The K-1 Coffee Company: Encouraging Entrepreneurship Through Project-Based Learning in the Early Grades

Abstract

This collaborative practitioner research was created by a team of early childhood teachers who used evidence-based practices on project-based learning to create a meaningful learning experience for 51 primary-aged students.  Following the literature on project-based learning for early childhood learners, we designed an interdisciplinary social studies unit through a coffee shop, encouraging entrepreneurship with a goal of visiting Disney’s Animal Kingdom as a field trip. Students learned about running a business, saving and spending money, applying and training for jobs, and working as employees. This practitioner research examines the impact of project-based learning on student learning of social studies content standards through the creation of the K-1 Coffee Company. (109 words)