8th Grade Ethics Lesson Plan Example

Topic: Ethics in business

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will be able to identify and explain the ethical issues and concerns related to business transactions and decisions.

Materials

• Examples of business transactions and decisions (e.g. sales promotions, outsourcing, etc.)
• Handouts with ethical principles and guidelines (e.g. the Ten Commandments, the Seven Deadly Sins)

Warm-Up

• Explain that business is about providing goods and services to customers in exchange for money and that the goal of business is to make a profit.
• Ask the students to brainstorm a list of things that a business might have to consider or deal with when providing goods and services (e.g. cost, quality, reliability, etc.)
• Write the list on the board and discuss the various factors that can affect business decisions and transactions.

Direct Instruction

• Introduce the concept of ethics and explain that it is a set of moral principles or values that guide our decisions and actions.
• Ask the students to brainstorm a list of ethical issues that might arise in business (e.g. conflicts of interest, confidentiality, fairness, etc.)
• Write the list on the board and discuss the various ethical issues that can affect business decisions and transactions.

Guided Practice

• Divide the students into small groups and assign each group one of the ethical issues from the list.
• Have the students think about how the issue might impact a real-life business transaction and discuss their thoughts with their group members.
• Bring the groups back together and have them present their ideas to the class.

Independent Practice

• For the independent practice portion of the activity, have the students choose a real-life business transaction that they are currently involved in or have recently completed.
• Have them think about the ethical issues involved in their transaction and create a written plan for how they will address those issues.
• Encourage the students to share their written plans with their classmates and discuss their strategies for addressing the ethical issues in their transaction.

Closure

• Review the various ethical issues that were discussed during the class activity.
• Ask the students to reflect on what they have learned about addressing ethical issues in business transactions and how they can apply this knowledge to their own business dealings in the future.

Assessment

• Observe the students during the role-play activity and provide feedback on their ability to address the ethical issues in a business transaction.
• Evaluate the students' written reports on their chosen company and its practices, looking for their understanding of the company's ethical climate and its impact on workers, customers, and the community.