Spot a Problem: Entrepreneurship Activity for Students

Q: How do I adapt Spot a Real Problem for grades 6–8 and 9–12?

Middle schoolers can use the three-cell version : who has the problem, the problem moment, and the first "But." Jordan's missing hoodie is a relatable model at this age. High school, DECA, and FBLA students keep all six cells, back up cell 5 with a short survey, and estimate how many people in their town share the problem.

Spot a Real Problem - Entrepreneurship Example

More options

Copy Activity

Copy This Storyboard

Lesson Plan Overview

Template and Class Instructions

Lesson Plan Overview

Most student business ideas start with a product ("let's sell slime!"). Real entrepreneurs start with a problem: someone, somewhere, is frustrated, losing time, or losing money. In this activity, students storyboard one real problem they have seen, the people who have it, and why the ways people deal with it today fall short. It is the foundation for every other activity in this guide; a clear problem makes the persona, the pitch, and the business plan much easier.

The storyboard follows the first two cells of the Product → Solution → Benefit framework from our How to Create an Elevator Pitch article: show the person with the problem, then add the first "But", the reason existing solutions don't work. Students who can't explain the "But" usually don't have a business yet, and finding that out now is a win, not a failure.

Before You Begin

Warm-up: have each student write a "bug list" of ten things that annoyed them, their family, or their school this week. Pick the problems more than one person shares.
Time needed: one 45-minute class, plus 10 minutes of interviews as homework (cell 5).
Groups: works individually, but teams of 3–4 who will build one business together through the whole guide should pick their problem here.
Assessment: a strong storyboard names a specific person, shows a specific moment, and gives a real reason current fixes fail. "People are bored" is not a problem statement.

The Six Cells

CELL	WHAT STUDENTS SHOW	EXAMPLE: TAGBACK
1. Who Has the Problem	The person, their age and situation.	Jordan, a seventh grader with gym, band, and math in one day, carrying a water bottle, hoodie, and calculator.
2. The Problem Moment	The exact moment the problem hurts.	After gym, Jordan's hoodie is gone. It's the second one this year, and Jordan's parent is not happy.
3. How People Cope Today	What people do now to solve it.	Writing names in marker (it fades), or checking the lost-and-found bin (a mountain of unlabeled hoodies).
4. The First "But"	Why today's fix falls short.	BUT nobody returns an item if they can't tell whose it is, and the office can't call a name that isn't there.
5. How Big Is It?	Evidence from at least five people: how many have it, how often.	8 of 10 classmates lost something this semester; the school donates two bins of clothes every June.
6. Problem Statement	One sentence: [who] needs a way to [do what] because [why].	Students need a way to get lost things back because unlabeled items never find their owners.

Differentiation

Grades 6–8: use the three-cell version: who, the problem moment, the first "But".
Grades 9–12 and DECA/FBLA: require data in cell 5 from a short survey and ask students to estimate how many people in their town share the problem.

Copy Activity

Template and Class Instructions

(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)

Student Instructions

Create a storyboard that shows a real problem worth solving.

Click "Use This Template" from the assignment.
In cell 1, introduce the person who has the problem.
In cell 2, show the exact moment the problem happens.
In cell 3, show how people deal with the problem today.
In cell 4, explain the first "But": why today's fix doesn't work.
In cell 5, share what you learned from asking at least five people about the problem.
In cell 6, write your problem statement: [who] needs a way to [do what] because [why].
Illustrate each cell with scenes, characters, and items, then save and submit your storyboard.

Spot a Real Problem - Entrepreneurship Template

More options

Copy This Storyboard

Lesson Plan Reference

Grade Level 6-12

Difficulty Level 2 (Reinforcing / Developing)

Type of Assignment Individual, Partner, or Group

Type of Activity: Diagram a Process

Copy Activity

Lesson Plan Overview

Before You Begin

Warm-up: have each student write a "bug list" of ten things that annoyed them, their family, or their school this week. Pick the problems more than one person shares.
Time needed: one 45-minute class, plus 10 minutes of interviews as homework (cell 5).
Groups: works individually, but teams of 3–4 who will build one business together through the whole guide should pick their problem here.
Assessment: a strong storyboard names a specific person, shows a specific moment, and gives a real reason current fixes fail. "People are bored" is not a problem statement.

The Six Cells

CELL	WHAT STUDENTS SHOW	EXAMPLE: TAGBACK
1. Who Has the Problem	The person, their age and situation.	Jordan, a seventh grader with gym, band, and math in one day, carrying a water bottle, hoodie, and calculator.
2. The Problem Moment	The exact moment the problem hurts.	After gym, Jordan's hoodie is gone. It's the second one this year, and Jordan's parent is not happy.
3. How People Cope Today	What people do now to solve it.	Writing names in marker (it fades), or checking the lost-and-found bin (a mountain of unlabeled hoodies).
4. The First "But"	Why today's fix falls short.	BUT nobody returns an item if they can't tell whose it is, and the office can't call a name that isn't there.
5. How Big Is It?	Evidence from at least five people: how many have it, how often.	8 of 10 classmates lost something this semester; the school donates two bins of clothes every June.
6. Problem Statement	One sentence: [who] needs a way to [do what] because [why].	Students need a way to get lost things back because unlabeled items never find their owners.

Differentiation

Grades 6–8: use the three-cell version: who, the problem moment, the first "But".
Grades 9–12 and DECA/FBLA: require data in cell 5 from a short survey and ask students to estimate how many people in their town share the problem.

Copy Activity

Template and Class Instructions

(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)

Student Instructions

Create a storyboard that shows a real problem worth solving.

Click "Use This Template" from the assignment.
In cell 1, introduce the person who has the problem.
In cell 2, show the exact moment the problem happens.
In cell 3, show how people deal with the problem today.
In cell 4, explain the first "But": why today's fix doesn't work.
In cell 5, share what you learned from asking at least five people about the problem.
In cell 6, write your problem statement: [who] needs a way to [do what] because [why].
Illustrate each cell with scenes, characters, and items, then save and submit your storyboard.

More options

Copy This Storyboard

Lesson Plan Reference

Grade Level 6-12

Difficulty Level 2 (Reinforcing / Developing)

Type of Assignment Individual, Partner, or Group

Type of Activity: Diagram a Process

Copy Activity

How to Run the Spot a Real Problem Activity in Storyboard That

Assign the Spot a Real Problem template

Add the activity to your Teacher Dashboard and create an assignment from the six-cell template. For grades 6–8, trim the template to the three-cell version before students open it.

Warm up with a bug list

Have students list ten things that annoyed them, their family, or their school this week, then circle the problems more than one person shares. Teams choose the problem they will carry through the whole unit.

Have students build the problem cells

Students click "Use This Template" and show the person, the problem moment, how people cope today, the first "But," and the problem statement, using Jordan's lost hoodie as a model.

Collect evidence for cell 5

As homework, students ask at least five people about the problem and add what they learned, such as how many people have it and how often, before they submit.

Review and give feedback

Open each submission from your dashboard and check for a specific person, a specific moment, and a real reason current fixes fail. Comment on vague problem statements.

Share the problem statements

Show storyboards in presentation mode and have each team read its problem statement. Classmates vote on which problems they would pay to solve.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Spot a Real Problem Activity

How should I grade the Spot a Real Problem storyboard?

Score each of the six cells 0–2 points for a 12-point total: 0 if missing, 1 if vague, 2 if specific. Look hardest at cells 4 and 6. A strong first "But" explains why current fixes fail, like TagBack's point that unlabeled hoodies never find their owners. "People are bored" earns a 1 at best, because it names no person or moment.

How long does the Spot a Real Problem activity take?

Plan one 45-minute class plus about 10 minutes of homework. Spend ten minutes on the bug-list warm-up, five choosing a shared problem, and the rest building cells 1–4 and 6. Cell 5 needs answers from at least five people, so students finish it after interviewing classmates or family, much as the TagBack team asked ten classmates about lost items.

How do I adapt Spot a Real Problem for grades 6–8 and 9–12?

Middle schoolers can use the three-cell version: who has the problem, the problem moment, and the first "But." Jordan's missing hoodie is a relatable model at this age. High school, DECA, and FBLA students keep all six cells, back up cell 5 with a short survey, and estimate how many people in their town share the problem.

How can I support English learners as they describe a problem?

Let students tell the problem visually first; scenes and characters carry meaning before vocabulary does. Provide the sentence frame "[Who] needs a way to [do what] because [why]" and model it with TagBack's problem statement. Allow the bug list in a home language, and pair students so one asks the cell 5 questions while the other records the answers.

What discussion prompts work after students storyboard their problems?

Have teams read only their problem statements aloud and let classmates vote on which problem they would pay to solve. Then ask: is this a problem, or a product in disguise? Who else has it? Would Jordan's parent care as much as Jordan does? Students who cannot explain their "But" should pick a new problem now rather than later.