Mini-Societies

6th Grade, Orchard View Middle School

An interactive simulation where students create and manage their own businesses, taking on roles such as taxpayers, city officials, and landlords to explore the dynamics of a market economy.

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"Mini-Societies" is an interactive simulation where students create and manage their own businesses, taking on roles such as taxpayers, city officials, and landlords to explore the dynamics of a market economy.

Through this hands-on experience, students determine tax rates, rental fees, and other economic variables, analyzing why these rates might differ for various stakeholders. They learn fundamental economic concepts like supply and demand, profit margins, and resource allocation by producing and selling goods or services within their mini-society. This project fosters critical thinking, teamwork, and real-world problem-solving as students navigate the complexities of economic systems, balancing the needs of individuals, businesses, and government entities.

Resources

Community Partners

  • Families
  • Local Businesses

Standards Alignment

English

L 6.1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

SL 6.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.

SL 6.4: Present claims and findings, sequencing ideas logically and using pertinent descriptions, facts, and details to accentuate main ideas or themes; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.

Mathematics

6.SP.B.4/5: Displaying and Analyzing Numerical Data

6.NS.A.1/B.3: Operations with Decimals and Fractions

6.EE.A.2.C: Order of Operations

6.EE.A.2/3/4: Expressions - Distributive Property, Simplifying and evaluating

6.EE.B.5/7: Writing and Solving one step equations and inequalities

6.RP.A.2/3: Use ratio and rate reasoning to solve real-world and mathematical problems

6.RP.A.3.C: Understanding that a percents is created from a ratio

Social Studies

C.6.1.1: Purposes of Government: Nature of Civic Life, Politics, and Government Structure and Functions of Government

E.6.1.1: The Market Economy: Individual, Business, and Government Choices

Science

Practice 1: Asking Questions and Defining Problems

Practice 6: Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

Practice 8: Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information

Student Reflections

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The Third Coast Learning Collaborative is a collective project of Orchard View Schools, Reeths-Puffer Schools, Human Restoration Project & Open Way Learning. This work is independently evaluated by the University of Virginia.

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‍The contents of this website are developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Program. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government. This grant is 100% directly funded through federal funding totaling $3,995,537 beyond in-kind matching funds. All involved parties will contribute in-kind time to make the project a success at an in-kind rate of $429,173.