is room for growth in the diversity of the clientele.
Differentiation
- Teachers can use a read-aloud approach to the two articles in the Investigate section.
- Teachers can provide local data for students to make their own Climate Cards for playing BRAAP!
- Teachers and students can brainstorm local businesses that might be impacted by a changing climate and help coordinate opportunities for students to interview said businesses.
From the scientist review
This lesson offers empirical data regarding the impact of climate change on the snowmobile industry in Maine. It enables students to come up with ideas and develop business management plans that could flourish in a changing climate. This lesson has a strong scientific foundation and has passed our credibility assessment.
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About the teacher writer
Sherri Calhoun
Sherri Calhoun holds a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from the University of Southern Maine and a Master of Educational Leadership from the University of Maine. They have been teaching since 1990, specializing in science and reading for grades 6–8, with extensive experience supporting middle school learners.
