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Illinois Council on Economic Education:
The Stock Market Game ProgramThe Stock Market Game

Teacher Resources - Educational

 

The primary source of lessons and educational activities for use with the SMG program should be the Teacher Support Center accessed through a registered teacher's login and password. In addition to those resources, this material will help the SMG teacher teach about the stock market, teach research and incorporate the news into their classroom lessons and activities. 

  • Taking Stock - (New 9/08) This handout is ideal for distribution to your students at the very beginning of your SMG unit. Have the students go home and take stock of the products they use in their daily life. When the team has their first meeting, they will discuss the products on their lists, use Yahoo Finance to research the company name, if not known, and find if this company is publicly listed or is a subsidiary of a parent company, which either is or is not publicly listed. The ticker symbol will be located and the team will discuss which of these companies, if any, they want to purchase for their portfolio. This resource helps students to understand the principle "buy what you know."
  • Take Stock in Illinois / Chicago - This Excel file contains three worksheets of stocks: Companies with headquarters in Chicago; Companies with headquarters outside Chicago; all headquartered companies in Illinois. The list includes hot links to company research and each company's home page. (lists dated 2006)

    In the SMG program, students can trade nearly any stock listed on the NYSE, AMEX or Nasdaq exchanges. However, this geographic-based list allows teachers to narrow their student's focus if they feel it is helpful in their implementation of the simulation. Use of this list is best advised for teachers of younger students or when the SMG is used with a geography unit.

  • Alphabet - (New 10/29/08) This colorful activity helps students think about "products" and "companies". Students give product or company names to letters of the alphabet that are taken from product packaging. Answer sheet included. This activity can be projected on a screen for the entire class, as opposed to reproducing in color for each student.
  • Bulletin Boards - Suggestions for interactive bulletin boards.
  • Sticky Tickers - How to guide your students to find the correct Ticker Symbol for the company in which they wish to invest.
  • The Math of Selling Short - Explains selling short and risks involved. Includes mathematical formulas for short sell transactions and short cover transactions (This handout is also available in SMG's Teacher Support Center.)
  • Meeting the Margin - This handout explains the concept of buying on margin and it's risks. Includes charts and mathematical formula for calculating borrowing charges. (This handout is also available in SMG's Teacher Support Center.)
  • Shopping in Timbuktu - Exchange Rate.

Bonds

  • Bonds and the SMG - (New 10/29/08) This PowerPoint presentation will help the SMG teacher see how Bonds are included as part of the SMG portfolio. It is not an instructional presentation for students - it is specifically for the SMG teacher.
  • Bonds 101 - (New 10/29/08) This PowerPoint helps the viewer learn about Bonds. In general, this PPT is helpful for both the teacher and student learner.

Mutual Funds

  • The Investment Company Institute (ICI) web site is an excellent starting point for SMG teachers and students new to mutual funds. The ICI web site is commercial free. It is located at: http://www.ici.org.
  • Morningstar.com is another good source for mutual fund information. Visit their "Investing Classroom" for an introduction to mutual funds and fund investment strategies. They also offer news and fund research tools. However, it should be noted that Morningstar is a commercial site that allows advertising.
  • CBS MarketWatch is another commercial site useful for learning about mutual funds and conducting research on investing in them. Click "Funds/ETFs" for access to a directory of mutual funds, news, and research.

Using the Newspaper with the SMG Program

  • Using the Newspaper to Analyze and Predict Market Events - Students use the skills of skimming and scanning, reading, critical thinking and prediction while working in their teams or individually.
  • Stock Market Scavenger Hunt - An activity to teach your students how to research using the newspaper and how to interpret data they find there. Good basic math and language arts activity.
  • How to Relate the News of the Day to the Stock Market - What is "Good News"? What is "Bad News"?
  • Try Using the News for Stock Tips - An activity sheet with six brief challenges that will engage students in newspaper research.

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