How do I teach the Stock Market Game™?

The Stock Market Game™ is used by teachers across Georgia and the U.S. to demonstrate how the private enterprise system works. The Stock Market Game™ shows students how the laws of economics unfold in the real world. Unlike real equity markets, the Stock Market Game™ offers students a safe and pain-free place to learn that the lessons of market economics can sometimes be costly.

While using the program, students hone their research, decision-making and math skills as they learn teamwork.

A quick look at the rules

• There is no real-time trading, no rapid buying and selling to turn quick profits, and no excessive risk-taking like there is in real equity markets.
• Stocks valued at $3 or less cannot be purchased.
• GCEE rigidly and consistently enforces Georgia’s 3×3x3 rule requiring teams to:
  • make their first transaction by the end of the third week of trading,
  • purchase at least three different stocks or mutual funds,
  • hold at least three investments for at least three business weeks (16 business days).

If you have questions, check out our Teacher FAQ page or contact Georgia’s Stock Market Game Coordinator Melissa Hegarty at 404-413-7820 or by email.

Tools for Teaching

The Georgia Council on Economic Education has lessons and materials to help your students get the most of their Stock Market Game experience.

• “SMG Essential Syllabus” an invaluable curriculum guide to help teachers connect the Stock Market Game to their curriculum. Download the guide. 
• GCEE offers training through workshops and other resources to help teachers make the Stock Market Game an effective teaching tool. Contact GCEE for more information.

How do I grade the Stock Market Game™

As a teacher, you have a lot to get done in a short amount of time. GCEE understands that. Programs like the Georgia Stock Market Game™ can help you make the most of your instructional time. While it would be unfair to grade students on the value of their team’s portfolio, there are a variety of other ways you might assign grades for Stock Market Game™ activities.

Write:

• on the rationale behind all transactions,
• an essay explaining an investment strategy that did- or didn’t- work,
• about what a student would have done differently,
• a position paper on a decision a company made that affected their stock price,
• on a topic like the 1929 stock market crash.
• on the InvestWrite competition topic.

Track:

• all transactions in a file,
• a daily record of stocks owned,
• the movement of a stock price over the 10-week trading session using a graph,
• a graph showing a portfolio’s performance,
• a weekly ranking of regional and state teams.

Analyze:

• a personal investment plan based on personal goals,
• various stocks by comparing strategies of stock selection,
• the differences between speculation and investment,
• the influence of current events on stock prices and trading decisions,
• a current event and the economic environment that could affect investment decisions,
• articles on stocks bought and sold,
• newspaper and magazine ads for publicly traded companies that produce products that students buy.

Report:

• on a specific company in a written or oral report that includes information on:
  • a product or service
  • financial data
  • current events related to changes in stock price
  • major competitors and recent challenges
• on an interview with a stockbroker, business owner or investor,
• on a book on financial investments by writing a book report,
• with a scrapbook of important daily news stories found in the financial sections of newspapers or Web sites,
• on business or financial-related television programs by keeping a log of key stock market newsmakers,
• on a field trip to a stockbroker’s office.

Create:

• a mural or bulletin board on investing,
• a crossword puzzle or jumbles game using investing terms,
• a video, program or skit about stock markets,
• a cartoon, comic book or board game related to stock markets.

For more information, or for advice on a graded activity you would like to try, contact Georgia’s Stock Market Game Coordinator Melissa Hegarty at 404-413-7820 or by email.