English Language Arts9-12+
Interview Prep for Starting Your Own Business
By Lynn R.
A 10th-grade interview preparation packet that guides students in drafting open-ended questions for a guest entrepreneur, with rationale prompts for each question. It builds research, questioning, and English communication skills around market need and startup challenges, and works well as a pre-visit activity in a class period before a guest speaker arrives.
Customize for your classroom
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Use this in the class period before your guest entrepreneur visits, so students arrive with well-developed questions rather than improvising on the day.
- Discussion question: Why might a successful business owner's answer to 'How did you know people would want your product?' be more useful than a yes-or-no question?
- Scaffold for struggling readers: Model one strong open-ended question and one weak yes-or-no question side by side, then have students revise a weak example before filling in their own.
- Extension for advanced students: Ask them to anticipate the speaker's likely answers and draft a thoughtful follow-up question for each.
- Estimated time: About 30 to 45 minutes for drafting questions, plus a few minutes to refine them before the interview.
English Language Arts9-12+
Interview Prep for Starting Your Own Business
By Lynn R.
A 10th-grade interview preparation packet that guides students in drafting open-ended questions for a guest entrepreneur, with rationale prompts for each question. It builds research, questioning, and English communication skills around market need and startup challenges, and works well as a pre-visit activity in a class period before a guest speaker arrives.
Customize for your classroom
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Use this in the class period before your guest entrepreneur visits, so students arrive with well-developed questions rather than improvising on the day.
- Discussion question: Why might a successful business owner's answer to 'How did you know people would want your product?' be more useful than a yes-or-no question?
- Scaffold for struggling readers: Model one strong open-ended question and one weak yes-or-no question side by side, then have students revise a weak example before filling in their own.
- Extension for advanced students: Ask them to anticipate the speaker's likely answers and draft a thoughtful follow-up question for each.
- Estimated time: About 30 to 45 minutes for drafting questions, plus a few minutes to refine them before the interview.