"In 1906, Sears was a flourishing catalog company that had just launched a highly successful initial public offering. The company went public under the name Sears, Roebuck and Co. after completing the construction of an enormous new headquarters and distribution center in Chicago, which totaled 3 million square feet of floor space over 40 acres of land. Sears advertised the new complex as “the largest mercantile plant in the world,” and included illustrations of it on the backs of its catalogs. It was a heady time for the company, but not everything was running smoothly."  Internet 2025.

I read the above historic information on Sears Roebuck and Company and found it to be a sharp reminder of how businesses are not just cultural icons or geographical landmarks, but can be very sentimental and attached to personal histories. The global stock market and trade systems always have an effect on the population regardless how closely involved persons are in a particular business. Sears Roebuck as a company was part of my personal story/history from the 1970s to the company's closing circa 2019. Having read a portion of the history of the company had me feeling inspired to create lesson plans for teachers. I can see how this topic can be transformed into a lesson plan for at least three subjects: Social Studies, Math, and English. Science could do something with it, but I'm not an expert in that subject so only a Science teacher should come up with that lesson plan. Art and Drama teachers could also use the history to come up with something, and while I do have ideas, I'm going to focus my lesson plans for the required courses over elective types.

1.  Show a documentary video of the history of Sears business from the beginning to the end. Have a lengthy open discussion with students hearing their thoughts and opinions. 

2. Have the students write a paragraph or one-page jounral entry about a memory they have of a business that no longer exists that was once important to them.

3. Read aloud and/or assign private reading for various stories that are connected to the theme of business change or endangered businesses. Examples:  "A&P" by John Updike, "The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair,  "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand, and "Babbitt" by Sinclair Lewis. 

4. Order my "Assignments Package" catered to this lesson plan which includes worsheets, grading rubrics, and group projects. (Or do all that work on your own and drive yourself crazy.)

2.  Hand out copies of essays written by former or current students who shared opinions about the topic for your students to read. Then have the students write a letter to the student who's essay they read.

3. Make a list of all of the businesses mentioned that have "gone out of business" like Sears, and display that on an overhead projector or a large poster. Then have the students in small groups choose one of the businesses to defend it's closing or attempt to re-open the business. 

  4. Order my "Assignments Package" catered to this lesson plan which includes worsheets, grading rubrics, and group projects. (Or do all that work on your own and drive yourself crazy.)

2. Have the students draw up a budget for a start-up business. Ask them to include where the financing will come from.

3. Have the students vote on their favorite start-up business budgets.

4. Take the Top 3 budgets (voted on by the classroom) and have the students then find all of the weak areas and mathematically prove how or where the budget could fail. 

5.  Order my "Assignments Package" catered to this lesson plan which includes worsheets, grading rubrics, and group projects. (Or do all that work on your own and drive yourself crazy.)

The English, Math, and Social Studies teachers should work together on this lesson plan project as they can prove to the students how each subject is linked to each other and relevant in the "Real World".

Teacher Lesson Plan 1: Business Changes

For English, Social Studies, and Math Teachers

Excerpt quote from online research:

"In 1906, Sears was a flourishing catalog company that had just launched a highly successful initial public offering. The company went public under the name Sears, Roebuck and Co. after completing the construction of an enormous new headquarters and distribution center in Chicago, which totaled 3 million square feet of floor space over 40 acres of land. Sears advertised the new complex as “the largest mercantile plant in the world,” and included illustrations of it on the backs of its catalogs. It was a heady time for the company, but not everything was running smoothly."  Internet 2025.



Teacher Lesson Plan 1: Business Changes

For English, Social Studies, and Math Teachers

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Shanon Angermeyer Norman

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