BEM1O – Building the Entrepreneurial Mindset – Grade 9
In this course, students will learn what makes an entrepreneur thrive and the skills required to succeed in today’s business environment. Students will begin to develop their own entrepreneurial mindset, and learn why it’s important to take initiative, adapt to change, find creative solutions, and understand the financial considerations of entrepreneurship. This hands-on course will use business software and applications to help students plan and develop their entrepreneurial ideas and learn how to present them to a target audience. Throughout the course, students will enhance their communications skills as well as develop and refine their project management skills, including goal setting, time management, and networking.
$450.00
*Course outline is subject to change
Overall Curriculum Expectations
Throughout the course, students will be provided with numerous and varied opportunities to demonstrate the full extent of their achievement of the curriculum expectations, across all four categories of knowledge and skills. Evaluations will reflect each student’s most consistent level of achievement. The overall learning expectations for this course are encompassed in the following strands:
STRAND A: Business Leadership, Project Management, and Connections
A1. Business Leadership and Project Management
A2. Business Technologies
A3. Connections, Applications, and Careers
A4. Contributions of Entrepreneurs
STRAND B: The Entrepreneurial Mindset
B1. The Entrepreneurial Mindset
B2. Designing an Entrepreneurial Idea
B3. Refining an Entrepreneurial Idea
B4. Pitching an Entrepreneurial Idea
STRAND C: Business Communications
C1. Developing and Organizing Ideas
C2. Creating Business Texts
C3. Publishing and Presenting
Outline of Course Content
In this introductory unit, students explore what entrepreneurship is, why it matters in their daily lives, and how entrepreneurs influence social, economic, environmental, and ethical issues locally and globally. They unpack the idea of an entrepreneurial mindset, examine diverse entrepreneurial stories (including First Nations, Métis, and Inuit entrepreneurs), and start reflecting on their own strengths, interests, and potential as entrepreneurs. Students are introduced to business leadership styles and begin a portfolio of learning where they document insights, reflections, and early evidence of their business competencies.
In this unit, students move from understanding entrepreneurship to designing entrepreneurial ideas. Using a design process, they identify needs and opportunities in their school, community, or online environments and generate a wide range of potential product or service ideas. They evaluate and narrow these ideas using criteria aligned with their interests, goals, and research, then select one idea to pursue. Students create a prototype (or storyboard) to show the purpose and benefits of their idea and test how well it addresses the identified market need. Throughout, they begin using project management language (goals, tasks, timelines) and digital tools to support research and prototyping.
This unit focuses on refining the entrepreneurial idea into a more viable and responsible venture concept. Students use a problem-solving process to analyze their idea’s social, economic, environmental, and ethical impacts from multiple stakeholder perspectives. They explore basic financial literacy by building a simple budget and considering costs, revenue potential, and feasibility. Students revisit their prototype and initial plan, identify challenges and opportunities, and make strategic changes to maximize positive impact and economic success. They also deepen their use of business-related digital technologies (e.g., spreadsheets, collaborative tools) and continue managing their project with clearer goals, tasks, timelines, and risk identification.
In the final unit, students focus on communicating their refined entrepreneurial idea to different audiences using clear, accessible, and professional business communication. They study the elements of an effective pitch and explore various supports and funding opportunities available to entrepreneurs, including mentorship, community resources, and online platforms. Students plan and create a pitch presentation, incorporating digital tools, visuals, and appropriate business terminology, and then deliver their pitch to an audience (e.g., teacher, peers, recorded for feedback). They also finalize key pieces for their business portfolio, demonstrating growth in their entrepreneurial mindset, project management skills, and business communication abilities.
Students will create a business plan and conduct thorough research in a multi-step process to outline their plan. Students will also write an exam that covers all expectations.
Culminating Activity
Final Exam