Skip to Main Content

Stock Market 101

Students will invest some time into learning about investing in the stock market, then create a chart to follow several chosen stocks.

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

Gather all the supplies needed to bring your craft ideas to life! From paints and markers to glue and scissors, our crafts section has everything to spark creativity and make every project truly special.

  • Paper

Steps

  • Step 1

    Have students learn about the stock market. What does owning stock mean?  Why do companies sell stock in their business? Why do people buy stock? What affects the buying and selling price of a stock?  What is a bull market? What is a bear market? There are short educational videos on YouTube for middle school students that might be helpful.

  • Step 2

    Ask students to choose several, perhaps four or five, stocks to follow. Then have them create a chart so that they can follow the trends over a period of time. They can list the stocks across a sheet of paper, then mount this list onto a larger piece of heavy paper that has been labeled and illustrated.

  • Step 3

    Encourage students to record the stocks' prices and fluctuations over a given period of time. Then have a class discussion about what they learned about fluctuating stock prices, stock trends, and investing in the stock market.

Standards

SS: Production, Distribution, and Consumption: People may be able to improve their ability to earn income by gaining new knowledge, skills, and experience. 

SS: Production, Distribution, and Consumption: Explore economic decision-making by comparing one’s own economic experiences with those of others.

Adaptations

Have students form groups to collaboratively create and design a board game relating to the stock market. Perhaps a player advances across the board based on a card that's picked. If the card indicates that the stock is up that day they move forward the designated number of spaces. If the stock has lost value they move back one space. There could be challenge questions that reward the player who gets it right with additional shares. 

Have students pick one stock to "invest" in by buying shares with pretend money, then follow the trends. Have them note the stock's value at the end of each day and plot what they've earned or lost.