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 * The Stock Market Game Voicethread **

Maryland Teacher Technology Standards ****: ** Standard II: Communications B. Use technology to communicate information in a variety of formats. 1. Select appropriate technologies for a particular communications goal.
 * Game Dates: February 2, 2010 - April 16, 2010 **
 * 


 * Maryland Technology Literacy Standards for Students ****: **
 * Standard 4.0 – Technology for Communication and Expression **: Use technology to communicate information and express ideas using various media formats.

A. Communication 1. Select and use technology for communication b) Present information independently to various audiences **
 * a) Use communication tools (such as e-mail, discussion boards, online conferences, Learning Management Systems, portfolios) to gather information, share ideas, and respond to questions.

Students will use an Internet simulation game in order to buy and sell stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), the American Stock Exchange (AMEX), or NASDAQ. This lesson is appropriate for 7th and 8th grade Honor students. The library media specialist (LMS) may teach this lesson to math or social studies classes. The whole class will receive instruction in basic concepts and vocabulary of stock trading in order to be able to invest in stock. The class will view a video about the financial markets and the role of Wall Street in it. They will learn how to read a stock quote in order to determine whether a company’s stock is a good investment. They will learn how to use an Internet simulation game, which will enable them to buy and sell, short sell and short cover stocks and mutual funds. The students will then be divided into groups of three to four students and given a username and password per group in order to access this Internet simulation game. They will research and analyze at least four companies and their stock quotes, predict the performance of the companies’ stock and enter the stock into the game.
 * Description of Activity ****: **

Students will initially keep track of their research by entering information in the form of short answers on their research handout prepared by the LMS. The students will receive an imaginary $100,000. The object of the game is to make money by investing $100,000 in stock and/or mutual funds. The student teams will compete against other teams at Walker Mill and against teams in the southeast region of Maryland. The team that makes the most money becomes the winner in the south east region. Teaching the game will take three days. Day 1 will be consumed with teaching financial vocabulary and how financial markets work. Students will familiarize themselves with yahoo stock quotes and the Stock Market Game site. They will then enter a trade for Google. During Day 2 students will take a quiz about the new vocabulary using  [|www.wallwisher.com].  They will learn about Voicethread. They will research and analyze stocks and mutual funds and prepare themselves to share some hot tips about money-making stocks and comments on Voicethread. Students will then actively research and trade stocks. On Day 3, students will learn how to short sell and short cover stock, share their Voicethread comments and continue to research stocks.

One of the most beneficial features of Voicethread is its interactivity. Students are not passive observers but active participants. They learned how to use the different parts of Voicethread more quickly than I and enjoyed making comments. Voicethread worked for the Stock Market Game because it made it more interesting. Usually I just stand in front of the class and recommend certain stocks. Students will also recommend stocks or industries in which to invest in, such as the oil industry. Seeing and hearing comments on Voicethread motivated them to pay more attention. Voicethread made it “safe” to share an opinion. Students who may not want to speak up can speak or type on Voicethread. Furthermore, Voicethread sent the participants’ comments to the Voicethread originator’s e-mail where they can be used for grading. I had some struggles with Voicethread. Students’ comments were there one day and gone the next. Some comments showed up when I was logged into my Voicethread account, but they disappeared when I was not logged in and simply looked at them on the Internet. This problem of the disappearing avatars was the biggest issue for me. Another problem was that the build-up process was too time-consuming. Students had to create their own account. Then I added them to my contact list. Then they could finally speak onto my Voicethread. So sometimes it took up to ten minutes for one student to share a simple comment. However, once all the students I deal with will be enrolled in Voicethread, it will work much faster, of course. Voicethread and the Stock Market lesson went very well. Our students won 1st and 2nd place in the southeast region of Maryland. The math teacher whose classes participated in the Stock Market game won 1st place in the adult category of the southeast region. I added their pictures to my Voicethread. I am including a detailed lesson plan below.
 * Reflection **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">:


 * <span style="color: #92d050; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Library Media Standards ****<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">: **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Standard 3 **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The student who is information-literate uses information accurately and creatively. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">
 * Indicator 3**: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Applies information in critical thinking and problem-solving <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">.
 * <span style="color: #92d050; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Objective **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Students will use an Internet Simulation Game in order to buy and sell stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), the American Stock Exchange (AMEX), or NASDAQ.


 * <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">Day 1 ****<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">: ** **<span style="color: #92d050; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Warm-Up **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">List four companies whose products or services you have used or are currently using. For example, Google.


 * <span style="color: #92d050; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Introduction **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea;">Divide students into teams of three or four. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Place worksheets with the names of the students in a group on the tables in the media center. Students will sit with their team members. On Day 1 discuss warm-up and explain p <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea;">urpose of lesson: to understand the value of investing in stocks; to learn the language of the financial world, such as stock, stock market, exchange, equity, margin, etc. Tell students that they will play a game. The object of the game is to make money. The team that earns the most money will win. This activity will be done in the form of an online game at <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; msofareastfontfamily: +mn-ea;">[|www.stockmarketgame.org] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Students will use the companies listed in their warm-up exercise as a starting point for researching companies to invest in.

Rules of the game include the following. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea;">Students will receive an imaginary $100,000 which they need to spend it on the stock of at least four different companies. These companies need to be traded on NYSE, AMEX, or NASDAQ. Students must buy at least 100 shares per stock. The price per share needs to be at least $5.00. The deadline for entering trades is April 16, 2010. The team that makes the most money by the deadline wins. Guided Activity **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Ask the students what they already know about stocks. Discuss. In order to understand what a stock and a stock market are and how stocks are traded, let students watch a **video** titled, “How Wall Street Works.” Watch the segment titled “Why Companies Issue Securities.” <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; msofareastfontfamily: +mn-ea;">[] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea;"> Tell students to focus their attention on what stock/shares/securities and the stock markets are, why and how stock is traded from the issuer’s and the buyer’s perspectives. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Buying and selling stock: What’s in it for the company? What’s in it for the buyer? <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea;">What is Wall Street’s role in the financial markets? What is a bull? What is a bear in regard to stock trading? Students will take notes with these points in mind.
 * <span style="color: #92d050; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Students will work in their teams to find the answers to these questions. They will then discuss their answers with the whole class. Then demonstrate to students how to find stock quotes by going to [] Use the stock quote for Google. The current stock quote for Google will appear on the screen or Promethean board if available. Students will also have a Google stock quote in front of them in the form of a print-out. While explaining the vocabulary associated with the Google Stock quote, students will label the parts of the quote on their paper. The LMS will label the parts of the stock quote on the Promethean board. (If a Promethean board is not available, a visualizer may be used.)

After explaining vocabulary related to stock quotes, show students where and how to enter their trades.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The following vocabulary **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">will be labeled on the quote and defined: Ticker symbol, stock, security, share, stock exchange, last trade, change, percentage change, open, bid, ask, volume, market capitalization (large cap, mid cap, small cap), P/E (Price/Earnings per Share), EPS (Earnings per Share), net income, dividend, yield, economy, supply and demand.

Go to [|http://www.stockmarketgame.org] There will be more vocabulary words that students need to know in order to successfully execute trades: Mutual fund, market order, limit order, margin, equity, S&P index, short cover, short sell, (Students won’t short stock this time). Demonstrate how to enter a trade. Remind students of the stock market game rules. To keep track of their purchases students will use a handout prepared by the LMS. This requires the students to list and/or answer the following questions: Company name, ticker symbol, exchange, industry, last trade, previous close, percentage change between current price and previous close, competitors, 52-week range, P/E, EPS, and company profile. Students will draw a 3-month graph and a 5-day graph of the stock they bought. Finally based on those data, students will write a BCR answering the question why they decided to invest in this stock. The LMS will enter a trade for Google using her own Stock Market Game account and together with the students fill in the information asked for on the handout.


 * <span style="color: #92d050; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Independent Practice **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">: Students were already divided into groups of three or four. They will work together. Point out that each group has their own username and password, which are listed on the handout. Students will familiarize themselves with yahoo stock quotes and the Stock Market Game website. They will then enter a trade for Google.


 * <span style="color: #92d050; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">Assessment **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">: Teacher and LMS observation.


 * <span style="color: #92d050; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Closure **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Tell students what they can expect to learn the next day.


 * <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">Day 2 **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">: Technology and Library Standards are the same as on Day 1. Let students work together in the computer lab for this lesson.


 * <span style="color: #92d050; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Objective **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Students will use an Internet Simulation Game in order to buy and sell stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), the American Stock Exchange (AMEX), or NASDAQ.


 * <span style="color: #92d050; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Warm-Up **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Team A started with $100,000. They entered a trade to buy 1000 shares of XYZ stock at $60 per share. Broker’s fees were 2% of the price of the 1000 shares. Calculate the total cost of the trade and the cash balance. (Cash balance means: How much has the team left over to spend on other trades?)


 * <span style="color: #92d050; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Introduction **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">: Discuss warm-up. Tell students that the warm-up showed some of the things that the Stock Market Game website does for them, such as calculating broker’s fees, equity, and cash balance.


 * <span style="color: #92d050; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Guided Practice **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">: In order to reinforce the new financial vocabulary words, the LMS will write new words on [|www.wallwisher.com]. Students will discuss the answer with their teammates and post their “sticky” answers. The LMS will then tell students that Voicethread will be used to share some of their research with the class in the form of hot tips and comments. The LMS will show a Voicethread example to students and briefly demonstrate how it works. The LMS will take pictures of students or record/tape them while they are conducting research.


 * <span style="color: #92d050; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Independent Practice ****<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">: **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Give students a list of the stocks that investor Warren Buffett invested in. Explain who Warren Buffett is. Students may use the companies on the Warren Buffett list or the companies that they listed in their warm-up on Day 1. They may also explore other companies. After analyzing companies the group needs to predict which companies are likely to make the most money for the group. They will then decide in their groups which stock to pick and enter the trades. Finally they will record some of their findings onto Voicethread with the help of the LMS.


 * <span style="color: #92d050; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Assessment **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">: LMS and teacher observation.


 * <span style="color: #92d050; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Closure **<span style="color: #92d050; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Ask students to define one new vocabulary word.


 * <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Day 3 ****<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">: **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Technology and Library Standards are the same as on Day 1. Let students come together in the computer lab for this lesson.


 * <span style="color: #92d050; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Objective **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Students will use an Internet Simulation Game in order to buy and sell stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), the American Stock Exchange (AMEX), or NASDAQ.


 * <span style="color: #92d050; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Warm-Up **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">: Examine this stock quote. Would this have been a profitable investment? Explain why or why not. Use words and numbers. (The LMS will show a stock quote on the document camera, visualizer or Promethean board.)


 * <span style="color: #92d050; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Guided Practice **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">: Let students compare their answers with their team members. Discuss the warm-up. Then explain what shorting a stock means and demonstrate how to short stock in the Stock Market Game. Tell students the following: When an investor expects stock to decrease in price, he/she may elect to short this stock. To sell short you borrow shares that you don’t own from your broker. You sell these shares and pocket the money. Then you wait for the price of the stock to drop. If it does, you buy the shares at the lower price, turn them over to your broker (plus interest and commission) and keep the difference.

Here is an example without broker’s fees and commission. You borrow 100 shares at $10 per share from your broker. You sell short these 100 shares of stock priced at $10 per share getting $1,000. When the price drops to $7.50 per share, you buy 100 shares at $7.50 per share getting $750. You return $750 to your broker and keep $250, which is the difference between $1,000 and $750. Buying the shares back is called covering a short position. In this case, because you sold them for more than you paid to replace them you made a profit and you didn’t have to lay out any money to do it. However, what are the risks of this strategy? Discuss. The LMS will then show students’ Voicethreads to the class.


 * <span style="color: #92d050; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Independent Practice **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">: Students may now use the stock promoted on Voicethread or as before they may use Warren Buffett’s list or their own lists created in their warm-up on Day 1. Students will continue to research, analyze, predict, buy, sell, short sell or short cover stocks.


 * <span style="color: #92d050; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Assessment **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">: LMS and teacher observation.

<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· Ask the students what the difference is between short cover and short sell. <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· Tell students the following: <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o They need to make at least one trade per week before the deadline in order to sell unprofitable stock and buy profitable stock. <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o They may also invest in mutual funds. <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Courier New'; msolist: Ignore;">o They may short stock.
 * <span style="color: #92d050; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Closure ****<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">: **