Introduction to the Stock Market

State Standards	Multiple Intelligences	Learning Styles
Bloom's Taxonomy	Mind Styles	Retention

Goals & Objectives

At the end of this stock market WebQuest, Students will be able to:

Understand what the stock market is and how it works.
Explain the factors that go into choosing stocks to invest in.
Read and interpret stock tables.
Collect and analyze data for their stocks daily.
Calculate a net gain or loss for stocks.
Summarize findings to a group and compare other group members' data.
Present conclusive data and prove their knowledge and comfort with the stock market.

Curriculum Standards

Th following New Jersey State Curriculum Standards are addressed through this WebQuest:

Social Studies Standards Addressed:

STANDARD 6.5 (Economics) All students will acquire an understanding of key economic principles.

B. Economics and Society
Compare and contrast the roles of the United States government and the private sector in the United States economy (e.g., Federal Reserve System, United States Mint, Stock Exchange).

Consumer, Life Skills Standards Addressed:

STANDARD 9.1 (Career and Technical Education) All students will develop career awareness and planning, employability skills, and foundational knowledge necessary for success in the workplace.

B. Employability Skills
Demonstrate teamwork and leadership skills that include student participation in real world applications of career and technical education skills.
All students electing further study in career and technical education will also:
1. Participate in a structured learning experience that demonstrates interpersonal communication, teamwork, and leadership skills.

STANDARD 9.2 (Consumer, Family, and Life Skills) All students will demonstrate critical life skills in order to be functional members of society

A. Critical Thinking
Apply communications and data analysis to the problem-solving and decision making processes in a variety of life situations.
Describe and apply constructive responses to criticism.
Apply the use of symbols, pictures, graphs, objects, and other visual information to a selected project in academic and/or occupational settings.

C. Interpersonal Communication
1. Model interpersonal and effective conflict resolution skills.
2. Communicate effectively in a variety of settings with a diverse group of people.

E. Consumer and Personal Finance
6. Analyze the impact of advertising, peer pressure, and living arrangements on personal purchasing decisions.

Technological Literacy Standards Addressed:

STANDARD 8.1 (Computer and information literacy ) All students will use computer applications to gather and organize information and to solve problems

A. Basic Computer Skills and Tools
3. Construct a spreadsheet, enter data, use mathematical or logical functions to manipulate and process data, generate charts and graphs, and interpret the results.
5. Produce a multimedia project using text, graphics, moving images, and sound.

Science Standards Addressed:

STANDARD 5.3 (Mathematical Applications) All students will integrate mathematics as a tool for problem-solving in science, and as a means of expressing and/or modeling scientific theories.

D. Data Analysis and Probability Construct and interpret graphs of data to represent inverse and non-linear relationships, and statistical distributions.

STANDARD 5.1 (Scientific Processes) All students will develop problem-solving, decision-making and inquiry skills, reflected by formulating usable questions and hypotheses, planning experiments, conducting systematic observations, interpreting and analyzing data, drawing conclusions, and communicating results.

A. Habits of Mind

When making decisions, evaluate conclusions, weigh evidence, and recognize that arguments may not have equal merit.
Assess the risks and benefits associated with alternative solutions.
Engage in collaboration, peer review, and accurate reporting of findings.

Language Arts Literacy Standards Addressed:

STANDARD 3.3 (Speaking) All students will speak in clear, concise, organized language that varies in content and form for different audiences and purposes.

A. Discussion

Support a position integrating multiple perspectives.
Support, modify, or refute a position in small or large-group discussions.
Assume leadership roles in student-directed discussions, projects, and forums.

D. Oral Presentation

Speak for a variety of purposes (e.g., persuasion, information, entertainment, literary interpretation, dramatization, personal expression).
Use a rubric to self-assess and improve oral presentation skills.

Click here to learn more about the New Jersey State Curriculum Standards.

To Address Gardner's Multiple Intelligences:

PowerPoint, analyzing graphs and charts for the visual/spatial learners
Recoding and Interpreting Data, calculating gain/loss for the logical/ mathematical learners
Oral Presentation for the verbal/linguistic learners
Recognizing patterns for the musical learners
Collecting data, creating spreadsheets with the computer for the bodily/kinesthetic learners
Group work, interdependence, group consultations, and group presentation for the interpersonal learners.
Stock market worksheets and individual research for intrapersonal learners

To Address Dunn & Dunn's Learning Styles:

Control the environment by ensuring there is enough light to see computer screens, not too much noise in the classroom and comfortable temperature.
Address the emotional side of learners by ensuring they are motivated, roles give them a sense of personal as well as group responsibility.
On a sociological level, students will be working individually as well as in teams to complete this webquest.
Physiologically, the students have time limits for the data collection and final presentation, they are allowed a degree of mobility, and perceptually, they must take in information and use the computer to both enter and interpret data as well as to create a PowerPoint presentation.
Students will be engaged psychologically making both impulsive and reflective decision making independently and as a group during consultation.

To Address Bloom's Taxonomy:

Knowledge: define stock market terms, memorize parts of a stock table
Comprehension: describe the difference between risky and conservative stocks, predict trends
Application: choose stocks, interpret data, compute net changes
Analysis: compare industries, identify differences, question how to invest
Synthesis: combine data, generate a presentation, summarize group's findings
Evaluation: self-assess using rubric, justify position of presentation, defend decisions about investing strategies

To Address Gregorc's Mind Styles:

Concrete Sequential: learners will enjoy data collection and analysis, the structure of the project, applying stock concepts to practical situations, and having a rubric to gauge their progress.
Abstract Sequential: learners will enjoy the order and logic behind the data collection as well as the independent aspect of this WebQuest.
Concrete Random: learners will enjoy solving problems independently via worksheets and collecting their own data as well as experimenting with the stock market to learn more about it.
Abstract Random: learners will enjoy bringing harmony to the group, interdependence, creating a PowerPoint with graphics and colorful slides.

To Ensure Students Retain this Information:

A brief lecture on the stock market would only ensure a 5% retention rate.
Reading information from websites and other resources ensures 10% retention rate.
Use of AudioVisual sources like the computer and internet sites ensures 20% retention rate.
Group discussion and consultation ensures a 50% retention rate.
Practice by doing via collecting stock quotes and computing gains/losses ensures 75% retention rate.
Teaching others during group consultation and group analysis of data ensures 90% retention.

Additionally, Students will remember things that makes sense and mean something in their lives. As high school students, money and finances are increasingly important as they begin to save for cars, gas money, and college. By appealing to these everyday concerns, the students will undoubtedly be interested in the safest (or quickest!) way to increase their savings!