The Stock Market Game

They think they're playing a game. You know they're learning economic and financial concepts they'll use for the rest of their lives.

Please Note: EconomicsWisconsin now offers the Stock Market Game (www.stockmarketgame.org).

We are no longer associated with the Wisconsin Stock Market Simulation (Wisconsin SMS).

Read an overview of the major changes.

Register for fall or spring games now!

FAQs

What is the Stock Market Game?

Who can use the Stock Market Game?

What do students learn?

Does the program help me meet my state's learning standards?

How can the SMG help my business / math / social studies / econ / elementary / gifted and talented students?

How can I measure how well my students are doing?

How do I get started?

How do students make trades?

What resources are provided?

What training is provided?

How do I register for a FREE Stock Market Game workshop?

What is the cost to participate in the Stock Market Game?

Is there funding available?

Are there prizes awarded?

How does the InvestWrite essay contest work?

How do I register for the Stock Market Game?

How can I learn more about the Stock Market Game?

Who sponsors the Stock Market Game?

What schools have won the Stock Market Game?

Is there a program that allows me to trade commodities, options, and futures?

Sign up for our mailing list.

Stock Market Game (SMG)

The SMG is an easy and simple method of learning how to invest in the stock market without using real money. Students manage hypothetical $100,000 investment portfolios as they compete for a trip to NYC where they will tour the NYSE, visit the Statue of Liberty, and catch a Broadway show. Ten week games are offered each semester. A separate year long program runs each October to April.

The SMG is the only market simulation that is endorsed by the New York Stock Exchange and is correlated to voluntary national and state standards in Math, Economics, Business Education, English Language Arts, Family and Consumer Sciences, Technology and Social Studies. It is run by a non-profit foundation that does not accept advertising or merchandise company products in delivering the program. It has more than 30 years of educational programming built into and around it and is played in schools around the world. This year 700,000 students, along with their 25,000 teachers, used the SMG program to improve their basic skills, learned about our economic system, and had fun!

Further, its hands-on support system for teachers includes workshop training, lesson plans, comprehensive curriculum materials, and a network of state-based distribution organizations, and state SMG coordinators who administer the program and provide "TLC".

Who Can Use the SMG?

The program is available to all 4-12 public and private school students throughout the state of Wisconsin. Because the SMG program can be used to meet requirements in so many subjects, teaching strategies will vary with the age of the student participants. It's not unusual for students to participate in the program several times between grades 4 through 12, focusing on different areas with each new program. Visit the Teacher Support Center for an in depth presentation of the teaching materials available.

We also offer the Stock Market Game to adults, technical college students, and the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.

4-12 Teachers who use the SMG often teach:

• after school club activities
• business education
• economics
• financial education
• general elementary classes
• gifted and talented programs
• mathematics
• social studies

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What Do Students Learn?

Economic and financial ignorance can lead to expensive mistakes. Help your students get a jump start on their financial futures by teaching these vital skills today. When students learn that they are capable of building wealth, they also become capable of building more economically stable neighborhoods and communities for the future.

SMG helps your students learn and understand the stock market, and the costs and benefits involved in investing, decision making, and other related economic concepts. It has cross-curriculum benefits and can help participants learn important life skills such as budgeting, decision-making, and personal finance.

The lessons and activities available in the Teacher Support Center provide students the opportunity to practice skills used in standardized testing (graphics, charts, DBQ, etc.).

Students Learn:

• Introduction of financial markets and institutions
  
• How to choose and buy stocks
  
• How supply and demand operate in real markets
  
• Connection between current events and the economy
  
• The role of Wisconsin and the US in the world economy
  
• Key economic events of history
  
• Personal finance and budgeting skills
  
• Value of investing for the future
  
• And more!

How can the SMG help your students?

Business Education Teachers: Use the SMG to teach students about business organizations, capital formation, marketing, finance, budgeting, personal finance, consumerism, and about the securities industry.

Cross Curriculum, Middle School: The SMG offers a free publication called Learning from the Market, a is collection of lessons that integrates skills taught through The Stock Market Game across several subject areas. This publication is accessible to registered teachers. Logon to the Teacher Resource Center. Click on In The Classroom and then Publications.

Elementary and Gifted and Talented Teachers: Use the SMG to reinforce math skills such as converting fractions to decimals and to introduce children to the value of investing and saving for the future. Students also develop group decision-making, conflict resolution, data collection and analysis, problem solving and critical thinking skills.

Financial Education Teachers: Use the SMG to teach money management skills, to help students analyze and balance risk against benefits in financial planning, and to and develop goals and budgets.

Math Teachers: Students will see real-world applications as they learn to use ratios, decimals, estimating skills, fractions, amounts of money, basic computation, percentages, graphs, and charts. Middle School and High School teachers: The SMG offers a free curriculum called Math Behind the Markets for Middle and High School! This publication is accessible to registered teachers. Logon to the Teacher Resource Center. (Click on In The Classroom and then Publications. Select the middle school or high school version.) Teachers can download free activity samples before registering. Each is correlated to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Standards and Principles.

Social Studies and Economics Teachers: The SMG will reinforce your introduction of financial markets and institutions, supply and demand, profit and loss, opportunity cost, history, current events and more! The SMG offers a free publication for Middle School Social Studies: The NYC DOE Social Studies Units is a collection of activities for 8th grade students which enables a Project Based approach to Social Studies by integrating The Stock Market Game into a unit of study, while providing review and practice of skills and addressing the key ideas and strands in social studies: historical and political, economic, social, and cultural.

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Does the program help me meet my state's learning standards?

The SMG program has been correlated to national and state standards for Economics, Mathematics, Business, English and Language Arts, Social Studies, Technology, and Family and Consumer Sciences. This commitment assures teachers that the SMG program provides a meaningful educational activity. The correlations can be helpful guidelines in using the SMG program to meet state or local standards in these areas. Information is also available from the SMG coordinators.

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How do I get started?

You must first complete a free teacher training workshop (either online or in person) before you can register teams.

Once you register team, you will be given team numbers and passwords to access your accounts as well access to the SMG Teacher Support Center. The Teacher Support Center is organized into three sections:

1. Understanding the SMG - Everything a first time user needs to know to get started
   
2. Manage Student Portfolios - View your students' portfolios to see what trades have been made, the portfolio value, etc.
   
3. In the Classroom - Lessons, standards correlations, and additional classroom teaching resources.
   

We recommend that you view The Teachers Guide (found in the Understanding the SMG section) which is designed to answer the typical questions of teachers who are using The Stock Market Game (SMG) program for the first time and "...don't know where or how to begin". This will guide you through the steps of preparing your students, as they begin their research and building their portfolios. This guide also includes tips from teachers all across the U.S. with strategies they've found most successful in integrating the simulation into the classroom.

Next, visit the 'Lesson Sequence' section found under the 'In the Classroom' section. You can select the grade level, knowledge level (beginner, intermediate, advanced) and subject that you teach. Once you input your information, the system will generate a report of lesson plans, based on your criteria, that can be taught in sequence. The lessons will cover everything you need to teach your students before they invest, how to select investments, how to track investments, and what to do at the end of the game. You are free to use as many or as few of the lessons as you see fit; it is entirely up to you.

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How can I measure how well my students are doing? Are there evaluation tools available?

The Teacher Support Center offers tools to use for assessing student understanding of the concepts taught. Multiple choice, pre- and post- tests are available for each unit (with answer keys), as well as overarching projects (with rubrics for grading).

Lastly, SMG hosts a national essay contest, InvestWrite , to identify the students' grasp of saving and investing.

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Trading

Trades are made via the SMG web site, www.stockmarketgame.org Students can gain access to accounts on our web site 24/7 to review account activity, review class rankings, and research stocks. Internet teams can place orders 24/7 via the SMG web site.

Resources:

We provide a flexible curriculum that can stand alone or supplement your existing curriculum. Free teacher training is available to help you make the stock market a real and understandable piece of your economic knowledge. Online training is available year round or attend a face-to-face session held each January and September. If you need help finding the funds to participate, contact us to find out how we can help.

Free Teacher Training Workshop: Provide teachers with hands on experience with the SMG. View details.

Free Curriculum: Teachers who complete our free teacher training workshop receive a free copy of Learning, Earning, and Investing
Curriculum material is also available to registered SMG teachers in the Teacher Support Center.


Free copies of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel : The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel provides complimentary newspapers during the SMG (no weekend or holiday delivery) to schools within their 12 county delivery area. One copy is provided for each SMG advisor and one copy for each SMG team. If your school is not within their delivery area, comtact your local newspaper and request to speak to the Newspapers In Education Department. They may donate newspapers for your classroom.

Help Desk: A live help desk is available regular business hours to answer your questions and assist you in any way. You can also email any questions.



Additional help:

• EconomicsWisconsin also offers lessons specifically related to the Stock Market Game.
  
  
• Links to lesson plans and online activities covering all areas of economics and financial literacy can be found in the resource section of our web site.
  
• Our Online Guide consists of links to lesson plans sorted by grade level and Wisconsin State Standards for teaching economics.
  
  
  
  
  SMG Publications:
  
  The following publications are accessible to registered teachers. Logon to the Teacher Resource Center. Click on In The Classroom and then Publications.

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Free Training Workshops: Teachers Can Be Millionaires, Too!

The Wisconsin Stock Market Game is available to all public, private, and home schools in Wisconsin. To be eligible to participate, teachers new to the program are required to attend a training workshop. Workshops are located throughout the state in September and January of each year. Workshops begin at 8:00 a.m. and conclude by 1:30 p.m. or earlier. Each workshop includes a complimentary breakfast, lunch, or dinner depending on location. Registration is required at least one week in advance. Online training is also available.

How you will benefit from this workshop:

Teachers often regard themselves as unlikely candidates for financial success, chiefly because they earn low starting salaries. But people of modest means can build wealth over time if they adhere to certain simple strategies. Our goal here is to explain this point as it applies to teachers.

• Learn the basics of stocks, bonds and mutual funds
  
• Learn simple strategies for building wealth over the long term.
  
• Learn practical tips that you can begin applying in your personal decision-making.
  
• Learn the connection between principles of economics and personal finance.
  
• Learn how to help your students develop the real-life skills they need to succeed: to be able to think and choose responsibly as consumers, savers, investors, citizens, members of the workforce, and effective participants in a global economy.
  
• Learn how to apply lessons from Learning, Earning and Investing and how to use the Stock Market Game in your classroom.

All lessons have been classroom-tested and reviewed by teachers, economic educators and economists.

View sample lessons from Learning, Earning, and Investing at http://lei.ncee.net/.

Stock Market Game Workshops

Workshop Registration

• To register for the Milwaukee area workshop, e-mail your name, school name, address, phone and fax number, email address, and the subjects and grades that you teach.
  
  
• Call (414) 221-9785
  
  
• Register for the online teacher workshop

Questions?

Please email or call (414) 221-9785.

Online Workshop

If you are unable to participate in person, an online workshop is available. Complete the various units of the online training and you will be eligible to participate in the SMG. The workshop is available year round and can be completed at your leisure. This course is also available to teachers already participating. All Wisconsin teachers who participating will receive a free copy of Learning, Earning, and Investing, a multi-faceted, comprehensive investor education program for students in grades four through 12.

Register for the online teacher workshop


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Cost

10 and 15 Week Games:

There is a fee of $20 fee per team for the 10 and 15 week games. SMG teams are generally comprised of one to five students. While larger teams are allowed to participate, EconomicsWisconsin may be required to limit prizes and awards for larger teams due to budgetary constraints.

Enrichment Game:

There is a fee of $20 fee per teams participating in the Enrichment game. SMG teams are generally comprised of one to five students. While larger teams are allowed to participate, EconomicsWisconsin may be required to limit prizes and awards for larger teams due to budgetary constraints.

School Year Challenge (Sept. - April): There is a fee of $35 per team for the School Year Challenge. Teams are generally comprised of one to five students. While larger teams are allowed to participate, EconomicsWisconsin may be required to limit prizes and awards for larger teams due to budgetary constraints.

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Funding

Funding may be available to help schools in need. Contact EconomicsWisconsin to request funds. Please include your name, the name of your school and the number of teams that you would like to register.

You may also wish to contact area businesses to ask for their support. We have composed a letter to help guide you in the process.

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Prizes

10 Week and 15 Week Game Awards:

10 Week Game and 15 Week Award Details:

Rankings are based on a team's total equity in relation to the current value of the S&P 500 and will be calculated daily. Rankings will be viewed as a percentage either above or below the S&P 500 value. Learn more about how teams are ranked.

Awards are given to the top 5 teams in each of the following divisions: Elementary, Middle School and High School. If a team consists of students from two or more grade levels, they must compete in the division appropriate for the highest grade level (i.e. a team consisting of both 5th and 6th grade students must compete in the middle school division, or a team of both 8th and 9th grade students must compete in the high school division).

Winning teams will receive:

• Recognition at a Stock Market Game Awards Banquet
  
• Certificates for each student, advisor and school
  
• Medal for each student
  
• T-shirts (to be distributed at awards banquet; will not be mailed if a team is unable to attend.)
  

  
  New York City Trip - In addition to the above competitions, all students in the 15 week and 10 week games compete in an all ages competition for a trip to New York City. One all expense paid trip to NYC will be awarded each semester. The trip will be awarded to the top team from either game who performed best against the S&P 500. The team that performed best against the S&P 500 will receive:

  • A trip to NYC for up to five team members and their advisor.
    
  • A framed certificate signed by the Governor
    
  • A traveling trophy - The name of the winning school will be added to the list of past winners that are engraved on the trophy. The trophy may be displayed at the school but must be returned to Economics Wisconsin at the end of following SMG to be passed on to the next winning team
    
    

Details of The SMG NYC Trip:

• The trip is sponsored by: Midwest Airlines, Robert W. Baird & Company, Inc and Economics Wisconsin.
• This award is limited to official participants in teh Wisconsin Stock Market Game.
• This trip to New York City will depart from Mitchell International Airport-Milwaukee for the actual members of the winning team (not to exceed 5) plus its advisor.
• Economics Wisconsin reserves the right to review and approve the participation of the team's advisor or other chaperone.
• All participants are responsible for ground transportation to and from their homes to the airport and hotel costs if they choose to stay in Milwaukee prior to or after the trip.
• Scheduling of the specific dates for the trip is subject to seat availability on Midwest Airlines.
• Dates of the trip will be set by the sponsors. Winning team may not select their preferred dates of travel.
• Once ticketed, flight itinerary cannot be changed and tickets cannot be redeemed for cash.
• Hotel, meals and ground transportation in New York City will be provided by Robert W. Baird & Company, Inc.
• Liability insurance for the team and their advisor must be provided by the team's school district as Robert W. Baird & Company, Inc., Midwest Airlines and Economics Wisconsin cannot provide such coverage and will accept no responsibility therefore.

Enrichment Game Awards

Teams compete in the elementary, middle school or high school division. First place teams in each division will receive a pizza party in additional to certificates for each student and advisor. EconomicsWisconsin will reimburse the SMG advisor for up to $100 for a pizza party for the team and/or class.

School Year Challenge Awards

Teams compete in a statewide seven month simulation. First through third place teams in the state will receive a cash award as outlined below, certificates for each student, advisor and school, in addition to T-shirts, recognition at the regional awards banquet and a traveling trophy (The name of the winning school will be added to the list of past winners engraved on the trophy. The trophy may be displayed at the school but must be returned to Economics Wisconsin at the end of the year to be passed on to the next winning team the following year).

Other Competitions

Teachers, adults, and college and technical college students may compete in a separate 10 week simulation.

Teams from the Department of Corrections can compete in our DOC SMG competition.

Prizes are awarded as outlined below.

InvestWrite - A Nationwide Essay Contest

Students participating in the SMG are also eligible to enter the SMG Essay Contest, InvestWrite. InvestWrite is an innovative national writing competition, produced by The Stock Market Game program, that adds a critical thinking component to help reinforce concepts learned in the classroom.

• Every student currently registered in The Stock Market Game program with a valid team login ID and password is eligible.
• Your students participate by writing essays in their grade division: Elementary (4-5), Middle School (6-8), High School (9-12).
• Every assignment introduces or relates to investment principles linked to The Stock Market Game program. Each InvestWrite assignment ties to various lessons throughout the curriculum.
• Teachers can choose to assign the InvestWrite writing assignment as an in-class or homework assignment.
• Both teachers and students will have a chance to win gift certificates, laptop computers, and trips to New York or Disney World.
• Each participating student submission has a chance to be reviewed by the competition's first round judge...you, the teacher.
• Then, as the first round judge, you select the top five responses from each class or group of participants (based on the guidelines and directions).
• Then submit them electronically to the next round of evaluation at the national level on this web site.
  
  
  Visit the InvestWrite web site to learn more and to view current National awards.

InvestWrite State Awards

Past National Awards have included:

 

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Register for the SMG

You must first complete a workshop to be eligible to participate.

If you have already completed a workshop, visit the SMG web site to register teams or submit a registration form.

 

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To learn more about the Stock Market Game:

WEB SITE: Visit the Stock Market Game web site.

RULES: Visit the Stock Market Game web site.

CONTACT: Email or call (414) 221- 9785.

Free Teacher Promo Games: Register for a free game! To register, visit the Stock Market Game web site.

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Sponsors:

Department of Financial Institutions, State of Wisconsin

Robert W. Baird & Co

Midwest Airlines

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The Security Traders Association of Wisconsin

Stock Market Game

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First Place Winning Wisconsin Schools 1989 to the Present:

Spring 2008 - Brookfield Central High School
Fall 2007 - Tullar Elem. School, Neenah, WI
Spring 2007 - Stratford High School
Fall 2006 - Menasha High School
Spring 2006 -Pioneer School, Platteville
Fall 2005 - Stoughton High School
Spring 2005 - West DePere Middle School
Fall 2004 - East Troy High School
Spring 2004 - Pioneer School, Platteville
Fall 2003 - DePere High School
Spring 2003 - Appleton North High School
Fall 2002 - Marinette High School
Spring 2002 - Verona High School
Fall 2001 - Marinette High School
Spring 2001 - Shullsburg JHS
Fall 2000 - DeForest High School
Spring 2000 - Reedsville High School
Fall 1999 - Marinette High School of the Arts
Spring 1999 - Milwaukee High School of the Arts
Fall 1998 - Milwaukee School of Entrepreneurship
Spring 1998 - Reedsville High School
Fall 1997 - Pilgrim Park Middle School, Elm Grove
Spring 1997 - South Shore Junior High School, Port Wing
Fall 1996 - Randolph High School
Spring 1996 - Pius XI High School, Milwaukee
Fall 1995 - Appleton North High School
Spring 1995 - Mukwonago High School
Fall 1994 - Marquette University High School, Milwaukee
Spring 1994 - Randolph High School
Fall 1993 - South Shore High School, Port Wing
Spring 1993 - Randolph High School
Fall 1992 - Marquette University High School
Spring 1992 - South Shore High School, Port Wing
Fall 1991 - Sheboygan North High School
Spring 1991 - South Shore High School, Port Wing
Fall 1990 - Marquette University High School
Spring 1990 - Arrowhead High School, Hartland
Fall 1989 - Marquette University High School, Milwaukee

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Commodities Simulation

EconomicsWisconsin will no longer be offering the Wisconsin Commodities Market Simulation (CMS).

If you would like to trade commodities, you may be interested in participating in the programs offered by RMEY.

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EconomicsWisconsin
Wisconsin Council on Economic Education
7635 W. Bluemound Road, Suite 106
Milwaukee, WI 53203

(414) 221-9400
Fax (414) 221-9790
EconEd@EconomicsWisconsin.org