1. WATCH THESE 3 INTRO VIDEO CLIPS
2. PRESENTATION OF MATERIAL–PowerPoint–TOGETHER AS A CLASS
3. CLASS ACTIVITY–TOGETHER AS A CLASS
4. MISSION 1:HELP ANGELA BUILD WEALTH OVER THE LONG TERM
   Mission brief: Your mission is to convince Angela to invest in her company’s 401(k) plan so she can start building wealth for the long run.
   Mission objectives Angela needs to understand the three most important principles of wealth building:
   1. Start early
   2. Buy and hold
   3. Diversify
   She needs to start investing now for the best shot at building lifetime wealth. You and your team of operatives need to help her make the right choices in her 401(k) plan.
5. Learning objectives
   1. Explain and apply the principle of compound interest.
   2. Explain why an early start is important to lifetime financial success.
   3. Explain why long-term investors do not have to worry about moving money around but instead “buy and hold.”
   4. Explain why long-term investors do not have to worry about picking ‘hot’ assets but instead diversify their holdings.
   5. Explain why it is important to take advantage of employers’ matching employee retirement contributions.
6. BEGIN MISSION 1: Go to genirevolution.org & register using this class code: 00c762

DO THIS NOW:

1. MISSION 1:HELP ANGELA BUILD WEALTH OVER THE LONG TERM
   Mission brief: Your mission is to convince Angela to invest in her company’s 401(k) plan so she can start building wealth for the long run.
   Mission objectives Angela needs to understand the three most important principles of wealth building:
   1. Start early
   2. Buy and hold
   3. Diversify
   She needs to start investing now for the best shot at building lifetime wealth. You and your team of operatives need to help her make the right choices in her 401(k) plan.
2. Learning objectives
   1. Explain and apply the principle of compound interest.
   2. Explain why an early start is important to lifetime financial success.
   3. Explain why long-term investors do not have to worry about moving money around but instead “buy and hold.”
   4. Explain why long-term investors do not have to worry about picking ‘hot’ assets but instead diversify their holdings.
   5. Explain why it is important to take advantage of employers’ matching employee retirement contributions.
3. FINISH MISSION 1: Login to your genirevolution.org account.

MISSION 2: HELP VERONICA CHOOSE A TENTATIVE CAREER

Mission brief:

Guide Veronica through a process to choose a tentative career cluster and a tentative career, understanding that her career goals may change over time.

Mission objectives:

To complete the mission, help Veronica:

1. Analyze her career inventory
2. Use the results of the career inventory to identify a tentative career cluster
3. Research three specific careers within the cluster
4. Help Veronica make a tentative career choice

Learning Objectives:

1. Explain the concept of human capital.
2. Recognize the importance of investing in human capital.
3. Identify a tentative career area.
4. Use Occupational Outlook Handbook information to identify what an occupation career is like, the education requirements, and the typical salary.
5. Identify occupations that match a given set of skills, abilities, and interests.

BEGIN MISSION 2: Login to your genirevolution.org account.

MISSION 2: HELP VERONICA CHOOSE A TENTATIVE CAREER

Mission brief:

Guide Veronica through a process to choose a tentative career cluster and a tentative career, understanding that her career goals may change over time.

Mission objectives:

To complete the mission, help Veronica:

1. Analyze her career inventory
2. Use the results of the career inventory to identify a tentative career cluster
3. Research three specific careers within the cluster
4. Help Veronica make a tentative career choice

Learning Objectives:

1. Explain the concept of human capital.
2. Recognize the importance of investing in human capital.
3. Identify a tentative career area.
4. Use Occupational Outlook Handbook information to identify what an occupation career is like, the education requirements, and the typical salary.
5. Identify occupations that match a given set of skills, abilities, and interests.

FINISH MISSION 2: Login to your genirevolution.org account.

MISSION 3: HELP MATT DECIDE WHETHER TO CONTINUE FORMAL EDUCATION AFTER HE GRADUATES FROM HIGH SCHOOL

Mission objectives:

1. Understand the concept of human capital
2. Consider his current set of human capital and what knowledge and skills he may need to acquire to meet his goals
3. Consider the differences in wages for various levels of educational attainment (calculate lifetime high school vs. college)
4. Recommend an appropriate plan for Matt after high school, considering the costs and benefits of his potential choicesLearning Objectives:

Learning objectives:

1. Understand and apply the concept of human capital.
2. Explain that human capital is related to education choices, career choices, opportunities, and income.
3. Define and give examples of opportunity cost.
4. Weigh the costs and benefits of a choice to make an informed decision.

BEGIN MISSION 3: Login to your genirevolution.org account.

MISSION 3: HELP MATT DECIDE WHETHER TO CONTINUE FORMAL EDUCATION AFTER HE GRADUATES FROM HIGH SCHOOL

Mission objectives:

1. Understand the concept of human capital
2. Consider his current set of human capital and what knowledge and skills he may need to acquire to meet his goals
3. Consider the differences in wages for various levels of educational attainment (calculate lifetime high school vs. college)
4. Recommend an appropriate plan for Matt after high school, considering the costs and benefits of his potential choicesLearning Objectives:

Learning objectives:

1. Understand and apply the concept of human capital.
2. Explain that human capital is related to education choices, career choices, opportunities, and income.
3. Define and give examples of opportunity cost.
4. Weigh the costs and benefits of a choice to make an informed decision.

FINISH MISSION 3: Login to your genirevolution.org account.

GOAL: You will begin developing your own business! You will also be assigned your class job!

1. SIMCEO INTRO VIDEO
2. What is SimCEO?
3. Each CREATE individual companies
4. RESEARCH each others’ companies online
5. TRADE: Manage a $10,000 portfolio by buying and selling shares in each others’ companies which immediately influences share prices.Introduction to simCEO: SimCEO is a dynamic simulation played entirely online in a fictional ten year time-frame in which a group of students:All of this takes place in a customized environment (place, time, duration of simulation, complexity)
6. Students “win” in one of two ways:
   1. To be a successful entrepreneur by creating a business that ends with the highest share price
   2. To be a savvy investor by ending with the largest portfolio value
7. SIGN UP:
   1. Go to https://www.simceo.org/action/welcome
   2. Click on REGISTER NOW FREE
   3. Click LEARNER
   4. Username: use your first and last name (ex. joesmith)
   5. Email: use your school email
   6. Teacher’s Last Name: Weber
   7. Password: comets1
   8. CLICK TO SAVE YOUR USERNAME & PASSWORD
   9. Change your password
   10. Change your avatar, if you want
8. LOOK AROUND THE WEBSITE
9. IMPORTANT: At the end of every class, write about the following on today’s lesson plan at the bottom of this page:
   1. Describe what happened or what you did during class.
   2. Interpret how things went by using one (or more) of these terms:
      1. Strength & Weaknesses
      2. Successes & Setback
   3. What have you learned due to this experience?
   4. Answer one (or more) of these questions:
      1. What can you do to improve your learning?
      2. How will you extend your learning past what is expected?
   5. Remember to go back and read what your classmates wrote about to get ideas for yourself!
   6. Be sure to use good writing skills!!

    

 

• Think of a business idea. Here are some ways to think of a business idea:
  1. What is a problem that needs to be solved at school? in Bellevue? in Jackson County? in Iowa? in the Midwest? in the US? in the world?
  2. What makes you mad?
  3. What makes you happy?
• Use this website to help you think of an idea–THEY ARE NUMBERED ON THE LEFT SIDE……

WHAT IS A BUSINESS PLAN? WHY DO YOU NEED ONE?

1. Pre Program Survey
2.  EXAMPLES:
   1. #1–Jewelry
   2. #2–Juice Stop
   3. #3–EntreDine
   4. #4–StudiCafe
   5. #5–BulletSafe
   6. #6–StitchingForChange
      1. StitchingForChange Presentation
3. Session One: Introduction to Entrepreneurship. You will be introduced to the elements of successful business start-ups, myths and facts about entrepreneurship, and participate in a product development competition.

Session Two: What’s My Business? Students take on the roles of various entrepreneurs as they develop their product or service idea, and analyze sources of successful entrepreneurial ventures to select a product or service as the basis of their business plan. Session Three: Who’s My Customer? Student groups create and present advertisements to demonstrate how market needs and demographics contribute to successful entrepreneurial ventures. Session Four: What’s My Advantage? Students evaluate actual companies that have excelled in selecting and applying successful competitive advantages. Session Five: Competitive Advantages Students play a game that demonstrates effective competitive advantages and select the best for their own entrepreneurial venture. Session Six: Ethics Are Good For Business Students learn through case-studies how being ethical is good for business in the long run. Session Seven: The Business Plan Students apply the key elements of successful entrepreneurs to their product or services and complete a sample business plan.

Session One Introduction to Entrepreneurship Students are introduced to the elements of successful business start-ups, myths and facts about entrepreneurship, and early product development. Objectives Students will be able to:  Recognize the elements of a successful business start-up.  Evaluate myths and facts about entrepreneurship.  Consider product-development options. Session Two What’s My Business? Students continue to develop their product or service idea by analyzing various sources of successful entrepreneurial ventures, culminating in their selection of a product or service as the basis of their business plan. Objectives Students will be able to:  Recognize the importance of carefully selecting their product or service before starting their business.  Apply their passions, talents, and skills to a market-needs assessment to determine the basis of their business plan. Session Three Who’s My Customer? Students examine how market needs and demographics contribute to successful entrepreneurial ventures. Objectives Students will be able to:  Recognize the importance of analyzing their market.  Apply a needs assessment to the market available to a specific product. Session Four What’s My Advantage? Students learn the importance of intentionally selecting and applying competitive advantages to an entrepreneurial venture. Objectives Students will be able to:  Define competitive advantages and recognize them in other businesses.  Demonstrate the importance of selecting competitive advantages that give their product and market an edge on the competition. Session Overviews and Objectives Session Five Competitive Advantages Students apply competitive advantages to entrepreneurial ventures. Objectives Students will be able to:  Evaluate competitive advantages.  Select competitive advantages that drive a developing business venture. Session Six Ethics Are Good For Business Students learn to anticipate ethical dilemmas and consider consequences in making ethical business decisions. Objectives Students will be able to:  Evaluate short- and long-term consequences in making ethical decisions.  Express that being ethical can be good for business. Session Seven The Business Plan Students apply the six elements of successful start-ups to a business plan for their product or service. Objective Students will be able to:  Compile essential entrepreneurial elements into a sample business plan. Program Basics  Includes a series of seven sessions recommended for high school students.  Average time for each session is 45 minutes.  Materials are packaged in a self-contained kit that includes detailed plans for the volunteer and materials for 32 students.  Resources available online, including additional full-length sessions, business-plan podcasts, and On Your Own activities for students.  Prepares students to develop the essential components of a business plan.  Session-specific, student-friendly materials included to increase student interaction and emphasize JA’s experiential approach to learning.  Correlates well to state social studies, English, and math standards, as well as the Common Core State Standards in English/Language Arts. Program Concepts and Skills JA Be Entrepreneurial enhances students’ learning of the following concepts and skills: Concepts—Advertisement, Business plan, Competitive advantages, Customer, Demographic, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurial spirit, Ethical dilemma, Ethics, Financing, Franchise, Long- vs. short-term consequences, Management, Market, Market needs, Marketing, Nonprofit business, Product, Product development, Profit, Social entrepreneur, Social responsibility, Stakeholder, Voting Skills—Analyzing information, Business planning, Categorizing data, Decision-making, Evaluating alternatives, Expressing multiple viewpoints, Graphic presentation, Oral and written communication, Presenting information, Reading for understanding, Weighing consequences, Working in groups, Working in pairs

GOAL: Today you will begin creating the business for your business.

ACCLIMATE YOURSELF:

1. Click MY SIM in the menu bar
2. Read the message from your office manager & do what she says
3. Do the Checklist:
   1. Review SimResources
      1. Simulation Environment–Read
      2. Simulation Rules (fixed)–Read
      3. Additional Rules–READ!!!
      4. Return the SimHOME
   2. Get into groups of 1-3–you will be working in this group until March.
   3. Create a Company Name
      1. Select your industry
         1. Read about each one first
         2. Click on the VIEW SAMPLE for each one & read them to get an idea about what each one involves–BE THOROUGH AND TAKE YOUR TIME–this will be your business for the next several weeks–you must pick one of the three
      2. Company name–click on the little blue dot for suggestions
      3. Ticker–click on the little blue dot for an explanation & suggestions
      4. Company Motto–create a clever slogan
      5. Company Logo–pick one
      6. SAVE COMPANY BASICS–This will take you to your Business Plan page
      7. In the menu bar, click on MY SIM

GOAL: Before you leave today you will have to opportunity to examine how the simulation environment will affect your business.

GOAL: Before you leave today you will determine the right product for your business and you will have the opportunity to examine your product/service in simCEO.

1. In the Google Doc for this class, write a thank you to Lori.
2. Do pages 6-7 in your JA Be Entrepreneurial booklet with your group. Figure out your idea as it relates to your simCEO business.
3. Go to your business plan in the SimCEO & work on the Product/Service Section:
4. Click on the Learn More button in the Product/Service Section of the business plan & read it.
5. Click on the Edit button in the Product/Service Section of the business plan and address everything in the Learn More section of the Product/Service Section for the Product/Service Section of your business plan.

GOAL: Before you leave class today you will have the opportunity to examine your business’ demographics.

1. Go to your business plan in the SimCEO & work on the Demographics section
2. Click on the Learn More button in the Demographics Section of the business plan & read it.
3. Click on the Edit button in the Demographics Section of the business plan and address everything in the Learn More section of the Product/Service Section for the Demographics Section of your business plan.

PAY DAY

• Clerks–Write a paycheck for each student in your group
• Class Banker–Make sure there is enough cash in the Central Classroom Bank.
• Everyone–There are extra bank slips and bank logs in the back of the room in case you don’t have it in your folder.

Here is what needs to happen on Pay Day:

1. Clerks–hand out the paychecks.
2. Teacher–distribute bonus money to students who have earned it.
   1. Who has all their assignments turned in for this class so far?
   2. Who participated in after school activities this month?
   3. On a piece of paper, write down the name of one of your classmates that you think deserves a bonus and why. Give it to your teacher.
3. Each student–completes a bank slip.
4. Each student–updates his or her bank log with the amount of the paycheck and any bonus money received.
5. Each student–takes the paycheck and the bonus cash (if any) to their Banker.
6. Banker–updates his or her copy of the student’s bank log.
7. Banker–places the paycheck in the paycheck envelope within the banking folder.
8. Banker–be sure you have $2,000 in the bank folder at all times.
9. Banker–should deposit any additional cash in the Central Classroom Bank through the Class Banker.

PLAY LEMONADE STAND–LEARN HOW TO RUN A BUSINESS

TICKET DAY

Getting and Paying Fines

On Ticket Day, students must pay the fines that have been assessed since the last Ticket Day.

GOAL: Before you leave class today you will have the opportunity to examine your Business Overview.

1. Go to your business plan in the SimCEO & work on the Business Overview section
2. Click on the Learn More button in the Business Overview Section of the business plan & read it.
3. Click on the Edit button in the Business Overview Section of the business plan and address everything in the Learn More section of the Product/Service Section for the Business Overview Section of your business plan.

The Auction

LEARN HOW TO RUN A BUSINESS

IMPORTANT: At the end of every class, write about the following on today’s lesson plan at the bottom of this page:

1. Describe what happened or what you did during class.
2. Interpret how things went by using one (or more) of these terms:
   1. Strength & Weaknesses
   2. Successes & Setback
3. What have you learned due to this experience?
4. Answer one (or more) of these questions:
   1. What can you do to improve your learning?
   2. How will you extend your learning past what is expected?
5. Remember to go back and read what your classmates wrote about to get ideas for yourself!
6. Be sure to use good writing skills!!

GOAL: Before you leave class today you will have the opportunity to examine your business’ Pricing and Financials.

1. In your Google Doc for this class, at the top, write a thank you for Mike Steines. Write down at least 1 thing that you learned from him. Use good writing skills & SHARE it with me AGAIN 🙂
2. Go to your business plan in the SimCEO & work on the Pricing and Financials section
3. Click on the Learn More button in the Pricing and Financials Section of the business plan & read it.
4. Click on the Edit button in the Pricing and Financials Section of the business plan and address everything in the Learn More section of the Product/Service Section for the Pricing and Financials Section of your business plan.

GOAL: Before you leave class today you will have the opportunity to examine your business’ Marketing & Advertising.

1. Go to your business plan in the SimCEO & work on the Marketing & Advertising section
2. Click on the Learn More button in the Marketing & Advertising Section of the business plan & read it.
3. Click on the Edit button in the Marketing & Advertising Section of the business plan and address everything in the Learn More section of the Product/Service Section for the Marketing & Advertising Section of your business plan.

GOAL: Before you leave class today you will have the opportunity to examine your business’ Mission Statement.

1. Go to your business plan in the SimCEO & work on the Mission Statement section
2. Click on the Learn More button in the Mission Statement Section of the business plan & read it.
3. Click on the Edit button in the Mission Statement Section of the business plan and address everything in the Learn More section of the Product/Service Section for the Mission Statement Section of your business plan.

GOAL: Before you leave class today you will have the opportunity to examine your business’ plan by doing a PEER EVALUATION.

1. Go to your business plan in the SimCEO & work on the PEER EVALUATION section
2. Click on the Learn More button in the PEER EVALUATION Section of the business plan & read it.
3. Click on the Edit button in the PEER EVALUATION Section of the business plan and address everything in the Learn More section of the Product/Service Section for the PEER EVALUATION Section of your business plan.

 

GOAL: Before you leave class today you will have the opportunity to examine your business’ plan by Finding the Diamond in the Rough.

1. Go to your business plan in the SimCEO & work on the Finding the Diamond in the Rough section
2. Click on the Learn More button in the Assessing the Finding the Diamond in the Rough Section of the business plan & read it.
3. Click on the Edit button in the Assessing the Finding the Diamond in the Rough Section of the business plan and address everything in the Learn More section of the Finding the Diamond in the Rough Section for the Assessing the Finding the Diamond in the Rough Section of your business plan.

PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS

1. Create a TV/Online commercial to show the class
2. Create a billboard to post in the class
3. Create another way to promote your business–share with the class

 

YOU HAVE TODAY AND THE NEXT 3 CLASSES FOR simCEO TRADING 2017

BEGIN:

1. What is the stock market?
2. Benefits of the market
3. Case Study: Why go public?
4. What makes prices change?
5. Earnings Per Share (EPS)
6. Price to Earnings Ratio (P/E)
7. Quiz 1: EPS and P/E
8. The Growth Factor
9. Quiz 2: Growth Rates
10. The Rational Market
11. Investors’ Perceptions
12. Prices Move: A Summary
13. Tutorial Conclusion

 

YOU HAVE TODAY AND THE NEXT 2 CLASSES FOR simCEO TRADING 2017

TODAY:

1. Read the news articles ON YOUR OWN.
2. AS A TEAM–in a Google Doc shared with me, tell me how these news articles will effect the prices of stock in certain companies. This is your writing for today.
3. Watch How to Buy or Sell Shares
4. Get with your team and do a Buy/Sell Order:
   1. Reminder: Each student can only buy/sell each company one time in a 24-hour period.
5. Log in to the simCEO–UNDER YOUR OWN ACCOUNT–do buy/sell order ON YOUR OWN

FINISH:

1. What is the stock market?
2. Benefits of the market
3. Case Study: Why go public?
4. What makes prices change?
5. Earnings Per Share (EPS)
6. Price to Earnings Ratio (P/E)
7. Quiz 1: EPS and P/E
8. The Growth Factor
9. Quiz 2: Growth Rates
10. The Rational Market
11. Investors’ Perceptions
12. Prices Move: A Summary
13. Tutorial Conclusion

YOU HAVE TODAY AND NEXT CLASS FOR simCEO TRADING 2017

TODAY:

1. Read the news articles ON YOUR OWN.
2. AS A TEAM–in a Google Doc shared with me, tell me how these news articles will effect the prices of stock in certain companies. This is your writing for today.
3. Watch How to Buy or Sell Shares
4. ON YOUR OWN, do a Buy/Sell Order:
   1. Reminder: Each student can only buy/sell each company one time in a 24-hour period.
5. Log in to the simCEO–UNDER YOUR OWN ACCOUNT–do buy/sell order ON YOUR OWN

DO THIS–Do you know the rules?

Before You Invest Pre Test

UNDERSTANDING SMG

GOAL: Before you leave today you will know about the Stock Market Game (SMG)

STOCK MARKET GAME–Overview #1

STOCK MARKET GAME–Overview #2

1. GETTING STARTED:
   1. “What would you do with $100,000?”
   2. “How much is $100,000?” You will be buying $100,000 worth of merchandise online. You may buy toys, clothes, or food – anything you want. You may buy multiple quantities of the same item. It is up to you. The only thing you must do is to spend the entire $100,000. The goal of the activity is to give you a concrete sense of the “value” of $100,000. For the SMG each group is going to be given a $100,000 in virtual cash to invest in companies they believe will make the most money over the coming weeks. They will also be able to buy bonds and mutual funds. Each group will need to work as a team to make the purchases.
2. PROCEDURE:
   1. Organize into teams of two to three members each. This will be your “SMG teams”
   2. Activity Sheet 1: Team Building Skills.
   3. Create a NEW Google Doc name “SMG ____________” where the blank is your team name. In the Doc, review the challenging aspects of the picking your team name and discuss how your team overcame them.This doc will be your team’s SMG journals.
   4. Practice team building skills again by asking teams to create a short list of rules that all teams should follow when they work together. For example, if there is a disagreement, team members should vote. The option with the most votes wins. Or a rule that gives everyone on the team three minutes to comment on a decision. Review the team-created rules with the entire class. Create a list of the most popular rules and display them in the classroom.
3. APPLICATION:
   1. Ask each team member to review the list of products they created in the Springboard Activity and number them by popularity (with “1” being the product everyone might own). In their teams, each member should share their lists and come to a consensus on the three most popular products.
4. ASSESSMENT:
   1. In your SMG journals, identify the companies you believe your team should invest in using your virtual $100,000. You should include why you selected these companies and how you would convince your teammates to invest in them.

 

LAST DAY FOR simCEO TRADING 2017

TODAY:

1. Read the news articles ON YOUR OWN.
2. AS A TEAM–in a Google Doc shared with me, tell me how these news articles will effect the prices of stock in certain companies. This is your writing for today.
3. Watch How to Buy or Sell Shares
4. ON YOUR OWN, do a Buy/Sell Order:
   1. Reminder: Each student can only buy/sell each company one time in a 24-hour period.
5. Log in to the simCEO–UNDER YOUR OWN ACCOUNT–do buy/sell order ON YOUR OWN
6. PICK YOUR TEAMMATE FOR THE SMG–groups of 2
7. Get your team login username & password
8. Once you are logged in, DO THIS–Do you know the rules? with your teammate on a piece of paper or a Google Doc shared with me

WHAT IS A COMPANY?

OBJECTIVES:

1. Students will be able to:
   1. Identify and describe a company.
   2. Identify and describe a brand.
   3. Contrast and compare distinguishing characteristics of companies and brands.

GET STARTED:

1. Think about the packaging of a Hershey’s Kiss.
   1. What is the name of this candy? How do you know?
   2. How many of you recognized it without reading the tag?
   3. Who makes it?
   4. How does this all happen?
   5. Who makes it happen?
2. A company is a person or group that makes something for other people to buy. Companies try to earn a profit or make money from the sale of their products or services. Very often a company makes several products.

PROCEDURE:

1. What do these things have in common?
   
2. Investors often invest in companies they know own popular products and brands.
3. Jot down the names of some of your favorite products and brands.
4. Get into your SMG teams and select five companies from those mentioned in class already and choose five brands of your own. Write your choices down.
5. Remember the difference between a company and a brand. A company is the group or person that makes the product or provides the service that we buy. A brand is that product or service’s name.
6. In teams, organize your team’s list of products and services into brands and companies on Activity Sheet 1: Companies in My Closet Activity. Using Yahoo! Finance (http://finance.yahoo.com) or a similar company information site, enter the name of the corporation that owns the products and services your team chose. Report your answers to the class.

APPLICATION:

1. In your teams, practice distinguishing between companies and brands by completing Activity Sheet 2: Companies, Brands & Products.

ASSESSMENT:

1. Identify another candy company (e.g. Mars, Inc. or Tootsie Roll Industries). What are some of the brands made by these companies? Do you like these brands better than the Hershey brands?
2. Poll each other to determine the class’ Top 10 favorite brands of candy. Create a list of the Top 10. Identify which company makes the selected brands? (Use zoominfo.com if necessary). Identify the company that makes most of the brands on the class’ Top 10.

EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES:

1. Research famous inventors who formed companies or partnerships. Pick a famous inventor from http://inventors.about.com/library/bl_by_state_inventors.htm. This site is organized by states; it may be possible for you to select an inventor from Iowa. Write a short paper about your favorite inventor, how he/she made the product and whether we still use the product today.

THIRD QUARTER EVALUATION

DO THIS–Do you know the rules?

WHAT IS A STOCK?

Performance Objectives

At the completion of this lesson you will be able to:

1. Define stock,public company, private company.
2. Calculate gain and loss of sample stock sales.
3. Understand why some companies are public and others are held privately.

Springboard Activity

1. 5 friends want to chip in to purchase the latest Xbox game system. They have agreeed to keep it in one friend’s basement and play it together every day. It costs $360.00. If they each pay an equal share how much would each friend pay?
2. What rights and responsibilities should each friend have as part owners of this game system? How can they each prove they are part owners in the game system?
3. Stock ownership allows an investor to be part owner in a company they believe is going to be successful. Just like the friends, a stock owner has rights and responsibilities when they buy share or a piece of a public company.

Procedure

1. Read the synopsis of Charlie and the Chocolate Factor
2. A private company is owned by a person, family, or small group of investors that does not sell stock to the company. They make all the decisions for the company.
3. What evidence in the story is there that let’s you know Willy Wonka’s company is owned privately?
4. Unlike the Wonka Chocolate Factory most companies are public companies that sell shares of the company called stock to people called investors. Stock allows investors to share ownership in a company with others. In a publicly traded company, an investor will choose to buy stock in a particular company because he or she thinks the company will make money, the stock price will increase and the investor will make money on his or her investment. There is always a risk, however that they will lose money.
5. If an investor wanted to purchase 50 shares of the Chocolate Company at $20 per share how much would that cost in total?
6. If the price of one share of stock went to $10 a share a month later, would the investor make or lose money?
7. If the price of one share of the stock went to $30 a share two months later, would the investor make or lose money?
8. Do Activity Sheet 2: Buying and Selling Stock with your SMG team

Assessment

1. You purchased 100 shares of Willy Wonka Chocolates for $10.00 per share. A year later you sell your 100 shares for $20 per share. Did you make a profit or lose money? How much money did you make or lose? Explain your results mathematically
2. You purchased 100 shares of Willy Wonka Chocolates for $12 per share. Two years later you sell your 155 shares for $23 per share. Did you make a profit or lose money? How much did you make or lose? Explain your results mathematically.
3. You purchased 200 shares of Willy Wonka Chocolates for $20.76 per share. Six months later you sell half your shares for $23.67 per share. A year later you sell the other half for $19.21. Did you make a profit or lose money? How much did you make or lose? Explain your results mathematically.

Application

1. Read and do Activity Sheet 3: Two Real Candy Companies
2. Read: Fact Sheet 1: The Benefits and Obligations of Going Public
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of taking the chocolate factory public? Complete Activity Sheet 4: Taking the Chocolate Factory Public

DO THIS–Do you know the rules?

Identifying Ticker Symbols and Interpreting Stock Quotes

Performance Objectives

1. You will be able to:
   1. Lookup a company’s ticker symbol online.
   2. Use the ticker symbol to locate a company.

Springboard Activity

1. How many of you have nicknames? Some nicknames are short versions of the student’s official name like Jenny for Jennifer; others are initials like JP for John Paul and still others are completely different like Jack for John.
2. Companies have a variety of nicknames that have developed over time called ticker symbols.
3. Ticker Symbols make it easier to locate company information because they are unique and short (usually only one to five characters).
4. To purchase stock in companies you must learn how to find the ticker symbol or nickname for the company.

Procedure

1. Open Fact Sheet 1: Parent Companies. As I call out the brand, you locate the company ticker symbol or abbreviation. The team that most quickly answers the most questions wins.
2. Open Fact Sheet 2: Brands and Subsidiaries. We will play the game again.
   1. What is the difference among a Brand? Subsidiary? Company?
3. Locating companies on a web site will take some searching, too. It is the company, not the brand or subsidiary that has the ticker symbol.
4. Complete Activity Sheet 1: Such a Search. Report your answers to the class.
5. Log in to the SMG web site with your team.
6. Complete Activity Sheet 2 :Real Symbols on your own. Report your answers to your group.
7. Read Fact Sheet 3: Web Quotes.
8. Now, complete Activity Sheet 3: Screen Test on your own. Review your answers with your group.

Assessment

1. In the Google Doc for this class, write about how knowledge of ticker symbols will assist you in the purchase of stock.

Application

1. Create a two-column table with one column named “Company” and the other named “Ticker Symbol.” Complete the table by listing the names and ticker symbols of companies in which you may want to invest.

Enrichment Activities

1. Open Stock Talk Vol. 11, No. 1: Ticker’s Tale. Read it. Complete the WRITE NOW on page 2 of the newsletter.

 

1. TEACHER EVALUATION FOR QUARTER 3
2. BEFORE YOU INVEST POST TEST
3. Selecting Your Investments Pre Test–Do this with your SMG group. Share it with me  and everyone in your group. Do all of your group work in this doc for the Stock Market Game.

 What is Diversification?

Performance Objectives

1. You will be able to:
   1. Create a diversified portfolio selecting stocks and mutual funds.
   2. Conduct Internet research on different investment options.
   3. Interpret company and industry charts to determine which investments to make with your SMG teams.

Springboard Activity

1. How many of you have gone shopping at the supermarket?
2. Which aisle do you find Kellogg Corn Flakes?
3. What about Purina cat food?
4. Would you find pickles in the meat section?
5. Where would you find bleach and dishwashing soap?
6. Supermarkets put similar foods in the same aisle so shoppers can efficiently make purchases.
7. The supermarket is organizaed to allow the customer to purchase from a wide variety of brands, an industry allows the investor to purchase stock from a wide range of companies.

Procedure

1. Having a diversified financial portfolio lessens the risk of losing money. Do you agree or disagree?
2. Do you think requiring your SMG team to purchase three different stocks as a rule is good? What about from 3 different industries?
3. Today you will learn how to evaluate the risk of losing money in a portfolio by analyzing the portfolio’s diversity and how to create a diverse portfolio.
4. Open Activity Sheet 1: How Diversified are these Portfolios? Answer these questions:
   1. How many different industries are represented in each portfolio?
   2. Can a portfolio be diversified based on the quantity of shares?
   3. What do you notice about the portfolios? Are any heavy with one particular industry?
5. Use Activity Sheet 2 to review YOUR planned investments. Are they diversified?
6. Many professional money  managers study just one industrial sector. They become experts on the companies in their sector. Each person on your team will study one sector to become your team’s expert in the sector you choose.
   1. Research at least 2 stocks in your sector and present your findings to your team. You must address the problems and benefits of purchasing stock in this industry sector.

Assessment

1. Write an analysis of the following SMG portfolio and advise your team on how to further protect your portfolio through diversification. diversification assessment
   

Application

1. Review your current SMG portfolio to analyze the diversification of your holdings. Write a plan to diversify your portfolio, based on your findings.

What is Risk?

Performance Objectives

1. You will be able to:
   1. Define and illustrate the three major kinds of risk.
   2. Understand stocks, bond, and cash.
   3. Research two industries and decide the level of risk your Stock Market Game team would take if they invest in companies in these industries.
   4. Persuade your team to purchase or not to purchase a particular stock.

Springboard Activity

1. Rank on a scale of 1 to 10 the following activities, 1 being the least risky and 3 being the most risky.
   1. Playing Soccer without wearing shin guards.
   2. Hitting softball without a helmet.
   3. Riding a bike without a helmet in rush hour traffic.
   4. Driving without a seat belt on a quiet country road.
2. Discuss the differences you see in these activities with your team.
3. All the activities are risky, but some are more dangerous than others.
4. Risk means the chance of injury or loss. As a class, rate the activities again using the following terms:
   1. Conservative: Little risk of injury
   2. Moderate: Medium risk of injury
   3. Speculative: High risk of injury
5. When investing, the amount of risk tolerance or chance of losing money often means an investor’s willingness to chance lose money in the short term to possibly earn big long term gains.

Procedure

1. Read Stock Talk, Vol. 18, No. 2.
2. Get into your SMG teams and discuss the following two questions:
   1. Suppose you’re saving to buy something in the next year or so. Would you invest in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or cash? Why?
   2. Suppose you’re saving for something way off in the future, such as retirement. Would you invest in stocks, bonds, mutual fund, or cash? Why?
3. “Growth Rate” describes how much a company’s profit grows from year to year.
4. Complete Activity Sheet 1: Finding Risk in Earnings Growth Rates.
5. In teams, research five stocks in the same industry. Use the investor research tools in your SMG portfolios or use sites like Yahoo! Finance (http://finance.yahoo.com), Zoominfo (http://zoominfo.com), or the New York Stock Exchange (http://nyse.com). Rank the stocks of these companies from riskiest to most conservative based on each company’s earnings growth rates.

Assessment

1. Complete Activity Sheet 2: Finding Your Risk Tolerance: How Much Risk Do You Like?

Application

1. Write a paragraph about your individual risk tolerance and what types of stock, bond, and/or mutual fund you would suggest your team purchase. Suggest a stock, bond, or mutual fund for your team to buy and explain why you selected this stock. It is important for you to understand that you can research different aspects of a company to evaluate if investing in it is worth the risk.

Enrichment Activities

1. Write a business letter to a potential investor to encourage the investor to purchase shares in a particular company. This company can be high risk, with great potential for success or a low risk company that will provide a steady income

SELCTING YOUR INVESTMENTS POST TEST

TRACKING YOUR INVESTMENTS PRE TEST

What Causes Stock Prices to Change?

Performance Objectives

1. You will be able to:
   1. Discuss the various ways stock prices are influenced.
   2. Evaluate the ways investors can be affected by the change in market prices when choosing to buy, sell or hold.
   3. Interpret charts and graphs to better understand the growth and change in stock prices.

Springboard Activity

1. Why is the price of an air conditioner highest at the beginning of the summer?
2. When would the cost of a snow shovel be the highest? Why?
3. Why did people wait in line all night to buy the last Harry Potter book?
4. Discuss how the supply of and demand for a product affects the value of the companies that make both products.

Procedure

1. Mark wants to raise $40 dollars to buy a new video game. He has decided to sell umbrellas to raise the money. His father is willing to lend him money for 20 umbrellas at $2 each. They sell in stores for $3, so Mark can make a $1 profit on each umbrella. But even if he sells all 20 umbrellas he will have only $20 profit after he pays his father back, not enough to buy the new video game. His friend Peter suggests Mark wait and sell the umbrellas for $4 each or $2 profit per umbrella a strategy that, if successful, will earn the $40 he needs. Peter’s plan is to sell the umbrellas on the street on the next rainy day. Mark and Peter believe people will be willing to pay more for the umbrellas than the cost in the store if Mark follows the plan. Why?
2. The need or popularity of a company’s product can force the price of that company’s stock up. Why do you think that happens?
3. Complete Activity Sheet 1: Tale of Two Marts .
4. In your SMG group list one product or service provided by each comparny in your SMG portfolio. Circle the product or service you believe will be most popular and result in an increase in stock price for the company that makes it.
5. Why do you believe the product will result in higher stock prices? Be sure to include all the factors that support your choice.
6. Use the Internet to locate the companies that manufacture the following:
   1. Daydream View
   2. Hololens
   3. PlayStation VR
7. Rank these products from most popular to least popular and predict the impact the product will have on the company’s profit and the price of its stock. Which company would your team most like to invest in? Why? Repeat the exercise with the following products: Kool-aid, Pepsi, Tropicana orange juice

Assessment

1. Stocks are often influenced by the demand for products. Select a stock in your portfolio you feel is most likely to be influenced by the demand for the product. Explain how the product produced by that company may increase or decrease the value of that stock.

Application

1. Review your portfolios in your SMG groups. Choose a company to research and track possible influences on the price changes that have occurred within the last two weeks.
2. Download the latest annual report for one of the companies in your portfolio, and create a presentation reviewing the reasons the company’s shares were up or down. Write your predictions about the future of the company. Make your presentation in class and discuss your conclusions.

Enrichment Activities

1. Open Activity Sheet 2: The Ripple Effect and newspapers (or go to a news website online). As a team, select one current event story you believe will influence the stock prices of a company. Present your headline and determination of the events’ impact on the stock price of that company.

Buy, Sell, or Hold?

Performance Objectives

1. You will be able to:
   1. Decide whether to buy, hold or sell stock based on research.
   2. Compare and contrast companies based upon stock market statistical data.
   3. Use the Internet to obtain annual reports and research companies.

Springboard Activity

1. Create a three-column chart entitled “Making Portfolio Investment Decisions.”
2. Label the columns “Buy,” “Sell,” and “Hold.”
3. IBM has just invented a new computer that will change the way homes use technology. It will be on the market in two months.
   1. Should we buy hold or sell IBM?
   2. How do you know the right action to take?
   3. How do you make educated decisions about your investments?
4. Repeat with the scenarios found on Fact Sheet 1: Activity Cards.
5. Investors need to evaluate the past and present performance of a company to determine whether or not to purchase stock.

Procedure

1. There are a few well-proven indicators investors use to decide whether to buy, sell or hold. Today we will listen to a variety of stock stories to determine if we should buy, sell or hold the stock.
2. Open Activity Sheet 3: Buy, Sell, Hold Scenario.
3. Annual reports provide good information on individual companies, but it is also important for successful investors to research other companies in the same industry. This comparison is called to “sector analysis.” Professional financial analysts carry out detailed analyses, but SMG teams can conduct a simplified analysis of their own.
4. Open Activity Sheet 1: Annual Reports—An Investment Tool. Decide if you should buy, sell or hold the companies’ stock, based on the information given. Report your decisions to the class.
5. Choose a stock from your SMG portfolio or one you are considering purchasing. Go on line or to a hard copy of the company’s annual report, find the company’s revenue and profits and compare them to other firms in the same industry. If other companies are doing much better, would you tend to sell this company? If they are doing worse, would you tend to hold? Check the internet for current events surrounding companies. Research how the sector is performing. If a sector is growing, you may still may want to purchase the stock despite its poor peer performance; if the sector is collapsing you may want to sell the stock even if it is doing better than others in the sectors.

Assessment

1.  Assess one current holding and one potential new purchase. Present your findings to your team members.

Application

1.  Research two companies within the same industry. Check the two prior annual reports (or look at analyst reports) and compare the statistics to show how the company is currently performing. Plan a persuasive speech that either motivates your team members to buy, sell or hold.
2. Select a company from your portfolio and read the CEO and President of a company’s massage to shareholders in the annual report. Compare what the executives say about the company’s performance to the actual performance of the company. Report on the accuracy of the executives’ reports by researching the information on the Internet.

Enrichment Activities

1. Activity Sheet 2: Comparing Companies In the Same Industry. Explain what information is presented about the companies and how a potential investor can use that data to make investment decisions. You may work independently or in your groups and answer the questions presented on the activity sheet. Share your answers with the class. If you justify your responses, there are no right or wrong answers.

 

TRACKING YOUR INVESTMENTS POST TEST

How Successful Was My Investment Strategy?

Performance Objectives

1. You will be able to:
   1. Draw supported conclusions as to whether your strategy in preparing your portfolio was successful and what investment changes you might have made to improve portfolio performance.
   2. Generate a detailed report including support material
   3. Deliver a convincing presentation
   4. Give and receive constructive criticism
   5. Evaluate the work of other team members and other students

Springboard Activity

1. How many of you or your parents have a photo album or scrap book?
2. Why do we save pictures, mementoes ?
3. How is our SMG team folder like a scrap book? Why?
4. The SMG team portfolio can remind us of what we learned, the decisions we made and how we were thinking over time.

Procedure

1. I would like some feedback on your experience with The Stock Market Game.
   1. How has the experience of playing the Stock Market Game changed the way you think about money and investing?
   2. What have you learned?
   3. How do you know you learned it?
2. With your SMG team review your portfolio for the most successful stock and the least successful.
   1. What would you do differently next time?
3. Each student will complete a report valuating how well their SMG team performed.
4. Open Rubric 1 and compose your report following the rubric.
5. Each SMG team will prepare a 5 minute presentation focusing on a stock that represents the team’s performance.
6. Open Rubric 2. Teams should address the following in their portfolio description:
   1. Did they have rules they used to decide on what companies they would invest in?
   2. What companies did they invest in? Why?
   3. Did they have a stock that performed better than expected? Worse?

Assessment

1. Write a page that addresses one of the following:
   1. There is a good chance that you may participate in The Stock Market Game again. Write a memo to yourself that includes a list of what you want to remember about savings and investing. Include your risk tolerance type and your individual strategy.
   2. Your teacher will be participating in The Stock Market Game next year. Write a letter to one of next year’s teams advising them on how to get the most from the game.

Application

1. InvestWrite, adds a critical thinking component to help reinforce concepts learned in the classroom. Log on to www.InvestWrite.org to download this semester’s questions. Submit essays to Mrs. Weber first; the three top essays to be included in the national competition.

 

The Stock Market Game is an educational program of the SIFMA Foundation. It is an online simulation of the global capital markets that engages students (grades 4-12) in the world of economics, investing and personal finance, and prepares them for financially independent futures. Nearly 600,000 students take part every school year across all 50 states and around the globe. The Stock Market Game has reached 13 million students since its inception in 1977. An independent study funded by FINRA, the securities industry’s largest independent regulator, found The Stock Market Game had a positive impact on student math achievement and financial literacy. It also found that the SMG program influenced the investment decisions of the teachers who taught it. Recent history has taught us just how important it is to have a fundamental understanding of saving and investing. The Stock Market Game has significant and measurable impact on student financial literacy and academic achievement across all grades.

HOW TO START BUYING AND SELLING:

Start From What You Know–To start thinking about the companies you might invest in, start with what you already know. Create a list of the products you have at home like cleaning products, dish soap, bath soap, laundry detergent, food items in the refrigerator or cupboard, etc. (avoid clothing or status items like cell phones). In addition to the product name, you should also record the company that makes the product. This information is usually found on the product’s label. In class, you will explore where the product was bought, who makes the product, and possibly other products the company produces.

Parent Companies–As you create a list of companies from the products you found in your home, you will come across companies that are not listed. This means that these companies are either

privately owned

owned by another country

• a subsidiary of another company
• a brand name

For example, you may want to invest in the Tropicana company because it makes a lot of your favorite juices and drinks. However, you cannot find its ticker symbol (the one to five character set that stock exchanges use to identify companies). This is because Tropicana is owned by Pepsico (its parent company). To invest in Tropicana, you would find the ticker symbol for Pepsico (PEP). Yahoo! Finance is a helpful site for looking up company information.

Industries–To help you narrow down your investment selections and focus your research, it might be helpful to group your companies into industries. An industry is a category used to organize companies into types of services and/or products provided. Organizing companies into industries helps make generalizations about the performance of a specific company compared to companies providing similar goods or services. You will be better able to address questions regarding how the industry’s outlook is being perceived:

• Is the industry profitable?
• Will it continue to be?
• What factors will affect the industry’s prospects?

Use the “Industry Research Sheet” to help you research companies and their industries.

Assessments–You need to maintain a journal where you will record meeting minutes, trades, track data, and build company profiles. The journals encourage you to reflect on your team’s investment strategies, articles you have read, and any writing you may be assigned. The journals are useful instruments in measuring your progress. Use the Journal Template as a guide.

Team Assessment Portfolios–Below is what will need to be included in your team portfolio

1. Create a brief company profile for each stock your team owns during the game. Include a summary of the company’s products, where it operates, strengths and weaknesses – especially in comparison to competitors – and copies of the most recent annual income statement and balance sheet (obtained from the company’s annual report or other source).
2. Collect basic data about stocks in portfolio including: 52 week high and low; PE ratio; volume of trading; Beta; etc.
3. Clippings about stock or mutual funds in the portfolio – these can be newspaper clippings, Internet news articles, magazine ads or articles, etc.
4. Current price of each stock or mutual fund the team owns at the close of the market each day or week. Put information in an Excel spreadsheet and create charts for each stock or mutual fund.
5. Detailed record of any buy or sell transactions including: stock or fund name and ticker symbol, date of transaction, number of shares, price per share, total costs, broker’s fees, and current equity. (Justify calculations in portfolio.)
6. Create your own math problems using information in the portfolio.
7. Compare data by charting your team holdings with the S&P or Dow Jones averages.
8. Create a glossary of terms learned throughout the SMG program.
9. Use SMG program activities as writing prompts journals. Using persuasive writing skills, you can cite your research and “persuade” your team to buy or sell certain stocks or mutual funds.
10. Using reflective writing skills, you can reflect on why a stock or fund did or didn’t do well, why you disagree with a team’s decision, why and how the economy is affecting your stock or particular industry, etc.
11. Describe a current event and the economic environment that could affect investment decisions.
12. Write an essay explaining an investment strategy and why it was successful or was not successful.

READING PORTFOLIO

UNDERSTANDING PORTFOLIOS

ENTERING  A TRADE

RULES OF THE GAME

OTHER RESOURCES

YOU HAVE TODAY AND NEXT CLASS TO WORK ON THIS

InvestWrite Topic For Grades 6-8

Spring 2017

The maximum number of words in the essay for this grade division is 900 and the minimum is 400.

Background: It is very important for professional athletes to have a plan to manage the money they earn while playing sports so they will have money when they retire. It is also critical that they diversify their investments to protect against ups and downs in the market, so that as one investment drops, another might soar. A well-diversified portfolio includes investments in different asset classes (stocks, bonds, mutual funds) and different sectors and industries (health, technology, telecommunication, utilities, financial services, etc.). Writing Assignment: Imagine after all you’ve learned in The Stock Market Game you become a financial professional and you are hired by a famous professional athlete. In your essay introduce the reader to your new client, real or imaginary (for example, their sport, records they’ve broken, why you are interested in the athlete). Also, assume you have already helped your client set up a budget. Now describe how to help your client develop a diversified portfolio that includes long-term stocks and/or bonds and/or mutual funds. Include in your essay: Explain why diversification is important for your client to have a secure financial future. Suggest at least two investments your client should include in their diversified portfolio. These can be from your Stock Market Game portfolio or others you are interested in. Explain why you would suggest these to your client. Conclude with the best advice you can give your client about the importance of having a diversified, long-term financial plan.

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Guidelines and Directions

Six easy steps to walk you through InvestWrite:

FIRST, what you need to know about InvestWrite entries:

• You may submit no more than 10 entries from any classroom and only one entry per student. If you have more than one class participating in The Stock Market Game program you may submit up to 10 entries per class.
• All submitted entries must address the contest assignment as stated on this website.
• Each entry must be an original work, representing the student’s own research, thinking, and writing.

SECOND, share these InvestWrite GUIDELINES with your students:

Each student may submit only one entry with the following word counts:

• maximum 800 words for 4-5 grade (minimum 300 words)
• maximum 900 words for 6-8 grade (minimum 400 words)
• maximum 1000 words for 9-12 grade (minimum 500 words)

The title chosen by each student (excluding the author’s name) must appear at the top of the first page of the text. If references are cited, include them following the last page of the text. (Please note: only the body of the essay will be included in the word count, the title and the works cited will not count against the specified word limit.)

• The format for references or works cited can be chosen by the teacher.
• Identification of the student or teacher in the essay will result in disqualification.
• Since the judges will base their decision on the author’s understanding of the subject matter, rationale, and writing style, please do the same when you judge. View judging criteria.
• All essays must be submitted in plain text; no charts, graphs or symbols will be accepted.

THIRD, discuss the background with your class and assign the due date. Make sure you give yourself enough time to read and select entries before the InvestWrite online submission deadline April 5, 2017.

FOURTH, read the InvestWrite entries and choose no more than ten entries per class to submit on behalf of your students. Each entry must be entered onto the InvestWrite website to be eligible. Simply cut and paste the entry from any word processing application.

FIFTH, in addition to student entries, please be prepared for online submissions by making additional copies of this page and compiling the following information for online submission:

• Teacher’s name
• Teacher’s Stock Market Game login ID and password
• Teacher’s personal telephone number and email address
• School name, physical address and phone number
• Student’s first name and last initial
• Student’s Stock Market Game team login ID
• Additional information may be required at the time of submittal

This information will help us contact InvestWrite award winners!

SIXTH, return to www.InvestWrite.org to submit your top ten, teacher-judged entries for each class beginning January 30, 2017. The deadline to submit InvestWrite entries is April 5, 2017.

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Eligibility and Judging Criteria:

• Teachers and students must be currently enrolled in the Spring 2017 or the 2016-2017 year-long session of the Stock Market Game program. Teachers with classes must have a valid login ID and password. Student entries will require a valid team ID.
• Judges will base their decisions on the author’s understanding of the subject matter, rationale, and writing style.
• The national judges’ panel consists of selected Stock Market Game program staff that represents the SIFMA Foundation.
• InvestWrite entries that do not meet the criteria in the Guidelines will not be considered.
• InvestWrite entries will not be returned to the author.
• SIFMA Foundation reserves the right to edit, publish, disseminate, and otherwise use all entries at their discretion.

DUE TODAY

InvestWrite Topic For Grades 6-8

Spring 2017

The maximum number of words in the essay for this grade division is 900 and the minimum is 400.

Background: It is very important for professional athletes to have a plan to manage the money they earn while playing sports so they will have money when they retire. It is also critical that they diversify their investments to protect against ups and downs in the market, so that as one investment drops, another might soar. A well-diversified portfolio includes investments in different asset classes (stocks, bonds, mutual funds) and different sectors and industries (health, technology, telecommunication, utilities, financial services, etc.). Writing Assignment: Imagine after all you’ve learned in The Stock Market Game you become a financial professional and you are hired by a famous professional athlete. In your essay introduce the reader to your new client, real or imaginary (for example, their sport, records they’ve broken, why you are interested in the athlete). Also, assume you have already helped your client set up a budget. Now describe how to help your client develop a diversified portfolio that includes long-term stocks and/or bonds and/or mutual funds. Include in your essay: Explain why diversification is important for your client to have a secure financial future. Suggest at least two investments your client should include in their diversified portfolio. These can be from your Stock Market Game portfolio or others you are interested in. Explain why you would suggest these to your client. Conclude with the best advice you can give your client about the importance of having a diversified, long-term financial plan.

---

Guidelines and Directions

Six easy steps to walk you through InvestWrite:

FIRST, what you need to know about InvestWrite entries:

• You may submit no more than 10 entries from any classroom and only one entry per student. If you have more than one class participating in The Stock Market Game program you may submit up to 10 entries per class.
• All submitted entries must address the contest assignment as stated on this website.
• Each entry must be an original work, representing the student’s own research, thinking, and writing.

SECOND, share these InvestWrite GUIDELINES with your students:

Each student may submit only one entry with the following word counts:

• maximum 800 words for 4-5 grade (minimum 300 words)
• maximum 900 words for 6-8 grade (minimum 400 words)
• maximum 1000 words for 9-12 grade (minimum 500 words)

The title chosen by each student (excluding the author’s name) must appear at the top of the first page of the text. If references are cited, include them following the last page of the text. (Please note: only the body of the essay will be included in the word count, the title and the works cited will not count against the specified word limit.)

• The format for references or works cited can be chosen by the teacher.
• Identification of the student or teacher in the essay will result in disqualification.
• Since the judges will base their decision on the author’s understanding of the subject matter, rationale, and writing style, please do the same when you judge. View judging criteria.
• All essays must be submitted in plain text; no charts, graphs or symbols will be accepted.

THIRD, discuss the background with your class and assign the due date. Make sure you give yourself enough time to read and select entries before the InvestWrite online submission deadline April 5, 2017.

FOURTH, read the InvestWrite entries and choose no more than ten entries per class to submit on behalf of your students. Each entry must be entered onto the InvestWrite website to be eligible. Simply cut and paste the entry from any word processing application.

FIFTH, in addition to student entries, please be prepared for online submissions by making additional copies of this page and compiling the following information for online submission:

• Teacher’s name
• Teacher’s Stock Market Game login ID and password
• Teacher’s personal telephone number and email address
• School name, physical address and phone number
• Student’s first name and last initial
• Student’s Stock Market Game team login ID
• Additional information may be required at the time of submittal

This information will help us contact InvestWrite award winners!

SIXTH, return to www.InvestWrite.org to submit your top ten, teacher-judged entries for each class beginning January 30, 2017. The deadline to submit InvestWrite entries is April 5, 2017.

---

Eligibility and Judging Criteria:

• Teachers and students must be currently enrolled in the Spring 2017 or the 2016-2017 year-long session of the Stock Market Game program. Teachers with classes must have a valid login ID and password. Student entries will require a valid team ID.
• Judges will base their decisions on the author’s understanding of the subject matter, rationale, and writing style.
• The national judges’ panel consists of selected Stock Market Game program staff that represents the SIFMA Foundation.
• InvestWrite entries that do not meet the criteria in the Guidelines will not be considered.
• InvestWrite entries will not be returned to the author.
• SIFMA Foundation reserves the right to edit, publish, disseminate, and otherwise use all entries at their discretion.

Complete the JA Be Entrepreneurial! Post-Program Survey–get it from your teacher.

TODAY IS A LEARNING & EXPERIMENTING DAY!!

Experiment with using POWTOON–You have to

1. Watch these FIVE videos–http://www.powtoon.com/blog/russ-explains/
2. Go to www.powtoon.com
3. SIGN UP FOR A FREE ACCOUNT
4. GOOGLE–click to sign up using Google–click the RED GOOGLE BUTTON
5. ACCEPT
6. 4EDU
7. Create a PowToon about anything–EXPERIMENT–try everything!! You will use what you learn today to begin creating a commercial next class.

CHECK OUT THESE OTHER FREE VIDEO MAKING SITES (CREATE AN ACCOUNT AND EXPERIMENT JUST LIKE YOU DID WITH POWTOON):

1. KIZOA
2. WIDEO
3. LOOPSTER
4. MAGISTO
5. STUPEFLIX
6. RENDERFOREST

Decide which one you will use for your project. Explore all 6!!!

1. WATCH THESE 3 INTRO VIDEO CLIPS
2. PRESENTATION OF MATERIAL–PowerPoint–TOGETHER AS A CLASS
3. CLASS ACTIVITY–TOGETHER AS A CLASS
4. MISSION 1:HELP ANGELA BUILD WEALTH OVER THE LONG TERM
   Mission brief: Your mission is to convince Angela to invest in her company’s 401(k) plan so she can start building wealth for the long run.
   Mission objectives Angela needs to understand the three most important principles of wealth building:
   1. Start early
   2. Buy and hold
   3. Diversify
   She needs to start investing now for the best shot at building lifetime wealth. You and your team of operatives need to help her make the right choices in her 401(k) plan.
5. Learning objectives
   1. Explain and apply the principle of compound interest.
   2. Explain why an early start is important to lifetime financial success.
   3. Explain why long-term investors do not have to worry about moving money around but instead “buy and hold.”
   4. Explain why long-term investors do not have to worry about picking ‘hot’ assets but instead diversify their holdings.
   5. Explain why it is important to take advantage of employers’ matching employee retirement contributions.
6. BEGIN MISSION 1: Go to genirevolution.org & register using this class code: 00c762

DO THIS NOW:

1. MISSION 1:HELP ANGELA BUILD WEALTH OVER THE LONG TERM
   Mission brief: Your mission is to convince Angela to invest in her company’s 401(k) plan so she can start building wealth for the long run.
   Mission objectives Angela needs to understand the three most important principles of wealth building:
   1. Start early
   2. Buy and hold
   3. Diversify
   She needs to start investing now for the best shot at building lifetime wealth. You and your team of operatives need to help her make the right choices in her 401(k) plan.
2. Learning objectives
   1. Explain and apply the principle of compound interest.
   2. Explain why an early start is important to lifetime financial success.
   3. Explain why long-term investors do not have to worry about moving money around but instead “buy and hold.”
   4. Explain why long-term investors do not have to worry about picking ‘hot’ assets but instead diversify their holdings.
   5. Explain why it is important to take advantage of employers’ matching employee retirement contributions.
3. FINISH MISSION 1: Login to your genirevolution.org account.

MISSION 2: HELP VERONICA CHOOSE A TENTATIVE CAREER

Mission brief:

Guide Veronica through a process to choose a tentative career cluster and a tentative career, understanding that her career goals may change over time.

Mission objectives:

To complete the mission, help Veronica:

1. Analyze her career inventory
2. Use the results of the career inventory to identify a tentative career cluster
3. Research three specific careers within the cluster
4. Help Veronica make a tentative career choice

Learning Objectives:

1. Explain the concept of human capital.
2. Recognize the importance of investing in human capital.
3. Identify a tentative career area.
4. Use Occupational Outlook Handbook information to identify what an occupation career is like, the education requirements, and the typical salary.
5. Identify occupations that match a given set of skills, abilities, and interests.

BEGIN MISSION 2: Login to your genirevolution.org account.

MISSION 2: HELP VERONICA CHOOSE A TENTATIVE CAREER

Mission brief:

Guide Veronica through a process to choose a tentative career cluster and a tentative career, understanding that her career goals may change over time.

Mission objectives:

To complete the mission, help Veronica:

1. Analyze her career inventory
2. Use the results of the career inventory to identify a tentative career cluster
3. Research three specific careers within the cluster
4. Help Veronica make a tentative career choice

Learning Objectives:

1. Explain the concept of human capital.
2. Recognize the importance of investing in human capital.
3. Identify a tentative career area.
4. Use Occupational Outlook Handbook information to identify what an occupation career is like, the education requirements, and the typical salary.
5. Identify occupations that match a given set of skills, abilities, and interests.

FINISH MISSION 2: Login to your genirevolution.org account.

MISSION 3: HELP MATT DECIDE WHETHER TO CONTINUE FORMAL EDUCATION AFTER HE GRADUATES FROM HIGH SCHOOL

Mission objectives:

1. Understand the concept of human capital
2. Consider his current set of human capital and what knowledge and skills he may need to acquire to meet his goals
3. Consider the differences in wages for various levels of educational attainment (calculate lifetime high school vs. college)
4. Recommend an appropriate plan for Matt after high school, considering the costs and benefits of his potential choicesLearning Objectives:

Learning objectives:

1. Understand and apply the concept of human capital.
2. Explain that human capital is related to education choices, career choices, opportunities, and income.
3. Define and give examples of opportunity cost.
4. Weigh the costs and benefits of a choice to make an informed decision.

BEGIN MISSION 3: Login to your genirevolution.org account.

MISSION 3: HELP MATT DECIDE WHETHER TO CONTINUE FORMAL EDUCATION AFTER HE GRADUATES FROM HIGH SCHOOL

Mission objectives:

1. Understand the concept of human capital
2. Consider his current set of human capital and what knowledge and skills he may need to acquire to meet his goals
3. Consider the differences in wages for various levels of educational attainment (calculate lifetime high school vs. college)
4. Recommend an appropriate plan for Matt after high school, considering the costs and benefits of his potential choicesLearning Objectives:

Learning objectives:

1. Understand and apply the concept of human capital.
2. Explain that human capital is related to education choices, career choices, opportunities, and income.
3. Define and give examples of opportunity cost.
4. Weigh the costs and benefits of a choice to make an informed decision.

FINISH MISSION 3: Login to your genirevolution.org account.

GOAL: You will begin developing your own business! You will also be assigned your class job!

1. SIMCEO INTRO VIDEO
2. What is SimCEO?
3. Each CREATE individual companies
4. RESEARCH each others’ companies online
5. TRADE: Manage a $10,000 portfolio by buying and selling shares in each others’ companies which immediately influences share prices.Introduction to simCEO: SimCEO is a dynamic simulation played entirely online in a fictional ten year time-frame in which a group of students:All of this takes place in a customized environment (place, time, duration of simulation, complexity)
6. Students “win” in one of two ways:
   1. To be a successful entrepreneur by creating a business that ends with the highest share price
   2. To be a savvy investor by ending with the largest portfolio value
7. SIGN UP:
   1. Go to https://www.simceo.org/action/welcome
   2. Click on REGISTER NOW FREE
   3. Click LEARNER
   4. Username: use your first and last name (ex. joesmith)
   5. Email: use your school email
   6. Teacher’s Last Name: Weber
   7. Password: comets1
   8. CLICK TO SAVE YOUR USERNAME & PASSWORD
   9. Change your password
   10. Change your avatar, if you want
8. LOOK AROUND THE WEBSITE
9. IMPORTANT: At the end of every class, write about the following on today’s lesson plan at the bottom of this page:
   1. Describe what happened or what you did during class.
   2. Interpret how things went by using one (or more) of these terms:
      1. Strength & Weaknesses
      2. Successes & Setback
   3. What have you learned due to this experience?
   4. Answer one (or more) of these questions:
      1. What can you do to improve your learning?
      2. How will you extend your learning past what is expected?
   5. Remember to go back and read what your classmates wrote about to get ideas for yourself!
   6. Be sure to use good writing skills!!

    

 

• Think of a business idea. Here are some ways to think of a business idea:
  1. What is a problem that needs to be solved at school? in Bellevue? in Jackson County? in Iowa? in the Midwest? in the US? in the world?
  2. What makes you mad?
  3. What makes you happy?
• Use this website to help you think of an idea–THEY ARE NUMBERED ON THE LEFT SIDE……

WHAT IS A BUSINESS PLAN? WHY DO YOU NEED ONE?

1. Pre Program Survey
2.  EXAMPLES:
   1. #1–Jewelry
   2. #2–Juice Stop
   3. #3–EntreDine
   4. #4–StudiCafe
   5. #5–BulletSafe
   6. #6–StitchingForChange
      1. StitchingForChange Presentation
3. Session One: Introduction to Entrepreneurship. You will be introduced to the elements of successful business start-ups, myths and facts about entrepreneurship, and participate in a product development competition.

Session Two: What’s My Business? Students take on the roles of various entrepreneurs as they develop their product or service idea, and analyze sources of successful entrepreneurial ventures to select a product or service as the basis of their business plan. Session Three: Who’s My Customer? Student groups create and present advertisements to demonstrate how market needs and demographics contribute to successful entrepreneurial ventures. Session Four: What’s My Advantage? Students evaluate actual companies that have excelled in selecting and applying successful competitive advantages. Session Five: Competitive Advantages Students play a game that demonstrates effective competitive advantages and select the best for their own entrepreneurial venture. Session Six: Ethics Are Good For Business Students learn through case-studies how being ethical is good for business in the long run. Session Seven: The Business Plan Students apply the key elements of successful entrepreneurs to their product or services and complete a sample business plan.

Session One Introduction to Entrepreneurship Students are introduced to the elements of successful business start-ups, myths and facts about entrepreneurship, and early product development. Objectives Students will be able to:  Recognize the elements of a successful business start-up.  Evaluate myths and facts about entrepreneurship.  Consider product-development options. Session Two What’s My Business? Students continue to develop their product or service idea by analyzing various sources of successful entrepreneurial ventures, culminating in their selection of a product or service as the basis of their business plan. Objectives Students will be able to:  Recognize the importance of carefully selecting their product or service before starting their business.  Apply their passions, talents, and skills to a market-needs assessment to determine the basis of their business plan. Session Three Who’s My Customer? Students examine how market needs and demographics contribute to successful entrepreneurial ventures. Objectives Students will be able to:  Recognize the importance of analyzing their market.  Apply a needs assessment to the market available to a specific product. Session Four What’s My Advantage? Students learn the importance of intentionally selecting and applying competitive advantages to an entrepreneurial venture. Objectives Students will be able to:  Define competitive advantages and recognize them in other businesses.  Demonstrate the importance of selecting competitive advantages that give their product and market an edge on the competition. Session Overviews and Objectives Session Five Competitive Advantages Students apply competitive advantages to entrepreneurial ventures. Objectives Students will be able to:  Evaluate competitive advantages.  Select competitive advantages that drive a developing business venture. Session Six Ethics Are Good For Business Students learn to anticipate ethical dilemmas and consider consequences in making ethical business decisions. Objectives Students will be able to:  Evaluate short- and long-term consequences in making ethical decisions.  Express that being ethical can be good for business. Session Seven The Business Plan Students apply the six elements of successful start-ups to a business plan for their product or service. Objective Students will be able to:  Compile essential entrepreneurial elements into a sample business plan. Program Basics  Includes a series of seven sessions recommended for high school students.  Average time for each session is 45 minutes.  Materials are packaged in a self-contained kit that includes detailed plans for the volunteer and materials for 32 students.  Resources available online, including additional full-length sessions, business-plan podcasts, and On Your Own activities for students.  Prepares students to develop the essential components of a business plan.  Session-specific, student-friendly materials included to increase student interaction and emphasize JA’s experiential approach to learning.  Correlates well to state social studies, English, and math standards, as well as the Common Core State Standards in English/Language Arts. Program Concepts and Skills JA Be Entrepreneurial enhances students’ learning of the following concepts and skills: Concepts—Advertisement, Business plan, Competitive advantages, Customer, Demographic, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurial spirit, Ethical dilemma, Ethics, Financing, Franchise, Long- vs. short-term consequences, Management, Market, Market needs, Marketing, Nonprofit business, Product, Product development, Profit, Social entrepreneur, Social responsibility, Stakeholder, Voting Skills—Analyzing information, Business planning, Categorizing data, Decision-making, Evaluating alternatives, Expressing multiple viewpoints, Graphic presentation, Oral and written communication, Presenting information, Reading for understanding, Weighing consequences, Working in groups, Working in pairs

GOAL: Today you will begin creating the business for your business.

ACCLIMATE YOURSELF:

1. Click MY SIM in the menu bar
2. Read the message from your office manager & do what she says
3. Do the Checklist:
   1. Review SimResources
      1. Simulation Environment–Read
      2. Simulation Rules (fixed)–Read
      3. Additional Rules–READ!!!
      4. Return the SimHOME
   2. Get into groups of 1-3–you will be working in this group until March.
   3. Create a Company Name
      1. Select your industry
         1. Read about each one first
         2. Click on the VIEW SAMPLE for each one & read them to get an idea about what each one involves–BE THOROUGH AND TAKE YOUR TIME–this will be your business for the next several weeks–you must pick one of the three
      2. Company name–click on the little blue dot for suggestions
      3. Ticker–click on the little blue dot for an explanation & suggestions
      4. Company Motto–create a clever slogan
      5. Company Logo–pick one
      6. SAVE COMPANY BASICS–This will take you to your Business Plan page
      7. In the menu bar, click on MY SIM

GOAL: Before you leave today you will have to opportunity to examine how the simulation environment will affect your business.

GOAL: Before you leave today you will determine the right product for your business and you will have the opportunity to examine your product/service in simCEO.

1. In the Google Doc for this class, write a thank you to Lori.
2. Do pages 6-7 in your JA Be Entrepreneurial booklet with your group. Figure out your idea as it relates to your simCEO business.
3. Go to your business plan in the SimCEO & work on the Product/Service Section:
4. Click on the Learn More button in the Product/Service Section of the business plan & read it.
5. Click on the Edit button in the Product/Service Section of the business plan and address everything in the Learn More section of the Product/Service Section for the Product/Service Section of your business plan.

GOAL: Before you leave class today you will have the opportunity to examine your business’ demographics.

1. Go to your business plan in the SimCEO & work on the Demographics section
2. Click on the Learn More button in the Demographics Section of the business plan & read it.
3. Click on the Edit button in the Demographics Section of the business plan and address everything in the Learn More section of the Product/Service Section for the Demographics Section of your business plan.

PAY DAY

• Clerks–Write a paycheck for each student in your group
• Class Banker–Make sure there is enough cash in the Central Classroom Bank.
• Everyone–There are extra bank slips and bank logs in the back of the room in case you don’t have it in your folder.

Here is what needs to happen on Pay Day:

1. Clerks–hand out the paychecks.
2. Teacher–distribute bonus money to students who have earned it.
   1. Who has all their assignments turned in for this class so far?
   2. Who participated in after school activities this month?
   3. On a piece of paper, write down the name of one of your classmates that you think deserves a bonus and why. Give it to your teacher.
3. Each student–completes a bank slip.
4. Each student–updates his or her bank log with the amount of the paycheck and any bonus money received.
5. Each student–takes the paycheck and the bonus cash (if any) to their Banker.
6. Banker–updates his or her copy of the student’s bank log.
7. Banker–places the paycheck in the paycheck envelope within the banking folder.
8. Banker–be sure you have $2,000 in the bank folder at all times.
9. Banker–should deposit any additional cash in the Central Classroom Bank through the Class Banker.

PLAY LEMONADE STAND–LEARN HOW TO RUN A BUSINESS

TICKET DAY

Getting and Paying Fines

On Ticket Day, students must pay the fines that have been assessed since the last Ticket Day.

GOAL: Before you leave class today you will have the opportunity to examine your Business Overview.

1. Go to your business plan in the SimCEO & work on the Business Overview section
2. Click on the Learn More button in the Business Overview Section of the business plan & read it.
3. Click on the Edit button in the Business Overview Section of the business plan and address everything in the Learn More section of the Product/Service Section for the Business Overview Section of your business plan.

The Auction

LEARN HOW TO RUN A BUSINESS

IMPORTANT: At the end of every class, write about the following on today’s lesson plan at the bottom of this page:

1. Describe what happened or what you did during class.
2. Interpret how things went by using one (or more) of these terms:
   1. Strength & Weaknesses
   2. Successes & Setback
3. What have you learned due to this experience?
4. Answer one (or more) of these questions:
   1. What can you do to improve your learning?
   2. How will you extend your learning past what is expected?
5. Remember to go back and read what your classmates wrote about to get ideas for yourself!
6. Be sure to use good writing skills!!

GOAL: Before you leave class today you will have the opportunity to examine your business’ Pricing and Financials.

1. In your Google Doc for this class, at the top, write a thank you for Mike Steines. Write down at least 1 thing that you learned from him. Use good writing skills & SHARE it with me AGAIN 🙂
2. Go to your business plan in the SimCEO & work on the Pricing and Financials section
3. Click on the Learn More button in the Pricing and Financials Section of the business plan & read it.
4. Click on the Edit button in the Pricing and Financials Section of the business plan and address everything in the Learn More section of the Product/Service Section for the Pricing and Financials Section of your business plan.

GOAL: Before you leave class today you will have the opportunity to examine your business’ Marketing & Advertising.

1. Go to your business plan in the SimCEO & work on the Marketing & Advertising section
2. Click on the Learn More button in the Marketing & Advertising Section of the business plan & read it.
3. Click on the Edit button in the Marketing & Advertising Section of the business plan and address everything in the Learn More section of the Product/Service Section for the Marketing & Advertising Section of your business plan.

GOAL: Before you leave class today you will have the opportunity to examine your business’ Mission Statement.

1. Go to your business plan in the SimCEO & work on the Mission Statement section
2. Click on the Learn More button in the Mission Statement Section of the business plan & read it.
3. Click on the Edit button in the Mission Statement Section of the business plan and address everything in the Learn More section of the Product/Service Section for the Mission Statement Section of your business plan.

GOAL: Before you leave class today you will have the opportunity to examine your business’ plan by doing a PEER EVALUATION.

1. Go to your business plan in the SimCEO & work on the PEER EVALUATION section
2. Click on the Learn More button in the PEER EVALUATION Section of the business plan & read it.
3. Click on the Edit button in the PEER EVALUATION Section of the business plan and address everything in the Learn More section of the Product/Service Section for the PEER EVALUATION Section of your business plan.

 

GOAL: Before you leave class today you will have the opportunity to examine your business’ plan by Finding the Diamond in the Rough.

1. Go to your business plan in the SimCEO & work on the Finding the Diamond in the Rough section
2. Click on the Learn More button in the Assessing the Finding the Diamond in the Rough Section of the business plan & read it.
3. Click on the Edit button in the Assessing the Finding the Diamond in the Rough Section of the business plan and address everything in the Learn More section of the Finding the Diamond in the Rough Section for the Assessing the Finding the Diamond in the Rough Section of your business plan.

PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS

1. Create a TV/Online commercial to show the class
2. Create a billboard to post in the class
3. Create another way to promote your business–share with the class

 

YOU HAVE TODAY AND THE NEXT 3 CLASSES FOR simCEO TRADING 2017

BEGIN:

1. What is the stock market?
2. Benefits of the market
3. Case Study: Why go public?
4. What makes prices change?
5. Earnings Per Share (EPS)
6. Price to Earnings Ratio (P/E)
7. Quiz 1: EPS and P/E
8. The Growth Factor
9. Quiz 2: Growth Rates
10. The Rational Market
11. Investors’ Perceptions
12. Prices Move: A Summary
13. Tutorial Conclusion

 

YOU HAVE TODAY AND THE NEXT 2 CLASSES FOR simCEO TRADING 2017

TODAY:

1. Read the news articles ON YOUR OWN.
2. AS A TEAM–in a Google Doc shared with me, tell me how these news articles will effect the prices of stock in certain companies. This is your writing for today.
3. Watch How to Buy or Sell Shares
4. Get with your team and do a Buy/Sell Order:
   1. Reminder: Each student can only buy/sell each company one time in a 24-hour period.
5. Log in to the simCEO–UNDER YOUR OWN ACCOUNT–do buy/sell order ON YOUR OWN

FINISH:

1. What is the stock market?
2. Benefits of the market
3. Case Study: Why go public?
4. What makes prices change?
5. Earnings Per Share (EPS)
6. Price to Earnings Ratio (P/E)
7. Quiz 1: EPS and P/E
8. The Growth Factor
9. Quiz 2: Growth Rates
10. The Rational Market
11. Investors’ Perceptions
12. Prices Move: A Summary
13. Tutorial Conclusion

YOU HAVE TODAY AND NEXT CLASS FOR simCEO TRADING 2017

TODAY:

1. Read the news articles ON YOUR OWN.
2. AS A TEAM–in a Google Doc shared with me, tell me how these news articles will effect the prices of stock in certain companies. This is your writing for today.
3. Watch How to Buy or Sell Shares
4. ON YOUR OWN, do a Buy/Sell Order:
   1. Reminder: Each student can only buy/sell each company one time in a 24-hour period.
5. Log in to the simCEO–UNDER YOUR OWN ACCOUNT–do buy/sell order ON YOUR OWN

DO THIS–Do you know the rules?

Before You Invest Pre Test

UNDERSTANDING SMG

GOAL: Before you leave today you will know about the Stock Market Game (SMG)

STOCK MARKET GAME–Overview #1

STOCK MARKET GAME–Overview #2

1. GETTING STARTED:
   1. “What would you do with $100,000?”
   2. “How much is $100,000?” You will be buying $100,000 worth of merchandise online. You may buy toys, clothes, or food – anything you want. You may buy multiple quantities of the same item. It is up to you. The only thing you must do is to spend the entire $100,000. The goal of the activity is to give you a concrete sense of the “value” of $100,000. For the SMG each group is going to be given a $100,000 in virtual cash to invest in companies they believe will make the most money over the coming weeks. They will also be able to buy bonds and mutual funds. Each group will need to work as a team to make the purchases.
2. PROCEDURE:
   1. Organize into teams of two to three members each. This will be your “SMG teams”
   2. Activity Sheet 1: Team Building Skills.
   3. Create a NEW Google Doc name “SMG ____________” where the blank is your team name. In the Doc, review the challenging aspects of the picking your team name and discuss how your team overcame them.This doc will be your team’s SMG journals.
   4. Practice team building skills again by asking teams to create a short list of rules that all teams should follow when they work together. For example, if there is a disagreement, team members should vote. The option with the most votes wins. Or a rule that gives everyone on the team three minutes to comment on a decision. Review the team-created rules with the entire class. Create a list of the most popular rules and display them in the classroom.
3. APPLICATION:
   1. Ask each team member to review the list of products they created in the Springboard Activity and number them by popularity (with “1” being the product everyone might own). In their teams, each member should share their lists and come to a consensus on the three most popular products.
4. ASSESSMENT:
   1. In your SMG journals, identify the companies you believe your team should invest in using your virtual $100,000. You should include why you selected these companies and how you would convince your teammates to invest in them.

 

LAST DAY FOR simCEO TRADING 2017

TODAY:

1. Read the news articles ON YOUR OWN.
2. AS A TEAM–in a Google Doc shared with me, tell me how these news articles will effect the prices of stock in certain companies. This is your writing for today.
3. Watch How to Buy or Sell Shares
4. ON YOUR OWN, do a Buy/Sell Order:
   1. Reminder: Each student can only buy/sell each company one time in a 24-hour period.
5. Log in to the simCEO–UNDER YOUR OWN ACCOUNT–do buy/sell order ON YOUR OWN
6. PICK YOUR TEAMMATE FOR THE SMG–groups of 2
7. Get your team login username & password
8. Once you are logged in, DO THIS–Do you know the rules? with your teammate on a piece of paper or a Google Doc shared with me

WHAT IS A COMPANY?

OBJECTIVES:

1. Students will be able to:
   1. Identify and describe a company.
   2. Identify and describe a brand.
   3. Contrast and compare distinguishing characteristics of companies and brands.

GET STARTED:

1. Think about the packaging of a Hershey’s Kiss.
   1. What is the name of this candy? How do you know?
   2. How many of you recognized it without reading the tag?
   3. Who makes it?
   4. How does this all happen?
   5. Who makes it happen?
2. A company is a person or group that makes something for other people to buy. Companies try to earn a profit or make money from the sale of their products or services. Very often a company makes several products.

PROCEDURE:

1. What do these things have in common?
   
2. Investors often invest in companies they know own popular products and brands.
3. Jot down the names of some of your favorite products and brands.
4. Get into your SMG teams and select five companies from those mentioned in class already and choose five brands of your own. Write your choices down.
5. Remember the difference between a company and a brand. A company is the group or person that makes the product or provides the service that we buy. A brand is that product or service’s name.
6. In teams, organize your team’s list of products and services into brands and companies on Activity Sheet 1: Companies in My Closet Activity. Using Yahoo! Finance (http://finance.yahoo.com) or a similar company information site, enter the name of the corporation that owns the products and services your team chose. Report your answers to the class.

APPLICATION:

1. In your teams, practice distinguishing between companies and brands by completing Activity Sheet 2: Companies, Brands & Products.

ASSESSMENT:

1. Identify another candy company (e.g. Mars, Inc. or Tootsie Roll Industries). What are some of the brands made by these companies? Do you like these brands better than the Hershey brands?
2. Poll each other to determine the class’ Top 10 favorite brands of candy. Create a list of the Top 10. Identify which company makes the selected brands? (Use zoominfo.com if necessary). Identify the company that makes most of the brands on the class’ Top 10.

EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES:

1. Research famous inventors who formed companies or partnerships. Pick a famous inventor from http://inventors.about.com/library/bl_by_state_inventors.htm. This site is organized by states; it may be possible for you to select an inventor from Iowa. Write a short paper about your favorite inventor, how he/she made the product and whether we still use the product today.

THIRD QUARTER EVALUATION

DO THIS–Do you know the rules?

WHAT IS A STOCK?

Performance Objectives

At the completion of this lesson you will be able to:

1. Define stock,public company, private company.
2. Calculate gain and loss of sample stock sales.
3. Understand why some companies are public and others are held privately.

Springboard Activity

1. 5 friends want to chip in to purchase the latest Xbox game system. They have agreeed to keep it in one friend’s basement and play it together every day. It costs $360.00. If they each pay an equal share how much would each friend pay?
2. What rights and responsibilities should each friend have as part owners of this game system? How can they each prove they are part owners in the game system?
3. Stock ownership allows an investor to be part owner in a company they believe is going to be successful. Just like the friends, a stock owner has rights and responsibilities when they buy share or a piece of a public company.

Procedure

1. Read the synopsis of Charlie and the Chocolate Factor
2. A private company is owned by a person, family, or small group of investors that does not sell stock to the company. They make all the decisions for the company.
3. What evidence in the story is there that let’s you know Willy Wonka’s company is owned privately?
4. Unlike the Wonka Chocolate Factory most companies are public companies that sell shares of the company called stock to people called investors. Stock allows investors to share ownership in a company with others. In a publicly traded company, an investor will choose to buy stock in a particular company because he or she thinks the company will make money, the stock price will increase and the investor will make money on his or her investment. There is always a risk, however that they will lose money.
5. If an investor wanted to purchase 50 shares of the Chocolate Company at $20 per share how much would that cost in total?
6. If the price of one share of stock went to $10 a share a month later, would the investor make or lose money?
7. If the price of one share of the stock went to $30 a share two months later, would the investor make or lose money?
8. Do Activity Sheet 2: Buying and Selling Stock with your SMG team

Assessment

1. You purchased 100 shares of Willy Wonka Chocolates for $10.00 per share. A year later you sell your 100 shares for $20 per share. Did you make a profit or lose money? How much money did you make or lose? Explain your results mathematically
2. You purchased 100 shares of Willy Wonka Chocolates for $12 per share. Two years later you sell your 155 shares for $23 per share. Did you make a profit or lose money? How much did you make or lose? Explain your results mathematically.
3. You purchased 200 shares of Willy Wonka Chocolates for $20.76 per share. Six months later you sell half your shares for $23.67 per share. A year later you sell the other half for $19.21. Did you make a profit or lose money? How much did you make or lose? Explain your results mathematically.

Application

1. Read and do Activity Sheet 3: Two Real Candy Companies
2. Read: Fact Sheet 1: The Benefits and Obligations of Going Public
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of taking the chocolate factory public? Complete Activity Sheet 4: Taking the Chocolate Factory Public

DO THIS–Do you know the rules?

Identifying Ticker Symbols and Interpreting Stock Quotes

Performance Objectives

1. You will be able to:
   1. Lookup a company’s ticker symbol online.
   2. Use the ticker symbol to locate a company.

Springboard Activity

1. How many of you have nicknames? Some nicknames are short versions of the student’s official name like Jenny for Jennifer; others are initials like JP for John Paul and still others are completely different like Jack for John.
2. Companies have a variety of nicknames that have developed over time called ticker symbols.
3. Ticker Symbols make it easier to locate company information because they are unique and short (usually only one to five characters).
4. To purchase stock in companies you must learn how to find the ticker symbol or nickname for the company.

Procedure

1. Open Fact Sheet 1: Parent Companies. As I call out the brand, you locate the company ticker symbol or abbreviation. The team that most quickly answers the most questions wins.
2. Open Fact Sheet 2: Brands and Subsidiaries. We will play the game again.
   1. What is the difference among a Brand? Subsidiary? Company?
3. Locating companies on a web site will take some searching, too. It is the company, not the brand or subsidiary that has the ticker symbol.
4. Complete Activity Sheet 1: Such a Search. Report your answers to the class.
5. Log in to the SMG web site with your team.
6. Complete Activity Sheet 2 :Real Symbols on your own. Report your answers to your group.
7. Read Fact Sheet 3: Web Quotes.
8. Now, complete Activity Sheet 3: Screen Test on your own. Review your answers with your group.

Assessment

1. In the Google Doc for this class, write about how knowledge of ticker symbols will assist you in the purchase of stock.

Application

1. Create a two-column table with one column named “Company” and the other named “Ticker Symbol.” Complete the table by listing the names and ticker symbols of companies in which you may want to invest.

Enrichment Activities

1. Open Stock Talk Vol. 11, No. 1: Ticker’s Tale. Read it. Complete the WRITE NOW on page 2 of the newsletter.

 

1. TEACHER EVALUATION FOR QUARTER 3
2. BEFORE YOU INVEST POST TEST
3. Selecting Your Investments Pre Test–Do this with your SMG group. Share it with me  and everyone in your group. Do all of your group work in this doc for the Stock Market Game.

 What is Diversification?

Performance Objectives

1. You will be able to:
   1. Create a diversified portfolio selecting stocks and mutual funds.
   2. Conduct Internet research on different investment options.
   3. Interpret company and industry charts to determine which investments to make with your SMG teams.

Springboard Activity

1. How many of you have gone shopping at the supermarket?
2. Which aisle do you find Kellogg Corn Flakes?
3. What about Purina cat food?
4. Would you find pickles in the meat section?
5. Where would you find bleach and dishwashing soap?
6. Supermarkets put similar foods in the same aisle so shoppers can efficiently make purchases.
7. The supermarket is organizaed to allow the customer to purchase from a wide variety of brands, an industry allows the investor to purchase stock from a wide range of companies.

Procedure

1. Having a diversified financial portfolio lessens the risk of losing money. Do you agree or disagree?
2. Do you think requiring your SMG team to purchase three different stocks as a rule is good? What about from 3 different industries?
3. Today you will learn how to evaluate the risk of losing money in a portfolio by analyzing the portfolio’s diversity and how to create a diverse portfolio.
4. Open Activity Sheet 1: How Diversified are these Portfolios? Answer these questions:
   1. How many different industries are represented in each portfolio?
   2. Can a portfolio be diversified based on the quantity of shares?
   3. What do you notice about the portfolios? Are any heavy with one particular industry?
5. Use Activity Sheet 2 to review YOUR planned investments. Are they diversified?
6. Many professional money  managers study just one industrial sector. They become experts on the companies in their sector. Each person on your team will study one sector to become your team’s expert in the sector you choose.
   1. Research at least 2 stocks in your sector and present your findings to your team. You must address the problems and benefits of purchasing stock in this industry sector.

Assessment

1. Write an analysis of the following SMG portfolio and advise your team on how to further protect your portfolio through diversification. diversification assessment
   

Application

1. Review your current SMG portfolio to analyze the diversification of your holdings. Write a plan to diversify your portfolio, based on your findings.

What is Risk?

Performance Objectives

1. You will be able to:
   1. Define and illustrate the three major kinds of risk.
   2. Understand stocks, bond, and cash.
   3. Research two industries and decide the level of risk your Stock Market Game team would take if they invest in companies in these industries.
   4. Persuade your team to purchase or not to purchase a particular stock.

Springboard Activity

1. Rank on a scale of 1 to 10 the following activities, 1 being the least risky and 3 being the most risky.
   1. Playing Soccer without wearing shin guards.
   2. Hitting softball without a helmet.
   3. Riding a bike without a helmet in rush hour traffic.
   4. Driving without a seat belt on a quiet country road.
2. Discuss the differences you see in these activities with your team.
3. All the activities are risky, but some are more dangerous than others.
4. Risk means the chance of injury or loss. As a class, rate the activities again using the following terms:
   1. Conservative: Little risk of injury
   2. Moderate: Medium risk of injury
   3. Speculative: High risk of injury
5. When investing, the amount of risk tolerance or chance of losing money often means an investor’s willingness to chance lose money in the short term to possibly earn big long term gains.

Procedure

1. Read Stock Talk, Vol. 18, No. 2.
2. Get into your SMG teams and discuss the following two questions:
   1. Suppose you’re saving to buy something in the next year or so. Would you invest in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or cash? Why?
   2. Suppose you’re saving for something way off in the future, such as retirement. Would you invest in stocks, bonds, mutual fund, or cash? Why?
3. “Growth Rate” describes how much a company’s profit grows from year to year.
4. Complete Activity Sheet 1: Finding Risk in Earnings Growth Rates.
5. In teams, research five stocks in the same industry. Use the investor research tools in your SMG portfolios or use sites like Yahoo! Finance (http://finance.yahoo.com), Zoominfo (http://zoominfo.com), or the New York Stock Exchange (http://nyse.com). Rank the stocks of these companies from riskiest to most conservative based on each company’s earnings growth rates.

Assessment

1. Complete Activity Sheet 2: Finding Your Risk Tolerance: How Much Risk Do You Like?

Application

1. Write a paragraph about your individual risk tolerance and what types of stock, bond, and/or mutual fund you would suggest your team purchase. Suggest a stock, bond, or mutual fund for your team to buy and explain why you selected this stock. It is important for you to understand that you can research different aspects of a company to evaluate if investing in it is worth the risk.

Enrichment Activities

1. Write a business letter to a potential investor to encourage the investor to purchase shares in a particular company. This company can be high risk, with great potential for success or a low risk company that will provide a steady income

SELCTING YOUR INVESTMENTS POST TEST

TRACKING YOUR INVESTMENTS PRE TEST

What Causes Stock Prices to Change?

Performance Objectives

1. You will be able to:
   1. Discuss the various ways stock prices are influenced.
   2. Evaluate the ways investors can be affected by the change in market prices when choosing to buy, sell or hold.
   3. Interpret charts and graphs to better understand the growth and change in stock prices.

Springboard Activity

1. Why is the price of an air conditioner highest at the beginning of the summer?
2. When would the cost of a snow shovel be the highest? Why?
3. Why did people wait in line all night to buy the last Harry Potter book?
4. Discuss how the supply of and demand for a product affects the value of the companies that make both products.

Procedure

1. Mark wants to raise $40 dollars to buy a new video game. He has decided to sell umbrellas to raise the money. His father is willing to lend him money for 20 umbrellas at $2 each. They sell in stores for $3, so Mark can make a $1 profit on each umbrella. But even if he sells all 20 umbrellas he will have only $20 profit after he pays his father back, not enough to buy the new video game. His friend Peter suggests Mark wait and sell the umbrellas for $4 each or $2 profit per umbrella a strategy that, if successful, will earn the $40 he needs. Peter’s plan is to sell the umbrellas on the street on the next rainy day. Mark and Peter believe people will be willing to pay more for the umbrellas than the cost in the store if Mark follows the plan. Why?
2. The need or popularity of a company’s product can force the price of that company’s stock up. Why do you think that happens?
3. Complete Activity Sheet 1: Tale of Two Marts .
4. In your SMG group list one product or service provided by each comparny in your SMG portfolio. Circle the product or service you believe will be most popular and result in an increase in stock price for the company that makes it.
5. Why do you believe the product will result in higher stock prices? Be sure to include all the factors that support your choice.
6. Use the Internet to locate the companies that manufacture the following:
   1. Daydream View
   2. Hololens
   3. PlayStation VR
7. Rank these products from most popular to least popular and predict the impact the product will have on the company’s profit and the price of its stock. Which company would your team most like to invest in? Why? Repeat the exercise with the following products: Kool-aid, Pepsi, Tropicana orange juice

Assessment

1. Stocks are often influenced by the demand for products. Select a stock in your portfolio you feel is most likely to be influenced by the demand for the product. Explain how the product produced by that company may increase or decrease the value of that stock.

Application

1. Review your portfolios in your SMG groups. Choose a company to research and track possible influences on the price changes that have occurred within the last two weeks.
2. Download the latest annual report for one of the companies in your portfolio, and create a presentation reviewing the reasons the company’s shares were up or down. Write your predictions about the future of the company. Make your presentation in class and discuss your conclusions.

Enrichment Activities

1. Open Activity Sheet 2: The Ripple Effect and newspapers (or go to a news website online). As a team, select one current event story you believe will influence the stock prices of a company. Present your headline and determination of the events’ impact on the stock price of that company.

Buy, Sell, or Hold?

Performance Objectives

1. You will be able to:
   1. Decide whether to buy, hold or sell stock based on research.
   2. Compare and contrast companies based upon stock market statistical data.
   3. Use the Internet to obtain annual reports and research companies.

Springboard Activity

1. Create a three-column chart entitled “Making Portfolio Investment Decisions.”
2. Label the columns “Buy,” “Sell,” and “Hold.”
3. IBM has just invented a new computer that will change the way homes use technology. It will be on the market in two months.
   1. Should we buy hold or sell IBM?
   2. How do you know the right action to take?
   3. How do you make educated decisions about your investments?
4. Repeat with the scenarios found on Fact Sheet 1: Activity Cards.
5. Investors need to evaluate the past and present performance of a company to determine whether or not to purchase stock.

Procedure

1. There are a few well-proven indicators investors use to decide whether to buy, sell or hold. Today we will listen to a variety of stock stories to determine if we should buy, sell or hold the stock.
2. Open Activity Sheet 3: Buy, Sell, Hold Scenario.
3. Annual reports provide good information on individual companies, but it is also important for successful investors to research other companies in the same industry. This comparison is called to “sector analysis.” Professional financial analysts carry out detailed analyses, but SMG teams can conduct a simplified analysis of their own.
4. Open Activity Sheet 1: Annual Reports—An Investment Tool. Decide if you should buy, sell or hold the companies’ stock, based on the information given. Report your decisions to the class.
5. Choose a stock from your SMG portfolio or one you are considering purchasing. Go on line or to a hard copy of the company’s annual report, find the company’s revenue and profits and compare them to other firms in the same industry. If other companies are doing much better, would you tend to sell this company? If they are doing worse, would you tend to hold? Check the internet for current events surrounding companies. Research how the sector is performing. If a sector is growing, you may still may want to purchase the stock despite its poor peer performance; if the sector is collapsing you may want to sell the stock even if it is doing better than others in the sectors.

Assessment

1.  Assess one current holding and one potential new purchase. Present your findings to your team members.

Application

1.  Research two companies within the same industry. Check the two prior annual reports (or look at analyst reports) and compare the statistics to show how the company is currently performing. Plan a persuasive speech that either motivates your team members to buy, sell or hold.
2. Select a company from your portfolio and read the CEO and President of a company’s massage to shareholders in the annual report. Compare what the executives say about the company’s performance to the actual performance of the company. Report on the accuracy of the executives’ reports by researching the information on the Internet.

Enrichment Activities

1. Activity Sheet 2: Comparing Companies In the Same Industry. Explain what information is presented about the companies and how a potential investor can use that data to make investment decisions. You may work independently or in your groups and answer the questions presented on the activity sheet. Share your answers with the class. If you justify your responses, there are no right or wrong answers.

 

TRACKING YOUR INVESTMENTS POST TEST

How Successful Was My Investment Strategy?

Performance Objectives

1. You will be able to:
   1. Draw supported conclusions as to whether your strategy in preparing your portfolio was successful and what investment changes you might have made to improve portfolio performance.
   2. Generate a detailed report including support material
   3. Deliver a convincing presentation
   4. Give and receive constructive criticism
   5. Evaluate the work of other team members and other students

Springboard Activity

1. How many of you or your parents have a photo album or scrap book?
2. Why do we save pictures, mementoes ?
3. How is our SMG team folder like a scrap book? Why?
4. The SMG team portfolio can remind us of what we learned, the decisions we made and how we were thinking over time.

Procedure

1. I would like some feedback on your experience with The Stock Market Game.
   1. How has the experience of playing the Stock Market Game changed the way you think about money and investing?
   2. What have you learned?
   3. How do you know you learned it?
2. With your SMG team review your portfolio for the most successful stock and the least successful.
   1. What would you do differently next time?
3. Each student will complete a report valuating how well their SMG team performed.
4. Open Rubric 1 and compose your report following the rubric.
5. Each SMG team will prepare a 5 minute presentation focusing on a stock that represents the team’s performance.
6. Open Rubric 2. Teams should address the following in their portfolio description:
   1. Did they have rules they used to decide on what companies they would invest in?
   2. What companies did they invest in? Why?
   3. Did they have a stock that performed better than expected? Worse?

Assessment

1. Write a page that addresses one of the following:
   1. There is a good chance that you may participate in The Stock Market Game again. Write a memo to yourself that includes a list of what you want to remember about savings and investing. Include your risk tolerance type and your individual strategy.
   2. Your teacher will be participating in The Stock Market Game next year. Write a letter to one of next year’s teams advising them on how to get the most from the game.

Application

1. InvestWrite, adds a critical thinking component to help reinforce concepts learned in the classroom. Log on to www.InvestWrite.org to download this semester’s questions. Submit essays to Mrs. Weber first; the three top essays to be included in the national competition.

 

The Stock Market Game is an educational program of the SIFMA Foundation. It is an online simulation of the global capital markets that engages students (grades 4-12) in the world of economics, investing and personal finance, and prepares them for financially independent futures. Nearly 600,000 students take part every school year across all 50 states and around the globe. The Stock Market Game has reached 13 million students since its inception in 1977. An independent study funded by FINRA, the securities industry’s largest independent regulator, found The Stock Market Game had a positive impact on student math achievement and financial literacy. It also found that the SMG program influenced the investment decisions of the teachers who taught it. Recent history has taught us just how important it is to have a fundamental understanding of saving and investing. The Stock Market Game has significant and measurable impact on student financial literacy and academic achievement across all grades.

HOW TO START BUYING AND SELLING:

Start From What You Know–To start thinking about the companies you might invest in, start with what you already know. Create a list of the products you have at home like cleaning products, dish soap, bath soap, laundry detergent, food items in the refrigerator or cupboard, etc. (avoid clothing or status items like cell phones). In addition to the product name, you should also record the company that makes the product. This information is usually found on the product’s label. In class, you will explore where the product was bought, who makes the product, and possibly other products the company produces.

Parent Companies–As you create a list of companies from the products you found in your home, you will come across companies that are not listed. This means that these companies are either

privately owned

owned by another country

• a subsidiary of another company
• a brand name

For example, you may want to invest in the Tropicana company because it makes a lot of your favorite juices and drinks. However, you cannot find its ticker symbol (the one to five character set that stock exchanges use to identify companies). This is because Tropicana is owned by Pepsico (its parent company). To invest in Tropicana, you would find the ticker symbol for Pepsico (PEP). Yahoo! Finance is a helpful site for looking up company information.

Industries–To help you narrow down your investment selections and focus your research, it might be helpful to group your companies into industries. An industry is a category used to organize companies into types of services and/or products provided. Organizing companies into industries helps make generalizations about the performance of a specific company compared to companies providing similar goods or services. You will be better able to address questions regarding how the industry’s outlook is being perceived:

• Is the industry profitable?
• Will it continue to be?
• What factors will affect the industry’s prospects?

Use the “Industry Research Sheet” to help you research companies and their industries.

Assessments–You need to maintain a journal where you will record meeting minutes, trades, track data, and build company profiles. The journals encourage you to reflect on your team’s investment strategies, articles you have read, and any writing you may be assigned. The journals are useful instruments in measuring your progress. Use the Journal Template as a guide.

Team Assessment Portfolios–Below is what will need to be included in your team portfolio

1. Create a brief company profile for each stock your team owns during the game. Include a summary of the company’s products, where it operates, strengths and weaknesses – especially in comparison to competitors – and copies of the most recent annual income statement and balance sheet (obtained from the company’s annual report or other source).
2. Collect basic data about stocks in portfolio including: 52 week high and low; PE ratio; volume of trading; Beta; etc.
3. Clippings about stock or mutual funds in the portfolio – these can be newspaper clippings, Internet news articles, magazine ads or articles, etc.
4. Current price of each stock or mutual fund the team owns at the close of the market each day or week. Put information in an Excel spreadsheet and create charts for each stock or mutual fund.
5. Detailed record of any buy or sell transactions including: stock or fund name and ticker symbol, date of transaction, number of shares, price per share, total costs, broker’s fees, and current equity. (Justify calculations in portfolio.)
6. Create your own math problems using information in the portfolio.
7. Compare data by charting your team holdings with the S&P or Dow Jones averages.
8. Create a glossary of terms learned throughout the SMG program.
9. Use SMG program activities as writing prompts journals. Using persuasive writing skills, you can cite your research and “persuade” your team to buy or sell certain stocks or mutual funds.
10. Using reflective writing skills, you can reflect on why a stock or fund did or didn’t do well, why you disagree with a team’s decision, why and how the economy is affecting your stock or particular industry, etc.
11. Describe a current event and the economic environment that could affect investment decisions.
12. Write an essay explaining an investment strategy and why it was successful or was not successful.

READING PORTFOLIO

UNDERSTANDING PORTFOLIOS

ENTERING  A TRADE

RULES OF THE GAME

OTHER RESOURCES

YOU HAVE TODAY AND NEXT CLASS TO WORK ON THIS

InvestWrite Topic For Grades 6-8

Spring 2017

The maximum number of words in the essay for this grade division is 900 and the minimum is 400.

Background: It is very important for professional athletes to have a plan to manage the money they earn while playing sports so they will have money when they retire. It is also critical that they diversify their investments to protect against ups and downs in the market, so that as one investment drops, another might soar. A well-diversified portfolio includes investments in different asset classes (stocks, bonds, mutual funds) and different sectors and industries (health, technology, telecommunication, utilities, financial services, etc.). Writing Assignment: Imagine after all you’ve learned in The Stock Market Game you become a financial professional and you are hired by a famous professional athlete. In your essay introduce the reader to your new client, real or imaginary (for example, their sport, records they’ve broken, why you are interested in the athlete). Also, assume you have already helped your client set up a budget. Now describe how to help your client develop a diversified portfolio that includes long-term stocks and/or bonds and/or mutual funds. Include in your essay: Explain why diversification is important for your client to have a secure financial future. Suggest at least two investments your client should include in their diversified portfolio. These can be from your Stock Market Game portfolio or others you are interested in. Explain why you would suggest these to your client. Conclude with the best advice you can give your client about the importance of having a diversified, long-term financial plan.

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Guidelines and Directions

Six easy steps to walk you through InvestWrite:

FIRST, what you need to know about InvestWrite entries:

• You may submit no more than 10 entries from any classroom and only one entry per student. If you have more than one class participating in The Stock Market Game program you may submit up to 10 entries per class.
• All submitted entries must address the contest assignment as stated on this website.
• Each entry must be an original work, representing the student’s own research, thinking, and writing.

SECOND, share these InvestWrite GUIDELINES with your students:

Each student may submit only one entry with the following word counts:

• maximum 800 words for 4-5 grade (minimum 300 words)
• maximum 900 words for 6-8 grade (minimum 400 words)
• maximum 1000 words for 9-12 grade (minimum 500 words)

The title chosen by each student (excluding the author’s name) must appear at the top of the first page of the text. If references are cited, include them following the last page of the text. (Please note: only the body of the essay will be included in the word count, the title and the works cited will not count against the specified word limit.)

• The format for references or works cited can be chosen by the teacher.
• Identification of the student or teacher in the essay will result in disqualification.
• Since the judges will base their decision on the author’s understanding of the subject matter, rationale, and writing style, please do the same when you judge. View judging criteria.
• All essays must be submitted in plain text; no charts, graphs or symbols will be accepted.

THIRD, discuss the background with your class and assign the due date. Make sure you give yourself enough time to read and select entries before the InvestWrite online submission deadline April 5, 2017.

FOURTH, read the InvestWrite entries and choose no more than ten entries per class to submit on behalf of your students. Each entry must be entered onto the InvestWrite website to be eligible. Simply cut and paste the entry from any word processing application.

FIFTH, in addition to student entries, please be prepared for online submissions by making additional copies of this page and compiling the following information for online submission:

• Teacher’s name
• Teacher’s Stock Market Game login ID and password
• Teacher’s personal telephone number and email address
• School name, physical address and phone number
• Student’s first name and last initial
• Student’s Stock Market Game team login ID
• Additional information may be required at the time of submittal

This information will help us contact InvestWrite award winners!

SIXTH, return to www.InvestWrite.org to submit your top ten, teacher-judged entries for each class beginning January 30, 2017. The deadline to submit InvestWrite entries is April 5, 2017.

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Eligibility and Judging Criteria:

• Teachers and students must be currently enrolled in the Spring 2017 or the 2016-2017 year-long session of the Stock Market Game program. Teachers with classes must have a valid login ID and password. Student entries will require a valid team ID.
• Judges will base their decisions on the author’s understanding of the subject matter, rationale, and writing style.
• The national judges’ panel consists of selected Stock Market Game program staff that represents the SIFMA Foundation.
• InvestWrite entries that do not meet the criteria in the Guidelines will not be considered.
• InvestWrite entries will not be returned to the author.
• SIFMA Foundation reserves the right to edit, publish, disseminate, and otherwise use all entries at their discretion.

DUE TODAY

InvestWrite Topic For Grades 6-8

Spring 2017

The maximum number of words in the essay for this grade division is 900 and the minimum is 400.

Background: It is very important for professional athletes to have a plan to manage the money they earn while playing sports so they will have money when they retire. It is also critical that they diversify their investments to protect against ups and downs in the market, so that as one investment drops, another might soar. A well-diversified portfolio includes investments in different asset classes (stocks, bonds, mutual funds) and different sectors and industries (health, technology, telecommunication, utilities, financial services, etc.). Writing Assignment: Imagine after all you’ve learned in The Stock Market Game you become a financial professional and you are hired by a famous professional athlete. In your essay introduce the reader to your new client, real or imaginary (for example, their sport, records they’ve broken, why you are interested in the athlete). Also, assume you have already helped your client set up a budget. Now describe how to help your client develop a diversified portfolio that includes long-term stocks and/or bonds and/or mutual funds. Include in your essay: Explain why diversification is important for your client to have a secure financial future. Suggest at least two investments your client should include in their diversified portfolio. These can be from your Stock Market Game portfolio or others you are interested in. Explain why you would suggest these to your client. Conclude with the best advice you can give your client about the importance of having a diversified, long-term financial plan.

---

Guidelines and Directions

Six easy steps to walk you through InvestWrite:

FIRST, what you need to know about InvestWrite entries:

• You may submit no more than 10 entries from any classroom and only one entry per student. If you have more than one class participating in The Stock Market Game program you may submit up to 10 entries per class.
• All submitted entries must address the contest assignment as stated on this website.
• Each entry must be an original work, representing the student’s own research, thinking, and writing.

SECOND, share these InvestWrite GUIDELINES with your students:

Each student may submit only one entry with the following word counts:

• maximum 800 words for 4-5 grade (minimum 300 words)
• maximum 900 words for 6-8 grade (minimum 400 words)
• maximum 1000 words for 9-12 grade (minimum 500 words)

The title chosen by each student (excluding the author’s name) must appear at the top of the first page of the text. If references are cited, include them following the last page of the text. (Please note: only the body of the essay will be included in the word count, the title and the works cited will not count against the specified word limit.)

• The format for references or works cited can be chosen by the teacher.
• Identification of the student or teacher in the essay will result in disqualification.
• Since the judges will base their decision on the author’s understanding of the subject matter, rationale, and writing style, please do the same when you judge. View judging criteria.
• All essays must be submitted in plain text; no charts, graphs or symbols will be accepted.

THIRD, discuss the background with your class and assign the due date. Make sure you give yourself enough time to read and select entries before the InvestWrite online submission deadline April 5, 2017.

FOURTH, read the InvestWrite entries and choose no more than ten entries per class to submit on behalf of your students. Each entry must be entered onto the InvestWrite website to be eligible. Simply cut and paste the entry from any word processing application.

FIFTH, in addition to student entries, please be prepared for online submissions by making additional copies of this page and compiling the following information for online submission:

• Teacher’s name
• Teacher’s Stock Market Game login ID and password
• Teacher’s personal telephone number and email address
• School name, physical address and phone number
• Student’s first name and last initial
• Student’s Stock Market Game team login ID
• Additional information may be required at the time of submittal

This information will help us contact InvestWrite award winners!

SIXTH, return to www.InvestWrite.org to submit your top ten, teacher-judged entries for each class beginning January 30, 2017. The deadline to submit InvestWrite entries is April 5, 2017.

---

Eligibility and Judging Criteria:

• Teachers and students must be currently enrolled in the Spring 2017 or the 2016-2017 year-long session of the Stock Market Game program. Teachers with classes must have a valid login ID and password. Student entries will require a valid team ID.
• Judges will base their decisions on the author’s understanding of the subject matter, rationale, and writing style.
• The national judges’ panel consists of selected Stock Market Game program staff that represents the SIFMA Foundation.
• InvestWrite entries that do not meet the criteria in the Guidelines will not be considered.
• InvestWrite entries will not be returned to the author.
• SIFMA Foundation reserves the right to edit, publish, disseminate, and otherwise use all entries at their discretion.

Complete the JA Be Entrepreneurial! Post-Program Survey–get it from your teacher.