pitch get a higher price per share of their stock than those with whom I am not as impressed. The team works towards their ultimate goal of

making the most profit for their company. The Biz- World Teacher’s Guide contains detailed lessons and scripts so I can become the expert in teaching the language of business to my students. After the thrill of selling their bracelets at the

Bazaar is over, the teams count their BizBucks money, and learn that profit is not just income received. Their faces grow sad as they learn they must pay the venture capitalist a portion of their earnings. Other expenses deducted from their profit include rent, supplies, and employee salaries. Once all of the expenses have been paid, my students truly understand the meaning of profit. Sometimes the team that initially had the largest amount of sales does not end up with the highest profit—a great les- son learned in keeping expenses low next time they run a business. Are my students learning math and finance? Yes, and by having it integrated into a

hands-on business program, they learn by doing. The end result? Hopefully I have planted the seed of an idea in my students that someday they might actually become entrepre- neurs and have their own businesses.

Keeping a Budget

Another great activity is having students learn about keeping their expenditures within a specified budget. Tisha Beaton wrote a great article in the August 2004 issue of Teaching Mathematics in the Middle School, entitled “Harry Potter in the Mathemat- ics Classroom,” where students draw a character’s name out of a hat (from the Harry Potter series), and are given a specific budget to purchase robes, wands, caul- drons, and other magical supplies. Students in upper elementary classrooms can easily add up their Hogwarts expenditures with the use of a calculator, so don’t be afraid to try this in the elemen- tary classroom! For details of this highly engaging project, you can buy the article online from NCTM. Students experience what it is like to have or have not: There are certain items all Hog-

warts students must purchase, such as a uniform, wand, and books. A student like Ron Weasley will have a much lower budget to work with than Draco Malfoy. I provide the students a list of items—some required, and some luxuries—that students can purchase. They must stick to their budget, adding all the items with a calculator. They have to make

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