All 4 Each: A Unit to Empower Co-operative Consciousness

By learning about existing co‑operatives that students find personally interesting, this lesson will provide students with a better sense of the structures, obstacles, and solutions needed for co‑operative organizations. This investigation will also work to help students better understand what makes a co‑operative organization unique.

The Plan
1. To prepare students for research on existing co‑operatives, review understandings of how co‑operative business models are unique from private enterprise. In addition to the Co‑operative Principles, guiding topics may include concepts from Teacher’s Background Information, such as Voting Rights of Shareholders vs. Members and Distribution of Profits and Surplus.

2. Either alone or in groups, assign students Co‑op Questions. Remind students that co‑operatives exist in nearly all industries. For suggestions on starting points for research, check out the Resources.

3. After students have explored Co‑op Questions, lead summative discussion of the common themes and goals of the co‑operatives they have researched. Bridge discussion into consideration of services in your community that don’t exist yet, but would benefit the community if they did. How could a co‑op fill this need in your community?

4. Teachers may wish to organize a field trip to a local co‑operative. This could be done beforehand as part of the research process, or afterwards for students to further explore and understand the work of a specific co‑op.