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FREE VERSION
This is a Free Lesson Plan for educators who want to teach entrepreneurship, financial literacy and/or business to their students. This is appropriate for social studies, math, business, economics and entrepreneurship classes.
The worksheets are designed to be used with the Gazillionaire Business simulation Game available at
This simulation game is appropriate for students in middle school, high school and college. All worksheets presented here are targeted at middle school and high school students.
Benefits to Teachers & Students
LavaMind's business simulation games are designed to supplement math, financial literacy, social studies, and entrepreneurship courses. They can also be integrated into the classroom. The goal is to teach students, both intellectually and emotionally, what it actually means to start and run a business.
Without our software, teachers often get stuck when trying to explain abstract concepts, such as resource optimization, risk management, compound interest rates, and supply vs. demand. Our business simulations are invaluable when it comes to making these concepts real and relatable.
By incorporating our software into the curriculum, teachers can ensure that students walk away with a deep understanding of real-world math, finances, and entrepreneurship. This is something students cannot get from a textbook. Students will discover things about their innate abilities and potential, as they see the results of their actions played out in real time.
o Understand (hands-on) what it means to be an entrepreneur and start a business of their own.
o Experience fundamental business principles, like supply and demand, firsthand.
o Learn how to make difficult business decisions.
o Grasp how to read and interpret financial data.
o Realize what it means to take out a loan and pay off debt.
o Understand quality control, inventory management, and profitability.
o Grapple with profit margins, risk management, and business models.
o Experience how advertising and marketing impacts product sales.
o Comprehend how investments in R&D impact future performance.
In this way, the business simulations not only teach but inspire students to do more and strive for better results. LavaMind's guiding philosophy is that it's not about reading; it's about doing.
Need for Financial Literacy
Americans are facing a crisis, but many of us don't even realize it. Most students go through 12+ years of education and never learn basic financial literacy. This can impact their entire future, from managing personal debt to running a business.
• Forty-five states now include personal finance education in their curriculum standards for kindergarten through 12 grades.
• "We have finally hit on the fact that requirements really matter,” said Nan Morrison, CEO of the Council for Economic Education. “They matter because they help [students] make better financial decisions. Student debt is still a challenge and, with rise of gig economy and more people responsible for their financial lives, more people are realizing we have to put this in our schools."
•New Jersey has made financial education a requirement in high school and middle school as well. Starting in 2019-2020, state law calls for financial literacy instruction to be part of the curriculum for all sixth, seventh and eighth graders.
• Lionel Hush, principal of Roosevelt Middle School in West Orange, New Jersey, didn’t wait for the state mandate. Two years ago, he started offering financial education classes at his school on Saturdays. The course is aimed at teaching their students financial skills and helping them reduce or eliminate college debt in the future.
• Studies show that having state-required classes can have a significant impact on students’ money moves in the future. “Financial education graduation requirements increase applications for aid, the likelihood of receiving a grant, and acceptance of federal loans, which are all low-interest means of borrowing,” according to a 2019 report by Montana State University researchers Carly Urban and Christiana Stoddard. “At the same time, financial education decreases the likelihood of holding credit card balances, and the education reduces higher-cost private loan amounts for borrowers.”
•Today, the average balance on a credit card is $6,200, and the typical American holds four credit cards, amounting to $24,800, according to the credit bureau Experian. Credit card issuers are also giving Americans more room to run up debt, having boosted the typical credit limit by 20% over the last decade to $31,000.
•Even more alarming, Americans now have $1.64 trillion in student loan debt, spread out among about 45 million borrowers. That’s $710 billion more than the total US credit card debt.
•In a 2017 survey conducted by the Federal Reserve, 40 percent of adults reported they would be unable to cover an unexpected $400 expense without selling something or borrowing money. In a recent survey from EVERFI, 53 percent of college students reported they felt less prepared to manage their money than to face any other challenge associated with college.
•According to a Champlain College national report card on financial literacy, 27 states received a grade of “C” or lower. And while students do learn math in school, the majority of schools are not required to teach finance-related curriculum like the concept of compounding interest, the difference between a ROTH IRA and traditional IRA, what a credit score is or how to complete a tax return.
•“The number one problem in today’s generation and economy is the lack of financial literacy.” – Alan Greenspan, former Chairman of the Federal Reserve
•Now, more than ever, students need to be educated in financial literacy. In today's world, whether you are managing your personal finances, working for a large corporation, or running your own business, you need to think like an entrepreneur and innovator. What better way to teach students about running a business than letting them do it for themselves in a simulated environment.
•There's also a real need for a creative, innovative workforce. Our goal is to get every student to think like an entrepreneur by enabling them to understand what it means to operate an enterprise, make critical business decisions, and experience the outcomes.
Conclusion
For these reasons, teachers are looking to integrate business and math learning games into their classes and core curriculum. They see a compelling need for their students to learn financial literacy, as well as real-world mathematics and entrepreneurship.
LavaMind's business simulation games are widely acclaimed. They have not only been used by hundreds of middle schools, high schools, and colleges, but also by non-profits, the California prison system, the US military, and corporate training programs.
Gazillionaire Business Simulation Games for Social Studies, Entrepreneurship & Financial Literacy Courses (FREE version)
