Investing, economics and personal finance are thought of as terms exclusive to adults.
Not so with nine fourth-grade students at Indian Mills School, who learned what they mean as they placed in the top 10 of regional teams in the South Jersey Elementary-School Region’s Competitive Stock Market Game. Four of them took first place.
The game is an online simulation of the stock market run by the SIFMA (Securities, Industry and Financial Markets) Foundation to foste financial literacy skills for kids in grades four to 12, according to K-4 Gifted and Talented (IMAGE) Program teacher Lisa Abramovitz.
The Competitive Stock Market Game engages students in investing, economics, and personal finance. Students work in small teams and are given “$100,000” to invest in stocks, bonds and mutual funds.
“Prior to starting the game, we spent several weeks learning about topics that would help students succeed,” Abramovitz explained. “First, students learned to differentiate between brands, companies, and products. “For instance, students learned that the company PepsiCo owns brands like Pepsi, 7Up, Doritos, and Cheetos. They also explored products made by the brands, including chips and soft drinks.
“Students used sites like Yahoo Finance and learned to read ticker symbols and stock quotes,” she added. “Another lesson involved the importance of creating a diversified portfolio that might include companies that represent a variety of sectors such as technology, energy, health care, consumer, and communication.”
The final lesson had students learn about taking risks and how to read (stock market) quotes.
The nine students in the Competitive Stock Market Game came from the IMAGE class, the Gifted and Talented Program at Indian Mills. They were separated into three teams and were challenged to develop team names that included the Money Machines, Stock Wizards, and Elemental Stock Dragons.
All three teams placed in the top 10 of the South Jersey Elementary-School Region. Money Machines Myles Bruninghaus, Oscar Dobias, James Goduto and Jeffrey Shaughnessy were first-place winners.
“The students worked hard both during their IMAGE class and in the evening to research stocks, bonds, and mutual funds, and make transactions to their portfolios,” Abramovitz noted.
Students on the winning team will be rewarded with $25 gift cards from the SIMFA Foundation, various Stock Market Game prizes and a classroom banner.
