The Stock Market and You!

A WebQuest on the Stock Market for High School Students

by Jane Briggs

Introduction | Task | Resources | Process | Learning Advice | Conclusion

INTRODUCTION

Money--it's what drives our capitalistic society.  How do people invest their money?  What risks are involved in those investments?  How much money can you or I really make during our lifetime?  Is it worth the risk?

By following the steps in this Stock Market WebQuest, you will learn about one way people make (or lose) money--the Stock Market.  You will use the World Wide Web to visit the New York Stock Exchange and work through their introduction to investing.  After learning the facts about investing, you will complete some exercises designed to get you thinking about investing.  Another part of this WebQuest is actually talking with a financial advisor and asking questions about how the market works. And, finally, you will put your knowledge to use, playing the Stock Market Game!

TASK

After following the steps of the WebQuest, you will be able to

• Complete seven short quizzes covering key terms and basic knowledge scored on-line by the New York Stock Exchange

• Complete six activities (two of which are on-line and four of which are handouts) with a partner

• Type up five questions to ask our financial advisor who will be a guest speaker in class

• Put your knowledge to work on a team playing the Stock Market Game (10-week simulation)

RESOURCES

There are two sources which you will have to use as a part of this WebQuest.  They are as follows:

• http://www.nyse.com

  • This is the New York Stock Exchange site needed for the first two sections of the process

• http://www.smg2000.org

  • This is the Stock Market Game 2000 site which you will use for the fourth section of the process

There are hundreds of resources on the World Wide Web and in print from various stock market and investing sources. Here are just a few which might be helpful to you as you move through this WebQuest:

• http://www.cnbc.com/tickerguide

  • This site is affiliated with NBC and gives up-to-date business news including ticker information, exchanges, commodity symbols, market indicators and a terrific glossary of terms

• http://www.cnnfn.com

  • This site is affiliated with CNN, Central News Network, and gives up-to-date business and financial information including markets, personal finance, industrywatch, and stock quotes
• Any search engine site such as Yahoo.com, Excite.com, Lycos.com, etc. will have current stock quotes available

CONCLUSION

After completing all the readings, activities, and games as part of this Stock Market WebQuest, you have hopefully learned the benefits (and risks) of investing.  Continue following business activity and consider investing "extra" cash whenever possible into investments--stock market or otherwise.  Consider . . .

• Talking with your parents and relatives about investments they have made
• Sending for free financial information
• Speaking to your employers at work about their investments
• Joining (or starting) an investment club
• Purchasing books or visiting the library to find out other sources of information on investing

Congratulations!  You have completed all the activities for "The Stock Market and You" WebQuest!