The cost of materials for a student program is $662, including shipping and <a target="new" href="http://www.donorschoose.org/html/fulfillment.htm" onclick="g_openWindow('http://www.donorschoose.org/html/fulfillment.htm', 300, 800, 'fulfillwindow');return false;">fulfillment</a>.
This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
Mini-Society is a trademarked Entrepreneurial Education program designed for children 8- 12 years of age. During this program, students learn how to open and operate businesses authentically by creating their own stores within a self- created society. This is an experiential learning endeavor that takes more than 20 class hours to complete.
The teacher acts as a facilitator only, while students are forced to design their own goods, services, laws, and resolutions. The class makes all decisions and ultimately creates a governing and economic system. Understanding resource allocation and scarcity principles are vital for economic success. Children create all of the business ideas, including marketing strategies and cost benefit analyses. They do market surveys, bookkeeping, and much more.
Teachers must be specifically certified to teach Mini-Society. As a teacher of sixth grade math and science, I am excited to be able to offer this program to my students. I have successfully implemented this program with over 500 youth. As with most excellent programs, it requires material costs that add up quickly. Most needs are inspirational art supplies; those that inspire a good or service, but are not "ready made".
Here's what www.minisociety.org has to say about this program:
"Mini-Society is based on the belief that experience is the best teacher. The Mini-Society is an ongoing process of directly experiencing mature entrepreneurship, economic, social, ethical, and political problems, exploring various resolutions and their implications, and instituting solutions and experiencing the consequences of one's decisions. Because the Mini-Society is not just a simulation but a real world to the students, it becomes a highly motivating instructional system, encouraging independent, creative, self-directed inquiry learning by the students, with guidance from the teacher. Mini-Society students also exhibit measurable increases in positive attitudes toward school and learning."
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Thomas and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
