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everyone's business: related resources
Activity Ideas | Related Resources
Find Below: PBS Web Sites, Other Recommended Links, Recommended Books
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The New Heroes
Learn about social entrepreneurs who act as the change agents for society, seizing opportunities others miss in order to improve systems, devise new approaches and advance sustainable solutions that create social value.
NewsHour Online - Business Background Reports
Examine a wide variety of business-related new stories from the past few years.
It's My Life - Making Money
What makes a good businessperson? Share these ideas and lessons with your students.
Store Wars
Meet a community that waged a campaign against a global corporation.
Frontline: "Is Wal-Mart Good For America?"
Explore the relationship between U.S. job losses and the American consumer's insatiable desire for bargains.
Frontline: "The Persuaders"
Learn about the history of God in American political life.
Frontline: "The Way the Music Died"
Examine the "perfect storm" that has hit the record industry.
NOW - Politics and Economy
Explore some of thwe most controversial recent business, political, and legal issues.
They Made America
Learn about some of the influential innovators whose ideas and entrepreneurial spirit gave birth to American commercial milestones.
recommended web sites
Persuasion Analysis
http://webserve.govst.edu/pa/
1. Hi -- 2. Trust Me -- 3. You Need -- 4. Hurry -- 5. Buy. Sound like many commercials you've seen? This is "The Pitch," the basic pattern of persuasion of commercial advertising. This site is for students and teachers investigating persuasion techniques of modern advertising and political rhetoric. Other topics are: Intensify/Downplay Schema, and Counter-Propaganda Axioms.
Subject: Reading & Language Arts
More Recommended Reading & Language Arts Links
The Business of Baseball
http://www.businessofbaseball.com/
Baseball is big business, given some of the salaries in recent years. This site from the Society for American Baseball Research is full of historical documents from the 1876 National League Constitution to the present (steroid use in 2005), some with audio and video clips. You'll also find the value of each ball club assessed by Forbes Magazine in a Flash interactive. Check out the value of the Boston Red Sox and then check the Yankees. Windows Media Player is needed for audio and video. Some documents are in Excel or PDF format.
Subject: Health & Fitness
More Recommended Health & Fitness Links
2005 Urban Mobility Study
http://mobility.tamu.edu/ums/
How long does it take you to get to school or to work? Look over these reports from cities to see how many hours are wasted, waiting in traffic over the years 1982-2003. For example, commuters in Los Angeles spend an average of 93 hours in travel delay. That is almost 4 entire days a year, sitting in slow moving traffic! With the high price of gas, add in the wasted cost to the wasted time. The section on "What does congestion cost us?" states that in the 85 urban areas described in this report, in 2003, 2.3 billion gallons of fuel were wasted. All reports are in PDF format.
Subject: Math
More Recommended Math Links
Planet Orange
http://www.orangekids.com/
Choose either Amy or Cedric to be your guide through Moneyland, South Spending, the Republic of Savings, and Investor Islands. A site for kids in grades 4 through 8, they will learn about the value of money, setting a budget, understanding credit, and building savings goals for the future. To find specific topics covered in each "continent", use the Parents Corner to find key concepts. For example, under Investor Islands, students will be introduced to how investing works, risk, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, volatility, and diversification.
Subject: Math
More Recommended Math Links
YoungBiz.com
http://www.youngbiz.com
The mission of YoungBiz is "to empower youth with entrepreneurial, business, and financial skills through innovative education and real-world experience." Young people looking to start their own business will find many useful articles, profiles of teen entrepreneurs, and financial tips. FamilyBiz gives parents ideas of how to help their teens become successful business people. There are two tours, one for students, one for teachers, which take you through steps like market research, writing a business plan, advertising and financing. Tours start at: http://www.youngbiz.com/biznet_tour/youngbizNet.html
Subject: Math
More Recommended Math Links
Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship
http://www.schwabfound.org/
What IS a "social entrepreneur"? It is a leader who is responsive to social issues by combining innovation, resourcefulness and opportunity. You can read profiles of social entrepreneurs by selecting a continent and a variety of fields such as agriculture, energy, health, fair trade, and waste management. Each profile describes the innovation and strategy of the entrepreneur to create a business that enhances society in some way. Examples include Millard and Linda Fuller, founders of Habitat for Humanity, and Alan Khazei and Michael Brown who started "City Year" to have young adults serve 10 months in a voluntary national service program. The site is available in Spanish and French.
Subject: Social Studies
More Recommended Social Studies Links
The Times 100
http://www.thetimes100.co.uk/index.php
This site from the UK for high school students has a Student Zone, Teacher Zone, Quizzes, and Case Studies. Case studies are real examples of companies that let you learn about actual business practices. You can select case studies by company, such as Cadbury (chocolate), Kellog's and Vodafone (mobile telecommunications). Teachers can use lesson plans and teacher guides. Full case studies can be downloaded in PDF documents. Brief studies (shorter versions of the case studies) can be downloaded in Word format. The Jargon Buster is a glossary of terms.
Subject: Social Studies
More Recommended Social Studies Links
Houston Chronicle Special Report: Enron
http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/special/01/enron/
The Enron business scandal has been in the news for several years. The Houston Chronicle posts a site that is updated daily with news articles, background materials, timeline, and key players. A running list of criminal charges, convictions, and jail terms are posted. "Cast members" have short biographies, indictments, charges, and plea bargains. Anyone studying business ethics should read through this site, especially understanding the accusations.
Subject: Social Studies
More Recommended Social Studies Links
recommended books
The Promise: How One Woman Made Good on Her Extraordinary Pact to Send a Classroom of 1st Graders to College
By Oral Lee Brown with Caille Millner
Published April 2005
Grades: 6-8; 9-12
Subjects: Social Studies
In 1987, Brown promised a class of twenty-three Oakland first graders that if they graduated from high school, she would pay for their college educations. All graduated and nineteen chose to go to college. To finance her pledge, Brown worked multiple jobs, invested her own money, and established the Oral Lee Brown Foundation. And that's not all. She is now committed to sending three more classes to college. This is an inspiring tale of how one woman set out to help her community.
More Recommended Social Studies Books
The Guggenheims: A Family History
By Irwin Unger and Debi Unger
Published January 2005
Grades: 9-12
Subjects: Social Studies
In mining, aviation, and publishing, the Guggenheims have been a powerful presence in American business, but the family has also left its mark on the art world. Peggy Guggenheim championed Abstract Expressionism, and Solomon built the Museum of Modern Art. The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation provides fellowships for professionals in natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, and creative arts. This group biography traces the family fortunes from immigration to big business and public works.
More Recommended Social Studies Books