KS3 Yr 7 Business Enterprise & Computing Curriculum Overview 2015 – 16

Today more and more people are deprived of economic opportunities, fair employment and wages including access to services. So we need to provide opportunities for our students to develop in these key areas; Leadership, Organisation, Initiative, Resilience and Communication.Doing this will improve the students life chances and open new opportunities, as we also promote the soft skills that employers look for.

By developing business and social enterprise skills we can look to be tackling some social problems, improve communities, student’s life chances and the environment they live in. This curriculum will use real life learning, which will engage the students, build skills and address under achievement.

In Key Stage 3 students will be involved in a 1 hour of Enterprise lesson within the Business, Enterprise & Computing Faculty. Enterprise is a combination of developing skills, ICT and Business. The key skills that will be developed are; oral communication, written communication, decision making, innovation, team work, personal effectiveness, problem solving, independent learning amongst others. Students will complete 6 integrated activities across year 7, with a strong focus on developing enterprise skills and ICT skills.

The project will be centred on the creation of a new breakfast cereal/smoothie. Students will be required to research the current market and identify any gaps in the market. They will then design the cereal and following the waterfall model they will present their business plan to a panel of experts at the end of the year. Various I.T. products will need to be created using a variety of software and in order to be successful students will have the opportunity work across the curriculum e.g. Food Technology, English.

Students will be provided with a range of tasks and activities including homework that support the work carried out in class. Assessment will be ongoing throughout the project and key assessment points will be used to measure success/attainment every 6 weeks.

Systems Life cycle – The Waterfall Model

Rationale

The idea was to create a syllabus that incorporated and developed ICT skills, enterprise skills, work related learning, PSHE, citizenship, English, maths, PLTS and functional skills.

The original idea for the new year 7 curriculum started with 6 half terms being split into 5 different topics that incorporated all of the above skills, but at different times depending on the unit. As enterprise, social enterprise computer science are currently hot topics, this also needed to be linked in with the tasks to be performed and the outcomes of the units.

All businesses and organisations follow a process or a model of some sort to ensure the outcome matches the initial aim.We use a SDLC (System development life cycle) in all of our ICT/Computer science units and control assessments already, so students are familiar with it. The original idea then progressed into; ‘why not use the whole year to complete a project start to finish, splitting each term into the stages of the SDLC.’

The system life cycle is a series of stages that are worked through during the development of a new information system or product. A lot of time and money can be wasted if a system or product is developed that isn’t needed in the first instance, doesn't work properly, or do exactly what is required of it.

The waterfall model is a sequential design process, used in software or product development processes, in which progress is seen as flowing steadily downwards (like a waterfall) through the phases of conception, initiation, analysis, design, construction, testing, production/implementation and maintenance.

Enterprise

In order to achieve successful outcomes students will need to develop a number of enterprise skills, which will benefit the student in all aspects of their school life. Some of these skills include; oral and written communications skills, taking initiative to resolve a problem and then to develop an idea, being able to motivate themselves to meet targets and set goals, be able to plan and organise themselves, time management and ability to meet deadlines, problem solving, working in a group, letter writing, reading, fostering an enterprise attitude ‘a can do attitude’, developing confidence, mental arithmetic, time keeping skills, responsibility, employment skills, critical thinking and enquiry, spelling, being able to use a variety of non IT resources such as a dictionary.

Benefits

It is also referred to as a linear-sequential life cycle model. The benefits of using this particular model are that it is very simple to understand and use. In a waterfall model, each phase must be completed before the next phase can begin and there is no overlapping in the phases.

Each person within the team knows exactly what their job role is, where they are in the project, what they’ve achieved so far and what they need to do next. Each phase will have its own success criteria to enable the students to follow their own progress and move them on independently.

This will also allow complete independent learning throughout and there will always be an extension exercise available in order to stretch themselves.

The above diagram shows the phases for the model and allows the cycle to be revisited after the first evaluation to make improvements.

Identify

The Identify phase of a SDLC is when you decide what it is you want to produce. In this phase there is the most important stage:

  • Business Case – What the user want to achieve with the product.

This is the justification for building the product and needs to cover a number of areas including:

  • What the current business and product market is.
  • What the business opportunity is that the product will solve.
  • What the various solution strategies are and their feasibility.(Adapt/new)
  • What the preferred solution strategy is.
  • What the costs versus the benefits are.
  • What the assumptions, risks, and constraints are likely to be.
  • What the outline implementation approach will be.
  • Time management
  • E-safety to be practised and evidenced

A considerable amount of work needs to be done by the users with developer input to produce a business case. The benefits of doing so are to give everybody on the project a clear map of where the users are going and why.

Analysis

The next stage is called the 'Investigation and Analysis' phase.

  • After you have investigated what is already available on the market, what could be produced that doesn’t already exist and consumers would buy.
  • Decide on target audience
  • During the investigation, you would use a variety of techniques to find out about the current market and products available
  • Interviews
  • Research – prices, what is popular, alterations that could be made to an existing product.
  • Using social media to advertise
  • Alternative solutions, adapting what’s available (off the shelf), creating a brand new product (bespoke)
  • - Creating a paper trail of evidence.
  • E-safety to be practised and evidenced

Design

  • Target Audience
  • Story board for advertising
  • The product is designed
  • The product packaging is designed
  • Advertising methods researched – website, posters, TV, radio
  • Pricing of advertising
  • House style – logo, brand, name of product
  • Mood boards
  • Research on colours/styles that work for the audience
  • E-safety to be put into practice and evidenced
  • Prototype designed and created
  • Prototype evaluated against original ideas, changes to be made
  • Which software will be used for which job

Create

  • Evaluation to be considered when ready to create
  • Product and packaging is created
  • Adverts created for target audience– multiple software used
  • Actual costs evidenced

Test

  • Test the product against success criteria
  • Does it meet all requirements from the Identify/Analysis stage
  • Questionnaires
  • Presentation to the audience used for analysis

Evaluate

  • Does the finished product do what it is supposed to?
  • Does it solve the product gap that was found in the first place?
  • WWW
  • EBI
  • Evidence the points being made from the test phase.
  • Go back to the start of the process – Re-do, what improvements would be made now?
  • Discuss and evidence against paper trail for the project.
  • Evidence changes to be made – New design, prototype, paperwork trail, costings.
  • How different could the project have been managed?
  • What has been learnt during this process – all team member views depending on job role.
  • How realistic were your costings?
  • How effective was the method/s of advertising used?
  • Time management?
  • E-safety issues?

Case Study

When Charlie was at school he was very popular. He played football for his school and was an enthusiastic team player. He told all his friends that one day he would own his own business and he would earn enough money to buy a nice house and a good car.

When Charlie left school he went to his local Further Education College. He trained to be a cook. He started working in a small café. He worked long hours and he also worked very hard. Charlie made sure that every meal that he prepared was tasty. The Café owner could see that Charlie was a hard worker. The café became very popular because of Charlie’s excellent cooking and friendly manner but Charlie wanted to own his own business.

Charlie wanted to buy a mobile chip van. His customers at the cafe, his friends and family thought this was a great idea. Charlie went to the bank and asked them to lend him money for his new business. Charlie took a risk. Charlie bought a new fast food van! He painted it in bright colours and called it ‘Charlie’s Tasty Bites’. He bought lots of new equipment and employed two young people to help him.

Every month Charlie paid all his bills. Any extra money Charlie made from his ‘Charlie’s Tasty Bites’ business he saved in the bank. Eventually Charlie had saved enough money to expand his business. He had enough money to buy a small café and turn it also into an internet cafe. Charlie was now an entrepreneur.

Today Charlie owns three fast food vans and a small internet café which he also calls ‘Charlie’s Tasty Bites’. He not only sells hot food but also healthy salads and fresh fruit drinks. He has bought a nice house and drives a good car. Charlie had come a long way from his early working days when he was a cook and worked in someone else’s Café.

Charlie is now looking to expand his business with the launch of a range of new products. He needs help and guidance on this and wants to work closely with you from identifying a product to product launch.

Autumn 1 / Autumn 2
Identify / Analysis
Task (Lesson) / Enterprise/ICT Skills / Assessment
opportunities / Task (Lesson) / Enterprise/ICT Skills / Assessment
opportunities
1.Go through overview and task.What does current business do and what do they want to do. Identify problems and benefits. Create a SWOT Analysis. / Reading. Skimming/scanning/inference skills/make simple comments/understand meaning of text. MS Word, word processing, typing skills, formatting. I have ideas. I think of ways to resolve a problem. / Reading for meaning, whole text study, varying vocabulary, listening to reading skills. / 1of3. Research what is available on the market currently. Carry primary research. Create a questionnaire and interview peers, teachers, parents and local supermarket. / Leadership and management. Negotiation skills. Speaking and listening. Time management. Market research/Marketing mix. Higher level Word and Excel Skills. / Q&A.
Questionnaire
Project reviews.
Basic/advanced level use of software.
2.What are the risks?Type letter to client explaining risks / Problem solving. What makes a good letter/punctuation/grammar/paragraphs/connectives/proof reading/spelling. I can make a decision. / Discussion, Q&A, word processed letter, AFL.Evidence of research
Minutes
Evaluation by each
member, each session. MS Word / 20f3. Continue with research and present findings in Report. Video evidence to be used to help gather evidence. / Organisation.
Video and audio editing. Serif Movie Plus. Digital and oral communication. Developing links with local businesses. / Q&A.
Questionnaire
Project reviews.
Basic/advanced level use of software.
Survey results.
Serif Movie Plus
3.1of2 Time management and costs v. benefits. Produce a simple spreadsheet showing Gant Chart and costs. / Mathematics, addition, subtraction, division, multiplication, percentages. Spreadsheet software. MS Excel. Formatting, formulae, functions, cell references, graphs. / Discussion, Q&A, completed spreadsheet. MS Excel / 3of3. 20f3. Continue with research and present findings in Report. Video evidence to be used to help gather evidence. / Perseverance.
Resilience.
As above. / Oral communication.
Report.
Key ICT skills used in use of software.
Advanced features of Serif Movie plus.
4.2of2 Time management and costs v. benefits. Produce a simple spreadsheet showing Gant Chart and costs. / Mathematics, addition, subtraction, division, multiplication, percentages. Spreadsheet software. MS Excel. Formatting, formulae, functions, cell references, graphs. / Discussion, Q&A, completed spreadsheet / 1of3. Create a Logo for your business and develop a brand. Use Fireworks and Flash animation. / Decision making, innovation, enquiry based learning, independent learning, group work, problem solving. Macromedia Flash and Fireworks. / Oral communication.
Report.
Key ICT skills used in use of software.
5.Research risks including E-Safety (social networking, how to stay safe etc). Produce a PPT advising client. / Decision making, innovation, enquiry based learning, independent learning, group work, problem solving. Boolean operators. Using the internet and WWW. MS PPT. I can decide if evidence will help me and if it is relevant. / Discussion, Q&A, completed presentation. Evidence of use of
social media
Research of products. MS PPT / 2of3. Continue to create a logo and any animation through peer review and finish creating. Export final product, which can be presented in a PPT / Decision making, innovation, enquiry based learning, independent learning, group work, problem solving. Macromedia Flash and Fireworks. / Flash
Fireworks
6. Follow on from Lesson 5 – groups present their work to each other. / E-safety regulations
Presentation software and formatting including house style. Personal effectiveness, oral communication, time management, developing confidence. When asked questions I can answer them fully. I think about my responses. I can deliver to a group of people. I can listen to others and I am a team player. / Discussion, Q&A, completed presentation.
Use of Boolean operators / 3of3. Finalise logo and any animation through peer review and finish creating. Export final product, which can be presented in a PPT / Delegation, teamwork, communication, time management, self-management, independent learning. Excel, PP, Publisher, Word / Excel, PP, Publisher, Word
7. Business report/learning log. Prepare a report summarising themselves. What type of a learner am I now and what new skills have I learnt. / How enterprising am I? Self-evaluation, reflectiveness, Independent learner, research and evidence gathered from other subject teachers. I know when things have gone well and when they have not gone well. / Report / Business report/learning log. Prepare a report summarising themselves. What type of a learner am I now and what new skills have I learnt. Business plan development. / How enterprising am I? Self-evaluation, reflectiveness, Independent learner, research and evidence gathered from other subject teachers. I know when things have gone well and when they have not gone well. / Report
Spring 1 / Spring 2
Design / Create
Task (Lesson) / Enterprise/ICT Skills / Assessment
opportunities / Task / Skills / Assessment
opportunities
1. Decide target audience, research advertising methods and cost, research colours and styles that might work for target audience. Time line to be evaluated and updated. / Teamwork, oral communication, research, Excel, Formatting, formulae, functions, cell references, graphs, costing, Word, writing reports, time management, decision making / Report on target audience, colours and styles, table in excel showing advantages and disadvantages of each method and costs, graph to show comparison. Time line. / Product creation. Refer to product design to support with the creation of cereal. / What makes good product consideration of target audience/ taste/appearance/ group work / Discussion, Q & A, completed product evidence of meeting the previous design ideas
2. Decide method of advertising, Decide house style of product (logo, brand, name, colours), create a mood board of colours and styles to meet target audience, create a storyboard for advertising / E-safety, research, discussion, teamwork, listening, oral communication, comparisons, meeting user’s needs, evaluation. Word, Publisher, Internet / Report on chosen method of advertising including any e-safety issues, storyboard, mood board, literacy. / Creation of packaging. Refer to planning template to start designing box/bag/pack / Publisher, problem solving, what makes good packaging/ house style/ target audience/
Consideration of target audience / Discussion, Q & A, completed packaging, evidence of use of publisher
3.Complete any unfinished jobs, update time management sheet, Product and packaging to be designed evidencing mood board criteria and target audience / Delegation, teamwork, communication, time management, self-management, independent learning. Excel, PP, Publisher, Word / Timeline, tick sheet of completed jobs, product designed, packaging designed, mid-term review, mathematics. / Advert creation.
Refer back to storyboard/script and start creation of advert using selected software. / Problem solving, software skills (movie plus, go animate, movie maker), recording options (camera, animation)
Other methods of advertising (publisher, powerpoint, word) / Discussion, Q & A, ease of use of chosen software, self-assessment, completed advert.