Two Forty-Five Minute Class Periods
The learner will:
- list the businesses necessary in a community.
- categorize businesses as for-profit, nonprofit, or governmental.
- explain the importance of each sector to every day life.
Anticipatory Set:
Instruct students to create a list of all of the places they (or their family) have been in the last week.
Government PurposeDivide students into three groups. Assign each group either nonprofit, for-profit or government by giving each group one of the class charts. Distribute (or display on the overhead) a copy of Purposes (Attachment One). Have each group complete the chart by filling in the purpose of each place which has already been listed in the previous activity.
Distribute local phone books and have students refer to the yellow pages index for additional businesses in that sector that may have been overlooked. (If you have a large class size, you may consider dividing each group into two smaller groups. One group could work on the purposes while the other group would use the yellow pages index to find additional listings.)
Allow enough time for each group to share their findings with the class. The teacher may choose to ask a few additional questions directing the students' thinking toward the purpose of nonprofits… "Is there a need for an organization to help during time of disaster?" " Is there a need for an organization to provide services to the needy?"
Lesson Developed By:
Cheryl LarkinThe following list details the general purposes of the various sectors within the community.
|
For-Profit Businesses |
Government |
Nonprofit Businesses |
| They are there to make a profit. | They can produce goods and services, for example, the postal service or fire service. | They provide services where government fails. |
| I take possession of the goods or services myself. | They can regulate what the for-profit world does, for example, telephone service. | They may provide private goods, for example, National Geographic. |
| They allow a simple transaction to take place. I pay the price and I get the product. | They have coercive power. They can tax you or make you purchase a license. | They are concerned about client satisfaction. |
| They rely upon customer satisfaction. |
They may promise to provide services in order to win elections. |
They are not in business to make a profit. |
| Payment is voluntary. No one is forcing you to purchase it. | They may only do what the community demands. | They may provide public goods, for example, parks, schools, health care. |
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Comments
(The positive aspect of using this lesson is) students are given a new way in which to view a community. The presence of "nonprofit" supports the school's work in promoting community service.