JA Business Communications®

JA Business Communications curriculum cover

High School
Implementation:
Classroom Based
Virtual

Pillars of Student Success
Work Readiness High Work Readiness
Entrepreneurship Moderate Entrepreneurship
Financial Literacy Minimal Financial Literacy
JA Business Communications, part of the JA High School Experience courses, is a one-semester, teacher-led course in which high school students focus on communication skills necessary to succeed in business, including communicating up, down, and across organizations; talking about job performance; and writing in a business setting. Volunteers engage with students through a variety of activities that may include subject-matter guest speaking, coaching, or advising for case study and project coursework.

Following participation in this course, students will be able to:

-- Learn the necessary concepts applicable to state and national educational standards.
-- Apply these standards-based concepts to the real world.
-- Synthesize elective concepts through cumulative, tangible deliverables (projects).
-- Analyze a business situation or principle through the use of a case study.
-- Demonstrate the skills necessary for future career pathway success.

JA Business Communications is part of the JA Work and Career Readiness Pathway. The course is a blended model that includes teacher-led content, volunteer-led opportunities, and self-guided content to support flexible implementation options. JA Business Communications is available in classroom-based or remote live implementation. Robust support materials are available for teachers, including a pacing guide for semester-long implementation. Your local JA area may have the opportunity to support interested districts that have formed a relationship with post-secondary institutions to facilitate dual credit.

As part of this course, JA teachers and volunteers are encouraged to use the resources available in JA Connect™ Learning Pathways, located at connect.ja.org. This self-guided experience includes interactives, JA Digital Career Book™, and games and apps for student use.

JA programs support national and state standards in reading, mathematics, social studies, and work and career readiness. See below for more information on alignment with national and state standards.

Program Concepts

Active listening, audience, business correspondence, business documentation, business letter, business policies and procedures, communication barriers, communication model, communicate expectations, communication strategies and tools, decision tree, downward communication, effective communication, effective feedback, effective listening, effective meeting strategies, email, employer expectations, external stakeholders, feedback loop, internal stakeholders, interpretation, levels of listening, lines of communication, listening strategies, meeting planning, memo, message, online messaging platforms, organizational structure, performance expectations, persuasion, persuasive writing, presentation content, presentation planning, presentation skills, professionalism, public speaking, purpose, revision, social media, social proof, surveys, tone, upward communication, virtual meetings, work traits, written communication

Skills Students Learn

  • Accept criticism
  • Accept feedback
  • Analyze audiences
  • Adjust communication to situations
  • Analyze communication problems
  • Analyze personal experience
  • Analyze situations
  • Analyze similarities and differences
  • Analyze writing samples
  • Apply communication skills
  • Brainstorm ideas
  • Brainstorm solutions
  • Choose the best social media platform
  • Communicate with a supervisor
  • Communicate with authority
  • Create and deliver a presentation
  • Craft an online message
  • Discuss in small groups
  • Draw conclusions from information
  • Effective listening skills
  • Evaluate consequences
  • Evaluate feedback
  • Evaluate performance based on expectations
  • Evaluate presentations
  • Evaluate professionals
  • Identify the problem
  • Improve communication
  • Make recommendations
  • Participate in discussion
  • Practice oral communication
  • Practice group communication
  • Practice the communication model
  • Provide feedback
  • Respond professionally
  • Revise messages
  • Rewrite based on purpose
  • Role-play business situations
  • Role-play communication scenarios
  • Use technology to polish writing
  • Verbal communication skills
  • Write a business policy
  • Write clear messages
  • Write office communication
  • Write persuasive messages

Virtual Implementation

Remote live implementation is available for JA Business Communications.

Program Resources

Alignment with State and National Standards

Common Core Standards

For those states that follow common core standards, Junior Achievement’s curricula have been reviewed for alignment with these standards! Learn more by selecting the appropriate grade level below.

Main Correlation and Standards Page

National Standards

While educational standards are determined primarily at the state level, many national standards serve as guidelines for the development of these state standards. See how Junior Achievement curricula align with the national standards listed below.

Main Correlation and Standards Page

State Standards

Junior Achievement curricula are created to align with state standards. To see how our programs align with your state’s standards, explore the options below.

Main Correlation and Standards Page

Scope and Sequence

Junior Achievement learning experiences cover financial literacy, career and work readiness, and entrepreneurship. Our extensive scope and sequence helps explain how our programs cover these subjects at various grade levels.

Main Correlation and Standards Page

Request a Presenter to Teach Curriculum

A Junior Achievement Volunteer teaches students
Junior Achievement lessons are delivered by volunteers from the community. These presenters are prepared by JA to facilitate engaging learning activities that focus on financial literacy, work and career readiness, and entrepreneurship. This results in an enriched learning experience that helps students make the connection between what they learn in school and the world outside the classroom.

Steps to Request a Presenter

Steps to Request a Presenter

1) Request Info

Once you’ve decided to have a JA volunteer in your classroom, fill out the form on this website. You will receive information on next steps.

2) Pick Schedule

You will be able to coordinate a schedule that works for your class either online or in conjunction with a JA representative.

3) Meet Presenter

Once a volunteer is identified for your class, JA will connect you with the presenter to discuss roles, expectations, and logistics.

4) Empower Students with Standards-Based Education

After all details are in place, the JA volunteer will deliver lessons to your students either virtually or in-person.

Request Information about this Learning Experience



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